hmm, on one hand the studio has done anime with romance in them without having to pretend is something else, like Nagi-Asu and Iroduko (one about the sea and the other features sea life imaginery funny enough)
on the other, they also did another "working girls" slice of life before, Hanasaku Iroha, and that one got heavy on the romance later on...
meh, regarless o wheref Aquatope ends on the subtext scale, i don't think the crush the dude has on Kukuro will go beyond a confession that gets turned down.