Hello there!
I wrote a treatise on Citrus
https://terrenceswiff.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/citrus/
It's a bit long.
I call it a review in the article itself but it really is much more like a treatise. I basically try to thoroughly explain what I believe the deal is with Citrus.
I hope you'll read/enjoy it.
Also, there's too much Yuzu/Harumin here for my liking! Can't friends be friends more often? No no, Yuzu/Harumin is no good!
Great review, I have to say I agree with most of your points. Although I'll add that keeping some obvious distances, the whole dynamic between the characters feel real
I'm pretty sure everyone has met outgoing, stubborn, "act first think later" girls like Yuzu at some point and while Mei's somewhat of a drama queen, her situation is also quite relatable. A lot of the drama in Citrus is also product of how teenagers would normally act, making a huge fuss over the smallest things, hardly talking to anyone else about the things they're worried about and the omnipresent "I know better" attitude.
If there's a weak link in the story, is everything related to Mei's father because quite frankly, it doesn't makes a LICK of sense. Hs backstory has more holes than a swiss cheese and he comes off like a tremendous ass by leaving Mei to her own devices.