He's trying guys
He had an ahoge the entire time?! Maximum Shock!!
I'm sure he'll do fine as the protagonist. Chapter 1 gave him a ton of momentum (he's initially MUCH more compelling than Makoto or Hajome), and he actually seems endearing (not to mention his design is pretty good). He'll likely much better than Makoto but will fall short of the God. It's just... the fact that he's the protagonist means that:
1) We're playing as yet another milquetoast protagonist.
2) Who essentially recycles Makoto/Hajime's insecurities.
3) Who's broken up after their waifu dies for him and uses it to fuel his desire to get shit done.
4) And will invariably have ship teasing with the girls, awww yeaaa waifu time (/s)
Traditional protagonists aren't inherently bad, but playing them 3 times in a row in a series that prides itself on defying expectations is... well, a genuine bummer. (Also is lying during trials no longer a thing?)
Like, I knew the game had false advertising and I still feel misled, lmao. I've slowly grown to accept it though. Time heals all wounds after all~