There is plenty of characterization and it has a very wide, dynamic cast who often serve more as "contrasts" for one another(especially Ogi) and in illustrating the point that "life is mundane, things happen, people come and go, humans evolve" than in having any other role. That said, the pacing is very slow because it focuses more on character growth in a highly introspective and careful manner.
Ciguatera will likely not appeal towards those looking for fast-paced storylines nor to those who want some excitement with the writing as there is almost none. It can also be somewhat fustrating because the plot never really evolves much and simply sticks along to the simple premise of "depicting character growth and the life of Ogi, with the interaction of various people". And it's really "slice of life" to the core, like some of those BL, GL, shoujo, shounen, etc., etc. "slice of life" stories that tend to bore the heck out of many because they're just very very realistic and "down to earth", it's like "nothing ever happened".
There's also a barely noticeable maturity growth for much of the main cast: things happen, they grow and turn into adults. Their paths may or may not have been predictable but many of the events or if not, the factors triggering them, were not always so evident.
About the girlfriend: she does have some personality but the problem is that the people around her are more "outgoing", to the extent they overshadow her qualities. Thus, she turns from "potentially interesting" into appearing "somewhat dull and flat on the surface" at times. And it doesn't help that the plot focuses on the mundane, so it doesn't really create many situations for her to shine on the surface. I can't help but think that if this had been a different type of plot, she'd come across as more attractive. Yet, she does have some good points: a nice, sweet, strong and steady person whose underlying qualities are being "tough" and being able to deal with life as it is without freaking out. And she is definitely someone who has a lot of confidence. These points allow her to see Ogi for what he really is, to support Ogi and to push him into growing. And perhaps, the writer was just trying to illustrate the point that those who're understated and overlooked are often the ones who're "hidden gems" and that life isn't always about those bursts of excitement but also about the peace and tranquility that come with it.
About Ogino: Like his girlfriend, he appears dull on the surface but in reality, he's the person who undergoes the most character growth. He's strong, dependable(in a way but not so much at first), has a bit of charisma and so on. He doesn't just learn to think for himself, he becomes far more thoughtful and eventually learns to accept himself as he is. And there's actually a remarkable but subtle softening of his negative qualities over time as he evolves.
Also, I suspect his qualities of "indecisiveness and lack of confidence, tendency to blame everyone but himself" probably caused certain others(Takigawa, Takai, etc.) to see him in a really different light and not as the person he really was. On one hand, he attracts people due to his strengths but on the other hand, his flaws often repel them, causing them to treat him badly. And if not, his flaws set off some unfortunate chain of events that just only make things worse for almost everyone involved. If he hadn't been so half-assed and more pushy or even more matured in many of his actions, the outcome of various events would've been considerably different.
Also, the usage of Ogi's outbursts/thoughtful moments was a clever device that was used in depicting the tension between Ogi and Nagano, the atmosphere between Ogi and Takai/Takigawa. It was even superb in serving as a form of narration and served in connecting a series of random events that happened over the years. Frankly, it was surprising since he seemed so submissive and weak-willed at first yet who knew that he could be strong and interesting in his own way?
On the other hand, the frequency of those outbursts was so often in the earlier volumes, that the writing started to detach a little, with the pacing even meandering off, causing the plot to be stuck in some "infinite loop of Ogi's freak-out moments". Thankfully, the writing and pacing sort of improved after a while and those outbursts became more integrated into the writing again.
That said, it's really worth a read if you're willing to stick all the way to the ride. It's nothing thrilling, nothing surprising but still quite good.
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