Shinya is the audience surrogate. He is not the loudest or funniest, but he is observant and kind. His job as a freelance illustrator allows for visual gags (we see his terrible doodles of cats that look like potatoes). His character arc, which begins here, is about learning that failure is less painful when shared.
The voice acting is legendary in Japan:
The apartment complex is a brutalist concrete slab from the 1970s. Vines climb over rusted railings. A faded sign reads: “Dokudami-sou – No Key Money, No Guarantor, No Hope.” Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou Episode 1