Last week was practically all about our couple, and whether or not they were going to do it (obviously not). It had a lot of intense but relatable emotions from Marin’s side, so almost as a reflex, the narrative takes its foot off the pedal in this week’s episode. We take a breather as everyone splits up to make this Coffin group cosplay a reality. Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of this move. I think the series should have continued ratcheting up the tension. This far in, I believe I can finally say that I prefer the first season. I’ve still enjoyed the second season overall, but it’s missing that “will they, won’t they” spice that makes you want come back for more. Last week was the first time in a long time where the romance was finally front and center, but there’s only a couple episodes left. What are we still waiting for?

Sadly, the issue is Gojo. Marin’s feelings have been clear from start. But I don’t want to shortchange the guy. After all, Gojo has certainly made great strides in terms of building up his confidence and making new friends. On the other hand, he’s at a complete standstill with regards to Marin. Being so freaked out at the idea of merely sleeping over was frankly pathetic. And even though we only have one episode left after this one, we still have no clue how he truly feels about Marin other than she’s real gosh darn purdy. No, that isn’t completely fair. Gojo confesses that he’ll devote himself to making her dreams come true, because she saved him from his previously lonely and bland existence. So clearly, she’s important to him. The problem is how he frames her in his mind. Can she be an equal partner in life? Or is she on a pedestal for him to worship from a platonic distance? If she were to disappear from his life completely, how would he react? These are the key questions. Unfortunately, we’re eleven episodes in and we’re no closer to the answers than when we started. But fine, let’s see what everyone is up to.

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Akira finds new life in adulthood

Akira was only in middle school when her all-too-serious, no-fun-allowed mom confiscated her collection of manga. I never had it as bad as Akira, but my parents shared a similar approach. They honestly thought I should stop gaming by the time I got to middle school. They just never went as far as to confiscate them, but I made sure to never push it. I stuck to gaming and gaming only even though I had other “juvenile” interests. I never dared to buy anything anime-related until I was living on my own, and thankfully, my parents didn’t push it on their end either. I’m not sure why they didn’t go through with taking away my video games. Maybe they thought I would rebel if they did? Well, even to this day, my mom will ask me if I still buy video games, then whine about how I’m wasting my money when I say yes. Why am I wasting my time playing Nintendo (it’s always Nintendo)! I’m supposed to be having kids! I should let them find a wife for an arranged marriage! I’m supposed to then buy a big house to fill with said wife and kids! And of course, my parents think they should tag along. Can’t forget that! Yeah, I’ll pass.

Luckily, our parents’ ironfisted rule typically goes out the window as soon as we reach adulthood. Akira would eventually try her hand at one of those gashapon vending machines. Not only did she win the top prize for one of her favorite series, this was also how she solidified her friendship with Suzuka and Miwako. Akira gradually reclaimed a hobby that her mother had stolen from her. To this day, those gacha prizes are still enshrined in her home. The episode initially tries to hide what one of the figures look like, but there are enough clues to hazard a guess. It’s likely Black Lobelia, i.e. a character Marin cosplayed as in season one. We’re finally starting to get the complete picture: in Akira’s eyes, Marin is probably the amazing idol who brings a beloved character to life — a beloved character from a hobby she had to suppress for years. Naturally, Akira is nervous to be around someone who is essentially her hero. So nervous to the extent that you say something like, “I never want to be around her,” is way too extreme for me, but this season has played up the drama a little too much sometimes. I wish it didn’t.

In the end, however, Akira’s aversion to being around Marin is unrealistic if she’s going to continue interacting with Gojo as a friend or even simply a mentor in prop-making. Marin and Gojo aren’t dating (yet), but they’re obviously an item. You can’t have one without the other. It’s silly to think otherwise. Hell, even just being friends with Suzuka means she’ll always run the risk of seeing Marin. Plus, the girl in question isn’t stupid. Marin can tell when someone is only weird around her. But she’s so chill about everything (except Gojo) that she’s nonplussed about it. Even now, however, the three older women refuse to be clear and open about this complete non-issue. They’re supposed to be the adults in the room, but they continue to dance around this topic like it’s a big deal. I guess we’ll have to settle this once and for all in the season finale.

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Sajuna sees herself in a new light

I always forget which sister has which name. Alright, Sajuna is the small one, and Shinju is the young one. Sajuna has a complex about her body type (well, they both do), so she only cosplays as magical school girls. Got it. I mean, I understand where she’s coming from. She wants to respect the character, and as such, she doesn’t want to distort their image too much. It’s partly why I can’t get into cosplay either or even watch live action adaptations for anime. Again, no judgment on anyone who cosplays. Do whatever you want to do. It’s none of my business. But like I’ve said elsewhere, even the best cosplay doesn’t look like the original character to me from the neck up. Anime is so stylized with the big honking eyes and tiny noses, I just can’t get past it. One of my friends cosplay, and she said I should just try it once to see what it’s like. Well, to do that, I would need to pick a character. I got as far as considering Ginko from Mushishi, but I can’t. I don’t have the right mindset for cosplaying. These ladies love their favorite anime characters, so they would do anything to become them. I’ve personally never cared about any character, anime or otherwise, to that extent. But to bring it all back to Shinju, she’s a bit extreme in her thinking. She initially planned to quit to quit cosplaying altogether, because she didn’t think she could keep embodying her favorite characters as she got older. She’s that serious about this hobby.

After hearing what Shinju has to say about her sister, Suzuka and Miwako want to try and get Sajuna to cosplay as Black Lobelia. They plan to accomplish this by surprising her with the costume. Just springing it on her like that? Ehhhhh. I’m not a big fan of surprises in general, especially if you’re going to use it to pressure someone into doing something they’re hesitant about. Obviously, these ladies have good intentions, and they want to encourage Sajuna to overcome her mental hurdles. They believe she’ll be happy in the long run, so the ends justify the means. Plus, the means are harmless in their eyes. But still, it feels dishonest to me. How can Sajuna say no? They’ve come this far, people are looking at her expectantly, she doesn’t want to disappoint her sister, etc. It’s just not fair. She ultimately has to agree, but is it really her decision? Unsurprisingly, when the time comes, Sajuna reacts by scolding them.

The ladies then say that Sajuna might look better than she thinks if she takes a few of their tips and tricks. For example, through the power of modern bra technology, even someone like Sajuna can have a cleavage. Then there are camera tricks like taking pictures from a lower angle, never a full-on body shot, nothing in the background that people can use as a size comparison, so on and so forth. See, bringing new information to the table is okay. You think you can’t do X, but here are some reasons why you can. Miyako then relates to Sajuna on a personal level by opening up about her initial cosplay-related insecurities. This is the right approach when trying to change someone’s mind. Obviously, don’t be too persistent, and always be ready to take no for an answer. The ladies are still a little pushy in my opinion, but at least they’re remorseful about cooking up a scheme in the first place. An honest discussion with everything laid out on the table is perfectly fine. I just don’t like springing surprises on people. Still, it’s a bit strange to me that Sajuna hadn’t considered push-up silicone bras when she’s so knowledgeable about cosplaying in general. Forget cosplay, what percentage of women in this day and age doesn’t actually know about push-up bras?

In the end, Sajuna completes her transformation. Does she look good? Does she fit the character? Don’t ask me. I’m just here for the romance and character interactions. The cosplays mean nothing to me. But everyone else is happy enough. More importantly, Sajuna won’t quit her hobby after all. It’s just a bit silly that she didn’t know that there are cosplayers way older than her. Well, her sister does say Sajuna doesn’t like to go to cosplay events or meet-ups. I just find it hard to believe she’s never come across an older cosplayer through the sheer osmotic power of social media.

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Marin willing to give it all up

Marin spends a good chunk of her day shopping for snacks with Shinju, but we don’t really get to see much of it. So I’ll talk about something else instead. Specifically, her motivations in last week’s episode. So often, people will say, “Why did she give it up? Why did she sleep with him when she didn’t really want to? Is she stupid?” Well, no, it’s not that simple. It’s actually pretty common for people to not want to have sex (yet), but if it means they get to be with someone, i.e. become exclusive, then they’re willing to sacrifice their bodies as crude as that might sound. This is pretty much how Marin approached last week’s predicament. For obvious reasons, you should never be pressured into sex. And for equally obvious but different reasons, we really shouldn’t judge people if they end up in this situation. Oftentimes, these are just kids. We know Gojo is a good guy, but lots of people would take advantage of someone in Marin’s position. Sure, we’re ultimately responsible for our own actions, but I guess just have a little sympathy. People are not “slutty” or stupid if they give up their first time. They’re often just blinded by love. They’re desperate to deepen a connection that may or may not be there.