Kannawa and Kamegawa are asked to plan an after work drinking party. Someone in the office is getting married, so everyone wants to celebrate. Drinking is… not my thing. If you wanna do an after work dinner with the team, I’m all for it. I’m not the most social person, but bribe me with some good food and even I can force myself to hold a conversation. Getting drunk and feeling drunk, however, is not my jam. I actually lucked out on this front. A lot of Asians get really flushed after drinking alcohol. It’s a genetic thing. During my freshman year in college, my friend wanted to go out with a bang on everyone’s last day in the dorms. Well, one can of beer was enough to have him writhing in misery. I don’t have that problem. I can drink as much as I want. I just never want to be “under the influence.” But enough about that.
Anyways, during the party, someone asks Kamegawa how he is doing. Everyone else is intimidated by Kannawa, so they just assume that he’s having a hard time with her as well. Our golden retriever replies, however, that he actually appreciates her bluntness. I can definitely see this, especially when you’re often surrounded by people who have to speak in a roundabout manner in order to adhere to ill-defined rules of social etiquette. But Kannawa isn’t always blunt and honest, though. Sometimes, she is. She can certainly be this way around people she isn’t nervous about, i.e. coworkers not named Kameagawa.
For example, at the party, people thank Kannawa for organizing the party. She responds that she was just doing her duty. Another coworker is happy to drink with her. Kannawa then responds by saying, “This is how the seating was arranged, so I suppose so.” From one introvert to another, sometimes, you can just smile and nod. You don’t always have to respond. I don’t know why she feels the need to explain herself to them. Sometimes, awkward people can hide behind the shield of “I’m just being honest.” Yes, you’re being honest, but you don’t always have to voice your thoughts all the time. Keeping some thoughts unvoiced doesn’t make you a dishonest person. Nevertheless, for the first time since the show started, I finally see Kannawa be truly socially awkward.
But that’s just with her coworkers. With Kamegawa, Kannawa quickly becomes a hot mess. She even tries to put on airs. For example, in front of Kamegawa, Kannawa tries to take her coffee black. She claims she’s only doing this in order to appreciate the true flavor of the coffee. Uh huh, enjoy your ground up bean water, lady. In reality, she’s being pretentious and she even knows it. Sure, I get it, she’s never had to mentor anyone before, so she’s trying to copy what her mentor did even though she’s obviously not her mentor. But we’re going to fake liking black coffee? That’s what your mature adult ass thinks you should copy? Of all the cool traits your mentor had, that’s what you end up picking? Girl, c’mon. How does this help the mentee?
But it doesn’t end there. Unfortunately, Kannawa takes her pretentiousness to the next level. It turns out that the kid doesn’t really like to drink. Nevertheless, he goes on to say how he would still love to go out drinking with her. Y’know, just the two of them. From a professional standpoint, this seems a bit inappropriate. If you’re going to date in the office, try not picking your superior. But putting that aside, Kamegawa is really going out on a limb here! So what does Kannawa go and do? She flat out rejects him. Not because she wants to, but because she just couldn’t be honest. Like with the black coffee thing. Girl, get a grip. Be yourself and not this weird fake persona who isn’t even cool in the first place. Drinking black coffee doesn’t make someone cool.
Despite her inability to be earnest and straightforward with Kamegawa at times, she does genuinely look out for her mentee. Unfortunately, she goes about it in such a weird way. When a coworker tries to peer pressure Kamegawa into drinking, which he should be able to turn down on his own but he can’t, Kannawa quickly comes to the rescue. First, Kamegawa needs to shape up on this front. She won’t always be there to baby him. Second, Kannawa saves him by being blunt and honest, right? Riiiiight? Of course not. I just wish she could’ve helped him out by merely telling the coworker off. Instead, she takes the drink and chugs it. Yeah, don’t down an entire glass of alcohol when you don’t even like drinking in the first place. Kannawa was so cool until she went and sabotaged herself. Somehow, she ends up being the one who gets peer pressured into drinking too much.
Unsurprisingly, Kannawa is shit-faced and needs help just getting home. Kamegawa can’t even help her leave without everyone else trying to make him stay and get wasted. This golden retriever can’t stand up for himself whatsoever. So of course, Kannawa has to come to his help again, but she has to be weird about it again. She makes a big scene about how he screwed up that project, so she is essentially dragging his reputation through the mud. Huh? What happened to being blunt and honest?
On the way home, Kannawa’s drunk ass gets all insecure. She saw Kamegawa being nervous at the party, so she assumed it was due to her mere presence. Alright, back up a bit. Not everything is about you. But of course, our golden retriever has to comfort her. He knows how nice she truly is, because apparently, she had given him a bit of advice right before he was about to be interviewed for his current job. I wonder if she even remembers this little moment of theirs. Kamegawa then asks her again if they could go drinking together, and this time, her drunk, giddy ass happily accepts. But again, I wonder if she’ll remember this moment either.
The next day, Kamegawa shows up in the same exact clothes that he wore yesterday. She was such a mess that helping her meant he couldn’t go home to shower and sleep in his own bed. He missed the train, he says. Huh? He got her into a taxi, but he couldn’t take one himself? Or is he too broke for them? Nevertheless, Kannawa left a lipstick mark on Kamegawa’s shirt. How scandalous. Very unprofessional, but we’ll just look the other way because this is supposed to be a feelgood romance. So naturally, their boss tells them that they have to go on an overnight business trip to Okinawa together.
Anyway, Kannawa isn’t just awkward. Lately, she’s been a disaster. She randomly breaks an item at a store, pretends to like black coffee just to immediately blow her cover after one sip, rejects her kouhai for no good reason, can’t defend him at a party without getting shitfaced, can’t even get home on her own power, tries to tear his shirt off the next day out of embarrassment. Holy hell, she’s a girlfailure.
Stray thoughts & observations:
- In Japan, someone like Kannawa is “getting up there” in age, so naturally, her mother wants to introduce her to someone. Again, I just experienced a story where an arranged marriage ended in disaster. Don’t do it, girl! Seize your fate! And definitely don’t take any weird red pills.
- It’s weird to me that they think the newcomer should be in charge of the welcoming party, but I don’t work in their field. I don’t have to interact with clients. Maybe this is a thing.
- They even have to pick out a gift for the happy couple. Uh, is the company covering this? ‘Cause I would be salty as fuck if I had to buy a present for a coworker out of my own pocket. Then again, I’m kind of a miser about these things. If my actual friends were getting married, then fine, I’ll go and get them something. My coworkers, though? Bro, please. We ain’t like that. Yeah, I’d never make it in the Japanese corporate world.
- This store looks pricy. Honestly, I’ve been to a brick and mortar location once in the past six months: the Nintendo store. I can’t imagine actually buying most of my stuff in person these days.
- Kannawa doesn’t know what to get the happy couple, and I don’t blame her. Isn’t this why people have wedding registries in the west? Does Japan even do that sort of thing? I know my Asian culture would just give couples money.
- No one ever invites Kannawa to a wedding, because they assume she wouldn’t go. I’ve never been to a wedding either mostly because none of my friends are particularly keen on the concept of marriage in the first place. I have a friend who has been with her man for over ten years, but they have no desire to make it official. There are certainly legal benefits to getting married though, so shrug… I’m not really gonna pry.
- I would buy these cat-themed cups for myself, but not for others. Seems a little too childish unless I know for certain that they love cutesy stuff like that.
- Kamegawa ends up buying the cat-themed cups, but they’re secretly for her. He really pays close attention to her and her reactions. This gesture seems a little too forward for two coworkers, but we obviously know where this show is headed.
- Weird angle.
