At the start of this week’s episode, Kannawa tries to tell Kamegawa to retrieve her phone through a variety of hand gestures. When he predictably fails to interpret her flailing movements, she finally opens the glass doors to tell him directly what she wants. Why didn’t she just do that from the start? Well, this is just one of the many examples of Kannawa and her kouhai struggling to be proper adults:

• Kamegawa keeps sighing at his desk, because his mom is texting him nonstop. Bro, just put your phone on “Do not disturb” and flip it over. I have my phone on perma-silent anyways.
• We learn that his parents has to nag him to cook his own meals. That is honestly pretty pathetic. You’re a single dude living alone. Do you really eat takeout or instant meals everyday? Plus, these days, you have appliances like air fryers that make cooking dead simple. Can you get the perfect meal out of an air fryer? Probably not (though they seem pretty good for chicken), but it’s better than downing another cup noodle. I just never understand how some people can be clueless about simple household tasks like, say, the laundry. You separate colors from whites, toss them into the machine along with some detergent, press a button, and walk away. How hard can that be?
• While shopping, Kannawa bumps into Kamegawa and has a mini-freakout. Why? It’s just a coworker. I personally wouldn’t give a shit. Oh right, she’s supposed to be awkward.
• Instead of buying the half-off bentos that she initially wanted, Kannawa tries to look cool in front of her senpai. As a result, she gets a bunch of veggies instead. She ends up cutting herself later that night because mustard greens are just oh so hard to chop. Girl, c’mon. You’re an adult. You’re telling me you really have problems cutting mustard greens? There are kids right now getting home early from school and making dinner to help their parents. Do we need to wrap these working professional in bubble wrap because they can’t perform basic tasks that even a teenager could do?
• Kannawa lies that she has a boyfriend just to get her mom off her back. So lemme guess, she’s going to have Kamegawa pretend to be her boyfriend? Obviously, I would tell my parents the truth, because that’s literally what I’ve done. My parents have also brought up arranged marriages. Not gonna happen. Not in a million years. In a way, I can relate to Kannawa, but at the same time, I don’t. You gotta nip the issue in the bud. How come she can be blunt and honest to her coworkers but not her mom? Yeah, your mom will try to introduce you to someone, but you can also stand your ground and say no. Are you an adult or not? “Well, uh, it’s different in other cultures!” Whatever, man. What are they going to do? Have you arrested for not having a boyfriend? C’mon, get a grip.

• So of course, the two of them now have to get their story straight. You just know, however, that they’re not going to fool her mother. First, I mean, it’s your freakin’ mom. Moms typically know their kid, so I bet you anything she can easily tell when her daughter is lying. Second, Kannawa and Kamegawa simply don’t have that couple energy. They’re worse than Loid and Yor.
• During the actual meeting, Kamegawa stammers and stutters all over the place. Bro, her mother is asking you very basic questions. Are you that incapable of having a conversation? By the way, it’s not true that introverts can’t hold a conversation. I can hold one just fine. I just don’t want to talk to you or people in general.
• Apparently, Kannawa doesn’t like tomatoes, and Kamegawa isn’t exactly a huge fan of them either. She probably could’ve just asked for no tomatoes. The ingredients are probably on the menu. But even if they weren’t, she could’ve also asked the waitress to take the salad back and remove the tomatoes. “Oh no, I don’t want to be a bother!” Ma’am, it’s literally their job. And yeah, I think people who deliberately litter at stadiums or parks are jackasses too. But that’s different from asking a kitchen to remove tomatoes from a salad once or twice in a day.

Like I’ve said elsewhere, the most annoying thing about romance anime with adults is that it rarely ever feels like you’re watching actual adults. I simply can’t picture two working professionals behaving this way. I really don’t. But maybe my perspective is skewed. Maybe Gen Z adults are exactly like this: absolutely helpless.

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Stray thoughts & observations:

• I would avoid making blanket statements like this one. You never know what people’s relationships with their parents are like. It could be fraught with issues — traumatic issues — so it’s best to avoid assumptions. It’s especially annoying when people keep saying things like, “But they’re your paaaarreeeeeents!” Look man, you have no clue what other people’s upbringings were like. Some things are unforgivable. Some things are best left behind closed doors.
• Kannawa always worries that her tone isn’t the nicest, and that’s probably true with most of her coworkers. But after seven episodes with Kamegawa, I wish she would realize she can be herself around him.

• Like always, Kannawa gives advice she herself doesn’t follow.
• There’s a local place near me that does the prettiest-looking bento boxes. Even Japanese take-out has to look neat and tidy. Naturally, the bento boxes cost an arm and a leg. I’ve only tried them once, because I’d go broke otherwise.
• Y’know, I’ve never felt this way. I’ve always been the better cook in all my relationships.
• Ah, classic mom sees her friend with a grandchild so she calls you up to ask if you’ll pump out babies for her. I’ve told my mom a long time ago that I’ll never have a kid. I’m too selfish to be a good father. I would have to sacrifice too many of my hobbies to have a kid. Plus, I would end up like Kannawa: constantly telling my kids to develop good habits that I myself don’t have.
• Her mom tells her outta nowhere that she’s literally in front of her apartment. That’s so weird. First, Kannawa is at work. I have to assume that the mom has a key to get in, but even then, I would be so uncomfortable with someone — even a family member — having free reign of my home. Second, I know it’s different with every family, but if my parents showed up at my doorstep without asking me first, they wouldn’t get in. I would absolutely not open the door. That’s probably some huge sign of disrespect, huh? You’d probably get disowned or some shit. But whatever. Culturally, I’m more American than Asian anyway.
• Wow, directly referencing a real game. Usually, they make up some stupid name like Final Journey Quest or some shit. Still, why is Kamegawa surprised to learn that his senpai’s hobby is gaming? They’ve literally game’d together all night on a work trip.
• I personally wouldn’t wear a tie to meet my girlfriend’s parents.
• Somehow, Kannawa’s mother looks even younger than her.
• So the first thing the mother does is tell embarrassing stories about her daughter. I find it strange that so many parents do this. Maybe I would end up the same way if I ever became a parent. Luckily, I’ll never find out.
• “Since she’s such an introvert, what if she’s gettin’ scammed out there?” Huh? Introverts run a higher risk of being scammed? That’s so random, I can’t even be offended. Yo fellow introverts, y’all being scammed out there or what?
• The food here looks kinda sad.
• Kannawa has to step away to take a client’s call, so the mother and Kamegawa get to speak one-on-one. But don’t expect anything interesting from the conversation. “Oh, don’t hate my daughter for being awkward” followed by “There’s no way I could ever hate my senpai!” Yawn. You guys are putting me to sleep.
• I’m not sure if Kannawa’s father has ever been brought up before. Is this the first time? Well, all we learn is that she’s stubborn like her father.
• Man, I couldn’t be more different from these two when it comes to tomatoes. I love tomato season. The best tomato combines everything I love into one bite: sweetness, a bit of tartness, bursting with umami flavor, that fresh, juicy mouthfeel, etc.