Now that Tani is dating Suzuki, he’ll find himself gradually integrated into her loud and boisterous friend group. Yamada is only the first of many. But it is a little strange that he doesn’t have his own friends to introduce to her in return. Like who has he been hanging out with all these years? Nobody? Nobody at all? Has he been a loner this entire time? Sadly, this does seem to be the case.
When they started walking home together later in the episode, everyone says their goodbyes to her and her alone. They do not even notice or acknowledge Tani, who is literally right next to her. I mean, I guess this is possible. It’s just odd. Even a loser like me has a friend group. Maybe the mangaka just didn’t want to bother, because it would mean too many moving parts to deal with. I still would have done something like an online gaming buddy, at least. Tani seems like the type, y’know?
Meanwhile, Suzuki’s friends are giving her a little grief over this SudaKen fellow. She’s gushing over a love story featuring a bad boy troublemaker, but in real life, she picks the straitlaced Tani. It’s a little surprising, but not that weird. There are attractive people of all types. It’s weirder, I think, to only ever want to date one type of person.
Suzuki’s friends have seen her make one-sided conversations with Tani this whole time, so they show her an article on how to have talk to someone you like (though the actual advice is applicable to everyone). But let’s be real: she’s already doing most of the heavy-lifting. If anything, her problem is that she tries too hard, so it comes off unnatural at times. This is why she can never take a good picture; she needs to relax. On the other hand, Tani’s the one who needs to improve his conversational skills. Well, there’s no better time for improving one’s conversational skills than on a date, so that’s exactly what we get.
It’s the couple’s first official date, so Suzuki’s overthinking again. It’s good practice to show up early, but she came half an hour early. Then when they settle in for lunch, instead of eating her burger normally, she starts nibbling at it like a rabbit. ‘Cause, I dunno, I guess she thinks she needs to be a dainty girl or whatever. I can’t speak for other guys, but I literally would not care as long as you don’t chew with your mouth open.
After walking around and sightseeing for a bit, the two kids eventually drop by the local theater to see a movie about… fuzzy polar bears and a witch? Hm, this is not exactly what I would’ve chosen for a first date. You just kinda sit there, y’know? If I want to get to know someone, I wouldn’t choose an activity where you have to remain quiet. But I guess talking about the movie later is an easy icebreaker.
Speaking of which, I don’t think I’d enjoy the movie these kids are watching. It’s really getting to Suzuki, though. Afterwards, Tani wonders if Suzuki actually watched the movie, because she doesn’t remember details like the names of the characters and the location they’re in. But unlike him, she actually notices details that are arguably way more meaningful. I think she watched it “better” than he did. Still, this goes to show that they’re “polar opposites,” and as long as he keeps an open mind to her perspective, he can continue growing as a person.
Suzuki only realizes at the end of the date that the whole day was mostly catered to her whims and tastes. But y’know, some people are like that. They don’t feel strongly about any one thing in particular; they just enjoy spending time with you. Is that sustainable in a longterm relationship? Tani will probably have to give a little, open up a little. But this is… what? Day three or four of them officially dating? Meh, they’re already miles ahead of most anime couples.
When he compliments her shirt right before they part for the day, Suzuki dashes home on cloud nine. I love how being in a relationship actually makes her like herself more. That’s what a proper, healthy relationship should do. Of course, it’s too early to judge this a healthy relationship, but other than Tani being a little too quiet at times, it seems to be going alright. Still, nothing like seeing a photo of yourself to bring you back down to earth. But hey, she got to know him a little better, so mission accomplished.
Stray thoughts & observations:
- Ahhhhh, I miss my cat. She wasn’t this friendly, though.
- At least she’s still on cloud nine.
- Just ask.
- I just like the goofy faces. Or when she just turns into this pink blob. It’s actually better in the anime, ’cause now she’s in full color.
- She’s beating herself up too much over this.
- Tani likes to hide his emotions a lot. I don’t recall if the manga ever gets into it. Maybe it’s just a quirk in his personality. In any other show, this would have some overwrought, dramatic backstory. Like maybe his father beat him for expressing his emotions or whatever. But sometimes, that sort of thing actually makes a story feel cheap.
- Tani’s mortified by his recent search history. but this is nothing. It could’ve been worse. Much, much worse.
- Okay, this is a bit early, but whatever. She did just say she wanted to love the person she loves so moments ago. Some kids jump the gun. I’m glad we’re not dragging things out, but we also don’t need to rush every storyline. Just get to know each other first, y’know. Like you don’t even know what toppings she likes on her burger yet.
- Geez, where did you even get those shirts? Why did you get those shirts?
- Do people really make a pile of clothes when deciding what to wear? You see it in anime all the time, but I’ve never done that. Not that men have much to choose from, sadly.
- Sure enough, he shows up to their first date rocking the same ass look that every male anime protagonist wears these days: plain outfit with that fucking fanny pack draped over the front. Every single one of them! What’s even in it! Show me! Justify the fanny pack’s existence! I’ve got my phone and wallet, and they all fit in my pockets. What else do I need?
- That burger is a little too big. I always see photos of these six-inch tall, made-to-be-Instagrammed burgers and sandwiches on social media, and they do not look appealing to eat.
- This show is so colorful. Too bad the mall near me is literally empty. Every single store has closed shop. It’s just this giant liminal space in the middle of downtown San Francisco. I think the other mall we have, the one near the state university, is still pretty active. I have no clue what they plan to do with the one near me, though.
- Watching a movie in this economy? Sheesh, what a bunch of high rollers! I jest, but only somewhat. Lemme see, if I wanna see 28 Years Later (which I don’t, by the way) tonight at roughly 7pm, I would need to pay… yeah, nearly 30 bucks for a single ticket. Granted, this comes with one of those fancy-schmancy Dolby Cinema tech. If I want to watch a “normal” movie at around the same time, it goes down to 20ish bucks. Still hefty. Yeah, I haven’t touched the movie theaters recently. It’s not even the price that scares me off. Rather, it’s the offering. To make as much money as they can, my local theater usually sticks to, y’know, action-packed crowd pleasers. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not my jam. I had the equivalent to AMC’s movie pass, but there simply weren’t enough movies I cared to watch on a weekly basis.
- I like how he’s the witch in her imagination.
- These subs are so ass. Crunchyroll’s quality control has really gone down the shitter.
