High schoolers overreact too much. Right off the bat, our protagonist Maki thinks he’s destined to a life of loneliness, because he was a bit awkward when introducing himself. Oh no, I was shy and timid, and I revealed that I like to watch B-movies! The horror! Bro, it ain’t that serious. Nah, what’s holding him back isn’t his interests or even how he delivered them. Rather, it’s his defeatist mindset. Maki is only acting this way, so he doesn’t have to try. Welp, no point in putting in any effort to make friends, because I just know I’m already doomed!
Thanks to the show’s title, we already know where the story is headed. Plus, Umi had a small but obvious reaction when Maki mentioned his love for terrible movies. But putting that aside, everything Maki said was completely innocuous. It’s not like he blurted out anything offensive or weird. His problem is that he doesn’t want to try and make friends. He’s already in defensive, turtle mode. He wants people to come to him rather than him coming to them. Fine, if Maki was more conventionally attractive or more outwardly charismatic, his classmates would seek out his friendship. Alas, the reality is that some of us have to put in a token effort to bridge the gap between ourselves and others. I’m not even trying to be flippant. I know what it feels like to be mediocre looks-wise and personality-wise. Oh well. It’s not entirely fair, but that’s life. It’s either do the work yourself or be content with being alone.
And frankly, being alone isn’t even that bad… so long as you don’t constantly piss and moan about it. Pizza, video games, and the house to yourself? Sounds like bliss to me. Bro even has a PS5, which has gone up in price thanks to the crazy world we live in. Mom hooked him up. Anyway, it’s cute that Umi seeks him out and befriends him. But I hope he learns something from this. Maybe going forward, he can turn things around and make an actual effort to befriend someone else.
You ever notice how much anime girls gyrate when just talking to the main character. Leaning forward all cutely. Walking up to the guy just to say something in his ear. Backing off to put her hands together and wink. And then the hand gestures. Leaning forward again. It’s an entire choreographed dance to woo shy, lonely nerds. Umi’s even overactive when she games. It’s like she was created in a lab to charm the audience. But it doesn’t stop there. I’m glad Umi and Maki are kindred spirits, but why do they have the exact same tastes for pizza toppings right down to reciting the very same string of words? It’s a little uncanny. I would say back it up a little. These two don’t have to be carbon copies of each other to show that they’re similar. It almost feels like she stalked him beforehand to learn exactly what to say and what to do.
But despite their instant bond, it’s also kinda weird that Maki and Umi feel like they have to hide the fact that they’re friends. Sure, they don’t have to stand in front of the class and broadcast that they’re hanging out on the regular. But why hide it? What is there to be ashamed of? There might be “a bunch of chatter?” Look, who cares what the peanut gallery thinks? The sooner you realize that other people’s opinions don’t matter, the happier and less stressful life will be. Hiding the friendship actually makes it a bigger deal than it needs to be — like you’re breaking a commandment or whatever. Thou shalt not befriend mediocre anime protags when thou art the second prettiest! If someone has a problem, just tell them off. Eventually, people will get over it.
So far, the friendship is too lopsided. Umi approached him. Umi is now going to drag Maki out of his comfort zone. She teasingly suggests that they should just reveal that they’re dating… haha, just kidding… unless… And from the looks of it, she’ll probably turn down some guy who’s asking her out, because she’s already got a certain someone on her mind. What else is Umi going to do? And why has she taken it upon herself to build Maki up like some kind of reclamation project? Is she just the patron saint of shy, lonely nerds? Hell, even his own mom doesn’t believe in him this much.
You know what’s a term I haven’t used in a long while? Manic pixie dream girl. I wouldn’t say Umi is one just quite yet, but it’s certainly giving off that sort of energy. Ah, if only a 9/10 (docked a point for the sharp elbows!!!) baddie would come along and adopt me! Won’t someone please light my world up for me?! Lots of people love video games, junk food, and shitty movies, so it’s not like Umi is a rare breed. But the speed to which she’s moving — and the fact that she’s doing all of the work so far — is what makes the whole thing feel a touch inauthentic. So yes, Maki asks a very good question near the end of the episode. Going forward, I would like to see Umi chill out a bit, and similarly, I would like to see Maki try a little harder. Right now, things are going his way just a little too smoothly.
I still think the title is terrible. So far, this is a story about two kindred spirits finding each other and becoming friends (and perhaps more down the line). What does the girls’ prettiness have to do with anything? Hell, supposing Umi was just average-looking like Maki, would it have mattered? Would it have changed their relationship? No, it wouldn’t. So it’s kinda like having your cake and eating it too, i.e. I, the lonely loser nerd, finally made a friend, but she’s also so hawt, you guys. Gamer chick with big boobs! Awesome!!! Like c’mon, grow up a little. We don’t need these gimmicks to tell a good story.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— A teacher wants to get to know her students better, so she has them fill out kind of a survey. But then she proceeds to stand before the class and read them out loud. See, that would prevent me from writing too many details, thereby defeating the purpose of the survey.
— That’s a really large sheet of paper. Just sayin’.
— I can’t imagine getting through the day on just a girl’s smile. That’s why I kinda feel like these characters are strawmen. They’re made to be vapid just to make the main character look less pathetic. But who knows? Maybe there really are dudes out there who do nothing but talk about the prettiest girl in class and her smile.
— Ah, it’s Monster Hunter again. That series’ popularity astounds me when it often just feels like wailing away on a big mob for minutes and minutes on end. Farm mobs, get gear, farm slightly harder mobs. Rinse and repeat.
— Bro, say it isn’t so. You like slop movies and slop games? Speaking of which, Maki hasn’t been able to make one online friend either? Sheesh.
— This scene would’ve been more believable if Maki was actually plump. But he’s just as scrawny as any other anime MC, so…
— Bro, you gotta banter back. Not… whatever this is. But maybe she likes getting him riled up, because it’s so easy.
— Animating their LINE conversations like this is cute, at least.
