Right off the bat, Umi rejects the other guy. “It seems impossible to get Umi to say yes,” says one of her friends. But she mentions later that this guy has been going around, asking out all the hot girls. So don’t you want her to say no? As for the guy’s tactics, some guys play the numbers game. Not saying it’s right, but it’s just what they do. It doesn’t matter how many times they fail or who ends up hating them, because they only have to hit their target once. Eventually, the group disperses, but not before Yuu asks for Maki’s phone then puts her number in it. I will never understand why people will agree to hand over their incredibly expensive electronics to a relative stranger, no questions asked. He then adds that he has yet another secret to keep. Um, no? Why would you want to lie to your only friend?
When Maki hangs out with Umi later, he ruminates on the perils of being popular. Bro just spent half of the first episode, pissing and moaning about how he’s gonna be “awone” again after he bombed his introduction, but now he’s all like, “Gosh, being popular sure sounds annoying! I’d rather be alone in that case!” Bro, do we need to show the replay? Do we gotta whip out the receipts? It just cracks me up.
Friday eventually arrives, which means it’s time for Maki and Umi to go on their totally-not-a-date date. His “DESTROY” shirt is certainly a choice, but at least it’s not another fanny pack strapped across the chest. Meanwhile, Umi is dressed like a Marvel superhero trying to go incognito. But hey, maybe she’s just that popular. Sure enough, some random girls think they’ve spotted her when the couple takes a break for lunch (shoulda kept her hat on). But the girls take it back after thinking about it some more. After all, there’s just no way she could date a dweeb instead of the hot guy! I don’t really like it when shows do this. By this, I mean make every other character shallow and shitty. You and I Are Polar Opposites isn’t the gold standard, but when random girls go up to Suzuki to ask about Tani, they aren’t judgmental. They don’t start shit-talking Tani. They just want to know the deets. But in other shows, the NPCs always feel like they only exist to prop the main characters up. They’re only there to make the main characters seem saintly by comparison.
When Umi leaves for the restroom, Yuu and her friends just so happen to walk by. She then tries to get him to join their group. He could’ve just said no, but he goes on this vague spiel about how trying to fit in, not bringing the mood down, and being thoughtful eventually wears people out. Then Maki simply says no. Huh? I’m sure in his head, it all makes perfect sense — that he was just defending his friend — but to the group, it must have seemed so random. Like what is up with this kid? We just asked him if he wanted to hang out. “Sir, this is a Wendy’s” ass energy.
The next day, Yuu apologizes to Maki, then says she would like to speak to him some more. She then accidentally blurts out that he has her number. As a result, all of the guys in class start glaring at Maki. Again, this what I’m talking about. In reality, most people seriously wouldn’t give a shit. Maybe one or two dorks might get jealous, but most people are too busy with their own lives to care. You really want to convince me that 90% of the guys in class are not only listening in, they would get also mad? Nah, man. Get out more. Go touch some grass. So why are we seeing this? Is this gonna be one of those shows where the main character can secretly flex about getting to know all the hot girls? Well, that’s just how it is in some anime. The plain Jane, shy girl befriends the hottest, most popular guy in school who just happens to have no interest in anyone until she comes along. Same thing here. Umi is shooting down guys left and right because she’s just sooooo hot and popular. But she only wants to hang out with her nerdy gamer friend! We only care about what’s on the inside, after all! By the way, have we mentioned just how hot she is? Second most, actually! It’s literally in the title! But jokes aside, that’s why it’s such a breath of fresh air when a show comes along and doesn’t even mention the characters’ attractiveness. Unfortunately, this anime has been very bog standard so far.
But hey, add one more hot girl to the friend list. Surely, this show won’t have Yuu eventually develop feelings for Maki, right? Surely, we wouldn’t entertain such a cheap ass subplot, riiiiiiiight?
Stray thoughts & observations:
— Guys will be like, “Oh my god, years ago, I invited a girl over to play games, and we just played games. Now that I think about it, maybe she was into me!” This is pretty much that.
— The all black outfit keeps you cool? Huh?
— Friends don’t tell friends to work on their color scheme for a platonic hangout.
— Who keeps making all these movies about sharks?
— Someone thinks highly of herself.
— What, has she been stalking him this whole time?
— These subs sure are something.
— Presented with no additional context.
— Huh? What is he talking about here? Who was talking down about it?
