Totally normal thing to say about your stepsister.
Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her Ep. 3
So Haruki meets Himeko, and they stay up all night chatting. The next day, Haruki looks like she hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep. Even worse, people start wondering if it’s because she has a boyfriend. Hayato thus comes to the rescue by… uh, initiating small talk where Haruki can loudly explain that she’s been corresponding with a cute, childhood girlfriend…? How is this a save? Why is this “save” even necessary? These school dynamics are so bizarre to me. Why can’t anyone mind their damn business?
For the rest of the episode, I’m astounded by the siblings’ reluctance to address the elephant in the room. Hayato notices Haruki eating nothing but “frozen food and convenience store meals.” When the siblings hang out with her after school, Himeko insists on updating Haruki’s outdated, worn-out clothes. When Haruki tries to lend her a hand in the kitchen — she’s only making tea — he finds her home littered with trash bags and old newspapers. Yo, what is going on with this girl? Where are her parents? Maybe it’s nothing serious, but then again, maybe it is. You don’t want to look back and ask yourself if you could’ve done more.
But Hayato feels as though he can’t pry. Really? What’s the point of being childhood best friends if you can’t even give them a shoulder to lean on? He doesn’t have to dig too deep; he only has to ask if Haruki’s okay, then let her know she can always confide in him. But to be fair, he doesn’t do nothing. Hayato immediately drags Haruki back to his place (with his sister) and whips up a home-cooked meal. Well, I guess that solves one of her problems. Hayato then invites Haruki to have dinner with them every night. Like I said, it’s a start. It doesn’t solve everything, but as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nor can you save your childhood friend with just potstickers. Speaking of which, he could’ve picked a more balanced first meal to cook. You eat nothing but processed, frozen food? Here, have some fried food!
The shopping trip with Himeko happens later anyway. But if Haruki’s parents are seemingly never around — and her home is kind of a mess — can she actually afford to buy new clothes? Meanwhile, Hayato visits his mother in the hospital. Once again, he hides Haruki’s existence: “Today, [Himeko] and Haru–… She’s out with a friend today.” Why are we being so weird about this? He also technically shows up for less than five minutes before wanting to bail. Bro, it’s your mother. She recently had surgery done, probably hasn’t seen her kids in a while, and is all cooped up in her hospital room. Stick around and give her some damn company.
But instead, Hayato leaves and bumps into veggie girl in the hallway. Great. I guess that’s more important. Wouldn’t it be something if the story threw us a curveball and had Hayato end up with this sheepish girl instead? But I think multiple synopses for this show have already spoiled the outcome for us. For example…
“While Haruki’s looks may have changed, with Hayato, she’s still the same pal he remembers. Despite years apart, their promise and feelings remain and deepen into something stronger.”
The one on Wikipedia is even more direct:
“Hayato Kirishima and Haruki Nikaido were close childhood friends who lived in a rural town. However, they separated after Haruki moved away. Seven years later, Hayato now finds himself in the city where Haruki moved to and transfers to a new school. There, he meets a beautiful girl, who initially acts strange towards him. However, they quickly realize that she is Haruki, his old friend. The two quickly reconnect and start a relationship.”
And yet, we introduce yet another girl after the credits. Wait, does Hayato even have a single guy friend? I hate it when there’s an obvious couple, but romcom anime still insist on creating a harem-like setup.
Let’s get back Haruki’s situation, though. Even though she agreed to have dinner with Hayato and his sister every night, she’s already skipping the next one. He’s making curry, too. I would run a portion of it over to her house so she has something to eat. But I suspect Hayato will do nothing of the sort. Strange developments this week. Yes, he offers to help his friend with the dinner thing, but I feel like he could’ve done more. And surely, I can’t be the only one who finds Hayato’s all-too-brief visit to the hospital extremely odd.
Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky Ep. 3
Saori Hayami is everywhere this season… like she is every season. Let’s see, she’s the lead role in this anime and The Ogre’s Bride. She’s also the sensei in Draw This, Then Die!, one of the haremettes in The World’s Strongest Rearguard, and the horse lady in Daemons of the Shadow Realm. How does this woman do it? Are her vocal cords made of steel? Every generation, there’s a handful of voice actors who take all the roles. Her and Manaka Iwami crop up constantly these days. Well, the only standout performance this season for me is the sensei in Draw This, Then Die! Our prolific seiyuu is simply using her typical voice in other shows.
Anyway, her character Koharu wants Kakeru so bad. She initiates every after class hangout, which he’s too spineless to reject. She initiates physical contact when they’re in close proximity. I’m still iffy on Kakeru being a future partner, because he’s so… flummoxed by every situation. “Gosh, how does Koharu pick a song to sing for karaoke?” Yuko immediately and nonchalantly speaks up and offers to help Koharu. If it had been Koharu and Kakeru by themselves, however, would he have just sat there, staring at her until she asked for help? I’m actually surprised he didn’t ask, “Waiiiiit, how is she going to sing along to the song when she can’t see the video!!!”
Kakeru frets over being a bad singer, but it’s karaoke with friends. It’s okay to be bad. Still, voice actors in Japan often have to sing as well. Not usually the male ones, but I wonder if Kakeru’s seiyuu could actually belt but had to deliberately fuck it up for this role.
When we next see the not-yet-a-couple, however, Kakeru already admits that he has so much fun spending time with Koharu. Really? Already? I feel like this is a little sudden. I still feel like this is the same guy who hesitated to spend time with the girl last week… hm. I dunno, I guess I would’ve preferred to see their relationship develop more steadily. But maybe we can’t sit around and dawdle, because Koharu makes a curious comment: “You never know when you might die, though.” Hm, is that really just a casual remark? I’m sure she never expected to lose her vision. Maybe the same disease that robbed her of her eyesight will rob her of her life.
Sure enough, Koharu doesn’t hesitate. When the guy in the “Fireworks Research Club” refuses to help the not-yet-a-couple shoot off some fireworks, Koharu resolves to do it on her own. She then proposes a shopping trip to buy fireworks, and Kakeru can’t say no because he lost her bookmark. I doubt he had the gumption to say no anyway. Then later that night, the girl calls him to clarify that their upcoming shopping trip is a date. I hope she’s only seizing the reins of their budding relationship, because she has never gotten this close to any other boy in her life. If she’s doing all of this because she’ll die soon, however… eh, I’m not sure I want to stick around. Your love story isn’t going to be more meaningful or poignant because tragedy awaits. There was a reason I didn’t bother finishing that replica show from last season. I don’t want a repeat.
Saved by the Ice Cold Prince’s Embrace Ep. 2
As soon as the episode begins, the ice cold prince is being… well, ice cold. He accuses Charlotte of showing up wet and cold in an attempt to garner sympathy. But that’s not Charlotte. Our heroine’s name is Katrina. Katrina then falls ill, ’cause she pretty much crawled through the snow to get here. The butler then points out that she is malnourished. Finally, the prince puts two and two together and realizes that the count has hoodwinked him. Oh well, you wouldn’t want to meet the real Charlotte anyway.
And just like that, the episode is over. Obviously, Katrina will end up staying, because we wouldn’t have a show if the prince sent her back. Plus, I doubt he wants to return her to her abusers. Still, the setup is a bit odd, isn’t it? If they were trying to punish Charlotte, why would she end up under the prince’s supervision? What kind of punishment is that? Normally, these scenarios involve being exiled to a convent or whatever, not a cushy home with a prince. More importantly, why would this trick even work? Okay, the prince now realizes that the count had sent his other daughter. So now go punish Charlotte anyway. What’s stopping him? There’s no reason not to.
Hana-Kimi S2 Ep. 4
Everyone’s on a school trip (even the girls’ only school), so you get the usual sightseeing scenes. For example, Mizuki and Sano take a selfie eating corn-on-the-cob together. I actually think this is an interesting shot. My first reaction to it is, “C’mon, most bros would not take a picture like this.” But if you really think about it, why not? We should be comfortable with each other enough to take such a silly, somewhat intimate photo. Ah, but the only reason this photo is even possible is because Mizuki isn’t really one of the bros, and Sano knows it. Would he be willing to take this same pic with, say, Nakatsu? Of course not. Anyway, I wanted to highlight this, because it’s one of the rare moments in the show where there’s actual tension worth thinking about. Everything else is… well, to put it bluntly, gaybaiting with straight people.
For example, Nakatsu keeps trying to use this school trip to get closer to Mizuki. To beat a dead horse, he’s not actually gay despite all the “ew, girls” moments in the episode. He’s attracted to her because he’s reacting to her girliness without realizing it. Nevertheless, he’s now tricked himself into thinking he’s gay. I dunno, man. It’s a hot mess. What’s worse is that Nakatsu can’t get a clue. Mizuki isn’t interested in him at all. Yeah, they’re friends, but only friends. Every time he tries to get closer to her, she’s equally trying to get closer to Sano. So sure, I get it, Nakatsu likes her, and in his ideal world, she would like him back. But guys, you gotta consider other people’s feelings too. People are not conquests. They are their own people. It’s clear that Mizuki doesn’t want him, so he needs to move on.
Meanwhile, Sano trauma-dumps on Mizuki. Basically, his mom is dead, and the woman who keeps calling him is his father’s wife. Sano feels like he has no home to return to, which prompts Mizuki to promise that he can always come home to her. Bro, just make out with your “bro” already. It’s so damn clear cut that they like each other. This series is wasting our time with this nonsense. Nakatsu isn’t part of the love triangle. Hell, there is no love triangle. He’s this dot off to the side, connected to nobody.
Anyway, Sano stumbles across his little brother getting beaten up in the streets, but he doesn’t immediately jump to his brother’s defense. Now that’s messed up. Sano disappears later that night, probably to be all broody like most shoujo love interests. But when Mizuki tries to take a late night bath (assuming that no other boys are up and about), she runs into Sano. Oh good. And they’re both naked (i.e. emotionally open and vulnerable). Now he can trauma-dump about his brother too! Next episode, though. Even trauma-dumping has a refractory period.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Ep. 2
In the first half, Sasaki thought he made a newbie cry after she had made a mistake. In truth, she was merely overwhelmed by the situation. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop everyone in the office from reading the incident in the worst way possible, which led to Sasaki’s boss dressing him down. Kinda shitty, isn’t it? His boss probably took no time looking into the situation. The old man probably wanted to throw his weight around. Over here, they often say workers don’t quit the job, they quit the boss. I dunno about Japan, though. All the horror stories I’ve read paint a picture where people are often afraid to quit shitty workplaces. They have this concept of “enduring the unbearable with dignity and patience,” but this sort of thing often leads to taking straight-up abuse. Plus, I found an article where “quiet quitting” is supposedly on the rise.
At some point, you have to wonder if Sasaki’s little pick-me-ups with Yamada/Tayama are good for him in the long run. Yes, it recharges his battery after a long day, but maybe he should let it drain. Maybe he should hit rock bottom and quit. By keeping his head just barely above water, these short escapades with his crush might actually be keeping him trapped in his own purgatory. But that’s easy to say when I don’t know what the job market is like, especially for a man in his 40s who hasn’t seen much career growth in recent years (if ever). Let’s face it, Sasaki isn’t exactly a candidate that screams must-hire. Well… that was depressing.
In the second half, it’s Yamada/Tayama’s turn to be down in the dumps, because she got her first ever customer complaint. And guess what! It was for stinking of cigarette smoke! First, her boss wasn’t even bothered by it. What a minor thing to be bummed about. I would think someone like Yamada/Tayama — especially the Tayama side — would have tougher skin than that. Second, I think the complaint is valid. Cigarette smoke is nasty. Not only that, she works at a supermarket. Who the hell wants to smell that while shopping for food? It probably doesn’t help that I watched Chainsmoker Cat earlier today, which primes me to hate smokers even more than I already do.
Still, Sasaki supports Yamada/Tayama the same way she supported him with his issue. I suppose it’s nice to see two sympathetic adults take some time out of their busy lives to lend each other an ear. I only wish this was more of a brother-sister or mentor-student relationship than… whatever this relationship is shaping up to be. Man, she really likes this geezer (his own words), huh? Grabbing “his” sleeve when she drapes her leather jacket around him, then playing with her hair the next day when talking to him as Yamada. Well, he might be dumb, but he’s nice. That often goes a long way.
Still, complaining about someone blowing smoke in your face when you deliberately suck that same cloud of carcinogens into your own lungs is… well, it’s pretty dumb!
Please Excuse My Younger Brothers Ep. 3
We get a flashback where the parents hem and haw over leaving Ito alone with a group of boys, especially since one of them is the same age. C’mon, don’t pretend to be good parents now. Seriously, what is the mom thinking? I think it’s outrageous that she would run off with her new husband, thereby forcing Ito to cohabitate with and care for relative strangers. Ito is surprisingly tolerant of this bullshit. Most blended families struggle precisely because the kids feel as though they’re not getting enough quality time with their biological parents.
Ito quickly falls into the surrogate mother role. I know “parentification” is a buzzword that people like tossing around online without any nuance or care, but how else would you describe this situation? She has to cook for them, pick up after them, nag them to stop playing games and take a bath, etc. The way guys have to be babied and doted upon like this is so pathetic. In fact, the youngest still acts like a two-year-old, needing to be carried home and throwing tantrums in the supermarket. For his homework where he has to write about his future dreams, Rui wrote down how he doesn’t want Ito to marry anyone but Gen or someone else in the family. That level of attachment in just three episodes doesn’t strike me as healthy. Gen blames this on Rui missing their parents, which makes it even more damning that both of them up and left these kids to their own devices. I mean, what the fuck, man? I would call CPS on this family.
Everyone always has to have a role. Gen is the stereotypical rough on the outside, sensitive on the inside primary love interest that you see in more than half of every romance anime. I’m currently watching a streamer poo-poo Kaidan as a love interest in Mass Effect 2 because he’s so boring. She literally sent him to die over mega space racist Ashley, because at least Ashley is fun to hate. It’s not even gender specific either. How many guys look at a problematic lady and think, “I can fix her.” But I digress. Point is, Gen has as much trauma over losing his mom as the other three, but he has to be tough and stoic for their sake! Can his stepsister break through that stony exterior and thaw his heart? Excuse me while I gag in the corner.
Rui already fills the role of the immature brat. Raku is thus the smart one, so we need to invent a reason for him to be useful. As a result, Ito’s grades have suffered due to playing the role of live-in maid and unpaid babysitter to four boys. Well, if Rui gets his wishes, she can eventually become a bang maid. Ooof, even I thought that was harsh as I typed those words out. Anyway, the guy who wears glasses is smart, and ends up tutoring Ito for her make-up exams. Yawn. Wake me up when the show isn’t so by the numbers.
Yeah, we still know nothing about the shut-in. No one seems to care about getting him any proper help. Leave him in his room, I guess. Anyway, what do they call CPS in Japan…?
Rich Girl Caretaker Ep. 3
The first half of the episode explores Itsuki’s relationship with Narika, a shy girl who also happens to be the daughter of a yakuza family? His mother briefly separated from his father, so she took him to stay with the family of his late grandmother. So… Narika is like a cousin? At the very least, there is some sort of blood relation here, so adding her to the harem is rather sketchy. Nothing new for anime, though. Anyway, nothing much to say here. Itsuki used to be her caretaker, and now he’s Hinako’s caretaker. All this boy does is look after helpless girls. God forbid we have an equal partnership in a relationship. Narika then asks for a headpat, because apparently, Japanese girls all love headpats from their love interests. You see it all the damn time in romance series, even the ones written by women. But as you can imagine, a jealous Hinako eventually shows up to stake her claim, then it’s Narika’s turn to get jealous. Wah wah wah, you belong to me first, etc. Whatever.
Second half of the episode has Itsuki, the three special girls, and the ascended commoners throwing a tea party. Wait, do you “throw” a tea party like a regular one? Ah, I don’t really care. You just sip tea and snack on scones or other assorted baked goods. Why is it even called a party? All I know is that this scene is ridiculous, because the rich kids treat Itsuki like some zoo animal. One of the ascended commoners says, “But normal schools have some interesting cultural practices, right? Borrowing stuff you don’t give back, splitting the cost of a meal…” Oh boy, here we go. In response, Itsuki decides to show them the “three second rule.” I’ve always heard it called the “five-second rule,” but maybe the Japanese are more fastidious than us. Either way, Itsuki proceeds to pick up a Madeleine, drop it on the table, pick it up again, then eat it. Okay, so what? Everyone at the table, however, marvels at this as if they couldn’t believe their eyes. “My word, is this what the poors do?!?!1111 I can’t believe they eat food that has touched the table! They’re practically savages!” No, you’re supposed to drop it on the floor, not a presumably sanitary table. Nevertheless, the snobby girl with the drill hair calls this vulgar. What in the classist fuck am I watching?
The Duke’s Son Claims He Won’t Love Me Yet Showers Me with Adoration Ep. 3
The first half of the episode is unintentionally hilarious. Elsa’s brother Hannes pays her a visit, and this coincides with the Sun Festival occurring in town. With her husband busy doing… whatever the hell he does everyday, the two siblings decide to hit the town and take in the festivities. Serafina immediately sees this and tries to stir up drama with Julius. He immediately storms off to get his wife back. Again, he’s been traumatized by his parents’ adultery. Even so, I find the whole situation ridiculous. When he asks the maids about where his wife may have gone, they only tell him that she’s gone into town. They neglect to mention that Elsa was accompanied by her brother. Hmmm, curious thing to leave out, ladies.
Julius finally reaches the town square and sees Elsa with this “other man.” He doesn’t recognize Hannes, though. C’mon, man, it’s your wife’s brother. How can you be jealous and territorial over her when you don’t even know what her family members even look like? Somehow, Hannes reads this as Julius having genuine feelings for Elsa. Uh-huh. Sure. Bro thus decides to be a bro, so he takes an early leave. This way, Elsa and the incorrigible Julius can enjoy the festival together. The latter proceeds to act like he’s never eaten a candied apple before. Just take a bite. It’s a fruit, not a vegetable.
Anyway, in his hurry, Julius had dropped one of the cufflinks that Elsa gifted him for his birthday. Serafina picks it up and keeps it to herself. At the end of the episode, she intends to use it in order to drum even more drama. But what can you honestly do with a cufflink? Make it seem like Julius has been cheating on Elsa with her? Bah. Elsa is so passive, she’d probably come up with some excuse about how it’s okay for her husband to have mistresses.
To his credit, Julius feels guilty over losing his wife’s gift, so he spends the latter half of the episode trying to make up for it by repairing her music box, a precious family heirloom. Apparently, not a single person in this kingdom can repair it, so Julius has to go abroad to fix the damn thing. He returns with both a fixed music box and a barette for his dear wife. Too bad there are potentially storm clouds ahead.
The Ogre’s Bride Ep. 3
With Reiya’s help, Yuzu confronts her family and finalizes the adoption process, i.e. her grandparents will now be her legal parents. I wish this scene had been interesting, but it doesn’t work when the antagonists are blissfully one-dimensional. For a bunch of people obsessed with status and rank, none of Yuzu’s family seems to recognize that Reiya is a top dog ogre. Well, Yuzu’s mom almost does so, but in the moment, she can only… blush? Apparently, Reiya is so hot that he can make middle-aged women weak in the knees in the middle of a family dispute. Only Youta, the fox guy, knows who or what they’re up against, but he doesn’t explain anything to his future wife and in-laws. Not even a simple “Uh, honey, we really don’t wanna mess with this dude. He can destroy us with a snap of his fingers.” Convenient. As a result, the parents remain obstinate and refuse to sign over their parental rights. Why do they even want Yuzu around? Just as a free, live-in servant? Most of all, their arguments are too simplistic. Yuzu sucks and she belongs to us! No cunning manipulation, no gaslighting, no anything. It’s three spoiled babies stomping their feet.
Eventually, Youta offends Reiya by questioning why the ogre would pick Yuzu of all people, so the latter retaliates by burning the fox with the same flame that was used on Yuzu. This moment genuinely scares her, and she starts wondering if she has seen a true glimpse of the man she’s about to marry. Oh, some nuance and friction. After all, Yuzu barely knows this guy. What kind of person is he really? What is Yuzu getting herself into–… no, we can’t ask those questions, because that would add layers to this show — layers that would make this show potentially interesting. As a result, her grandma immediately hand-waves Reiya’s frightening obsession with Yuzu away. Oh honey, he’s just angry on your behalf! He’s burning them because he loves you! No, bad grandma! You barely know this dude either! You should be wary as well! Maybe if you and your husband weren’t so trusting, Yuzu wouldn’t have had to be abused for so long!
In the aftermath, the rest of the family finally learns who Reiya is and why he is so important. Translation: status is everything. So immediately, mom and dad sing a different tune. So that’s it. They chase wherever the butter is creamiest. Now they want Yuzu back, but not as a servant. They wanna ride on their future son-in-law’s coattails. Yawn. Well, they’re not her parents anymore, so he also won’t be their son-in-law. Meanwhile, Karin unsurprisingly refuses to accept the fact that Yuzu has landed a “better” husband. Nobody actually loves anybody in this show. It’s either obsession or chasing status. Case in point, Youta recognizes that neither he nor his family can truly afford to mess with the ogres. Rank is everything, after all. But his future wife demands that he get Yuzu back, so he has no choice! He would do anything for Karin even if it costs him his life. It’s the sort of mindless devotion that is devoid of love, hence obsession. This show is so unromantic.
Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life Ep. 2
It’s still overwhelmingly com instead of rom. I think the synopsis led me astray. I’ll give the show a few more episodes — around two or three — but if a regular romcom plot doesn’t show up soon, I’ll drop it. I don’t really cover shows with this sort of 4-koma energy. Even the two new characters feel like they’re part of a bit. I have nothing to say about the show. Either it makes you laugh or it doesn’t (psst, it doesn’t).
