I’m jealous. These days, I’m lucky to get even five hours of sleep a night. If only I could force myself into a primitive state of being…
Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her Ep. 4
Hayato and Haruki spend the day together, but it’s totally not a date. Even though she’s flirting with him — and even though they even hold hands towards the end of the day — still totally not a date! What I find even sillier, however, is when her stomach starts growling. Time for lunch, right? But the kids hit up a karaoke bar and order what is essentially a giant dessert. Haruki is already not eating well. Shouldn’t she be ordering something a little more wholesome? Bah, I sound like a parent.
Our not-a-couple eventually come across a famous actress shooting a scene in public. When Haruki sees her, she turns the other way and starts running. So… are we really not going to address the elephant in the room? It’s probably her mom if I had to guess. After Haruki calms down, she reveals that she’s been living in her home all by herself. And… that’s it. No questions from Hayato. Maybe he’s respecting her privacy, but it feels like he could at least invite her to confide in him. You don’t have to pry. You can simply say, “Hey, if you want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”
But I guess this happens later when they are alone at night. It starts raining hard, but for some dumb reason, Haruki doesn’t want to borrow an umbrella? What is wrong with these anime characters? It’s just an umbrella. Rather than let her potentially catch a cold, Hayato insists on her staying the night. When they’re finally alone again, that’s when he offers to let her lean on him for emotional support. That’s sweet, I guess. They should just start dating.
The next day, Haruki wakes up first, so she pranks Hayato by giving him a hickey. Like a real one or just “painted” on with lipstick or whatever? I only ask because when we see him later that night, the hickey is gone. Welp, this is the sort of low stakes discussion that this show invites.
Himeko: “Sure is sexy the way she flashes those gams.” Really? Kids these days talk like that?
Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky Ep. 4
I’m glad Kakeru’s roommate is setting him straight.
Kakeru: “I don’t know how to act around her!”
Ushio: “Act normally.”
Kakeru: “I don’t know what ‘normally’ is!”
Ushio: “Just ask her.”
Kakeru: “I don’t want to make things weird!”
Ushio: “It doesn’t feel great when people tiptoe around you like that.”
Kakeru eventually runs out of excuses, and this might be where he finally turns the corner. When we later see him on his not-a-date with Koharu — even though it’s a date to her — he makes a concerted effort to be more direct and ask more questions. He finally admits to himself that he likes making her smile, so he goes out of his way to accommodate her. He describes what he sees, he makes plans that would enhance her experience, he directs her as they walk around the city, etc. He hasn’t quite gotten over the “I like you” hump, but maybe this is the one show where I want them to drag out the romance. After all, if these two do start dating, I’m afraid to find out what’s next. Koharu lost her vision from an illness, right? Is her health going to be a concern going forward? I know Kakeru hates to feel awkward, but maybe this is a conversation they need to have.
As an aside, I cringed a bit when Koharu told Yuko they were looking to buy the biggest fireworks. Hell, she even gave him a massive budget for their shopping spree, so they didn’t simply settle for a few harmless sparklers. I just finished binging both seasons of The Pitt. The second season took place on America’s Independence Day, so there were a ton of fireworks-related injuries. Let’s hope nobody loses a finger or two in this anime.
Saved by the Ice Cold Prince’s Embrace Ep. 3
Clarence finally realizes that Katrina is not her evil stepsister, but he invites her to stay with him anyway. Sounds like he likes her already. Sure.
Meanwhile, the evil stepsister is mad, because Katrina is still alive? Yeah, I don’t really understand this part. What is she unhappy about? Katrina went in her place, so now she won’t get punished. Mission accomplished! Ah well, it’s an anime shorts series. I’m not gonna think too hard on it.
Hana-Kimi S2 Ep. 5
Mizuki and Sano are naked in the hot springs together, but it’s okay! The water is cloudy from dissolved minerals, so everything is still PG-13. Nevertheless, a mentally exhausted Sano thanks his lucky stars, because he’s not sure he’d be able to stop himself in the future! Wait, what do you mean by that? No, really, what exactly do you mean by that? I don’t think this is really something to brag about, buddy. Naturally, this is the perfect segue to Minami hitting on Julia again, because this boy sees the word “no” as a challenge.
The rest of the school trip is mostly uneventful until Sano spots his little bro getting into trouble on the streets. What a coincidence! Hokkaido must be a really small place for them to run into each other randomly like this! Jokes aside, Sano opens up to Mizuki about his family after this. I won’t bother getting into it, because this bog standard sob story isn’t very interesting either. I just continue to be amused by Mizuki’s cluelessness. Aw, Sano opened up to me, is huddling up next to me to warm me up, and now we’re taking in this incredibly romantic view on the gondola! …we must be two really good bros!
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Ep. 3
Sasaki’s boss has been getting on his case for reeking of cigarette smoke. So quit. It’s not easy, but it is simple. I don’t have any empathy for Sasaki, because of all the ways your boss can be horrible, him reaming you for stinking up the office sounds pretty reasonable to me. Yamada/Tayama, however, tells Sasaki that he could get rid of most of the stench by simply brushing his teeth, then spraying an odor eliminator on his clothes. Or you could quit and save on both cigarettes and those stupid sprays. Imagine all the savings! Especially in this economy!
In the second half of the episode, when Sasaki goes to deliver his thank-you gift, he runs into Yamada/Tayama’s manager instead. At first, the woman doesn’t like the idea of her employee smoking it up with a customer behind the store. But once the manager realizes that there’s a romantic connection between Sasaki and Yamada/Tayama, she turns into a full blown shipper. Well, I guess working retail can be pretty damn boring. You gotta get creative if you wanna make it through the day.
Unfortunately, this episode reminds me why adult romances can be so annoying: these characters don’t act like adults! Sasaki gets Yamada/Tayama one of those miniature ashtrays. She offers to let him use it, but he doesn’t get to hold it. Nope, he has to get close to her. Basically, she’s teasing him. No big deal, right? We’re all adults here. Nothing wrong if Sasaki leans into Yamada/Tayama’s personal space when she’s inviting it. But no, Sasaki, a man in his 40s, starts freaking out like a teen boy interacting with the opposite sex for the first time. Ugh, pathetic. Like with My Awkward Senpai, I feel like I’m watching kids cosplay as adults.
Please Excuse My Younger Brothers Ep. 4
Gen injures an ankle for a really dumb reason that isn’t worth getting into, so Ito babies him even harder. Needless to say, the parents are nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, I can’t have a simple phone conversation with my mom without being on the receiving end of a lecture I’ve heard a billion times before. In reality, the parenting never stops even when you’re an adult. In their eyes, you’ll always be their baby. In anime, however, these parents’ attitudes can be summed up with three simple words: “fuck dem kids.”
Gen isn’t even all that injured. He can get around perfectly fine with his crutches, so Ito’s overbearingness is extra pathetic. She even passes up hanging out with her friends to baby him. And yet, he gets scolded by the youngest brother for not looking happy. Ito is then pissed when Gen can get around without crutches the next day. Maybe he was faking it to look tough, but still, give him some space. Unfortunately, one of Gen’s buddies jumps on him, which causes him to not only reinjure the ankle, but now his arm has to be in a sling. Oh good, Ito will now feel more justified than ever.
I know why they’re doing this. I know it’s just setup for this fluffy, sparkly moment where Ito gets to spew corny ass shit that makes Gen’s heart skip a beat. But I fundamentally do not agree with pampering these boys in their developmental years, especially at Gen’s age. A teenager on the cusp of adulthood should be all about independence and carving out their identity. Yes, Gen’s going to struggle to do a few basic things with a bum ankle, but so what? A little struggle isn’t a bad thing. The last thing you want to do is to let these kids enter adulthood with no life skills whatsoever. You especially don’t want to rob them of the gumption to be self-sufficient. Why? Because that burden will simply fall upon their future spouse’s shoulders. How many dudes can’t do simple ass shit like wash the dishes, do the laundry, pick up after themselves, fix a meal when mom has errands, etc? How many of those same dudes then go, “She suddenly served me divorce papers out of nowhere! There were no warning signs! Why didn’t she just tell me she was unhappy! Why didn’t she just tell me to do more chores!” Then again, it really seems like the show wants to push Ito and Gen as a couple, so fuck it, she gets to baby him for the rest of his life. And yet, I can’t blame her too much, because she’s still technically a minor. Again, where are the parents?
Anyway, Ito’s childhood friend Outa suddenly shows up in the latter half of the episode, so Gen gets all jealous. Now he wants to be babied. Fucking hell, it’s your stepsister. Whatever, I’m tuning the rest of this dumb episode out.
Rich Girl Caretaker Ep. 4
Hinako periodically suffers from a mild fever, because keeping up the refined, rich girl act strains her greatly. Itsuki then learns that the primary goal here isn’t to mold her into the next head of the Konohana Group. Nope, they want her to attract a capable son-in-law instead. This hypothetical person would then inherit everything. All Hinako can do is simply “share in [her future husband’s] leadership duties.” First, that’s some mega sexist shit. Second, what if Hinako was gay? Well, I guess she could still marry a beard. Third, who runs a multi-billion yen company like this? Groom your successor from a pool of viable candidates? No, groom your poor daughter to marry one instead. Huh? This sounds like royalty bullshit shoved into a modern setting. Fourth, everyone is stupid if they haven’t already noticed Hinako’s feelings for Itsuki. No one here is smart enough to run a lemonade stand, much less a freakin’ conglomerate. Well, it looks like the head maid might take drastic actions soon, because Itsuki and Hinako continue to grow ever closer together.
In the second half of the episode, we continue to learn the many ways in which these rich kids are out of touch with reality. Midterms are coming up, so Itsuki tells them all about this strange and bizarre custom that poor people like to do: study groups. The rich kids have never heard of such a barbaric practice! They nevertheless agree to try it out like it’s some kind of novelty. Look at me, I’m studying as a collective like a filthy proletariat!
The Duke’s Son Claims He Won’t Love Me Yet Showers Me with Adoration Ep. 4
What’s the theme this week? Elsa’s naivete, I suppose. Serafina returns the lost cufflink, but not without trying to stir shit up (paraphrasing): “Oh, he dropped it while spending alone time with me! He’s quite the player!” Well, every single word goes over Elsa’s head. She is like an unassuming child; she sees the best in everyone and she has no survival instincts whatsoever. Jarmo, who just so happens to be Serafina’s brother, openly flirts with Elsa to no avail. So we have two siblings trying to break this loveless marriage up, but Elsa is simply too dumb and inexperienced for their underhanded tactics to work. Jarmo might, however, get to Julius, because the latter would rather jump to conclusions than have a normal conversation with his wife. Like I’ve said in the past, Julius is constipated in more ways than one. Bro even hesitates to eat carrot cake. I know 5-year-olds who aren’t as picky as this chump.
Anyway, Elsa’s so simple-minded that it makes her boring. When told by her husband that he’ll be returning late that night, Elsa happily resolves to sew with the maids later. And that’s it. That’s all she wrote. Her life revolves around her garden, making sure her husband gets enough vegetables in his diet, and sewing with the maids. Learn a thing or two about politics, i.e. what her husband does for a living? Start a business? Maybe pursue higher education? Start up an orphanage in the capital, because she helped out with the orphanage back home when she was still single? Nah. This girl has no ambitions whatsoever. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a simple life — I want one too! — but you don’t make a show out of it! “Yo, dude, check out this new book! It’s a love story where the girl goes about her daily routine! What do you mean what else? That’s it! She lives!” As a result, you almost want Serafina to succeed in stirring shit up.
The Ogre’s Bride Ep. 4
The first few minutes of the episode clue us in on how “love” works for these demons. Reiya didn’t even fall for Yuzu at first sight. It was more like a “first feeling,” because his heart started pounding as soon as his car approached Yuzu’s location. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: this kind of thing is so thoroughly un-romantic. You don’t know the person or even their name. Instead, an unseen force of nature simply compels you to become obsessed with some random person on the street. Does that sound like love to you? It sure as hell doesn’t sound like love to me. In fact, I hope this sort of love never finds me, ’cause it sounds like a mental break from reality. If I ran up to a stranger and started making moves on them, I’d probably get slapped or worse.
Back in the present, Reiya is summoned to the main house to deliver a report on his bride. It sounds so stuffy and clinical, but ironically, his parents look and act younger than he does. So what happened? How did Reiya turn out to be such a joyless stiff? Meanwhile, Yuzu naturally worries that Reiya’s love for her won’t last. You might be tempted to blame this on her parents, and sure, they are somewhat responsible. They have shown her that a parent’s love isn’t unconditional. But c’mon, of course she’s insecure about the relationship, because what love? They barely know each other. As people often say, “Easy come, easy go.” If you can fall in love in an instant, what’s also stopping you from falling out of love in an instant?
Yuzu suddenly realizes that she’s late for work, so she quickly dashes out of the mansion. The head servant only makes a token attempt to stop her. They don’t even call to inform Reiya until after the sun has set. We later find Yuzu sitting on a park bench alone because she’s already been replaced at her job. She then wanders down the streets alone to her best friend’s house. Doesn’t this seem odd to you? Yuzu is marrying into one of the top families in the entire country. Shouldn’t she have handlers or bodyguards watching and protecting her at all times? In fact, Touko’s future husband says he always has guards assigned to protect her. And he’s a cat demon, i.e. lower on the totem pole than either an ogre or a fox. So what’s up with Yuzu being able to wander off like some lost, neglected child? This show can’t even commit to its premise.
Well, it turns out Reiya was the one who told Yuzu’s employer that she wouldn’t be returning. Pretty fucked up. When she tells him that she doesn’t want to be reliant on him, he simply reiterates that she is his bride now, then shuts her up with a kiss. No fight back from the girl or anything. She was already sitting on his lap like a child. People will often tell you not to yuck their yum, but I’m yucking. Oh, you can bet your ass I’m yucking it up all day long.
Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life Ep. 3
Well, there is slightly more rom in the romcom this week. As Meteor spends time with Ryusei, he keeps inadvertently making her weak in the knees with his compliments. We also get some semblance of a plot! Someone is obsessed with the former demon lord, so she’s been opening portals to another world. That being said, I still think the ratio is like 15% rom to 85% com, so there’s not a whole lot to talk about.