Nothing says romance like kissing your sister.
Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her Ep. 11
As always, it’s hard to pin down one theme with this show, so I’ll just provide a bunch of loosely related observations:
- Thanks to Hayato’s friend, he and Haruki are working part-time at a sweets shop. The mochi in anime is always so hefty in size. There’s like one place nearby that I can get mochi to go with some matcha lattes, and boy are they tiny. Pricy, too.
- According to Himiko, they just happened to bump into Kaido on their way here. He probably overheard that Hayato would be working here like a weirdo stalker. Even though he has shown himself to be harmless, Kaido is still a little creepy.
- I dunno why Saki is even in this story. All she does is pine for Hayato from afar. Well, I guess I just answered my own question. Still a pointless character, though. We keep getting these series where the canon couple is firmly established, but the show still insists on having harem elements anyway.
- Haruki nearly has a nasty spill, but Hayato luckily catches her. Still, what made her fall? It looked like she tripped on nothing. I thought maybe her health has been worsening due to the drama with her mother, but nothing related to this comes up again for the rest of the episode.
- Saki invites Haruki to stay at her place anyway, which the latter is hesitant to accept. After all, she’s the black sheep of her family, and she doesn’t want run into them. That’s why I don’t put much stock in blood relations. What’s the point when family can still be cruel to you, especially over things you can’t control? But I guess you could say I grew up with first-hand knowledge of what this is like. My grandmother had four kids with two different men, and guess which of those kids she liked the least? Yup, my mother. And by extension, I was the least-liked grandchild as well. Ever since I left for college, I haven’t seen any of my extended family. Of course, not being liked wasn’t my only reason. Oh, the stories I could tell… Anyway, my point is, good riddance to family. Hayato tells Haruki, however, that he would love for her to accompany him on the trip. Welp, she can’t back out now.
- I can’t really tell what Hayato’s cooking. Looks like a jumble of random stuff. And why is the broth so red? Maybe it’s spicy.
- Oh, it’s supposed to minestrone soup! Hah! I guess the spiral noodles really are fusilli pasta. That’s what I thought initially, but I guess the rest of the pot threw me off. I mean, it looks like there are mini sausages floating in the soup? Also large chunks of karaage? Broccoli? I personally wouldn’t put broccoli in minestrone soup, but whatever, it’s not my food. When a dish crosses cultural boundaries, all bets are off. I’m not a staunch traditionalist either. As long as the flavors resemble the original dish, add whatever you want. Anyway, I would never eat a soup for a meal. It’s just not filling, but I’m also American so… y’know, insert your fat jokes here.
- Hayato has an all-you-can-eat hang-out with the boys, and on his way there, he sees a blonde girl haranguing Kaido. Apparently, she’s his ex. Okay…? Why should I care about this guy’s personal problems, though?
- The weird man from the hospital last week is back. He’s trying to recruit Haruki into show business. Yeah, don’t do it. You’ll probably end up being pimped out to gross men in power. I’ve heard those stories. Still, when he brings up her mother’s name, she clenches her fists so hard that she bruises herself. That’s a bit extreme.
- Haruki keeps telling herself that she can’t become a burden for Hayato. Maybe she thinks she would scare him off if she did. As a result, he opens up about his mother. It’s a tit-for-tat situation, kinda. He’ll have to lean on her first, so she feels safe enough to rely on him.
Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky Ep. 11
There are two major but easy to miss developments in this week’s episode. First, Kakeru tells his buddy that it “doesn’t really matter” if Koharu ever gets her memories back. I’m sure he’d be singing a different tune if he couldn’t see her. If Koharu had kept pushing him away, then the memories of their time together would really matter. But since he gets to be by her side anyway, then no, it doesn’t make a difference other than Kakeru having to work extra hard to win her over a second time. Considering how oddly insensitive he was at the start of the series, maybe this is deserved.
The second development occurs shortly after Kakeru confesses his love to Koharu. As it turns out, they both asked for a heart-shaped pattern for their fireworks. The guy then asks Koharu to be with him forever. In disbelief, she cries, “Why won’t you just give up on me, Kakeru-kun?” Yeah, I think this all but confirms that the memory loss isn’t real — that she tried to push him away and failed. Ever since she was hospitalized, she had been calling him Sorano-san. The story about the smashed-up phone never made much sense to me. Her mother so willingly allowing a complete stranger to hang around her sick daughter all the time didn’t make much sense either — unless, of course, she already heard about Kakeru from Koharu, but was asked to play along.
So what now? I dunno, I guess the couple cherishes the time they have together, no matter how long or short it is. Kakeru has done all he can in terms of emotional support. There’s nothing he can do now but stay the course.
Saved by the Ice Cold Prince’s Embrace Ep. 10
As soon as Clarence leaves to patrol the borders, men arrive to abduct Katrina. Sheesh, I know Clarence has a job to do, but does he really need to take all of the guard with him? Anyway, Katrina is taken to her stepmother and stepsister, and they proceed to beat the tar out of her. Our heroine actually points out the obvious: “Prince Clarence will come after me at once. You’ll be the first to fall under suspicion.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t help her case, because her stepmother is too far gone. She doesn’t care what happens to herself anymore as long as she gets to screw Katrina over. Wanna know why she despises the girl so much? It’s all because she hated Katrina’s mother. Ah man, it’s the same story every time.
Hana-Kimi S2 Ep. 12
Sano literally gets a nosebleed from seeing Mizuki in a short skirt. I know this is an anime trope, but I have literally never seen this happen in real life. Seriously, where does this trope even come from?
To make matters worse, they’re both gutless. When it was time to pick their dancing partners, Nakatsu immediately hogs Mizuki to himself. But does she say anything? No. Does Sano say anything? No. Instead, all they do is helplessly look at each other. Ugh, I can’t stand it. If you losers don’t even wanna try, why should I root for you guys?
Plus, this is what happens when you’re gutless and clueless. Mizuki isn’t deliberately leading Nakatsu on, but it’s obvious that he has no chance of winning her heart. By being a complete idiot, she’ll sadly keep stringing him along anyway.
Then as a cherry on top of an already shit sundae, one of the female students is pissed that a cross-dressing boy might be named queen at the ball. As a result, she turns into a mean girl and starts bullying Mizuki. She’s not even subtle about it either. Sigh… whatever, the series is almost over.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Ep. 10
Sasaki finally meets Obata, the tall and nervous fellow in charge of the produce section at the supermarket. They proceed to have a smoke in the usual place. Obata opens up about a coworker he greatly admires (and obviously has a crush on). For some reason, the show initially tries to hide her identity from us, but its heart isn’t in it. Anyone can tell that it’s Gouto, the manager. No one else at the supermarket wears a tie to work. Anyway, after Obata leaves, we learn that Yamada is apparently jealous of other people smoking with Sasaki. I guess it’s their “thing.”
The second half is then all about Obata and his flailing attempts to get closer to Gouto. Ah man, why are we introducing characters ten weeks into the anime? I barely care about the main couple, so I don’t need another pairing that will never go anywhere. Plus, what is with this show and its obsession with these pathetic dudes? I guess the mangaka must really find super nervous guys relatable, charming, or both. I just find them exasperating. If there’s something I want, I say it.
Anyway, to make a long story short, Obata thought he had stumbled upon Gouto crying over something serious. Instead, she was just reading a sad manga. Even so, she tells him that she would like to lean on him if she ever needed to. That’s basically a green flag to ask her out, but of course, men like Sasaki and Obata are inclined to do nothing and watch their years fly by until they find themselves alone in their sixties.
Please Excuse My Younger Brothers Ep. 11
Ito’s class is on a school trip to Hiroshima, which means you get all the usual tropes. Y’know, like hanging out with the boys past curfew, so you have to hide under the covers in his futon, then inadvertently smooching him! What? You guys are telling me you haven’t done that with your step-siblings? C’mon! The funniest part for me, however, is how the two other girls in the group are dead set on wingmanning Ito, but I don’t even know their names. They occupy the other boys’ attention, allowing Ito to have quality time alone with Gen. That’s cool and all, but like… who? Seriously, who are they? Have I been introduced to them before? I mean, I’m sure I have, but it was probably like a throwaway scene tucked away in some random ass episode.
Anyway, Ito had sworn not to let anything happen between her and Gen before the trip, so she spends most of the episode not enjoying herself. Then Gen comes along and basically implies that he likes her. He’s just too stupid to realize it. So there you go: slight but steady progress. Meanwhile, everywhere online, I keep seeing cold ass takes like, “OMG, isn’t it refreshing that we finally have romance between adults?” I swear, if you look up and down this list, most of the kids are far ahead of Sasaki and Yamada. Even the step-siblings are closer to hooking up than those two. What’s that, you say? There’s more to relationships than that? Sure. There’s also more to relationships than teaching someone how to use a smartphone. There’s more to relationships than being jealous over your crush having a smoke break with your male coworker. Hell, Sasaki doesn’t even know that Yamada and Tayama are the same person! Do I need to keep going?
Rich Girl Caretaker Ep. 11
Since Narika can’t make her own friends, Itsuki has to do it for her. But isn’t he already doing that? No, what I mean is that he has to make his own friends, then spread the word about Narika. This is the only way to get people to even consider approaching the poor girl. Once again, it’s not about who you are but who you know. Connections are everything, even for rich folks! Itsuki then has Narika seal the deal by coaching her classmates for the upcoming sports festival.
The episode would be fine if it had ended there. Boring, but fine. It suddenly remembered, however, that it was harem anime slop, so we now have a competition between Narika and Hanako. They were already competing in a sense, but this time, an outing with Itsuki is on the line. Even though it’s obvious that Hanako will win the overall Itsuki sweepstakes when this series is said and done, there isn’t a whole lot of time left in the adaptation. All I can see is the final episode ending on some pointless deadlock where none of the girls are any closer to winning the guy’s heart.
The Duke’s Son Claims He Won’t Love Me Yet Showers Me with Adoration Ep. 11
This week’s episode opens with Elsa dreaming of a romantic moment with her husband. When she wakes up, she turns beet red and incredulously asks herself, “How could I have dreamt such a thing?” How indeed! How could a wife possibly dream of embracing her husband and whispering his name? It boggles the mind! Man, no wonder romance is dead if this is how people react to an innocuous fantasy.
Anyway, this week, Jarmo finally attempts to wreck the couple’s marriage. He creates a scenario in which Elsa is trapped in a storeroom with him. He then proceeds to plant doubts in Elsa’s mind; he wants her to think that Julius is merely using her. This drives the girl to tears, which is when Jarmo decides to close the distance. Ah yes, nothing like taking advantage of an emotionally fraught woman. This is a stark reminder that Julius might be the most boring man on earth, but at least he isn’t a complete piece of shit.
As a result, Julius barges into the storeroom before anything regrettable can happen. When he asks why Elsa is crying, however, she lies. She thinks if she tells the truth, she will force him to confront his true feelings for her, and she might not like what she hears. But she’s going to have to rip the band-aid off some day… oh, would you look at that! Next week’s episode should wrap this series up! C’mon, there’s no way we have more than one episode to go, right? This show barely has enough story for the ones we’ve got!
Welp, tune in next week to see how the world’s blandest couple reaffirms their love in the dullest way possible. Maybe they can shake on it. No, no, too personal. A handshake was tantamount to a confession in Metaphor: ReFantazio. They can do an air high-five! Wait, wait, if you do that — if you wave your hands around too fast — you might generate the gentlest breeze and thus catch a whiff of his cologne or, even worse, his pheromones. Y’know what? Just smile at each other. Just do nothing but stand in place and smile. That’s the ticket.
The Ogre’s Bride Ep. 11
The contrast is striking, isn’t it? Yuzu and Karin used to adore each other, but their rotten parents eventually turned the younger sister rotten too. But this sort of thing doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, the golden child can easily recognize the blatant inequality and become deeply uncomfortable with it. This show could’ve taken that route in lieu of the one it took. It could’ve championed sisterly love. Instead, like with the parents, it chose to turn Karin into a cheap and thoughtless villain. It chose to double-down on the parents’ deplorable actions by giving Karin no chance at redemption. Whoever created this series wants us to feel bad for Yuzu, but this is too easy. It’s too obvious. So instead, I can’t help but wonder what would motivate someone to write a story like this. When your entire immediate family is your enemy, what does that say about you?
Ultimately, this episode is completely unnecessary. It’s a flashback that shows us how the sisters grew up, how Karin eventually turned on Yuzu, and how she first met the fox guy. Basically, nothing that we couldn’t already surmise if we were pessimistic and cynical about human nature. As a result, I don’t care. These memories don’t accomplish anything other than confirming to me that the author has nothing interesting to say nor do they have a unique viewpoint to offer. Yes, yes, your family utterly hates you, but thank god the richest dude in the world is forced to love you. Way to go. What an achievement.
Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life Ep. 10
A villain has shown up, and I’m not even talking about the guy who wants to rejoin the worlds à la FFXIV. No, it’s Ryusei’s princess Meru, who has traveled to this world to seek him out. Their reunion naturally causes Meteor all sorts of consternation. Our heroine obviously likes Ryusei, but she’s too dumb to put those feelings into words. She even loses her charm after being depressed for so long. But hey, she can perk right up since it’s obvious that Meru isn’t a good person. The rejoining will cause countless to die, so Ryusei will have no choice but to reject Meru. But that’s the thing, right? It would’ve been better if Ryusei had rejected Meru simply because he liked Meteor better. Now that morality is in the mix, you can’t really tell if Ryusei likes Meteor more or if he just has no better choice. I don’t have to explain why that isn’t very romantic. Plus, it would be hella hypocritical for him to judge Meru when he went on one hell of a bender in their previous life specifically because he lost her.
