Love is truly in the air.
Blue Box Ep. 29
We’re still going on and on about Yumeka. I don’t care. I just don’t care. She slapped Taiki because he was making her mad. Any sympathy for the girl went straight out the window. Yes, she fell out of love with basketball, and her family was falling apart. But lots of people go through the same shit without lashing out at others.
Anyway, Taiki wins the ticket from… that other guy. I don’t even remember his name anymore. Matsu-something? Whatever. That’s why I think it’s silly that Taiki’s so worried about his “love rival.” Bro, it’s Chinatsu’s choice whom she wants to date. You should never have to worry that your significant other might get stolen, because they have agency. They’re not a thing to be taken by others. If you have a good partner, they wouldn’t ditch you for the first pretty person to flirt with them.
But I digress, because Taiki immediately offers up the ticket to Yumeka. He’s hellbent on fixing their friendship, but why does he assume Yumeka would be good for Chinatsu? She could still be a toxic person. Most fiction serves up the ideal conclusion on a silver platter, so of course, Yumeka is going to watch Chinatsu play, then they become friends again, then Yumeka is going to pick basketball up again, then Chinatsu will feel even more motivated to win… nationals or whatever they call it. Fiction is aspirational even if it’s stupid at times. But realistically, I wouldn’t have faith in someone like Yumeka. I wouldn’t trust that she can be good for my girlfriend. Until she proves that she can hold her feelings in check, she’s just a liability.
I’m Dating a Dark Summoner Ep. 4
Amona gets captured by orcs, so I know what you’re thinking. And you’d be right. The worst part, however, is how Roni gets a boner when he thinks about what the orcs are about to do to his… girlfriend? Friend with benefits? He then takes that boner with him to rescue her, then they have sex in the middle of the orc encampment. We only get to have extremes, I see. It’s either gormless men like that smoker guy, or raging freaks like Roni.
The Cold Sato-san is Only Sweet to Me Ep. 3
Oshio is one of those idiot romcom leads who doesn’t realize that the other person likes them: “She’d be in an awkward spot if people thought she was dating someone she wasn’t interested in.” The girl literally cried because she couldn’t get ice cream with him on a Saturday. What does she need to do? Hump his face before he gets a clue? His best friend (Ren) Sudo knows better but declines to correct him. Pfft, not much of a best friend then.
Ugh, since there are siblings, it would be too annoying to keep referring to these characters by their family name. I guess I’ll switch over to their given names now.
Luckily, Sota’s best friend’s sister Shizuku is a huge meddler, especially when she’s drunk. She somehow gets a hold of Ren’s phone, then texts a confession to Koharu. Why is the phone not locked, you ask? Well, that wouldn’t be convenient for the story, now would it? Still, before Shizuku did this — and earned a slap from her friend Mayo — she did say something that knocked some sense into Sota: “Maybe you’re the one who’s afraid of getting hurt.” Sota thinks back to his father’s advice about how you can only build muscles through pain. As a result, he calls Koharu up and legitimately confesses to her. It would’ve been better if he had done it in person, but hey, at least he summoned up the courage to do so. Unfortunately, Koharu reacts by turning into a quivering mess and accidentally hanging up on him. So that’s cool. The kid’s reward for being brave is complete anxiety until the girl finally responds to his confession.
There are a couple of minor developments to take note of. Rinka, Koharu’s cousin, nearly gets run over by a car. Sota saves her, which… makes her fall in love with him? C’mon, where are they going with this? You can’t steal your cousin’s man! That’s hella trashy! Koharu doesn’t even get home all that late, but her strict father proceeds to lecture her about the dangers of goofing off and how social media rots our brains. The second part is true, but oof, looks like he’ll be a tough nut to crack when Koharu and Sota eventually make their relationship official. Last but not least, I agree that Rinka went too far with the texting stunt, but people really need to keep their hands to themselves. People just keep slapping each other willy-nilly in anime. I’d cut a friend off so fast if they ever think they’re justified to lay a hand on me.
Please Excuse My Younger Brothers Ep. 16
Ito is still reeling from Gen rejecting her, so she also joins the esports club. Syu eventually finds out about the situation between her and Gen, so he tries to comfort her by taking her to an arcade. On the surface, this seems innocent enough. It’s just a little brother trying to cheer his sister up, right? But I dunno, man, I just get this foreboding feeling. The way Syu looks at Ito, the way he suddenly got a growth spurt… the story obviously wants Syu to be a “threat” to Gen. But really? C’mon, it’s bad enough that stepsiblings are falling in love. Do we really gotta pit brother against brother? Is there anything trashier than that? Fucking hell…
The thing is, Gen doesn’t really deserve Ito either. The guy literally told her that he still wouldn’t date her if hell froze over. I get it. He sees her as family. But holy shit, you don’t gotta put it like that.
Firefly Wedding Ep. 3
Satoko’s life as a courtesan has begun — that caked-on makeup and hairdo is doing her no favors — and her first client is Eishin, a guy with a split personality. Really? What are the odds of that? The thing is, this guy offers to save Satoko. He could outright buy her freedom. The only catch is that she has to marry him. I love how people are just willing to buy the first courtesan they meet. Shouldn’t you have several “dates” with her first? Even if Satoko was the most beautiful woman in the world, I can’t imagine hitching myself to someone the first time I see them. This holds in reverse as well. I know Satoko is desperate to get off the island, but you really can’t trust a guy who immediately offers to buy you. But whatever, anime’s gotta anime. Well, despite all of Shinpei’s red flags, Satoko can’t help but feel like she owes him for saving her. Really? Really? Granted, the deal kinda sucks. We’re told that Eishin is a notorious freak when he’s drunk. He’s so bad that he’s been banned from every other brothel. Basically, you’re picking between dog shit and dog shit. Nevertheless, I’m perplexed by Satoko’s loyalty to a literal murderer.
Well, you can’t mention a split personality without seeing it in action. In a way, they’re kinda like Chekhov’s gun. The other courtesans are jealous of Satoko hogging Shinpei’s attention, so they spike the drinks with alcohol. Eishin’s split personality comes out, and… well, guess what? Yep, he wants to assault Satoko right then and there. He only hesitates when he sees the massive scar running down her chest. He still offers to marry her, but this time, she rejects him for being “scum.” This enrages Eishin, so he tries to kill her. Only then does Shinpei jump in, which means he could’ve intervened a lot earlier — y’know, like when the guy was threatening to rape her. Nevertheless, a scuffle ensues. You’d think the establishment would’ve stepped in by now, but the man running the place reveals that Shinpei planned all of this. He wanted to make Satoko a damsel-in-distress so he could win her heart by saving her. This is so fucked up on so many levels, but… it’s what the people want, I guess! I’ve seen people act like this was the peak romance of the season. Ugh. I’d rather die than marry any of these freaks.
Ranma 1/2 (2024) 3rd Season Ep. 4
Female Ranma stops a runaway horse, but its rider Sentaro immediately tricks him into drinking green tea that has been laced with a paralytic. He then kidnaps Ranma and intends to make him (her?) his bride. Somehow, this is completely glossed over. Basically, Sentaro doesn’t want to marry the woman that has been arranged for him, because she’s a monkey. Well, she obviously isn’t a monkey, but that doesn’t matter because HE JUST DRUGGED SOMEONE HE THOUGHT WAS A WOMAN AND KIDNAPPED HER. Nevertheless, freeing Sentaro from marrying a monkey involves martial arts, so Ranma fucking takes the challenge ’cause he’s a meathead. Akane somehow tags along even though she super doesn’t care about Ranma, you guys. Then when Sentaro turns his attention to Akane and wants to marry her instead, Ranma stops him because he also super doesn’t care about Akane, you guys. Finally, to put a shit cherry on top of this shit sundae, Sentaro’s real fiancee shows up, and she’s a normal girl. She and Sentaro proceed to fall in love and immediately get married, ’cause who cares that HE TOTALLY DRUGGED AND KIDNAPPED SOMEONE HE THOUGHT WAS A WOMAN. Ranma 1/2 is a trashy relic that belongs in the past, which is why this remake is bullshit.
