Yeah, you say that, but…
Blue Box Ep. 30
By the way, I agree with Hina in a vacuum. The problem is that she is clearly not over Taiki. But I digress…
Most of the first half of the episode is just Chinatsu’s basketball game, but I don’t mind because that just makes this an easier write-up. It’s not like there’s anything for me to react to here. You go, girl! Shoot that anime basketball. Everything else goes according to plan. Yumeka shows up and watches Chinatsu play. She starts to realize that she still loves basketball after all. She starts to realize she never should’ve left the game, that she still wants to be friends with Chinatsu, blah blah blah. She even imagines herself on the court, passing to Chinatsu. After the game, the girls finally talk and cry it out. It’s the expected outcome. Shrug. I never really connected with this story. I understood it, but I can’t empathize with it. I don’t understand lashing out at a friend just because you’re burnt out. Even if I fell out of love with a sport or a hobby, I could never see myself treating my friend like shit. It’s baffling to me. You can explain it until you’re blue in the face — and trust me, I’ve read some thoughts on this arc — but it just doesn’t resonate with me. I’m glad Chinatsu gets her friend back, but I’ll never truly understand people like Yumeka.
As for the rest of the episode, we get a collection of small moments. Taiki sees Hina struggling to move something. Girl, why are you trying to pick up a flat package from there? Hasn’t anyone ever taught you about levers and fulcrums? Have you never taken a physics class before? They teach physics in Japanese high schools, right? Anyway, she acts like she’s over Taiki, but she’s not. This is why it sucks when friends fall in love; you end up losing a friend when things don’t work out. Moving along, something continues to build between Ayame and Kyo, but that’s probably going to be a super mega slow burn. Last but not least, Chinatsu passes on a hangout with her teammates to find and spend time with Taiki. Is this it? Are they finally gonna confess their feelings? It is Christmas, after all. I know it’s a couples holiday in Japan. How much longer is this show going to drag this out? He already turned down Hina. What are we waiting for?
I’m Dating a Dark Summoner Ep. 6
Huh, I think this is the first episode where no one has sex. But we do get slimy tentacles, so meh. So what’s the story? Some bandit ignored a direct warning and looted a dungeon’s treasure. Aaaaaand it was just a hentai doujin. Apparently, this belongs to Imp, and he wanted to hide it from the world. So just burn it? But no, he lets it sit around, gathering dust. And when the bandit finds it, he punishes the bandit by gender-changing them into a woman. You notice how we almost never get the reverse? When was the last time you saw a woman turn into a man? But yup, that’s basically it for the episode. Oh yeah, Roni helps Amona get her grimoire back after he realizes he doesn’t really know much about her. But hey, they’re just friends with benefits, right? I know what the show is called, but they’re not really dating per se…
They started airing some omake shorts, but these are nothing special. The animation is crude, and they just act out some relationship chatter in an alternate universe setting. I’m not sure if I’ll keep watching them.
The Cold Sato-san is Only Sweet to Me Ep. 5
Can the show still be interesting now that the primary couple has started dating? Unfortunately, it wants to do this by surrounding Koharu and Sota with idiots. Ren is trying to rush Sota as much as possible. Koharu and Sota have only started dating, so they should just take things at their own pace. But Ren believes they should be holding hands already. He’s not the worst part of the episode, though. Sota goes to Rinka for romantic advice. She should be supportive of her cousin finding love, but no, she’s not a very good person. At first, she tries to question Sota’s love for Koharu. After realizing that his feelings for her cousin are true, she still won’t relent. She’s determined to steal Sota away, and it’s all because he accidentally kabadon’d her. Sheesh, family sure doesn’t count for much nowadays. Meanwhile, Sota is so nervous about dating Koharu that he invites the entire gang with them to the beach. I doubt Rinka can ever sway Sota’s heart, so she’s just going to embarrass herself. I’m not really keen to see that go down.
As for Koharu, she doesn’t get much help either. Her mother just tells her to seduce Sota. I guess the woman really wants grandchildren.
Please Excuse My Younger Brothers Ep. 18
Syu accuses Gen of being too busy playing the big brother to figure out how he truly feels (about Ito). Gen counters that he can’t afford to drop his guard when his brothers get to freely say whatever they want. Uh, I think this is supposed to be deep or something. I dunno, man. I don’t think him trying to be the responsible big brother means he has to hide shit. It’s just an excuse.
Anyway, Syu technically wins the sporting competition, so he makes Gen promise to reveal his true feelings to Ito. Syu does have feelings for Ito (ugh), but he knows she likes his older brother (double ugh) so he won’t try anything. This happens midway through the episode. As you can probably imagine, we don’t get a confession before the episode is over. They pretty much just spent the latter half of it building up the suspense. The suspense for what? Step-siblings in love? Pfft. Whatever happens, happens. I don’t care if they get together or not. Do it or don’t. Just stop stalling. All I will say is that it would be pretty low of Gen to get Ito’s hopes up just to dash them again.
Firefly Wedding Ep. 5
I thought Satoko had made a friend in Aoi, but her sinister grin at the end of the episode seems to suggest otherwise. Plus, she locked them in the shed, right? But for what? It’s not like a locked door can stop Shinpei.
This week, Satoko finally spills the beans: even if they could get off the island, she has to repay her family by agreeing to an arranged marriage. Shinpei initially abandons her, but he can’t. He’s obviously smitten with her. So he has a fantastic idea: he’ll just kill every single suitor who comes along. How’s that sound, babe! Somehow, his suggestion doesn’t freak Satoko out. I mean, sure, he represents true love and freedom. She’s no longer just her family’s property, blah blah blah. She can go out in a blaze of glory with him like… a firefly! But he’s also a murderer so eh…
Ranma 1/2 (2024) 3rd Season Ep. 6
Last week, Akane realized that Ranma was being blackmailed, so she tried to help him. Well, that quickly goes away in this week’s episode. Y’see, Kodachi fights back by showing Akane a picture of her and Ranma kissing. Akane quickly believes it. Not even the slightest bit of hesitation. On the one hand, it’s doctored. On the other hand, they didn’t have Photoshop back when this story was originally conceived, so sure, I GUESS I can understand why Akane bought it. The real problem is that she and Ranma always bicker. They always, always bicker, so even if I get where Akane is coming from, I’m still rolling my eyes.
Ultimately, Akane’s sisters convince her that the photo is probably a fake, so she goes back to save him. To show his thanks, Ranma eats those terrible ass cookies and ends up with a stomachache. See? Again, I want to be sympathetic, but she’s legitimately a shit cook! You can’t get your feelings hurt when your food literally hurts!
