「他人が真実を隠蔽することに対して、我々は怒るべきでない。なぜなら、我々も自身から真実を隠蔽するのであるから。」 (Tanin ga shinjitsu wo inpei suru koto ni taishite, wareware wa okorubekidenai. Nazenara, wareware mo jibun kara shinjitsu wo kakusu koto no arukara.)
“We Should Not be Upset that Others Hide the Truth from Us, When We Hide it from Ourselves.”

While I’m not largely attached to any of the characters so far, it does pain me to see Sudo being bullied and even furthermore – attacked by other schoolmates. On top of that, he gets the short end of the stick by being blamed for the incident and now has to clear his name. I guess this goes along the lines of being at the bottom of the hierarchy at their school, but there are no good reasons to bully someone. Adding salt to the wound would be Sakura Airi (Ichimichi Mao) who actually witnessed (and took photos of?) the incident but isn’t willing to speak up. As a quiet girl, I can see why she doesn’t want to be in the spotlight to help Sudo out (when he’s already in the wrong) but I’ve never personally been one to sit quietly when I know something is wrong. That said, Sakura probably also has her own personal reasons why that camera means so much to her. I bet there are probably other photos (or photos she was taking at the time) that might incriminate her for something else and that’d put her to shame. So ultimately she’s not willing to help out Sudo if it means pushing herself under the bus. Of course this is all speculation on my part and I don’t know Sakura or Sudo that well yet so maybe Sudo is in the wrong – who knows. Judging by just the characters of the misfits though, I’d say that Sudo (probably) is being framed.

Another interesting new individual is Ichinose Honami (Touyama Nao) who’s probably too good to be true. She’s seen as another classic ideal schoolmate in Class B by helping her friends study, and being super friendly towards everyone. The only scene that turned me off was when she suddenly approached Kiyotaka to “pretend to be her boyfriend” when they’re not even that close to begin with. I feel like there’s a lot of missed development areas there where Kiyotaka and Ichinose actually talk and become friendly with one another but maybe for the sake of the anime, they cut out a lot of dialogue. Kiyotaka is also not really your knight in shining armor – being very aloof and seemingly uncaring. It’s as if he only does something for others because other people pressure him into it (e.g. Kikyou, Ichinose, Suzune etc.) and he’s just not a very inspiring or interesting protagonist to watch. He has some interesting ideas of his own and I’m sure he’s smarter than he leads on, but overall, just not someone I would imagine to be the center of a harem; both very interesting but also not very enticing.

Just when I thought all the rules of engagement have been thoroughly vetted at this point, seems like Kiyotaka has thought of another loop hole that may or may not actually exist? It was interesting how he pointed out that you can accumulate negative points even though they’re not visible on the screen – does that mean you can go negative? I wouldn’t know how that’s counted but to me, you’re pretty much in debt then if you’re running on zero funds and still making other arrangements. On the other hand, Kiyotaka catches the balance on Ichinose’s phone and it’s in the millions! What are you even doing with all that money? She’s either very savvy at saving or getting a lot of points through other methods. I guess we’ll find out soon enough; there’s no way she’s that perfect!

9 Comments

  1. https://randomc.net/image/Youkoso%20Jitsuryoku%20Shijou%20Shugi%20no%20Kyoushitsu%20e/Youkoso%20Jitsuryoku%20Shijou%20Shugi%20no%20Kyoushitsu%20e%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2014.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Youkoso%20Jitsuryoku%20Shijou%20Shugi%20no%20Kyoushitsu%20e/Youkoso%20Jitsuryoku%20Shijou%20Shugi%20no%20Kyoushitsu%20e%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
    “Hell is other people” If the next episode’s title is any indication, for me, those 2 would probably personify that quote. They may seem small in effect, but compiled all on one person, they would break him, like a million rain drops on a single rock. I fear for Sudo, even though he may already be a lost cause. It’ll come down to how the D class students will handle the situation, backdoor deals and all.

  2. maou
    1. Volume 13 ~ Without a guard, Yuigahama Yui continues to win more waifu points ~

      B-class girl = Yui with 50% more boobs and 100% less guard than ever before
      Suzune = Yukinatorgahara
      Kushida = When 1000W smile of Irohasu Iroha stabs you in the back
      Ayanokoji = The Hachiman that D-class does not deserve, but desperately needs
      Sae Chabashira = Hiratsuka of the Cleavage

      Haruno
  3. I’ts just my theory, but maybe Ichinose holds the points of all her class mates and represents an absolutely trusted leader where no-guard behavior of the members allows resource-sharing, great cooperation and consequently success.

    Haruno
  4. I think the situation with Sudo would work much better if he were a tad more sympathetic. He is not a bad sort but he is incredibly abrasive. Suzune’s implication is correct, he will always be a chink in class D’s armour. I look forward to the growth in his character since it can only be so long before his classmates read him the riot act.

    We get even more of the Academy’s notion of “realistic education” when it appears classes can effectively file a suit against other classes. Just as companies used legal proceedings to disrupt other corporate entities, Class C went for Class D’s soft red-haired underbelly. Class D might win this one but their enemies need only to succeed once to cripple their chances of reaching class A. No wonder Suzune is pissed. It is certainly not outside of the realm of possibility that Class C will allow a few false charges to go under the bridge before they bait Sudo into a very public explosion of violence. Then all those disproved claims might need to be relooked at making Class D look really bad.

    Ichinose is an interesting study. She is probably the character referenced in the opening quote about deception. Since we already have Yandere Yui in Kikyou, I reckon that she is the benign manipulator. Yes she pulls your strings but she (generally) does it for a beneficial reason. Why use Ayanokouji in her plans? For one he is not from Class B or from their immediate rivals, Class C and Class A. Two he is nondescript enough to be “just a guy” so that her suitor won’t even know who he is (and thus cannot as easily deny their relationship). Three it lets her get into debt with him which is something she wants. Class C is catching up on hers and she needs an excuse to intervene in their machinations involving Class D.

    The notion that she collectively holds Class B’s points looks likely. If they cannot win by quality, they can win through cohesiveness and teamwork. By forging class B into a collective, Ichinose can make them more competitive against the individual geniuses of Class A. Or at least that is her stated motivation. As it stands, she basically stands on the pork barrel with the power to veto any individual spending. She does not even have to assert any authority, all Ichinose has to do is to bring it up to the class where someone will likely protest. Just the very appearance of self-centeredness would make it difficult for individuals in Class B to spend on personal luxuries while it gives Ichinose a huge mountain of points she can use to fund her schemes. Where else did she get the points to reward those who turned in information about Sudo’s case? She can always sell that to her class as helping another, buying PR while the unspoken agreement is that they are also sticking it to their immediate rivals.

    The girl with the camera is likely hiding something petty. Maybe she took pictures of hunky dudes in compromising yaoi poses or with their shirts off. Perhaps she earns points by getting fanservice shots of classmates. I can understand that she certainly has no personal loyalty to Sudo nor any impetus to save him. By that time we are shown that doubt about his value to the class and personal character is already percolating within their ranks. His own class does not even really have faith in him which must really sting Kudo. Although admittedly he has never given them a reason to really trust in him either.

    Mechamorph
    1. if that’s true then ichinose first pull the same trick as shiroe(log horizon) holding all classmate bank account and then she can blackmail anyone that not agree to her opinion using class pressure, more or less class B symbolize communism with ichinose symbolize as a state.

      maou

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