「雄二と翔子と幼い思い出」 (Yuuji to Shouko to Osanai Omoide)
“Yuuji, Shouko, and their Childhood Memories”

Color me surprised, but I never expected that an episode focused solely on Shouko and Yuuji would be one of the better ones from a show that’s supposed to be about the laughs. Actually, if the rest of the episodes were this deep than there might not even be a need to bring back those slapstick jokes!

Even though it’s been clear that something from the past sparked Shouko’s love for Yuuiji, it’s a lot more interesting than I originally thought. Combined with a storybook feel and really good BGM, it almost felt like I was watching a really long and really well made cut scene from a visual novel; something which managed to completely immersed me into the episode while focusing me toward the lines that connected the past to the present — something that I’d expect from a show much deeper than Baka Test.

But boy was Yuuji such a brat when he was a little kid. Can you imagine what kind of person he might have become if he hadn’t gotten some sense beaten into that little head of his? It was a little unreal listening to little Yuuiji talk about running away from a situation, trying to protect himself instead of the girl he cared about. Luckily, Shouko managed to instill the courage Yuuji needed to overcome that cocky attitude of his.

At this point, it should already be clear to him why Shouko loves him so much. Starting with that innocent gesture of becoming her friend, I’m pretty sure that sacrificing himself to save Shouko instilled the feelings that she still feels today. And after years and years of waiting, those feelings are probably bubbling over waiting for Yuuji to accept them. Sure that cute charm of hers has disappeared with the use of brutal weapons like a tazer, but Yuuji should have figured out that anything involving romance and another girl is just another way to paint a big red target on himself.

While the episode was essentially a really long flashback, I sort of wish that the season had started out with more of these episodes. In favor of stupidly long arcs about trying to catch a blackmailer and being branded as a pervert in the process, I’d have loved to have more episodes that fleshed out all the side characters in this series.

 

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37 Comments

  1. Everything is relative; If you have a show that’s emotional and dramatic- then the one light hearted comedy episode is going to be the best. Alternatively if you have a show that’s full of slapstick humor, then the one dramatic emotional character development episode would be the best.

    People tend to appreciate what they rarely get.

    Chaos2Frozen
  2. I guess you could say Yuuji started getting into fights a lot more later on in his childhood, which then made him lose his recommendation to a prestigious school. With that being said, I presume the teachers stopped thinking he was special and more of a delinquent what with the constants fights and all, so I think he just stopped caring to being number one.

    IDK, all that was assumptions, since I don’t think this episode really revealed why he quite being the “prodigy” he was, but rather explained how he sort of became a man from his “scaredy cat original childhood self”.

    Thus, I’ll say this was a more of a Shouko episode with how she really fell in love him. (and lol how Shouko become the deadly person she is now, so that she wouldn’t need to get Yuuji in that sort of trouble ever again)

    P.S: Any suggestions on what the final stretch of episodes is going to be about. More flashbacks maybe? I would love to see Hideyoshii and his sister’s flashback, Himeji, maybe even our camera expert himself, Voyeur?

    Kelfistan
  3. Shouko has always been my favorite girl of this series. Nice to see the attention focused on her.

    She and Minami are the only girls who would genuinely make good wives, since they are both sweet underneath their tough exterior. Himeji on the other hand is psycho to the core, hidden only by a cute smile.

    Baka-Yuusha
  4. Hmm so if Yuuji was like himself as a smart aleck kid then he would be in Class A like Shouko.
    But instead we’ve got our lovable idiot hero who still gets the chick in the end. So why is he still regretting that time? This was a funny and adorable episode for this couple. Good show.

    Kenshin
  5. Love YuujixShouko, they’re just the staple couple of the series that you know should be together. I can’t wait till he finally accepts her feelings so that I can see a bit more dere dere Yuuji. Too cute. And LOL and Shouko turning from that adorable child (who talks about her breasts) to this taser wielding eye poking loved crazed woman. I assume she learned to tase people because of the events in this episode.

    Adored this episode, I wouldn’t mind if these two had their own mini series/ovas. I wish more of the LNs were translated.

    Saya
  6. Shouko ftw. Always said that before, and it’s clear that still valid after this ep ^_^

    Besides, it’s not like she didn’t draw blood already. Remember Yuuji’s frantic efforts to save her end of last season, or the ecstatic reaction of his being when Shouko cradled his head in her breasts 😉

    Time to accept your fate, man!

    Mentar
  7. YEA SHOUKO X YUUJI

    She’s my favorite character in the series!!! I really wish Yuuji would like her back ;A; I mean, how do you reject such a cute girl right in front of your eyes?! HOW?!

    Anyhow, I agree, this might be my favorite episode so far in this season. (little Yuuji was cute, but too much of a brat lol)

    Fumizuki
  8. This show never ceases to amaze me, after a really ho-hum first half of the season, the last 5-6 episodes have just been nothing short of awesome, and reminded me why the first season was so enjoyable. It’s almost like the writers are making sure you know that they know how to write by putting these in.

    Freddeh
  9. Shouko attitude is soooo cuteee with her yandere . She is so beautiful and yuji is so cool for some reason for me shouko is one of my favorite char , she is so kawaii ( look the scene when they chat in the classroom.)

    Pokpok
  10. So that is what turned him in a delinquent? I understand his goal of trying to prove that grades aren’t everything, but the reason… hmm. Not fully get it IMO.

    He learned that he was an asshole, but that shouldn’t turn you into an idiot.

    drzero7
    1. What turned Buddha into a starving monk from a prince? Philosophy, and the pursuit of understanding; self-improvement. Yuuji recognized that he was basically a smart snob, so he decided to become just the exact opposite to gain a better understanding of what life is all about and make himself a better, more rounded person- “stupid” by choice,that he may gain that which he is wanting.I wager that at the end of the manga, Yuuji’s grades will skyrocket; having learned all that he needs to, he will no longer need to pretend to be an idiot. But it’ll end on a note that he’ll never forget the lessons he learned in Class F, nor his friends.

      Yttrium

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