Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai / First Impressions

「スクール水着は出番がない＼(^o^)／」 (Sukuuru Mizugi wa Denban Ga Nai ＼(^o^)／)
“No School Swimsuits This Time”

Haganai once again brings out all the stops and puts us, the viewer, through one hell of a stimulation rollercoaster. However, I hope some of you didn’t get derailed with scenes like this striking when you least expected it.

Starting off as a rather typical episode, there was Yozora getting Maria to strip and run outside naked, Kobato finally wearing some normal albeit out of style clothes, Rika letting her dirty mind run rampant, and Sena discovering one of the best gal-ges ever made. In all honesty, I would love to play a game where the bad ending is to watch everyone get devoured by a shark at a public pool — it’s so ridiculous that it almost makes sense.

Amongst all the humor something was brought up that started to bug me as I thought about it. We’re already eight episodes in and it seems like the Neighbors Club’s members still don’t see their fellow members as friends. I don’t know if I’m reading into this too deeply, but the moment that Kodaka said the pool is a place for friends and that their trip would be a dry run to (excuse my pun) test the waters, I was disappointed that the people who see each other nearly every day still think they don’t have friends.

With such an abrupt and melancholy ending, it feels like that next week’s episode may tackle some of the deeper elements that come with people who are learning to overcome some of that social awkwardness that we all have inside of us. With both Yozora and Rika unable to handle large crowds of people, maybe we’ll get the see the two of them at the end of some hilarious friend building exercises sometime in the future.

 

Preview

55 Comments

      1. In the normal course of things, Big Brother worship and approval is perfectly fine. Yes, Kobato is embarrassing herself and him, but that goes with the territory. There is a line, crossing it is a big No No. But then, these scenes of near extreme Lolidom are undercut by the last few scenes of the show. Yes, those scenes with Kobato and Maria made me have kittens, but those scenes of abject loneliness made them more than just eye candy.

        theskylion
        Reply

  5. Until I heard the guy on the bus say it I thought I was the only one whot thought that Kobato and Sena looked like sisters when they were together. Kobato really shone in this episode, it shows she’s more dynamic and interesting than most “little Sisters” attatched to the main protagonist. Also I lolled at Maria with the sign. Not sure what to make of the ending or the preview of the next episode.

    Roguespirit
    Reply

  8. Kobato and Maria made me have kittens when watching this episode. Then, by the end, I found that the kittens had gotten lost, and now I am sad. Which is a good thing, it moves the characters from so much eye candy, to having someone we can sympathize.

    skylion
    Reply

  9. Me: “Oh look, it’s a new episode of Haganai, let’s watch it.”

    Few minutes into the episode…

    Me: “HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG”

    Rakkyo
    Reply

  10. This episode was full of win and loli fan-service. XD This adaptation burns through the material oh so fast… I got my wish, they got to the good parts of volume 3. Next episode, there will be LOTS and LOTS of meat. >:)

    Kyzel
    Reply

  12. This must be like the second or third episode where a very funny episode ends in a sudden and abrupt melancholic mood, yet the beginning of these episodes didn’t show any following up on those depressing moods so far.

    Sooner or later, this bunch of merry introverts will have to accept that they’re the true friends that they’ve been searching for. (Disclaimer: This poster is an introvert himself. But it must be stressed that being introverted does not equal “socially awkward” at all. We just like to spend time alone more. )

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  15. So many great things this week. Along with the mass amounts of comedy, we didn’t really single anyone out. Every girl got her own scene, which I really like since we can appreciate everybody. However it’s just getting frustrating now to see that Yozora can’t find a way to tell Kodaka that they knew each other once. I can’t wait until that comes up! But alas, it does not seem like it will be next week.

    Kiria
    Reply

      2. These new breeds of trap have gotten smarter… They no longer hide the fact that they are traps, they tell you outright. The very fact that they let you in on it right away is just there to put you at ease. You no longer struggle with whether they are really a trap, you are told so outright. Then they slowly sneak in little hints that maybe they aren’t… Suddenly they have you interested. You’re curious, it’s no longer “Okay, we know they are a trap.” it’s “hmm… I wonder if they really are a trap?”

        Before you know it… BAM you’re caught (literally) with your pants down! Now you have to explain to your friends and family why you were fondling yourself to a picture of an underage guy in a maid’s outfit! Don’t let that happen to you!

        Koji
        Reply

  21. i kinda feel sorry for maria……she’s so cute sobs

    i think yukimura is actually a girl too, but since his/her parents wanted her to be a boy she wants to become manly? would actually make sense if you think about it

    Medoi
    Reply

  22. I just cannot stand that each of kobato eyes has a different color.
    everytime I see a char in anime with eyes with 2 different colors, I am like do people really like that? it is so antisymmetric and unpleasant to see. Mihoko Fukuji from saki is another example. Death the Kid from soul eater would agree with me on this.

    tendo
    Reply

    2. While I’m fine with heterochromia- it is true that the number of characters with this trait (or just different eyes in general) – is growing at a rate that steers it dangerously close towards the realm of cliche.

      Stranger
      Reply

    3. My brother has one blue eye and one green eye. Back in the day, after reading X-Men, I started calling him a mutant. But, then man is so bland it bounced off of him.

      And, stop picking on Kobato.

      theskylion
      Reply

  26. I think the fact that they don’t see each other as friends yet is the point. Their friendship is sneaking up on them while they practice for when “actual friends” come along. I expect the show will end with them realizing that they had close friendships the entire time. A bit cliche, but honestly, they are still fun to watch without a fresh message to impart.

    baltar
    Reply

  28. I think the whole point of the storyis just what you mentionesd Takaii, they are such fools beacause it´s not that they don´t see each other as friends, it´s that they hven´t realized they are already friends. Their social are so limited that they can´t identefy people aroud them as friends, they hven´t hve a true friend at all, how coul you reconize a person as your friend in that awkward position?.

    haseo0408
    Reply

    1. I totally agree. I haven’t read the novels or much of the manga, but the way the anime is headed, I’m guessing the final “punchline” is that everyone in the club realizes that they all became friends. I mean there are hints of it by the fact that Sena actually likes her nickname of Meat(ep 3), and the fact that ep. 7, all of them are so socially awkward that they do not realize friends communicate with cellphones. Plus, I think we’re all waiting for the revelation between Kodaka’s and Yozora’s past friendship.

      Aoihoshikage
      Reply

    1. might be, considering Sena’s and Kodaka’s/Kobato’s fathers are long time acquaintances…
      though I resist the bait because Kodaka doesn’t see kobato in feminine terms at all! see his reaction to her stripping…

      ewok40k
      Reply

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