「新しい部を結成して修羅場」 (Atarashii Bu o Kessei Shite Shuraba)
“Starting a New Club is a Battleground”

Eita, I had hope that you had a secret understanding of Chiwa’s hidden affections, that is until episode two came. Alas you are as thick as a good beef stew that you make for the girl that loves you. At least you still focus on your studies, despite Masuzu’s saucy attempts to confuse you with her ‘body language’ and creative use of his diary.

Even though you may be the only one in this situation unaware of Chiwa’s feelings, you did get something correct…partially. While Masuzu may have realized Chiwa’s feelings early on, the auxiliary reason why Chiwa joined the club was unknown to her. Chiwa strikes me as the type who’s goal oriented, whose energy towards one thing is great if she just focuses on it. However as Eita points out, with the loss of kendo, she lost a part of her she was heavily attached to. While Eita was correct that Chiwa joined the club for her to pursue a goal relentlessly, Masuzu silently realizes the subtlety made clear with this information (while still brooding why Chiwa hasn’t seen Jojo).

While we can’t know for sure what Masuzu realized then, I propose a guess. While it is true for Masuzu that Chiwa joined the club because of her desire to latch onto something once again, Masuzu realizes that this ties back to Eita. Chiwa is not chasing after a new focus, but is instead pursuing an old focus that she lost…to Masuzu. This became clear, at least to myself, in the specific questions she asked Eita–all her questions centered around his childhood friendship with Chihuahua. Eita however, seems completely unaware that becoming a boyfriend, fake or not, strips Chiwa of yet another anchoring focus in her life…and perhaps the last. Hence the deeper explanation of the surface reaction for Chiwa to join the club is revealed, with a mutual understanding between the star females.

Armed with this information and understanding, one would expect the proper reply to lay off of Eita and find a new plan of action…yet Masuzu reacts by pushing forward her teasing of Eita. Why she does this…it eludes me still, yet there exist a few possibilities. Either she’s actually falling for Eita, though she doesn’t want to admit it; she has some additional layer of plot behind her that involves possibly provoking Chiwa, perhaps for entertainment; or a combination of the above two mixed with other possibilities. The resolution to this ambiguity (as much of a turn on it is for some people) will perhaps reveal itself in the next episode, where Chiwa will take on even more of the information that will eventually arm her to take back her best friend.

Speaking of which, Chiwa’s reaction to this “get-the-guy” plot was so awkward that I had to turn down the volume and look away a little. While Chiwa is doing her best to prevent Masuzu from furthering her relationship, seeing her put on this awkward and clumsy show all for struggling to stay in the club…oh dear. At first, when Chiwa realized that her indirect provocations towards Eita were suddenly becoming reality thanks to Masuzu, she expressed this sense of discomfort and half-heartedness (something I groan at Eita for not noticing) that I pitied. However, come her best spinning of a guitar case that I’ve ever seen, and suddenly along with pity, I’ve got a good case of cringe in my seat too…though perhaps that was the intention. Through it all, it was humorous in reflection, finding myself chuckling while squirming, an uncommon combination.

Oreshura has taken its time, which may be good to elevate that subtle tension, but the ED sequence wants me to see these new characters come out! A good rom com isn’t complete without your supporting cast, and with no sight of any of the supporting characters in the preview, I wish that they’d hurry up and introduce new rivals! Masuzu, you can’t hold the upper hand forever!

Full-length images: 34.

 

ED1.5 Sequence

「Wonder Tale」 by 田村ゆかり (Tamura Yukari)

Preview

54 Comments

  1. What’s particularly good about Oreshura is how much potential it holds. It’s not uncommon to see characters as goal oriented as Eita and Chiwa but I think it holds more value and weight than we’re being allowed to see at the moment. To me it felt like one of the stronger points in their friendship and Masuzu may have caught notice of that as well when she grew curious of Chiwa’s resolve and dedication and questioned Eita on it. The show brings with it a lot of humor but also has these subtle moments of insight to the characters and it’ll be interesting to see how it might build on that as the cast grows.

    Yasuri
  2. Instead of saying what’s on my mind ATM about this, I’ll just go about trying to decipher just what this show is trying to setup. So far it’s 3 one-line characters doing exactly what they supposed to do for the silly deranged blackmailing plot. Chiwa’s playing the naïve idiot intercepting all the bully Masuzu-bitch can dish out while Eita aka sack-o-potatoes is strung along for the ride.

    How old is this POS. It’s even using every item out of the cliché manual in the first 2 episodes. This is supposed to be entertaining, right. So why do I feel like I’m doing a great disservice to myself by watching this – like someone who hates soap operas sitting down for the afternoon run. I can take the blackmailing, but Masuzu’s all-about-me BS, taking infinite amount of pleasure in the follies of others, & simple unchecked bullying is just too F’in much.

    I usually don’t drop shows until the 3rd episode if it’s somewhat interesting but this junk is on life support. But that’s not the kicker. That honor goes to the simple fact of just how bloody shallow this show really is so far. They dig themselves in with its ridiculous title & then make it seem like those qualms will carry the show for 12 episodes. Can someone with a brain please come & save this show from itself.

    I guess that alone is making this worth watching, besides seeing Masuzu reap what she sow. That & the simple fact that 2 more character have to break to nonsense up, hopefully.

    Megas
    1. Not sure if you’d be interested to know, but from reading the manga I can tell you this is the weakest story arc to date. Why they started the story off this way is beyond me since, as you said, it’s worn and not very entertaining, but it does get better once Chiwa starts in on Eita more, which will hopefully be next episode. The way you see Masuzu is exactly wheat the show is going for, as she does grow a heart as things progress. Right now, they want you to want to throw her off a tall building. It’s kinda like she’s unintentionally showing Eita what’ll happen if he keeps on the way he is, as even he’s disgusted with her.

      Aex
    2. I screwed around with the manga until Eita grew some balls & Chiwa stopped forcing herself to act like a twit. It wasn’t as satisfying as it should have been but at least the obvious happened.

      Megas
  3. So am I the only guy who just straight up hates Masuzu? Chiwa is still adorable enough, even if she does end up doing some unbearably awkward stuff, and what’s-his-name Protagonist-san is standard fare so I can’t really complain.

    Masuzu, on the other hand, is just an absolutely unlikable bitch. Everything she does seems to be for the purpose of making at least one of the characters suffer in some form and it’s almost like she holds zero empathy for anyone that’s not herself. She’s selfish, manipulative, and not a character I could care for one bit. I don’t even want to hope that she gets some positive character development because for all I care she can stay in her own personality hole and rot there.

    I’m only staying on for the other female characters. If at least one of them isn’t introduced by episode 3 I might just drop this.

    Nitro
    1. I actually agree with this for the most part. It’s going to take a lot of positive character development, or some much better reasoning as to her personality for her to beat the true love from Chiwa. You can’t just be that blatantly cruel to someone, break the chances between two people who would have ended up together, and come out the “quirky anti-hero” who wins in the end. Mainly because it is obvious now that Chiwa will be incredibly hurt if it doesn’t turn out her way, and I don’t see them pulling an SAO here (sorry Sugu!).

      Colentas
    2. While you don’t HAVE to be a maso to like a bitch like Masuzu, you do HAVE to show some maso tendencies to do so. However, she’s still a one-dimensional bitch. So me hating her would be the same as me hating a stick figure with “bitch” written in the face.

      Nevertheless, she made me yawn more times than I would like to remember – & I do hate being bored.

      Megas
    3. She does go through actual character progression though, so don’t lose hope yet! It’s hard to stay such a hater of love when even the guy you’re blackmailing tells you to stuff it and leaves you to help someone else. Overtime she gets less bitch and more tsundere.

      Aex
    4. lol why people bitching about her and not Yozora from tomodachi? What they both are doing is satisfying themselves by making others suffer. Anyway I like both Yozora and this one. I hate noisy girl like Chiwa though.

      Masa
      1. Yozora is just horribly socially awkward, and even with regards to Sena and Maria she is still self-aware to an extent. For socially awkward people, every single interaction with another person is a struggle that requires effort to be put in, and Yozora’s absolutely terrible at it. That’s all it is. Extreme, but understandable.

        Masuzu is just a cruel bitch.

        Maybe things would be different if they had gotten different characterisation in the first few episodes. Yozora was first established as a really weird person who doesn’t have a clue on how to interact with people, so a lot of it is justified to some extent. Masuzu was set up with hopes that came crashing down instantly by the end of the first episode, and the second didn’t make any effort to pick them back up. By now it’s too late; she’s been establised as a one-dimensional asshole. She has no saving grace apart from her looks (and if that’s your reason for liking her as a character you need to rethink your life a little).

        Nitro
  4. I’m not expecting much depth, just a good comedy ride from this series.
    I mean, it looks like the male lead will never realize his childhood friend loves him,
    and she’s never going to get serious enough for anything to happen. But, I could be wrong.

    mac65
  5. Considering her reaction I’m pretty sure that even before asking about Chiwa at the end Masuzu could see she was there for Eita but after hearing how he spoke of her she realised that Eita actually liked Chiwa too and they just hadn’t gotten together yet so she tried to make sure he knew he couldn’t just leave her.

    HakumeiJin
  6. Am i the only one that’s actually annoyed by chiwa? She’s too loud and what’s with her trying to be popular,sounds stupid in my opinion if her goal is to attract eita’s attention.

    Boo
    1. It was just some thoughtless statement in the heat of moment, with the intention to show Eita that she is better (= more popular) than Masuzu and Eita will regret his decision.

      Of course it’s stupid, but who else doesn’t say stupid things if emotionally agitated.

      mnemo
  7. give more to tell on it give masuzu being bit sneaker yet chiwa being jumping in that all really yea chiwa very determine.

    so masuzu idea make a club oh mention note stuff give eita a bit freak out yet give chiwa a guitar case which chiwa spin the case around.

    yet masuzu wonder how chiwa still keep all determine give eita said before chiwa used to want get in kendo til injury happen to her but yet she find something else in to keep chiwa all determine.

    & hearing it masuzu wonder how til eita fall for masuzu?

    jvob
  8. I don’t know why you think Eita is unaware of Chiwa’s feelings for him. The end of the last episode made clear that he was well aware of her feelings. He simply doesn’t want to reciprocate them. The fact that he is now supposedly in a relationship despite him knowing this is the very reason she called him a traitor.

    Apart from that, this episode just really pissed me off. Masuzu torturing Eita was simply not very funny. My other concern is that there are still more girls to add to the Harem so even though it started well with episode 1 I don’t see this show getting much better 🙁

    Scruffy
    1. Give it till next episode. Unless they totally screw the pacing, it’ll end on a good note that’ll set the tone for the rest of the series. The manga took like seven chapters to get good thanks to Masuzu, but I’m hoping that’ll be cut down to three episodes for the anime. This series will never “wow” you, but it isn’t always this bad.

      Aex
    1. Well since you asked
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Aex
  9. Man that Chiwa scene was just painful to watch.

    I can’t seem to place my fingers around it, but there’s something about this show that has my attention unlike any of the other romantic comedies this season. I like that there characters aren’t overbearing caricatures of their fitted stereotypes, I like the deliberate pace of the anime, and I like that the dialogue actually tries to play the cliches atypically (for the most part, like Chiwa’s “attempts” to be popular). Oh, and jojo references. Can’t forget the jojo references.

    It’s not amazing, but I’m really enjoying myself.

    Asobi
    1. “but there’s something about his show that has my attention unlike any of the other romantic comedies this season.”

      You mean, Kotoura-san didn’t ensnare you?!? It HAD to! ADMIT IT!!! =03

      frubam
      1. I ADMIT IT! SPARE ME! >_< Kotoura-san was mind-blowing. Unquestionably the surprise-premiere-of-the-season for me, because of the surprisingly dark tone and how well they handled the transition of emotions. But I'm still apprehensive that it's based off a 4Koma and will end up taking an entirely other direction for the most part(will need to see more episodes). With Oreshura there's no doubt what it's trying to be. If it can keep this level of quality up I'll be a happy man for the rest of the season.

        Asobi
  10. After the first episode, I read someone who coined Masuzu as “a silver Hitagi”, which, at the time I thought was kinda true, as their characters are similar. Maybe it was because I read that phrase that, at the end of this episode, I thought the similarities were a bit stronger, in the way Eita talked about Chiwa. When Masuzu asked him about his childhood friend, he was clearly able to understand her. In a way, to me, to know that much about a friend constitutes a type of love too, romantic or not. If you’ve watched Neko(Kuro), then the part that I’m reminded of is Show Spoiler ▼

    This broadly ties in to the “not gonna love” mantra followed by Eita, yet, still as I was saying how it’s ‘love, but not love’ with Chiwa, despite Masuzu being the [fake] boyfriend. I think Masuzu saw this at the end of the episode which prompted her response to say something like ‘only look at me, and no other girls’, even though their relationship is supposed to be fake.

    If that’s how it’s going to be, it’s going to be much more interesting than I originally thought. The one thing I can’t stand is a bully ‘winning’ each time(see Haganai’s Sena/Yozora for a good example of what annoys me =0\[yet I still watch it (>.>)]), but the type of relationship I described earlier, even if it doesn’t fit to the letter would be enjoyable to watch =03.

    frubam
    1. You can compare Masuzu to Hitagi & Yozora later on, well maybe she is more like Yozora now except that I can’t describe either Yozora or Hitagi as bitches. While she’s doing all the bullying that Yozora is akin to, she outwardly displays her pleasure from it & she’s also doing it solely for her own gratification. It will come back to bite her hard but that’s what will make her come down to acceptable levels of being an annoying bitch.

      Hitagi is in a whole other level. She’s just being true to herself. Not to mention that the only reason why she’s like that with Koyomi is because he loves to be teased – or rather he loves to response to the teasing.

      Megas
  11. https://randomc.net/image/Oreshura/Oreshura%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2017.jpg
    -Another JoJo pose. Also Masuzu doesn’t just reference JoJo, she clearly mentions it. The gags I liked are definitely Masuzu’s “GOOD!” ala D’Arby and that Chiwa uses Stands to memorize musician names. That latter one has got to me one my favorite uses of JoJo in a gag.

    Also apparently there’s a gag in that same scene, about the name of the club. Somebody pointed it out in Oreshura’s page in animesuki. Specifically this page. http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=113158&page=17

    Zhinvu
      1. Yep. Giorno is the first to say and already posted the picture reference, which is cool. On Jojo itself, I’m only familiar with Stardust Crusaders from the old OVAs and currently following the TV anime. I only read a little about the Stands after Stardust, if I’d pick a favorite, Show Spoiler ▼

        Zhinvu
  12. My God… I feel sorry for Chiwa. Having forced to go through all that awkward acting thanks to some manipulative bitch.

    With that being said, I hope Masuzu changes her personality throughout the series. If she continues to be a sadistic bitch, then… I don’t know what to say.

    kanade_
  13. hahaha what a gaiety characters they are!! Chiwawa’s clumsy actions made me laugh and Masuzu has the double personality that manipulate and jeer the guy in this anime haha.. I think Masuzu is the main heroin and extra ones are just sub-characters in the story… I desire that Masuzu-Sama trample me saying “Ah What an pitiful filthy you are@@”

    LoveAsuna

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