「これって」 (Korette)
“Is It?”

It’s not fair! Ritsu is sweeping me off my feet without any effort at all! Who knew that the dandere type could be so effective!?

But let’s be real here–the whole show is sweeping me off my feet right now. The characters continue to create a pleasant dynamic, ships are being sailed, and by golly is this art not the most vividly beautiful thing you’ve seen this season? My belief that this is the refreshing rom com we’ve been waiting for has grown significantly thanks to this episode. I’m not completely sold, but the hope is growing.

First thing’s first though, addressing the major points.

The Winner: The Characters

Although each character is shallow in their development thus far without many layers to peel, their surface archtypes mesh really well with one another. Having contempt for the unmarried drunk. Using the pervert as the comic relief. Making some steps forward with the main female, but then taking several steps back. These are all established dynamics that pop up several times within anime, this anime being no exception. However, they continue to see usage because of their previous successful use, and here those dynamics meet moderate success. Why? Because instead of being the focus of the anime itself, they are merely vehicles to reveal some exciting character interactions that are fresh.

Take for example the beloved bubble scene. Although full of the tropes mentioned above, all of them are merely fluff for a much more significant event. It is never too old to see a quiet girl smile and gaze in wonder–it’s like seeing a flower bloom, a rare moment that makes us feel closer to the show. Here, using a combination of beautiful visuals and a well-intentioned cast, we get this amazing blend of old and new character development that keeps the whole thing feeling enjoyable while not feeling too overused. Kawai gives us her smile, Usa gets flustered like any normal guy would, and of course our supporting cast is important in catalyzing this effect. In that scene, and every subsequent one, every character feels important to the scene, and every character gives off a certain positive vibe that helps the show feeling lively.

Second Place: The Humor

Aside from smiling at all the characters genuinely laughing and smiling–a great way to create a likeable cast–the comedy itself was superb. Though some of the settings were anticipated, such as during the horror skit, many others were unexpected. Hopefully I wasn’t the only one laughing hard when The Birth of Venus joke came up–it was simultaneously adorable to see Ritsu laugh while also amazingly funny to laugh at the joke itself. Whether it’s seeing her laugh, hide her emotions, or smile with her eyes wide open, a good joke combined with Ritsu is a deadly combination to witness.

Moving forward, I have great expectations for this show. It’s not going to shift paradigms in the anime world, that’s for sure, but it will make its mark as an adorably cute, vivid, and likeable romantic comedy. I will definitely be covering this for one more episode, and from there hope to see if I have enough time to fit it in my schedule.

P.S: the new character, Watanabe Sayaka (Kanemoto Hisako) has a pleasant character design, if not for her eternal colon three mouth–that smile is slightly uncomfortable to look at, to be honest.

 

Preview

22 Comments

  1. Nope, you definitely weren’t the only one laughing when The Birth of Venus came up…well…i don’t know…it depends on what kind of laughter…for me I was crying, I couldn’t contain myself.

    One thing I like about Ritsu is that she isn’t necessarily the quiet type that shows no emotion, nor the quiet type that doesn’t know what she’s feeling when she DOES show emotion. It’s more like she’s a reserved person, but when it comes to showing her emotions, they come out in full stride and when the opportunity presents itself, whether it be embarrassment, laughter, fear, etc.

    The one thing that makes it better is that she speaks as if not interested, but her body language speaks differently, which makes it cute to watch.

    swordhack4
  2. Oh gosh – I was almost CRYING I was laughing so hard at the “Birth of Venus” joke. It just came right out of left field and sucker-punched me in the gut. I loved it!

    I’m also still cautious about this show. There’s a lot that I quite like, but still not enough to completely sell me on it yet. It’s right up there near the top of what I’ve seen this season, though. It’s more waiting to see how the characters go/when the depth begins to (hopefully) hit, at this point.

    Sekaya
  3. Well I be damned, this show turned me into a believer.

    I’m no fan of romance and fluff but this show made me realize how biased I was. Grade A comedy with enough hngg moments to make me go hngg! I’ll defenitely watch this till the end

    Ginobi47
  4. Swept off my feet indeed. I think Ritsu is a girl who tries to be stoic and reserved because she thinks that a person should be serious. In essence she’s read too much and blocked out other experiences. She’s trying to act older than she is. Underneath you’ve got a girl who get’s scared at horror movies, whose eyes shine when surrounded by the colors in a bubble, and laughs at a joke about a pervert looking like a famous painting. Usa, she’s only quite and reserved on the surface. Underneath… well, we’ll see, but I’m looking forward to seeing her blossom.

    Bear
  5. Last season it was Kobeni; this season I’m in love with Ritsu! She’s too adorable, loved every moment of her laughter.

    I especially loved the moment when she lightly shoved Usa when he was jokingly explaining what happened to the landlord after the Birth of Venus scene. A natural positive step for the couple, told with such a simple action.

    ahbonk
  6. Gotta say, I find Ritsu boring, especially compared to Sakurasou’s Mashiro. All the other characters, except Usa, are entertaining. Especially the manager and the masochist.

    magoiichi
  7. My Romcom guilty pleasure of the season, confirmed!

    That was fun, especially the Birth of Venus segment. Little gives me cause for laughing recently, but I couldn’t help but snigger at the scene.

    And Kawai is just so…irresistibly cute, and the other characters are loads of fun with stupidity and madness mixed in.

    Good episode. 🙂

    Owaranai

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