「ほっとけばいいのに」 (Hottokeba Ii noni )
“You Could Just Ignore It”

The title for this week’s episode works well–it frames both Hayashi’s desire to apologize for ignoring Usa two episodes earlier as well as Ritsu’s insistence on ignoring the white elephant in the room. The combination of these two parts work well with each other, since Hayashi’s thankfulness towards Usa (he really is too nice) starts a chain of misunderstandings that eventually get the better of even super-focused Ritsu! Who knew that it would be the youngest member of the cast that would be the first to point out the obvious?

Aside from some good laughs and a return to better standards of animation, today’s episode marks the beginning of the end (of this season). Ritsu now inevitably is faced with the reality of Usa’s affections, whether she was aware of them in the first place or not. It’s an interesting question actually–just how much does Ritsu actually know about the current situation? The end of the second half at least shows that she can at least get jealous at a subconscious level, but is Ritsu fully aware of why those feelings exist within her or does she genuinely attribute it to the reasons she articulated in the second half of the episode? Although Ritsu puts up a formidable front in appearing focused, enough so to even fool Mayumi and Sayaka, could she actually have picked up on the hint ages ago and just refuses to face it head-on? Oh yes, we can make a really good guess on the answer based on the predictability of a rom-com (even Mayumi pointed it out this episode), but at the same time, rom coms are infamous for coming up with excuses to extend the plot further. Ritsu may either be as pure as perceived, but at the same time she just may be playing cold to avoid dealing with the drama that comes from intimacy. I’m sure an answer will pop up in some form by the end of this season.

Aside from that, I’m very pleased with this episode. If there had to be a dip in quality, the middle of the series was definitely the best place to put it. At this rate, the series will end on a pleasant note–it won’t perhaps be a closing note, but at least we’ll most likely see some progress between our main couple that’ll make us smile.

 

Preview

18 Comments

    1. I’d agree with you there. I think that even if she likes him which she probably does I think the thought of being intimate with someone scares Ritsu, which is not an uncommon trait for an introvert. I doubt that the series will end up with them dating but will probably have Ritsu acknowledge to Usa that he is important to her.

      Also .. I definitely agree that this was one of the better episodes of the show, along with the episode in the cafe that related to it.

      Scruffy
  1. I thouht I was happy enpugh when the bunch bullying Usa got their punishment in the form of Ritsu, Mayumi and Sayaka, but it was really nice to see Hayashi feel bad about what she did and take the initiative to apologize. Meeting Shiro because of that was nice extra punishment and her finding her ideal man came out of nowhere.

    The second episode was just pure gold, Chinatsu sure returned with a bang.

    Anonymosity
  2. Well, the jealousy was made obvious in how for once, Kawai’s reading session didn’t seem to be so fulfilling for her. But yeah, jumping suddenly in a relationship especially for an introvert is tall task indeed.

    Zerix
  3. I must say I’m glad they redeemed Hayashi in this episode. What she did was inexcusable but it’s nice that she was able to make amends with Usa. I actually commend this show for being very “real” when it comes to these kind of social conflicts. Usa was still upset and admitted that if his friends hadn’t stepped in he would have never have forgiven her.

    This is why i just LOVE inner monologues for leads. It adds a ton more depth to their character. Without it you could easily dismiss Usa as just another “nice” guy but showing us how he truly feels about these situations makes me able to identify with him so much more.

    leatherhead333
  4. I think Ritsu has feelings for Usa but is just totally oblivious to them. The way he treats her has caused him to slowly grown on her with out her noticing. If he had confessed to her, she would have rejected him because she is in denial about her feelings. I’ve seen this before in people. They form an unconscious bond with someone and then find themselves annoyed when that person seems to be paying attention to others. Hence her anger at him which she probably would either deny or blame on something else.

    Bear

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