「夏休みだから楽しく遊んでしまった…」 (Natsuyasumi Dakara Tanoshiku Asondeshitmatta…)
“I Had Fun Over Summer Vacation…”

Ahh summer: birds; bees; Bakarina; it’s truly the time for memories to be made, and our little isekai love story isn’t one to get in the way of mandatory events. It might’ve been more about the laughs than developments this time around (six-part filler? Now that’s diversity), but never fear, for there’s always a storm on the horizon.

Having effectively conquered the hearts of everyone near and dear, Katarina’s new challenge is keeping the crowd at a suitable distance. Or in other words, finally catching on that not everyone (read: no one) thinks of her as just a friend anymore. Besides Geordo continuing his attempts at consummation and failing to even get a proper beach scene thanks to the increasingly amazing (and hilarious) efforts of Keith, we also have Alan trying to make a move while Mary breaks yet another safety barrier separating fantasy from full on rape forbidden love. Although Nicol definitely wins for actually making the first romantic move of the bunch, because you know you didn’t see that coming. I’d say even the Bakarina has to recognize what Nicol is really after, but given the Council is also on vacation, yeah, that might be a stretch.

As usual with Hamefura right now however, the fun is with what the next arc will be about, and we certainly have some hints on that front. Geordo finally losing Keith long enough to start properly pouncing is the obvious one of course, as the running gag nature of their relationship can only go on so long before some drama gristle is needed to keep things fresh. Likewise Maria remains relatively under-utilized considering her game role as Katarina’s rival, and with the boys effectively immune to that cutie pie charm (at least for the moment), I wouldn’t be too surprised if her development skews towards cockblock over romantic interest. And then there’s the matter of Sophia and that off-hand discussion of memories, because I’m sure few missed the similarity in appearance between her and Katarina’s real-world friend—right? Right.

I’m not saying there’s another major twist waiting for us in this romcom, but when it comes to isekai it’s always a good idea to expect the unexpected.

8 Comments

  1. I like that this episode gave more characterization to the haremettes and the inter-harem dynamics (Keith cockblocking Geordo, Sophia playing wingwoman for her brother, Mary trying to keep Alan in the dark, etc.), but I want more! Anne’s passing comment about Bakarina’s influence in other members of the staff? That got its own side chapter in the novel.

    Of course, I understand. The anime has to choose a focus, and what works in a novel may not work on screen. A pity, though. If viewers thought the current harem is of epic proportions, they should see the number of potential harem members in the original source XD

    Mistic
    1. The detail being given to the others is arguably what’s making this adaptation work so well right now; a lot of the time their characterization would be info-dumped or rushed through (because primacy of the harem lead and all that), but we’re actually getting some tangible tidbits every week. It really adds liveliness to the overall premise, and ensures when things do hit the fan the entertainment will be all that much better.

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