Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou / First Impressions

Episode 7

「おすすめの」 (Osusume no)
“Recommended”

 

Preview

Episode 8

「うれしぬ」 (Ureshinu)
“Happy”

So, on top of finals ending (and the resulting burnout) + Fanime + moving + readjusting to summer school, I have a late post. Forgive me, but thankfully things should be returning back to normal. If not, I’ll be sure to call another writer for help. For those of you waiting on my Kagerou Days PV posts, you’ll have to wait until next week, since I’ll be mainly working on a FanimeCon post that’ll be truly comprehensive. I swear I haven’t been slacking off–I’ll show the results soon! Enough about (poor) excuses though! Let’s talk Kawaisou.

Episode 7 was a lull in the series. The first half of the episode was alright in terms of jokes and drawing–the oblivious nature of Ritsu combined with Usa’s size inferiority complex was a good combination. There was a bit of discomfort when the show hit on some issues of sexual harassment, but I give the show props for touching on an issue that I doubt many a comedy would dare approach. I suppose there’s some effect to be felt when your favorite characters get canon treatment of some gross sexual harassment! My main concern primarily lays with the second half–a segment severely weighed down by tons of cut corners in the animation as well as in the scriptwriting in general. Most of what happened in that half could’ve easily been compressed into episode 8, since in reality it was a simple introduction to Usa’s past. Most of the ten minutes just overall felt inefficient and only served to highlight how lazy certain parts of the drawing were getting. I can totally see where the director was going in this approach–highlight Usa’s tolerance levels in one episode and test them in the next–but that subtlety is mostly lost in the poor execution. The show does exaggerate its drawing styles for comedic effect, but now it’s crossing the line of ‘exaggerated style’ to ‘lazy simplifications’. That table scene could’ve panned out a lot better had the scene been given more visual action, but instead we got scenes that at best looked like poorly drawn super-deformed art. Though the show is still able to draw pan-shots of Usa and facial stills of Ritsu’s beautiful face, even those aren’t enough to save the visual downgrade.

Episode 8, on the other hand, did a much better job both in animation efforts as well as presenting a more interesting plot episode. Usa getting all the bad luck is getting a little tiresome, but the interactions between all the characters worked particularly well here. Hayashi’s situation brought us out of a black-and-white story into territory that’s significantly more subtler. Even though it’s cruel of her to leave Usa burning in the laughter of others, it makes complete sense considering where she came from and where she is now. Would many of us in that situation socially execute ourselves for Usa, especially if we’ve worked hard to transform our image away from our past selves? It is very meaningless to have friends who mock others like that, but finding acceptance from people you look up to is also meaningful in itself. It felt very real then to see Usa and Hayashi interact with one another. Usa’s patience and tolerance came not just from avoiding making a fuss, but also out of compassion for Hayashi, knowing exactly well why she was acting the way she did. Like Sayaka and Mayumi point out, Usa is too kind for his own well-being, but for him to stick to his morals in a humiliating situation like that is admirable and does not go unnoticed by Ritsu, who of course saves the day in a charming and adorable way. Usa saved her last episode, so now it’s time for her to return the favor!

While Kawaisou is going through its ups and downs like every other short-funded and flawed show out there, the experience is still a pleasant one overall. Though I’m not getting the same excited vibes I was getting from the first few episodes, it still is a treat to see Usa and Ritsu navigate through their awkward social moments while the older residents of Kawaisou guide them in their cruel yet caring ways.

 

Preview

17 Comments

  1. “it still is a treat to see Usa and Ritsu navigate through their awkward social moments while the older residents of Kawaisou guide them in their cruel yet caring ways.”

    That’s what keeps us watching <3

    additionally the goods:
    https://randomc.net/image/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2029.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2026.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2013.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

    kevinball
    Reply

  2. Honestly I think that episode 8 has to be one of the best so far. It really highlights what i said earlier how nice it is to see a the fellows at the Kawai Complex act as if they were family by sticking up for a each other. Mayumi and Sayaka pretending be Usa’s items making the other guys jealous as well as giving Hayashi a scare and of course Kawai openly making it seem like her and Usa were boyfriend and girlfriend. And after the whole ordeal is over Sumiko cooks him his favorite meal to cheer him up.

    It’s so overwhelmingly heart warming that I can’t help but have a silly grin on my face when i watch this show. When dealing with a group of unruly teens like that getting mad will only further add to your embarrassment and typically never ends well. Which is why found Usa staying quiet to be quite reasonable especially when you consider the fact he was trying to account for keeping Hayashi’s reputation intact. He’s way to nice for his own good sure but that’s why having everyone help him out in that moment of distress felt so much for impactful.

    I don’t usually watch romcoms but this one is definitely hitting all the right points to be one of the most enjoyable that I’ve seen.

    leatherhead333
    Reply

    2. Nishikino Mayumi: the party-pooper/photo-bomber/kill-joy, it will end when she finds a “suitable” boyfriend to fuck with. Although, Shiro could be that “suitable boyfriend”.

      GP1301
      Reply

  4. Oh the irony- the former chuuni (Hayashi) who doesn’t want to be outed as such is the one who suggested and is all excited about going to Usa’s weird cafe staffed by bizarre role-playing employees…

    Zen
    Reply

  5. It might come across to many as just Usa being meek, but I think they way he stayed quiet was almost noble and good showcase of his compassion. He’s definitely a good friend not to sell her out like that. I can’t bring myself to be too angry at Hayashi either, especially since she was clearly uncomfortable with the way the rest of her group were treating Usa. Needless to say though, if I had to serve a group like that they would be soooo kicked out! :X

    The way Sayaka and Mayumi stepped in to help was hilarious and heartwarming though! Really goes to show how much Kawaisou group really care about each other’s well-being despite all their fighting. =3

    Also, note to self: Get job with uniform, get Ritsu.
    https://randomc.net/image/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou/Bokura%20wa%20Minna%20Kawaisou%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2034.jpg

    whemleh
    Reply

  7. Sayaka and Mayumi stepped in to take care of Usa, but I also thought it was a more of a “How dare you! We’re the only ones who are allowed to abuse him!”. So much like a pair of older sisters!

    Bear
    Reply

  8. Episode 8 was definitely the highlight of the series so far. It really tied in the connections and relationships that had been formed to this point. I think the main issue I have with this series is that it takes a lot of….priming of the pump before the engine can get going. Now to explain by using Shirosaki as my example/primary gripe. We know that he’s a masochist. We get it, but it feels like every episode they go for the low hanging fruit and go to that aspect of him first before we can go anywhere as if we forgot he has those proclivities. It’s as if they are saying that is the sum of his character instead of just a part of who he is as a person. Once they knock a few of those jokes around, we eventually get to explore a bit of his character. I find it a shame because He’s shown that he is so much more incisive, complex, and perhaps a bit sad. All of them suffer this to varying degrees and in some ways I think Mayumi may be worse because we rarely see anything beyond her coquettish antics. I truly don’t know if she’s that shallow of a character or if her characterization is that shallow. That’s why I really caught some feels from episode 8 because they used their traits in less of a “this character is X” and more of a “this character used this personality quirk to achieve X”.

    tl;dr – I like the moments when they interact in more meaningful ways with each other. I think the show would get so much more mileage if they didn’t feel the need to (poorly) re-establish their characters every week using one note gimmicks.

    TheWalker
    Reply

    1. -edit-
      Sorry I meant to say Sayaka, not Mayumi. Sayaka is the one with the coquettish antics. Mayumi is the mai waifu/bes gurl. Sorry Kawai fans. I can see the appeal, but I definitely have a thing for Mayumi’s archetype. A bit of a lush, pretty childish, and sexually aggressive. I’m positive the majority of the crazy outburts stems from the fact that they’re Christmas Cakes since anime has a tendency to have it out for any woman over 18 in a high school setting that isn’t/wasn’t married. But that is another conversation.

      TheWalker
      Reply

  10. Frankly, I feel as if one has to be very nit-picky about the animation in order to find fault with it. Is it low-budget? Sure. Either I’m just that terrible when it comes to being a connoisseur of animation, or the animators have done a good job at hiding the corner cutting, because I have never have noticed it until you bring it up. Even then, I really don’t see what the fuss is all about.

    Frankly, I believe if one comes into this show for the animation, they really have their expectations in the wrong place. This ain’t a show for the animation, it’s a show for the characters. It should be enjoyed as such.

    As for Episode 7, I disagree. I loved how it was constructed. It’s so easy to go through a very linear “Plot-point A to Plot-point B” system, that it takes away some realism. Not that you NEED realism per say, but it adds a nice dimension to the story by how it’s told. Rather than an episode that totally caters to the plot by going from point A to point B in a very convenient manner to get where you want to get, you get your character development and interaction from random events here and there. Because of this, you get a flow of the story that seems like real life, since in reality things generally don’t occur in convenient fashion to get you to the resolution of your conflict.

    J_the_Man
    Reply

    1. Some people have an eye for animation quality. I’m slowly developing one, and in some episodes the character models look a little wonky to me. I’m certain not everyone is in this show for the animation, but it is admittedly gorgeous. But, this show is being evaluated on all the best feet it is putting forward. So, when the plot drops below the bar that the show set for itself (in the opinion of the person judging) a note is made. When the characters frustratingly regress each week to a one off joke (dammit Shirosaki!) before they slowly warm up to a more rounded being, that is also something to be noted. The same thing goes for the animation. The studio obviously has pride in the quality, so it wouldn’t be a fair evaluation to leave out any noticeable drops. Just my take on it. I also don’t have any qualms about episode 7, it’s just that episode 8 was the point where I felt the series really give me the moments I didn’t fully realize I wanted until it was presented to me.

      TheWalker
      Reply

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