First Impressions / Kaichou wa Maid-sama!

「さくらの恋はインディーズ」 (Sakura no Koi wa Indiizu)
“Sakura’s Love is An Indie”

If there’s ever going to be a cocky arrogant bastard in an indie band, nine times out of ten it’s the vocalist. That’s just a meaningless statistic I made up just now, but the lead singer usually does get the most attention, much like Kuuga from Yumemishi does from Sakura. On the plus side, at least the other members were respectable, particularly their bassist Kou who gave Kuuga a bit of a scolding for being a selfish insensitive kid. For a fan promotion-type meeting that he invited Sakura to, all Kuuga ended up doing was hitting on Misaki right in front of her even when he knew how she felt about him. Incidentally, they just so happened to meet up at a cafe that Naoya, Ikuto, and Ryuunosuke work at, so I was secretly hoping they would cut in at some point to shut Kuuga up, especially after overhearing how he wanted to make Misaki his.

However, having Usui show up out of blue and rob Ryuunosuke of his uniform to do so himself was a much better way of going about it. Just leave it up to Usui Takumi to always rescue a distressed Misaki in need. He even saved Sakura from the unnecessary embarrassment by approaching Kuuga when he was away from the table and hitting on Misaki yet again, though it was clearly more for his personal interests. Regardless, I got a pretty good laugh out of how Kou suggested that Usui’s probably Misaki’s boyfriend given his impeccable timing, before the latter broke the ice by saying he’s just a stalker. As a follow-up to that with Kuuga off Misaki’s back, Usui also said that he gets irritated about the idea of sharing her with anyone, which made for a really good moment where Misaki was almost swept off her feet.

That moment was only interrupted by Misaki expressing concern for Sakura, which I actually didn’t mind because I was hoping that Kuuga would get what he deserves for being an insensitive jerk. Even I was getting irritated listening to him continue talking to Sakura about Misaki and asking her to make sure she comes to their next concert. He didn’t even know when to draw the line either, as Sakura had to interrupt and tearfully ask him to stop when he started insisted that Misaki is secretly a slut. Now it could just be me, but there sure seems to be an odd trend with characters played by Hanazawa Kana this season and their inability to be loved, so I was glad to see Misaki give Kuuga a piece of her mind and tell him how much she hates him. Despite Sakura getting her heart broken, it was nice to see Misaki comfort her like Usui suggested, prompting her to say how she hopes the next person she falls in love will treat her as such. In Misaki’s case, she already has that yet only seemed to realize it now.

The preview indicates that we’re going to find out Usui Takumi’s big secret next time, so it’ll be interesting to see where their “relationship” goes from here. Judging from this shot, my guess is that he’s filthy rich like Takishima Kei in Special A, which would be rather appropriate since he acts just like him. Comedy-wise, things weren’t as prominent this time around with all the drama, but there were still some funny moments revolving around a potential visual kei day at Maid Latte, Shizuko choosing not to take part in the discussions at all, the three idiots saving up to get another shot at challenging Misa-chan to a game, and them actually stepping in at the very end to tell Yumemishi that they’re not welcome at their cafe. Get out!

 

Preview

20 Comments

  6. I gotta say, the chapter turned up pretty well in the manga 🙂
    As for the next episode, could Usui’s big secret be a different one from the manga?
    Frankly I’m just surprised that they’re showing that episode before the other big turning points in their relationship…
    Hanazawa Kana – What about Kobato? She was loved – at the end anyway xD

    Starburst-chan
    Reply

  7. Thanx for another great review! Just one thing, Divine. I believe Sakura interrupted Kuuga because he kept theorizing that Misaki was a girl with a tough front but loose with the guys behind it. It wasn’t for her self-benefit. She was Misaki’s great friend even while writhing in her own pain.

    ahbonk
    Reply

  8. i was hoping misaki would have a go at kuuga before sakura, but i guess she wouldnt do that as it would potentially ruin the day sakura was looking for :/ … if usui is indeed filthy rich, why is he in seika :/

    N0216332
    Reply

  12. Great episode. A few comments:
    1) LOL at the stalker parts.
    2) aww getting a pat on her head is so cute (pat me too Usui ^_-)
    3) finally Misaki is considering Usui to be more than just a “stalker/perverted alien” (I don’t think so…^_^)
    4) I liked the “three idiots” especially at the end.
    Looking forward to more great episodes (which is to be guaranteed = yay!)

    Rika
    Reply

  13. Gotta lol at Shizuko totally exploding at the end. Even when she was minding her own business by staring at pedestrians, you could see the big pissed-off vein popping up on the back of her head when Kuuga was starting to act like a jerk.

    Pity it was Misaki that did the telling off on Kuuga instead of her – though I guess Shizuko was trying her best to control her rage, for she would have thrown the table upside down already.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

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