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「迷えるチキンな俺」 (Mayoeru Chikin na Ore)
“I’m a Confused Chicken”
With the last episode just a week away, I can’t get over how impressed I am with how exciting things are getting!
Seeing how every character has had a short arc dedicated to them, it makes sense that the only male lead would get one as well. But boy, in Kodaka’s case there’s just so much that the writers could do to flesh him out. We’ve already seen that he’s a good person who cares deeply for all of his “acquaintances” and family. But really, how much can you actually care for someone when you’re unwilling to reciprocate their feelings? Be it affection or comradery, all the mixed signals that he exchanges with everyone must get tough to handle.
Which is why I loved how the story continued to shine the spotlight on Rika and Kodaka. As we’ve seen, Rika’s been the only member who’s been actively trying (and recognizing) that the people who she spends most of her time with are actually her friends. And after witnessing just how far Kodaka is willing to go to avoid creating bonds with anyone, Rika may be the only person left who can help him overcome his fears.
And while I’m ready to hopefully watch Kodaka get over his fear of connecting with others, I can’t overlook my strange love for Yusa Aoi — one of the cutest characters to appear since Kobato. Not only do I give her credit for trying to take on both Yozora and Sena in a one-on-one battle but all those little quirks like taking her shoes off before leaping on the couch or complimenting Kodaka for all the things he’s stereotyped for somehow rocketed her up my favorite list. And let’s not forget that she’s super short, has messy red hair, and just has the perfect voice (provided by Ise Mariya)!
Getting back on track — who’s excited for the finale? With Kodaka’s fears finally thrown into the open, I’d like to see him try to run away this time. Judging from the preview though, I get the feeling that he may take things to an extreme and outright avoid going to clubroom. At the same time, it seems like the student council president and Yusa are going to play some instrumental part in helping Kodaka come to some realization that forming bonds won’t leave him worse than when he started. Something which doesn’t make a whole ton of sense but I’m down for more Yusa! But in the worst case, I suppose the writers could leave things up in the air and use it to make a third season — but if that happens I’d probably end up on the ground writhing in pain thinking about how I’d translate my disappointment into words.
P.S. Did the end of the episode bring out a deep emotion reaction in any of you? For me, the moment I tried to criticize Kodaka’s actions was the moment when I started remembering all of the dumb things that have happened to me in the past year. From relationships to botched friendships, I started to think about how different things might be if I had just walked away instead of going for it. And for a good half hour, I was thinking that following suit with Kodaka may have brought happier results — until I remembered all the things I learned from those crappy experiences and how I use it to keep my spirits up today.
P.P.S Full Size Rika just for you!
Preview
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End Card
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Rika was quite adorable today. She’s stealing the show!
Yaoi hole.
https://randomc.net/image/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai%20NEXT%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
Yaoi hole…..
*STOP IT CRUIS…..*
Why no yuri action? Yuri hole…..
if they got yaoi hole, we should have yuri stick too :3
There is a Yuri stick.
It’s called Futanari.
That outfit Rika was wearing when Yusa first burst into the club room looked alot like the outfit Misaki wore in episode 26 of Kaichou-wa Maid-Sama. And I must say, she looks damn good in it as well XD.
Reading your post, I kind of realized that this anime isn’t much about romance at all but is mainly focussing on Kodaka’s inner struggles and fears, which actually makes a lot of sense considering the big revelation last episode. Maybe that was also the reason why I found the scene of Sena’s confession slightly disappointing, when I watched the episode. I just had the wrong expecation that this anime will suddenly focus on romance after reading confession chapter in the novel first. I guess the way how the authors presented the scene is also a hint in itsself, that at least the Sena route, won’t be fullfilled in the end.
Ironically the current novel translation also currently ends after this episode.. I seriously can’t remember when the last time was, that I wanted to see the next episode (and hopefully conclusion) so badly in a series.
From the novel translation: “The way Sena kept on smiling through her embarrassment was so cute it should be illegal. Her cuteness was so strong it was like magic. It had such an undeniable force to it that nearly any guy would fall for her no questions asked. If I didn’t know her, if Sena Kashiwazaki was just a stranger to me, I might’ve said yes and hugged her right then and there. But, I couldn’t do that.”
As much as I would love to see Kodaka be a man here and straight up pick Sena I think a non-ending seems to be in the cards. :/ It would be too hard for them to make his character grow enough of a backbone in one episode.
I’m smelling an anime original ending unfortunately.
There’s just no way they can finish vol. 8 and then go into the problems caused by the events of vol. 8 that are possibly resolved in vol. 9. There’s just no way.
It’s either anime original or they’re going to do like Ore no Imouto and make extra episodes for streaming and/or blu-ray only. We’ll see how this goes and hopefully it doesn’t get too f’d up.
I remember hearing that the LN was on hiatus because the author is working on the show. If that is the case there may not be any difference for what happens in the LN after this point.
Not sure how these things work, but if the author is working on the series, and the novels are not complete, would he really be willing to put his novel into a corner by nailing down an anime-original ending? The novel might provide more room to flesh out what the anime couldn’t provide in the time given, but if the anime is popular enough, leave a vague harem ending for the show, then take the time to develop a real ending in the novel, hoping that the response will be sufficient for an anime follow-up to use the novel’s ending. At least the novels will finish the story. More money to be made if you have both novel and anime as well, eh? Has it occurred before that an anime has had an original ending that deviated from the novel? What happened there?
I think that’s probably why the 9th novel as well as the art book have been delayed. Originally the 9th novel was meant to come out before the last episode of the anime; but with the way things are going that wouldnt make much sense as that would spoil the cliffhanger that the anime is going to be left off on. To me, Yomi has left pretty obvious hints as to where this series is going and who is going to end up with who. At this point, it just looks like he’s either building up suspense (which is just cruel seeing that it’s about to be a year since his last novel), or he’s trying to figure out just exactly how he is going to extend his ideas into multiple volumes. Its no coincidence that he just so happens to be writing the screenplay for this season of Haganai; i think there is something very significant about that
I think he’s just trying to figure out how to extend it as well. He probably feels like he dug a pretty deep hole by turning it into (what it would seems to be) a 2-bit crossed love story which was completely opposite of it’s original purpose. Dumbing it down like that then trying to weed out of it might make it lose enough fan hopeless shipping fans that he write himself out of a job, especially since he made Sena look like a total 100% bitch earlier in the novel (which the anime was loudly devoid of).
I wouldn’t call it covering his tracks, but finding a way out of this mess while keeping the shipper fan base is next to impossible. I have the feeling that most of vol 9 was already written b4 he thought it was trash & wanted to redo it. I’m just glad he has the guts to do that. Most writers would have just pumped it out not giving a damn.
If he had indeed started writing the 9th LN and then decided to trash it mid-way because he wasnt satisfied with it, then yeah i would respect him for that as well. I just hope that regardless of shipping wars and fandom, Yomi writes the story that he had originally crafted within his mind; if he had originally intended for Sena to be the one Kodaka chooses, then by all means he should do it, If he intended for Rika to be the one Kodaka chooses, or Yozora, or even Yukimura for that matter, then he should go through with it regardless of how fans will feel (although whoever Kodaka ends up with, it better feel natural and believable that there was a spark between them in the first place and that they do have great chemistry).
Yomi doesnt have to cater to the fanbase, at least i hope he doesnt. Yomi has the potential to take this series somewhere great, somewhere outside the typical happenings of its genre (he has already proven that he can somewhat do that what with making Kodaka not be your usual dimwitted protagonist). Even if Kodaka rejects Sena’s confession, he can build on the friendships within the clubs, delve into the psychology of what it means to have friends. Maybe even take it a step further and bring the setting to college, where hopefully at this point, they are all friends and are learning how to hang out with each other more comfortable while tackling life’s ordeals without losing the comedy that we all love so much. Yomi is at a position where, if he makes the right decisions, he could take this series somewhere special and memorable.
I’m with SmithCB on this one. The author made it known way before the show was in production that he was putting off vol 9 to make sure these idiots didn’t screw up his work. An original ending would do just that. These last 3 chapters will be a lot to cram into one episode but it’s already a done deal.
If they go with the Oreimo route, they’ll have to completely rip out most of chapters 10-11 & dumb down the ending in 15 minutes – which is crazy. Vol 9 has been postponed until who knows when so that’s up in the air.
Isn’t vol9 out at the end of next month? I’m probably going to wake up extra early just to pick it up because the wait after vol8 is killing me.
according to animenewsnetwork, vol 9 has been delayed indefinetly; who knows when its gonna come out now; according to some, it was suppose to come out march 25th, which would have been tomorrow.
So the April 25 date posted on Amazon JP and most other retailers is false, then? Media Factory’s official page doesn’t even have a listing for volume 9, either…
I would always go with the publisher on these things. They usually have the release info first. If it’s not on MF’s page then leave all the other salty sites alone. They just want preorders.
Well, I sure hope Yukimura will grow a magnificient yaoi-ana when she becomes a true man.
I don’t like some of the stuff they cut out (including Rika’s lines showing just how she truly felt about a lot of things, her irritation at Sena before showing the film among them), but Sena outright proposing like that was easily my favorite part of this whole deal.
Kodaka being put on blast like that is probably why this is my type of harem show; not quite insane like School Days, but not an endless, irritating tease like TLR either (or hopefully not, anyway).
Alright, I enjoyed the episode immensely, from Sena and Yozora getting turns at defending the club – and indirectly complementing each other, to Aoi herself in her cuteness. Rika being Rika – and others silently appreciating her efforts (“There is no sense in screening if we didnt watch it together before)”- was cherry on top. But at the very end of the episode it was Sena that dropped the nuke. Sorry Kodaka, you are into the battlefield. (sorry but could not stop from using Ore Shura metaphor)
Dear Hasegawa Kodaka,
Once upon a time, I had to deal with my wife & her sister – while they were still in high school. Long story short, I screwed around with one & married the other, yet no infidelity was committed by any party along the way.
How!? Why!?
I dunno. So much crap has happened in my life after all of that, any clear recollection of the events has slowly faded into infamy. No regrets. No ill will. Just life.
Live your life. Do what you want, even if you don’t know what that is, just do it. Run away from problems, hit problems head-on, & everything in between. Solve them yourself or receive all the help you can get.
Just experiencing things of this nature will give you something to slowly forget. The worst thing in life is not having anything to forget.
Your fellow protag,
Megas
Kodaka is a faggot, Sena Edition.
Damnnnnn!!! Watch your language there kid!
I’m hoping, that Sena will get rejected. \(°w°)/
why , Sina is the best character in this show ,for me i want her to be the winner
One thing is try to protect the place you belong to, and the people that share it with you, another is doing it without ever consider the feelings of those peoples (in normal conditions, friends) This idiot thinks that by deciding to have a normal relationship with any of the girls, the whole balance will be destroyed. If that happens, you find the way to fix that, man! By running away, you’re hurting the girl’s feelings, and worst of all, without you, the club’s existance is meaningless.
That was the normal civilized post…
WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, FAG?! Stealing a page from the book of Maoyuu’s Head Maid, anyone that do such a thing is not even an insect. What Sena did was the most daring and brave move anyone in the club has done. And the pussy just run away!! At this point, if the author want him to stay with Yozora, let him! They’re such coward beings that they deserve each other to live in their own pathetic misery away from all intelligent mankind. Sena, Rika, there are tons of men better suit to you!! Just step away from that friggin door and let the world know of your real value!! You deserve a real man, not a cheap imitation of a human being!!
That, and the fact that the script had plot holes all around (just now we confirm that Maria was just a fucking, annoying brat), and this is no longer funny. Yozora and Sena’s showing of power against Aoi was the only highlight, and even then, Kodaka’s cowardly tosses all that. And with the series most assured to have an original ending, the status-quo will withstand just for trolling everyone.
This episode pretty much lays out the whole situation. They ripped through Vol 8 like white lightning & it’s obvious that they’ll finish Vol 8 next week, leaving us with that retarded cliffhanger. They haven’t really changed anything vital to the plot. It will be VERY strange for it to just end the season like that if it continues on that path.
Needless to say, that was the worst confession I’ve ever heard. No mood, no setup, & she was playing some silly ass game to boot. If she’s the “best girl” in this story then you can send this mess straight to hell. Any typical REAL guy can handle a selfish bitch like her but this is anime which equals anime people with anime problems. How many naive, book-smart, perverted rich girls IRL do you know?
Kodaka just takes those problems to the extreme – to the point that haven’t been attempted until now. In no way, shape, or form are those problems compatible with a relationship. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Solving those problems won’t necessarily lead to any relationship either, especially with Sens (lol).
He needs a break. However, collecting his thoughts won’t help his situation. He needs a new outlook. Running away is fine, if you just want more problems, but ramming them head on can cause more problems too. However, running away just stack your problems. Solving old problems & acquiring new ones is always better than having both old & new problems.
Having the very thing you wanted to protect turn into a problem sucks . . .
I think you missed the point. The confession didn’t have to be romantic or whatever and there didn’t need to be a lead up. I thought it was pretty much perfectly in character for Sena but that’s irrelevant. What matters is that their feelings have reached a tipping point and it’s finally time to give Kodaka that big push for character development. How it was executed isn’t important. What’s important is how Kodaka deals with this.
A confession is just what it is, there’s no point to be made except to who it’s directed to – not me. I just thought it was BAD, just all. There’s no point to that either. The only thing important about a confession is how the other person takes it & responds to it – as you so put with Kodaka.
So… Boy’s DON’T have a Yaoi hole? Are we all clear on that?
And I thought I knew yaoi fangirl culture already, my reaction was the same as Kodaka’s “WTF is a yaoi hole?” I thought they always preferred the “hole in the back”, since that’s the only one guys have, but whoa, they had to create another hole for us. o.O
Word has it it’s a fictional hole located somewhere between the guy’s “tool” and his “back hole”.
That’s straight up hermaphroditism already… (not that that isn’t all kinds of hot!!)
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbjpkahL7S1ran3jeo1_500.gif
Pretty much my reaction towards Kodaka at the end… even if he doesnt ave to admit that he likes one of the girls cause he thinks it’ll ruin their friendship that was still a dick move towards senna how at least head the balls confess her feelings… he could of at least said no I’m not interested :/
*Sry made so really bad errors should read like this*
Pretty much my reaction towards Kodaka at the end… Even if he doesn’t want to admit that he likes one of the girls cause he thinks it’ll ruin their friendship that was still a dick move towards senna. At least she had the balls to confess her feelings… he could of at least said no I’m not interested or something :/
It was a dickish move, and a hilariously executed one at that. I couldn’t help but LOL hard at Kodaka’s dickishness here.
Rika Rika Rika Rika~~~~~~~
Hhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnggggggggg~~~~~~~~~~~~
Things are getting interesting, too bad its when this season is ending…
As I saw Sena’s confession I was like “SHIT GOT REAL”.
I think some of you are forgetting that this is still a harem anime. When has it EVER been normal in a harem for the male to respond to any of the girl’s feelings. Not only that, when have if ever been normal for the male to ever show feelings for any girl until the end – if that ever happened. Just because this isn’t your typical harem, doesn’t mean it won’t show any of those lame characteristics.
Another thing is that none of these kids are NORMAL. They’re socially dysfunctional. They never had friends for any extended period of time. They don’t even know how to act in their own club room, so they all wing it or fake it to some degree.
Thus they become friends, who are all attracted to Kodaka, who haven’t displayed a shred interest in any of them even though he knows of all their feelings to some extent.
. . . AND you expect him to behave like a NORMAL GUY when one of them confesses to him, LOL!
Love Hina
Keitarou was the only normal one in the bunch – the rest were all nuts, including his step-sister. It also had a real ending . . .
Yes, more Yusa! She’s a personality type that’s been lacking in the group. They needed someone to shake things up from the outside of the group too. Beside that I like her tsundere personality and her praising Kodaka for all the things others see as negatives. His reaction was priceless. It would be a great twist if they wound up together (shades of Toradora!).
Well, I know there is a reasonable breakpoint coming in the novels, and I hope they get there. I’d really like to see the story carried to the real conclusion in the LN’s whatever it is.
As far as Kodaka not being willing to create bonds with anyone, I disagree. He has created bonds with the group, but he is terribly afraid of upsetting the status quo by stating the obvious. What if the others reject it? Better half a loaf than none. It might be easy to criticize him for being a wuss but he’s got no experience in how to deal with anything like this. How would he deal with being friends with two people that hate each other (or think they do)? He doesn’t have a clue.
And what about Rika? She’s been pushing Kodaka to step up and admit that they all are friends but she won’t do it herself? Essentially, she is admitting that Kodaka is center of the group and every one of the girls are focused on him and not on each other. Harem anyone? Yozora (and maybe Yukimura) may be the only one who isn’t romantically attracted to him (and that has a low probability even if she denies it. The look of terror on her face when Sena proposed tells a lot).
P.P.S Full Size Rika just for you!
You should post more of these.
Yozora and Sena completely dominated Yusa. Is there a hope that the student council president will join Kodaka’s harem? also dem puppy eyes.
https://randomc.net/image/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai%20NEXT%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2005.jpg
Kobato is cute no matter what she does. I pretty much shared Sena’s expression here…
(Watch you back, Kobato-chan!)
WARNING, WARNING, pedobear on the left side.
I am not really fond of Sena, but I applaud her of her confession(?) to Kodaka. No one can just say it like her. Yozora is definitely losing big time this season, she totally lost her edge. Yusa Aoi is very interesting, a lovable character. If only she have stand her ground, she would be able to earn Sena’s attention. Question, does she have a important role?
Why Yozora did become this?
She is always going down one way in this season.
yea wake up kodaka you’re so in a harem anime with give got 3 options from meaty, rika, & yozora all want you.
yet your being anti-love person oh come be tempt by the love side of the force either pick one of three or go harem on them.
& indeed can we admit it we this season as the rika show as well yea even since glasses got to go rika has taken the clare route of sorts.
When you live all your life receiving only hatred from your peers, you actually feel there’s something wrong (irked) with them loving you at some point. I think Kodaka’s reaction is actually pretty normal.
Rika kawaii~
https://randomc.net/image/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai%20NEXT%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
She didn’t speak much in the second part, though she kept changing into all sorts of gorgeous costumes. She should really upgrade herself to “de-facto main heroine”. XD
As though not wanting to be outdone, Sena threw her own WTF bombshell near the end.
https://randomc.net/image/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai%20NEXT%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2033.jpg (Poor Sena, in contrast to Rika, she’s been totally sidelined these past few episodes, her “childhood friend” advantage totally obliterated. And some of it is even of her own doing. )
Already Kodaka possesses a skill called “feigned deafness” – reserved for anime harem leads, and now he could add another skill “evasive manuever” – The way Kodaka hurriedly escaped upon realizing Sena was about to confess to him took “protagonist freaking-out” to whole new levels. LOL
Sorry for typo, it’s “Poor Yozora” not “Poor Sena”. What was I thinking?
https://randomc.net/image/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai%20NEXT%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
Poor Aoi, she was just doing her job, and Sena had to abuse her power and bully her.
Normally its Sena getting bullied by Yozora, perhaps she was waiting to take it all out on someone bully-able all this time?
I don’t know what to say, cause I did the same exact thing Kodaka did. Well, not to a girl, just to someone who’s been trying to be my friend and doing his best to be my friend. But as a hikkikomori who locked myself in my room away from the world for a year, having someone knocking on your door and trying to befriend you was similar experience. I said hurtful things and pushed him away, though he never left unlike every other person I have done it to. Since then it’s been 10 years and he’s still my friend, but I often look back on my hikkikomori days as I am like Kodaka, unable to make any real life friends or calling anyone a friend beside the one who forced the friendship upon me.
In a strange way, I feel sympathetic cause it’s like watching myself all over again, albeit without the harem and beautiful fiancee.
Regarding the yaoi hole:
Back in episode 4, Rika was able to convince Yukimura that she was not a guy. How? By showing Yukimura BL pictures, and showing Yukimura that she does not have a yaoi hole. Funny that Rika herself did not understand the male anatomy!
I doubt there will be a 3rd season. We have finally caught up (mostly) to the light novels.
what’s a yaoi hole?
The ass hole?
TQ
You’ve got to love how Kodoka knows that he is in a anime.
I mean, he knows he just has to do what every other harem male lead does:
Pretend not to notice what the girls say.
The author worked this “Harem anime mechanic” to it’s best, by making it seem like it’s just part of the show, what a twist XD
It would be glorious if Kodaka actually trolled all of us. Not just by breaking the 4th wall, but by telling us he knows he’s in an anime – instead of just showing us.
I’m sorry, come again?
Loved Yozora’s reaction at the end and felt sorry for her at the same time! KodakaxYozora! XD
What I found interesting was that I don’t think Sena really intended to make her confession in that way. She was distracted by her game and talking without thinking about her audience. Though when she did realize, she sure as hell wasn’t going to take it back.
One thing that makes Sena different from the other girls is that she’s not afraid of other people. She’s the one who has no problem with crowds. She gets over embarrassment quickly.
I’m a little pissed they cut most of the parts where Sena was a total bitch to people. I do have my reasons for not liking her…
I havent finished book 8 yet, but prior to watching this episode I read the chapter with them playing that board game and I was like wtf sena and yozora way to be a bitch to yukimura. And this episode just added fuel to the fire. Girls like Sena and yozora who act like they have this “entitled” attitude because of who they are just bugs the hell out of me.
You mean like Yusa, when she tried to get the club disbanded? Sena didn’t use her power except to maintain a perfectly legitimate club from an illegitimate attack. The problem for Sena would be if she went after the Student Council or followed up on her threat to expel Yusa.
How is the attack not legit? She managed to find a true fault in the club and Sena instead uses her authority to rectify the fault. Still, the attack is legit.
I just realised the episode title is refrerencing Mayo Chiki (it’s really obvious but I didn’t seem to notice)
They should just make a season 2 of Mayo Chiki already 🙁
While, as others have brought up the reasoning, I can also get why Kodaka reacted the way he did, it still didn’t stop me from wanting to kick him in the balls when he ran out of the room either. x_x;; Though, it’s not for being a “wuss”, but really more because of how it must’ve felt for Sena for him to react in such a way.
I mean, it must’ve felt horrible to “confess” to him, only for him to try to act like it didn’t happen and run out. And it only feels even worse to us viewers because it’s pretty clear that he KNOWS how she feels about him and trying to make it like those feelings don’t exist. It may work all well and good for himself, but friends or not, he doesn’t seem to really consider how his actions and reactions can affect people around him.
I mean, I’m also not a very socially active person outside the computer, believe it or not. I get very anxious and nervous talking to most other people whether I know them or not. I don’t have many friends (and those who were I’ve grown pretty distant from), I don’t go to any social events, and ones I do end up having to go to for one reason or another, I really don’t enjoy myself much, if at all and while I don’t get literally ill, I do feel uncomfortable in large crowds. I’m pretty introverted and don’t really get to know people I work with.
So, overall, I’d probably be someone who would’ve joined the club myself maybe, assuming I don’t end up wussing out on over-thinking the prospect of it, lol.
So if I were to admit my feelings for someone, whether accidentally blurting it out and they hear it or actually building up barely enough courage to say it face-to-face, and that person were to react the way Kodaka did to Sena, for me personally, it would just kill me inside, so I can only imagine how Sena must’ve felt after Kodaka ran out of the room.
Given how you described yourself, I think Kodaka is more representative of your personality. Think of yourself being in a meeting with a bunch of coworkers and the most beautiful, brainy, and wealthy woman in your office suddenly blurts out, in an offhand but seriously sounding manner, that she thinks you too should get married and then goes back to the topic under discussion. Shock? Embarrassment? Is she joking? I know a lot of people would take it as a joke, and answer “sure!” but I wouldn’t know how to react any better than Kodaka if I thought she was serious. Would you react like Kodaka or sit there and suffer under the stares of your coworkers? I can’t blame Kodaka in the least for running out and I don’t think Sena was in the least bit hurt, she just went back to her game.
It would probably depend.
If I had no truthful idea she liked me at all until that very moment, of course I’d probably think she was making fun of me and probably not have much of a reaction (maybe a little negative due to thinking of being made fun of) unless she actually explained further at some point. Especially if she simply just goes back to what was happening almost as if she never said it.
If I did know she liked me for some time and she did such a thing, I’d most likely be confused as hell first and foremost, much like how I would’ve been each time I thought about it up until that point (the usual, “Why me?” things). I’d like to think I wouldn’t just try to act like I didn’t hear her and run out of the room though, but probably be more along the lines of asking if she was serious in a dumbfounded way.
Of course, then there are other variables involved. Like if that woman were to be like Sena in personality, and if the situation were virtually mirror images of Kodaka and Sena, and if there was another girl who did/didn’t know liked me as well (Yozora), and so on, so it’s hard to say for certain. As said, I’d LIKE to think I wouldn’t react like Kodaka did, but I can’t say for certain as I’ve never had it happen to me.
Aoi gets utterly destroyed by the duo. That’s entertaining to watch.
Didn’t expect the confession to be like that though. Kodaka needs to STAHP being a newb and deal with it.
Well that was…sudden…
One thing I’d like to get some feedback on is – given Sena’s attitude, if she did ‘win’ Kodaka, would she then ignore him since that trophy is on the mantle already? Or would she be a true (if somewhat high-maintenance) partner for him? I’m not sure she realizes yet the meaning of ‘share’ and ‘no’, though some of their conversations have been relatively give and take, just not on issues of a relationship between them.
I think Sena wants Kodaka because he hasn’t been chasing her. It’s a new experience for her. I think if he gave in she would expect him to figuratively grovel at her feet (maybe literally too). As long as he’s out of reach he’s interesting but if he married or dated her he would just be another boy that wants to get into her pants. Another one of her slavish followers. But then again, her real reason for marrying Kodaka is to make Kobato her imouto. One of the main reasons I don’t like Sena is her interest in Kobato. Kobato is scared shitless of her and I don’t blame her.
i dont know…i dont think Sena is just interested in Kodaka cuz he’s a hard fish to catch. She genuinely believes that he’s different. She has seen a side of him where he had stood up for her despite how unbalanced the situation (not to mention she was the one who got herself into that trouble). She has seen a sentimental side of him such as when she learned of the reason why he doesnt dye his hair completely brown or blond (to which she affirms that he really is different from everybody else because he is willing to be stigmatized in order to keep the memory of someone precious, to which Sena actually respects…who woulda thought) Plus in general, she has enjoyed his company every time he has stayed over her house, stating that the time they studied was fun; she knew she didnt have to study but she just waned to hang out with him. Yeah, she has feelings for him that definetly border on genuine love. Besides, its not like Kodaka is going to yeild to her just because he is going out with her; if she still acts like a brat, Im sure Kodaka is just going to rein her in.
I don’t think Sena wants Kodaka to grovel at her feet. I think one reason Sean likes Kodaka is that he isn’t influenced by any of her surface attributes. She can go on and on about how great she is at everything but Kodaka can see past all that, and he seems to be the one boy who can look at her honestly. She can have people groveling at her feet any time she wants – she doesn’t want another slave, she wants a partner in life – one who considers her an equal.
btw, I think Rika mentally flipped that table after Kodaka bolted.
@sonicsenryaku
Maybe my dislike of her attitude (and actions toward Kobato) color my view of her feelings towards Kodaka, but she’s never given any other male a chance to get close to her it seems. I still think that it’s his indifference to her attractiveness that is making her interested in him. Take that away and he is just another boy. OTOH, all the other indications are that Sena is actually gay.
Another thing about Kobato is that they left out a lot of Sena’s perversion toward her last season & I guess the author hated that so they included nearly all of it this season.
Sena is nominally attracted to Kodaka for the reasons above, not to mention that everyone is scared of him. That little fling at the water park (the 1st time) was enough to send her into lovey-dovey land. She honestly wants to spend time with him. So I think it’s legit. But I would like to add that while Sena is on the selfish side – she tends to enjoy being disciplined to some extent. And like you said, Kokada won’t put up with that selfish shit if they ever got in a real relationship.
@7godeohs
Right now she doesn’t expect him to grovel and the fact that he doesn’t is one of the reasons she’s so attracted to him, but that’s because she’s the pursuer and not the persuee. She’s an ojou-sama of almost the worst sort and I see her getting easily tired of him if he responds to her romantically and assume that he’s just like the rest. Sure short term she would enjoy having him as a boyfriend, but long term Kodaka would have to be as dominate a personality as Pegasus and I just don’t see that happening.
Hahahaha, her obsession with Kobato and her revenge for Yozora does wave some flags about her sexuality, but all jokes aside people change and im sure Sena is not going to be the haughty girl she is forever; at some point im sure she will learn humility. I understand you have valid reasons for not liking Sena but you have to admit, she does show a sense of maturity and fearlessness when it counts, plus she has shown that she is capable of reining herself in from time to time so its possible that she will change over time. I personally like Sena because she goes for what she wants and doesnt make excuses for herself. She always moves forward, which is a very admirable and respectable quality to have as a human being. This is actually the main reason why i can overlook her bitchy personality because she has shown that she can overcome her overinflated ego so im not worried about it.
@Bear – I have to disagree with you on this one.
I think if he gave in she would expect him to figuratively grovel at her feet (maybe literally too).
IMO, that exactly the opposite of what Sena wants in a friend or a boyfriend/husband. If Sena wants nothing more than for Kodaka to “grovel”, then why hasn’t she made any attempt to get him to do so over so many months? To me Sena seems pretty shy/deferential to Kodaka more than anything else. Consider her speech at the end of this ep. (before her proposal). Having Kodaka “grovel” would actually destroy a big part about what she likes about him IMO. Kodaka is not intimidated with Sena’s looks/power/intelligence (thus she respects him), he’s protected her (pool scene), and been a good friend over the past few months all without any “hidden” motive. To me, those seem like pretty normal reasons for a girl to like a guy.
“As long as he’s out of reach he’s interesting but if he married or dated her he would just be another boy that wants to get into her pants.”
LOL. How may relationships (anime or RL) could that statement potentially apply (though I would delete the marriage part)? Given Kodaka’s shyness on that topic, why would she think that in the first place – especially going to the extreme to marry her? That would be a big change in character for him. If Kodaka was really that focused on sex, he and Rika would be buying protection by the truckload given how many times she offered to do it. [I should add that there’s one line in this EP that makes me think Rika’s constant offers of sex are just an act.]
OTOH, all the other indications are that Sena is actually gay.
ALL other indications? She didn’t have any issue with kissing Kodaka during the King’s Game. In fact, seems to me that Sena was a little disappointed they didn’t. JMO, but I take the galge gaming as simply a substitute for RL female friends. She pretty much says as much when she first starts playing. Generally speaking, I don’t equate a person’s gaming habits as an indication of how that act/want to act in RL per se. Playing Call of Duty doesn’t automatically mean you have a hidden urge to kill others or want to participate in war.
Sena does have an excessive interest in Kobato as her little sister, but I don’t think that’s the “real reason” she wants to marry Kodaka. It’s an added bonus, maybe a big added bonus, but a bonus nonetheless as far as I’m concerned. There’s just too many indications of Sena liking Kodaka for me to subscribe to that theory.
@daikama
I was joking (somewhat) about the gay part, although she has made the statement that if they married Kobato would be her imouto and she was pretty pleased at the thought.
My assumption of how Sena would react once they were married comes from a number of personal observations of friends who married then shortly divorced. It was a reverse situation because it was the women who found that their husbands attitudes and actions changed drastically from the time they were dating/living together till after they were married. It appeared the husbands had expectations of what a wife should be like and do as opposed to what their expectations were of their girlfriend. The same for their role in the relationship. As long as they were pursuing the women said they were wonderful and thoughtful. Once married they became demanding and neglectful, and the wonderful girl became a wife that could do nothing right. I see Sena in the same light. As long as she’s pursuing the nasty side of her personality will be kept in check as far as it relates to Kodaka. Once he’s hooked she has no reason to restrain that part of her. Everyone else seems to see the “nice” part of her as the core of her personality, I see that as just a facade and the mean, haughty, bitch as being the true Sena. She has no empathy for anyone else and I don’t see why Kodaka would be treated any differently. She just has to put on an act to get what she wants right now, which is Kodaka.
Even though I deplore some of Yozora’s actions this cour, I see her meanness as a shell that she has built to protect the vulnerable girl inside. So I see them as polar opposites in that regard.
I only said one thing when I saw the end of the episode: “Kodaka…you coward…”
Another good episode, but this one having much more comedy that the last IMO Nice touch by the director/staff to change the tone of the show without disrupting the storyline.
Yusa was simply great – her absolute admiration for Kodaka is an amusing contrast to how he’s generally viewed. The season’s almost over, but if there’s a 3rd season, I hope to see a lot more of her. LOL’d throughout the scene when Yusa tried to argue about the club’s legitimacy. I couldn’t help but get the feeling of a rabbit entering the lion’s den once Yozora stood up to counter her arguments. If nothing else, Yozora has impressive debate skills. Nice tag team work between Sena & Yozora. Just as Yusa thought she had won her point with Maria not being a sister/faculty, Sena & Pegasus to the rescue.
Was I the only one who thought the easy solution was to have KATE be the club’s advisor? I’m confident she would be happy to do so if for no other reason than extra time with “onii-chan” (Kodaka). Frankly, I’d like Kate to get more screen time. Only negative to that is how it would affect Maria. She was literally stunned by learning she wasn’t a real sister or faculty (even if imagined). Sena’s abuse of power might have been distasteful, but Maria’s outright joy at being offered a part time faculty position was a nice result. Plus, I’m sure viewers and LN readers wouldn’t want the alternative – no Maria, or worse, no club.
Rika’s definitely become the voice of reason when it comes to Kodaka… at least when she’s not obsessed with BL. *sigh* She “gained a lot of points” with me during her & Kodaka’s scene until she fell back into BL obsession mode. It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision either given the bookmarked page, and worse, hidden voice recorder (what else would it be?) under her pillow. >_> Much rather the scene was played straight, or at least ditch the recorder. Rika’s been shown in a much more positive light the last few episodes, but for every “2-3 steps forward” she takes, her ecchi “jokes” (extreme at times IMO), and BL obsession are “1-2 steps” back for me. Again, JMO as I know there are a lot of Rika fans here.
Wow… I’m amazed that Sena actually proposed to Kodaka (while playing a galge game LOL) in front of the entire club even if it was a somewhat unintentional. I expected some sort of confession by Sena (Yozora, Yukimura, you’re on deck) since IMO Sena does honestly care for Kodaka (not “I want what I can’t have”), but not to that extreme at this point (steps Sena, take it in steps). I had hoped the haughty oujo-sama act would have been toned down by now as was done with Yozara’s pranks. It’s getting a bit old – and I like Sena. At at least Sena’s little speech illustrated that not only that she does respect Yozora (and the other club members), but why as well. Perhaps that’s why it was there.
As for Kodaka, while Sena’s sudden proposal was surprising and embarrassing for, especially so given the situation, running out after “I couldn’t hear you” was kind of lame IMO. Hard at it might be for him, I wish Kodaka had just tried to brush it aside somehow and face his fears even if just a little.
I like Yusa too and her gushing over Kodaka turning what has been negative attributes about his looks into what she saw as positives was a great twist. He just about collapsed from joy. I didn’t see her as much as a rabbit in a lion’s den as much as a barking 5 lb Yorky going up against the lion. The lion kind of looks at it like “what the hell is that?” right before it has it as a snack.
Yep, I wish Kate had become the advisor, but that would have prevented Sena from being able to throw her weight around. “I don’t care about anyone in my way if I can get rid of them with power.” And people think Yozora’s a bully. I guess I don’t understand why you think her speech (confession) shows respect for either Kodaka or anyone else in the club. I see it as the exact opposite. She is totally indifferent to how they feel. She’s more interested in her damn game than in how Kodaka and the others might take such a momentous declaration. Sigh, I guess I just don’t get the attraction for her, besides the obvious external ones.
I give Rika all sorts of allowances for her BL and ecchi jokes. She knows that she can tease the hell out of Kodaka with them so she uses them to cover up her desire to be close to him. The fact that he still interacts with her is her proof that he really likes her. She’s got few social skills and has had no friends. Since the BL is not an uncommon part of female Japanese culture she’s not totally extreme. To me, it makes her exacerbatingly cute.
While you can call both Sena and Yozura bullies so is it two different meanings of the word. Sena bullied, or intimidated Yusa into backing down. Yozura bullied, or harrased Sena. Quite different things and not directly comparable. But I don’t see anything morally wrong with what Sena did in contrast with the constant harrassment of Yozura, wich makes her look like a bad person.
As for the confession/proposal so would it be pretty obvious that Sena didn’t exactly plan it out, but rather just spoke her honest feelings while being too distracted by the game to think about the reason not to do so. If anything so does it get points for doing it up front before her competition, instead of trying to keep them in the dark. Now everyone know where Sena stands, even the coward who ran out. Yozura only has herself to blame for being a hardcore tsundere and hiding her true feelings as best she can.
It’s obviously a personal preference if you like troubled girls or nice girls.
@Znail
Yes, and Sena not only bullied Yusa but threatened to have her expelled. Sena just doesn’t fight back against Yozora unless they’re competing (such as the roller coaster). (Maybe she’s “M”.) Sena will crush anyone else who gets in her way, it’s just that she knows that there are few people who aren’t aware of her power and would oppose her. And she explictly stated that!
And your implication that Sena is nice is one that I heartily disagree with. She’s anything but; regardless of her surface appearance. She only acts nice when it suits her purpose. She thinks the other girls hate her because she’s pretty and smart. No, they hate her because she’s a bitch and can’t even be bothered to remember their names or even if she had talked to them.
Besides, I prefer the actually nice (if raunchy) girl.
@Bear:
JMO, but I think it’s a bit hypocritical for people to dog Sena for “abusing her power” when doing so was the ONLY way to save the club. First, there’s no guarantee that Kate or anyone else could be found as a moderator – not to mention the psychological impact of Maria if she loses her self-identity as a “sister” and “teacher” (even if it’s imagined). Even if another moderator is found, other than Kate, I find it unlikely a “normal” teacher would allow middle school (especially one not even enrolled) students to be in a HS club.
So my question is would you prefer Sena do nothing if there’s a significant chance the club is disbanded or at least Maria and possibly Kobato excluded? Club existence aside, given how happy Maria was to be given a “special” adjunct teaching position would you prefer Sena not do that because its an “abuse of power”?
It’s a question of whether the end justifies the means. If you’d rather have the club’s existence and Maria’s happiness guaranteed, it’s not fair to criticize Sena for providing what you want since you know how the result is achieved. It’s worth noting that Sena REACTED to Yusa’s threats. Sena didn’t go after Yusa immediately. She only did so after Yozora wasn’t able to come up with a counter argument.
In that same manner, Sena only threatens to expel Yusa AFTER Yusa continues to argue for the club’s disbandment even when Maria is qualified to be moderator. Yusa argues “it doesn’t change the fact that at the time-“. Yusa wouldn’t just let it go so Sena took it a level higher. Again, option (A) threaten and ensure the club’s survival, or option (B) risk the club’s disbandment rather than “abuse power”. Which do you pick?
Sena will crush anyone else who gets in her way, it’s just that she knows that there are few people who aren’t aware of her power and would oppose her. And she explictly stated that!
Actually, Sena says (Rori subs): “Anyone worth facing wouldn’t care about that and still take me on.” It’s the exactly opposite of what you suggest. Anyone who IS aware of Sena’s “power” and still has the confidence to contradict her is a “worthy opponent” in her opinion. Yozora and the rest do that which is why I posted Sena respects them.
If Sena constantly abuses her power like a axe-wielding berserker on a rampage, how is it that her class always seems to vote down her ideas? Under your thesis wouldn’t Sena “abuse her power” time and time again to get the class to always vote her way? Taking that one step further, given how Sena feels about Yozora, why hasn’t she “abused her power” to get Yozora expelled? The facts don’t add up IMO. BTW, not sure if you’re joking, but in case not, I don’t think Sena’s an “M” or an “S” for that matter.
This is the only time in the anime I can remember Sena wielding her power directly against another student. I’m sure Sena’s b**chy attitude goes along way towards alienating her female classmates, but I’m quite confident that even if she was nice, there would still be a significant number that still didn’t like her out of jealously – Sena is beautiful, athletic, smart AND rich. That’s not uncommon in RL. In fact, Yusa even says she doesn’t like Sena for that reason.
Sorry for the tl:dr reply, but while I can understand why you and others might not like Sena, I think your taking this a bit further than the facts (anime) warrant.
@daikama
The sub I was watching translated it in a very different manner: “I don’t care about anyone in my way if I can get rid of them with power.” That puts a very different light on her character than “Anyone worth facing wouldn’t care about that and still take me on.”
Your translation is closer to the LN translation that’s available, but following that is this in the LN:
“…Sena-senpai, did you… threaten that person so much just because you wanted to get back to your game as fast as possible?”
Rika asked with a cold sweat running down her cheek.
“Obviously!”
(if her attitude shocks Rika it must be bad)
Which is followed by:
Seeing Yozora smile like that reminded me of the day Sena first came to the Neighbors Club.
“It’s her fault for having such a shitty personality. Commoners are supposed to kneel before the perfection that is me.”
“At least I’m not a retard like you.”
“Heheh, I’m number one in our grade!”
“Oh wow, cow-tits can study, you’re soooo amazing~”
“…You little… I’ll have Papa expel you!”
(emphasis mine)
(So she even threatened Yozora in the beginning. )
Putting those together and it appears that Sena only respects someone who stands up to her. Yozora does so, so she can abuse Sena and get away with it. So Sena is just as much of a bully as Yozora but she only uses her power if she thinks they won’t stand up to her. Otherwise she can’t even be bothered to recognize someone in her class for example. Yes, there are always going to be those who would be jealous of someone like Sena, even if her personality were nicer, but Sena is disdainful of those around her.
Yes, I’m glad she threw her weight around, but to my mind it’s just a case of one bully chasing another one out of their territory. Remember too that she referred to it as her club not their. I’m glad it happened but there’s no proof that they couldn’t have resolved it another way.
I never meant to imply that Sena is “an axe wielding berserker”, but I think she just doesn’t use her power because other people are beneath her notice. She is also smart enough to know that she can’t go to the well with daddy too often.
I’m not going to change anyones opinion about this so I’ll let it lie as that. I will gag if Kodaka winds up with her though.
One final comment on Kodaka’s view of things prior to Sena’s proposal:
“I forgot about the fragile balance our current situation was built upon, and simply felt relieved at having overcome our latest crisis.”
That’s what he’s really afraid of facing though I wish he had explained how he felt to Rika.
Praying for Rika ending…
Yeah, watching the climatic scene of this episode really did bring out quite an emotional reaction. This was one of the few times I yelled out “what the hell” right after a scene. I don’t care what he’s trying to avoid, or whatever struggles he’s going through, you do NOT run away from someone during the middle of their confession, especially when they’re being dead serious about it. What Kodaka was really unacceptable. Hope he redeem himself one way or another ( he probably will since it’s going to be the last ep of the season).
That end card… HNNNGG
I hope he gets her, Rika would be 2nd up imho.
Rika has been so cute the last few eps! I have my issues with how both Yozora and Sena act, however, when Sena proposed (not confessed people) I saw her in a new light. then… THEN .. they showed that reaction of Yozora and she was trembling as she turned to look at Kodaka. My heart broke for her, I wanted nothing more than to comfort her, she looked like she was about to shatter. Top it off seeing Rika watch Kodaka’s predicable reaction with that “heavy sigh” look. WHAT A GREAT EPISODE! Wow… the feels! They won’t stop!
Sorry, Sena said she was in love with Kodaka so I think that counts as a confession as well as a marriage proposal.
hehe.. I was just trying to say that the proposal was deeper, as yes the confession was implied. It just shocked me that she completely jumped the “let’s date/I love you” to “let’s get married”. LOL!
I think the biggest deal in this whole thing is that it isn’t an “I like you”, it’s “Let’s get married”. Quantum leap there. It bypasses any chance to become friends, learn, argue, care, etc. That’s a shock! How many couples marry, then get divorced because they either never took the time to be friends, or felt they could leave friendship behind when they got married. They would never treat a friend like they treated each other now that there were ‘roles and expectations’ in a marriage. I have two friends who have an incredible relationship with each other – now that they’re divorced… Friendship is the core of any relationship, you can never get away from that. That is part of what is driving Kodaka away.
A
littlelot late, but wondering if anyone has predictions for the last episode. I can’t imagine getting any definitive resolution on who Kodaka dates, but I’m hoping at least there’s some revelation as to why he’s so adverse to accepting the affection of others. Any thoughts?I don’t think there is going to be a resolution on the dating scene. Judging by the look on Rika’s face when she left it could be a confrontation with her. The other option might be related to Yusa and the Student Council since they made a point about Yozora hating the prez(Checkov’s gun sort of thing) . Given Kodaka’s wanting friends, he might try to form a friendship with Yusa because she already thinks positively of him. If he could form a friendship or at least acquaintance with some people who aren’t outcasts that might open up a realm of possibilities for him.
RE. Yusa: True, but isn’t the real issue the fact that Kodaka can’t accept people want to be friends/close to him in the first place? The reality is that he has friends, but for some reason cant’ accept it. Why that’s the case (could also be why Kobato’s so shy) is what I want to know. Meh, may have to read the LN.
@daikama
It’s not that he’s shy it’s that every time he’s tried to interact with people (outside of the club) they shy away from him because they think he’s a delinquent (shades of Toradora). Nobody even wants to talk with him or sit near him in the library. He’s constantly been rejected without being given a chance. So it’s less shy than gun shy. With Yusa she wasn’t afraid to talk with him and actually thought he was “cool” so he doesn’t have to approach her feeling he’ll be rejected. She might actually be pleased to have a “cool” friend. But even if it’s just someone he can interact with without engendering fear, that’s a positive thing for him. Yusa could even wind up vouching for him so he can show others that he isn’t a bad guy (much like Kazehaya did for Sawako in Kimi ni Todoke),
As far as the club goes he stated in the LN (but not in the show) “I forgot about the fragile balance our current situation was built upon, and simply felt relieved at having overcome our latest crisis.”
I think that’s the thing that hasn’t been brought out in the show. He sees the relationships in the club as unstable and is afraid that anything might cause it to shatter them and the club which is his one refuge. That’s where it appears that he doesn’t want friends or a girlfriend. He’s found friends by dissembling and acting as if they weren’t friends where nothing else has worked.
We’ll find out shortly, I guess, but I wondering if Yusa has said anything to the Student Council President about all this. Could be interesting.
R: Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast.
Y: It jumped up a notch.
R: It did, didn’t it?
S: Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart.
R: I saw that! You killed the guy! Did you throw a confession?
S: Yeah, there was horseplay, and his facade under fire, and I killed the guy with a confession.
R: K, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. You should probably find yourself a safe house or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you’re probably wanted for affection.
K: What was that?
We’ll find out very shortly, but I’d like to propose a scenario totally devoid of any supporting material or episode hints other than I understand Rika gets involved again and hints from the preview.
Kodaka stays away from the club, looking to use Yusa’s acceptance of him as a means to get involved in other activities, and so meets the SC prez. I have NO idea how that fits in. Anyway, Rika finally corners him and they have another talk, including her telling him she considers the two of them to be friends, and that he should go back to the club. He goes back, things are tense and he gives a talk about how he felt and what he was trying to avoid, and that they are all already friends, and maybe the club should be renamed so they could go on from there. There is absolute quiet, then Yozora pops up “Baka”, she says, if that club doesn’t exist, I’m outta here, and slowly the others leave as well, leaving him alone in the room. Then, there’s a knock at the door, and the ED music starts. He opens the door to be gang-tackled by all the girls who eventually tell him that if this is a new club, they had to leave and come in again so they could start over….Fin.
(Hey, I can dream, can’t I?) Stay tuned!!!