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「ウチと日本と知らない言葉」 (Uchi to Nippon to Shiranai Kotoba)
“Me, Japan, and Words I Don’t Know!”
After a bunch of hit or miss episodes, I would have to say that this was the best episode of the sequel thus far. I don’t know if I’m the only one who’s dreamed about going to school in Japan, but I’ve never thought about how bad of a culture shock it would be. With a comprehension level on par or worse than a little kid, I couldn’t help but picture myself in Minami’s shoes. As I watched her slowly grow more and more depressed as the days went on, I never thought that a show like Baka Test would be able to get me so emotionally invested.
I’ve always been curious about just what made Minami fall for Akihisa, and I’d have to say that after watching this episode, Minami has a much more compelling reason than Himeji to be interested in Akihisa. After that blunder during her introduction, I was scared that Minami wouldn’t be able to bounce back given that catch-22 she was given. Can you imagine how horrible it must feel to want to make friends, but unable to do so because of a language barrier? But somehow, someway, Akihisa’s attempts to befriend her were almost like a blessing in disguise. Even though he went about it in the worst way possible and even brought out Minami’s feisty personality in the process, his earnest intent had me shedding tears by the end of the episode.
Not only did he use the wrong language and probably wasn’t making things better by repeating the same phrase over and over again, I lost it when Minami finally figured out what Akihisa was saying. I’m not sure what came over me during the last few minutes of the episode, but thinking about Akihisa trying his hardest to figure out how to say a single phrase in a foreign language when his own language skills could use improvement completely moved me. His selflessness completely canceled out his idiocy.
Even though we didn’t get to watch the repercussions of Minami kissing Akihisa right in front of Himeji, this has to be one of the strongest episodes for this show to date. At this point, I don’t care what happens in the future as long as Minami gets to keep Akihisa — since I don’t think there’s a force in the world that’ll stop her from being with him.
Preview
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Well said. I totally agree with your review and comment here.
THE FORCE NAME IS HIMEJI!!! (no seriously.. i read the novel so i know)
You know? Himeji is like Yoshia Kazumi from Shakugan no Shana. Both of them should follow Minko’s (Hanasaku Iroha) advice “Shine” as in Die.
I agree, the comments you made about this episode are right on. Through the series Minami as a character was somewhat unclear for the most part. This episode is by far my favorite, of this season hands down. You said, “imagine how horrible it must feel to want to make friends, but unable to do so because of a language barrier.” I never thought I’d think about such a interesting idea from this anime. Great post as always Takaii! thank you.
We all knew that Akihisa was an idiot with a heart of gold, but I never really impressed about it until I saw this episode. To see him continuously try to reach out to Minami despite being repeating rejected by harsh words and brutal armlocks… It truly is a very admirable quality.
When I saw the episode where they properly introduce Hazuki’s relation with Akihisa, I was worried that Minami’s reason for falling for Akihisa would be something cheap… But God, this completely exceeded all expectations!
Himeji had the edge in the first season, but it’s almost unfair how much Minami won the hearts of people with this one backstory episode alone @_@
I always like Minami character from the first season but this episode just make me love her even more.
Further I can’t say the same for other but personally, such backstory really interesting and fun to watch and I am so looking forward for more of it.. 😀
btw the last scene of Minami pondering what to say to Akihisa was really cute and superb!
This episode made everything up to now worth while.
gotta love them tsunderes. i also must say i definitely dig this outfit. aside from the lethal cooking skills, himeji is a little too “ideal,” smart, attractive female with big boobs. i’d kinda like to know why aki’s into her.
“i’d kinda like to know why aki’s into her.”
“smart, attractive female with big boobs”
You just answered yourself there, lol.
Hahah you know what i mean though, as in a flash back episode…where he first sees those big boobs
“His selflessness completely canceled out his idiocy.” This. And the more we realize how stupid he is, the sweeter I find it.
I wonder why Himeji likes Akihisa, sure things have been implied but we never really got a full episode flashback like this. And random question, am I remembering it wrong or did Himeji and Aki used to go to elementary together? I feel like they said that somewhere in the first season though I can’t remember 100%.
Can’t wait to see what next week’s episodes continuation, unless its another flashback lol.
Yes you are right!!, Himeji and Akihisa was going to elementary school together before but separated during the middle school.
Oh cool. I thought maybe if that’s was right then it may means Himeji’s liked Aki since even back in elementary.
Reading the minor spoilers below, I am excited to see how it may play out. Right now Himeji is starting to look like the underdog instead. She shouldn’t let him go without a fight (figure of speech I don’t actually want a bitch fight), her feelings for Aki are just as strong as Minami’s if not even more (you never know…until you read the LN).
This is what set apart Baka to Test from other gag manga, touching back story. In the novel, I’m always looking forward to the side story volume as much as the main story volume because of this kind of back story is usually told in the side story volume(this story is taken from vol 7.5 of the novel by the way), and it really impress me. One of my favorite chapter from the novel along with Yuuji and Shouko’s past and I’m really glad to see it get animated after that disastrous adaptation of season 1.
Can’t agree with you more. I mean, there must be a reason this light novel series got the first place in the 2010 Kono Raito Noberu ga Sugoi! poll.
probably the best episode in the entire series.
I always root for the underdog, so seeing that episode was… xD
Not just that, her story is far more interesting than Himeji’s — I think (can’t seem to remember now)
You can’t remember because they haven’t animated it yet. So far they only animated Himeji when she is in High school and not during their childhood.
I thought Himeji’s backstory to Akisa was covered last season when she fainted in the test and Akisa tried to help?
That backstory is about Himeji during her first year final examination. Himeji and Akihisa knew each other way back to elementary school, they were separated during the middle school. This is not a spoiler, watch back season 1 episode 1.
Minami know Akihisa longer than Himeji. Akihisa, Yuuji, Hideyoshi, Tsuchiya, and Minami were in 1-D and Himeji was in 1-A. And we can understand how they met each other at that time. And we get to know that Minami can’t understand Japanese. So this episode really show us very clear about their past. And also interesting episdoe as well.
umm I don’t think that true. If I am not mistaken back in the episode which center on Hazuki, it was mention that Akihisa knew Himeji back during elementary school.
Watch back season 1 episode 1, where Yuuji stated that Akihisa knew Himeji from her elementary school
They should’ve put this episode in the first season, or at least any episode before the kiss. They put a pause on a suspenseful moment in order to tell us why we should care about it.
Character development shouldn’t be retroactively built, at least not like this.
And I didn’t really dig her whole vilifying everyone else thing either. Most everything was her fault, taking some of the sympathy I had for her away.
Despite that, the mon amie thing was kind of heartwarming though. But that English…
Anyway it was a pretty decent episode though. Good for Minami, cus I think Himeji is rather annoying.
1st season was obviously for himeji while the 2nd one is for minami.
well I usually find myself cheering for the underdog in romance most of the time. but in here I also support himeji. this has got to be one of the few animes(for me) that makes me accept both love interests in a love triangle.
oh and never realized it til this ep but minami is the most normal in the cast here. also love how the guys eventually got together in their friendship.
damn it minami has this one in the bag i feel sorry for himeji
NONE SHALL TAKE MY WAIFU!
On the serious side, This episode was great but Himeji…. I can’t help but think how she’ll feel
Being french, this episode was a pure delight to watch (and listen to)
Thumbs up for the seiyus pronunciation, i (almost) melt :)))
I still want to know how Akihisa managed to put on the wrong uniform ..
This.
I would say cause he is a Baka.
But, it is most likely being tricked by his sister.
whatashiiiii~~~t!
lol at minami’s dirty mouth XD
I can understand why people are falling for akihisa now! and loved the part with hideyoshi and minami in the toilet XD it was really fun seeing how the cast were when they were younger.
This episode is moving in a heartwarming way. Never thought Minami has that kind of history, I guess there is more than meets the eye.
Please…. Next episode…. Please don’t take a nose dive. Next episode does not have to be on par as this one, just no anticlimax.
Beautiful episode. It reminded me of ef at certain moments.
Why does she choose “uchi” at the end? Wasn’t her problem with “watashi” just where she placed the accent?
Because Akihisa keep hearing “watashi” as “what a shit”. She use another word to say “I”
Atmosphere was rather dark in this one. The style reminded me of Shaft.
Yeah I had alot of SHAFT vibes watching this.. especially the “silhouette running” scene.
I got a better impression of Akihise! He isn’t just a idiot, but a idiot with a big heart. I was also curious to watch how Minami fell in love with this dork, and I finally got an answer on that question. And I can’t wait for the next episode and see what happens, and I really hope Minami and Akihisa stay’s as a couple!
Great episode. BakaTest is awesome to be able to pull off such a dramatic change in atmosphere and yet still keep to its roots with a prequel like look at the characters.
I also totally cracked up when Minami clearly understood Aki commenting on her chest for the first time. Ah, Priceless…
https://randomc.net/image/Baka%20to%20Test%20to%20Shoukanjuu/Baka%20to%20Test%20to%20Shoukanjuu%20Ni%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
“. At this point, I don’t care what happens in the future as long as Minami gets to keep Akihisa — since I don’t think there’s a force in the world that’ll stop her from being with him.’
Himeji, enough said. minami will come out a loser whenever a conclusion appears.
-_- …… I see, sorry to disagree with you TAKAII but I think this episode may have been a waste. Since I’m an Akihisa x Himeji fan I could be biased but I think Himeji has more reason to like Akihisa more than Minami. Despite it being great that Minami finally gathered enough courage to show her feelings to Akihisa through a kiss doing it infront of Himeji was worse than kneeing a guy in the balls then taking a Uzi gun and blasting them off. If she did it in privacy then I may have been okay with it but because she did such a bold thing I can’t forgive her despite knowing her background story (In truth her background story nearly brought me to tears but my rage at what she did quickly removed my sympathy). Sadly I have to agree with what someone said about the second season going to Minami and at this point I don’t think kissing Himeji might prevent a highly probable Akihisa x Minami ending but that doesnt mean things can’t change.
there is always a chance for a harem ending XD
please, no harem ending :/
it’s not like she was being inconsiderate of her though. in the novels the question/answer portion is done at the start of the chapters. during the novel for the last arc that just passed minami wrote about how she was distressed over aki’s confession and didn’t know what to do because she knew about himeji’s feelings. then she writes that maybe she should go for it since she’s liked him before himeji.
you gotta remember from her perspective she thinks that akihisa confessed to her. i’d agree with you if the issue wasn’t “resolved” and minami was trying to steal him in front of himeji. if she did that in private, then it’d be worse cause then she’s just sneaking around. however, i think the more appropriate path would have been for her to contact himeji first to discuss it. but, even if we were dealing with real life people, it would honestly be none of himeji’s business in the first place. if two people like each other that’s between those two people. i’ve had that shit happen to me, and it makes you wonder whether or not you were friends to begin with, but in hindsight that’s just how it is. if you’re into someone and they’re into you, you can’t put your feelings on hold just for your friend, that’s not fair to yourself. it would have been nice to have been put on notice for sure though.
You do have a point there however I think that we’re forgetting something important. Im not completely sure if I’m correct since I’ve never read the novel and can only base my knowledge from every chapter of the mangas as well as every episode of the series but I don’t think that Himeji ever confirmed when she started liking Akihisa and because of that we assume it was because he stood up for her during the entrance examination however theres a possibility that she could’ve liked him since elementary school since they have known each other longer. Also from the last line you made it sound like Akihisa has feelings for Minami however going back to last season I think we can remember that Minami only has one of two things that interest Akihisa when Himeji has one and can get the second thing any time to add to that I think its more obvious that Akihisa has feelings for Himeji than Minami but I guess in Minami’s defence that message did throw her out of track and overwhelmed her with feelings so what she did was rational to a degree and your right she should’ve given notice cause this could really affect the class atmosphere and technically this could make her the worst bff ever.
Doesn’t this episode make Minami look even worse for the way she’s treated Akihisa ever since?
Nice ep, but I’m not a big believer in the reset button. Are we supposed to just forget the first 7 episodes of the season? I ship Aki with the grade-schooler because she’s the only female on the show who isn’t a psychopath…
Stop trying to make him as lolicon. Although I must say the producer did went overboard by making both the girls psychopath. I believe in the light novel, she is not that bad. Anyone care to confirm this?
Yeah, for what I gather from ppl who have read the novels Minami and Himeji aren’t that crazy in the novels and ppl don’t tease Hideyoshi a lot about being a girl. Sure, sometimes the jokes appear but not like in the anime. At least they have toned the jokes down in this season.
As for Shouko, I don’t know how crazy she is in the novels.
Well, due to the extent of the language barrier illustrated this episode- it’s apparent that Minami got off on the wrong foot with pretty much everyone. This created a preconception among her entire grade, and – as we all know- that’s extremely difficult to dispel amongst highschoolers, especially when they seek to find their own identity and need someone to pick on or single out.
It’s very likely that Minami has kept decided to play up the image she imprinted upon everyone in some sort of defense mechanism, because it simply worked to her advantage; she’s known as the cold, foreign girl, and so the rest of the student body slowly pulled back and left her to her own devices, allowing her to maintain her dignity by avoiding any further potential embarrassments.
As for why she keeps beating on Aki, that’s simply typical Tsundere for ya- nothing new there.
I just hope whoever writes these keeps wiritng more!
except for episode 4, wish that the rest of the episodes were as good as this one
Minami…Minami…MINAMI!!! *___*
I was very impressed by the graphic quality of some of the background scenes on this episode (like the one with the school and the sakura petals), and by the whole “heartwarming” feel of the episode.
Also, being French, I laughed so much the first time Akihisa asked “Tu ne voudrais pas devenir mon amie?”, thinking “Oh dear god, what a moron”. And right after it hit me: sure he used the wrong language, but that’s a given since he’s an idiot, but man that guy is nice!
side note: their french pronunciation is actually quite decent, I was quite surprised. I mean, I could actually understand the sentence without the subtitles! :p
Feels like Ef story in bakatest version
Is it? Hmm i guess I’m going to check it out some other day. Well, what I can tell bout’ this episode is that how Minami befriend with Akihisa. In previous episode, the end of the epilogue, Minami kissed Akihisa. Akihisa actually wanted replied back the text to Sugawa but accidentally sent to Minami. So this episode has some connection with the epilogue of the previous episode. I guess…
But Aki is stupid. When Minami said to Aki “What a shit man you are”, Aki thought “Wa-ta-shi Ha Man You Ha”. Haha… I like that part…
So this is why Akihisa kept thinking Minami is a boy!!
how does this relate to part b of episode 3?
yoshii’s mind processing of watashi >>>>> what a shit… EPIC…
After watching this episode, along with last week’s, I also have to admit that I’m really beginning to root for Minami as well. I’ve always wondered what it was about Aki that both Minami and Himeji liked, and I think after this episode, it showed that Aki has a lot more going for him than just being a nice guy. He seems to be very loyal to his friends, and even goes so far to help people that he doesn’t even know without fearing any consequences that he’ll have to endure. If this episode shows how it was that Minami started to like him, then I have to wonder what did Aki do to make Himeji start to like him too. Only time will tell I suppose.
And while last week’s cliffhanger did come about by a misunderstanding (and I think we all know how that’s going to end), I do hope that by the end of all this, Aki at least starts to look at Minami the same way he does for Himeji, then again, after all this, I don’t see how he couldn’t…..but at the same time, he is an Ultra Idiot.
This show truly is an underdog of epicness. Not only can it have comedy but it comes out with seriousness like this? Well done.
“At this point, I don’t care what happens in the future as long as Minami gets to keep Akihisa — since I don’t think there’s a force in the world that’ll stop her from being with him.”
Well, Himeji is definitely up to the task of being that force. Considering that she is standing nearby so is it unlikely that she wont do anything.
But my guess is that next episode will feature the flashback of Himeji and Akisha.
Show Spoiler ▼
Oops, broken spoilers, not too bad I guess.
The subs spoil the ending a bit for me since I understand a tinyyyyyy bit of French. =/
this anime would end near dun worry it’s 100% sure that it will be a harem end where akihisa is still clueless
This side story is one of, if not, my favourite chapters in the light novel. I am always touched no matter how many times I re-read this chapter. It just resonates so much with my past when I first got my feet on a foreign land. Too bad I didn’t get to meet anyone like Akihisa. Anyways, I am so glad that the anime staff did a superb job on this. Definitely one of the best episodes in the series.
PS. Now I really can’t wait for volume 10 in which there will potentially a big leap on Himeji’s relationship with Akihisa…XD
the way minami says “Yoshiiii” at the end is just HNNG!
To those who insist on a Minami-Akihisa pairing:
Doesn’t Akihisa like Himeji to begin with? Therefore, the Minami-Akihisa ship is doomed to sink. Which sucks, since I also would like that pairing.
There are many episode in this season spoil Minami and support her feeling toward akihisa
unlike the 1st season which supporting Himeji’s feeling!
Minami is soo cute ! lol
akihisa What a shit man you are !!!! lol Two beauty flowers is both hands!
Even when Minami barely understood Japanese so was her Japanese still better then her English 😛
Somewhat understandable as she grew up in Germany though.
Amazing episode, loved how Akihisa kept repeating his words funny yet creepy.
Loved this episode. Nice to see Shin Oonuma breaking out the ef chops again—they really work for depictions of emotional confusion and turmoil, something we haven’t seen much of in BakaTest until now. (That it looks like SHAFT is no coincidence, as Oonuma is one of Shinbo’s associates and ef was a SHAFT production.) And I really liked the sensitive depiction of what it’s like to be alone and misunderstood, it was a touch of emotional realism that the adds to the show.
I too know a bit of French so I figured out right away what Yoshii was trying to say, but it made Minami’s attempts to figure it out all the more poignant. I figure the main audience probably doesn’t know it though so it may have a more suspenseful effect. Wish I could know what that was like sometimes 🙂
I never liked Minami-Akihisa pairing until now. This explanation episode of why was Minami into Yoshii is too late! It has to wait until season 2 for this?? Anyway, love Minami more now. Best episode of the season so far!
correct me if I’m wrong, there’s an episode on season 1 when Yoshii buys a stuff toy for Minami’s little sister right? to be honest I’m confused about the timeline or maybe this episode was on a different anime. guess i better read the manga since I already deleted season 1 from my PC.
What liberating knwoledge. Give me liberty or give me death.
Couldn’t agree with your review of this episode more if you paid me.
Over time I’ve come to like and cheer for Minami over Himeji more and more, and this episode had the same effect on me as it did you, so now I’m rooting for her with all my heart. I actually shed a tear when she figured out what Akihisa was trying so earnestly to say to her. <3 And again, the anxiety she felt about the language barrier just struck home with me too.