Canvas2 – 03

Short Summary:
Hiroki learns that Hagino is a published novelist and starts to read one of her books. After catching Hiroki with it, Hagino asks him for his opinion. Hiroki likes it, but replies that it doesn’t seem in touch with reality enough. With that in mind, Hagino visits him later and asks him to out on a date. Elis, who overhears Hiroki accept, isn’t too happy about it and follows the two the next day. Kiri sees her spying and decides to join her after realizing that this involves Hiroki on a date. They tail the two to a cafe and then to an arcade. Afterwards, Hiroki and Hagino find themselves at an intersection when Hagino decides to check her phone. She has 16 messages, all from her editor who also happens to be across the street. After Hagino tries to run away, but trips instead, Hiroki gives her a piggyback ride and the two evade her editor. They end up in a park where Hagino confesses that she’s been in a slump lately and wants to stop. Hiroki tells her that chasing your dreams can be hard, but that she should persist onward. Before the date ends, Hagino asks Hiroki for a kiss. It sends him and the girls hiding behind him into a panic. Elis and Kiri rush forward to stop them, but Hagino apparently asked knowing that the two couldn’t keep silent. Happy to have gotten inspiration, Hagino jots some notes in her notebook and goes off to write a novel, which she presents to them the next day: it’s about two girls fighting over a guy.

I started watching this episode with a bias against the girl of the week format that plagues so many harem/romance series. But my feelings on this episode end up being fairly good…not great, but good. The animation isn’t perfect, but provided some very cute and funny moments from the girls, especially Hagino. The plot is fairly unremarkable, but Hiroki’s words to Hagino do make it seem like he’s been down the same street before (wanting to quit).
It’s very possible that they are going to continue to go through all the various girls in the girl-of-the-week format, but also make use of the one thing that each episode has in common: Hiroki. And maybe Elis and Kiri too. This way, they can reveal a little about each character as the story progresses, so that we’ll know the characters pretty well by the time the main story gets going again. Or at least that’s always the way it’s supposed to work out. Whether it does or not we’ll see… Next episode’s girl is Misaki Sumire, a singer.

Closing Thought: If Elis and Kiri can work together, they should make Hiroki into a timeshare.