First Impressions / Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

OP Sequence

OP: 「君が夢を連れてきた」 (Kimi ga Yume wo Tsuretekita) by Pet na Kanojo-tachi [茅野愛衣, 中津真莉子, 高森奈津美 (Kayano Ai, Nakatsu Mariko, Takamori Natsumi)]

「絵を描いてきたの」 (E wo Egai Tekitano)
“I’ve Painted Pictures”

The key to a great comedy (to me) is deftly mixing a bit of plot progression and character development in with all the crazy antics. This isn’t an absolute necessity, and many comedies do fine without it – there wasn’t any character development to speak of in Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou, and that show was hilarious – but I’ll take a show that moves forward a little bit (like Binbougami Ga!) any day of the week. I freely admit that this is a personal preference, but I just find a comedy much more satisfying when I get to the end of the episode having laughed my tail off, but also yes, the story went somewhere as well.

That’s what happened in this second offering of Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. Comedy was the main focus of the episode, and hoo boy did they do it well! Of everything, there were three bits that shined through with ridiculous comedic light:

  1. The misunderstanding with Aoyama. This was admittedly more amazing because of the many, many super cute faces Aoyama was throwing out, but…well, no buts! (Except this one, though it’s unrelated.) She won me completely over in a single episode with her hilarious reactions + worrying about how to act around Sorata once she learned the truth. A light dash of tsun for some delicious comedic flavour, yum!
  2. Misaki attacking Jin. I knew she would do something funny since I noticed that deft foreshadowing (ufufu~ :3), but this scene blew me away. Seriously…BEST. BIRTHDAY. EVER!!
  3. The whole Shiina-asking-Sorata-to-undress-for-her scene. Can you say manservice, anyone? (“Even though you’re in good shape?”, oh my!) I think Shiina is at her best when she’s saying misleading things, but here she kept saying things that should have been misleading, but actually were not! Multiple times I thought they were going to stop, that it would all dissolve into the regular romcom antics, but they just kept going and going, until soon Sorata was sitting on her bed in his boxers. LUCKY MAN.

There was a lot of comedy this episode, so let me say one more thing before I go on. Though the writing, directing, and animation all take large portions of the credit for the hilarity of this episode, mention needs to be made of the excellent job done by the seiyuu, especially Matsuoka Yoshitsugu (voicing Sorata). His top tier tsukkomis really took this episode to another level. It just sounded like he was having so much fun recording his lines that it made me laugh even harder! The others did great too, but especially so for Nakatsu Mariko (voicing Aoyama), who really made her tsundere freakouts work by ramping up the tension (and dipping into Kansai-ben). I’m sorry I doubted you Mariko-chan. Loved it, keep it up!

But as I said at the beginning, not all was hilarity this week. Not absolutely everything, at least. Last episode I said that Sorata seemed to have an inferiority complex, and that came up again. In the recounting of his reasons for quitting soccer (that’s association football, for you non-yanks) he sounded like a young man confronting the reality that he probably wouldn’t become the best in the world at anything, much less in the one thing he wanted to excel at above all else (whatever that is). But it was his realization of just how remarkable Shiina is that will move things forward, and bring us closer to explicitly learning what it is that makes him tick.

There was a surprise part though, and it was with Jin, who appears to have an inferiority complex of his own. My guess is that him feeling normal compared to Misaki is the reason he has never slept with her, despite the fact that she’s the closest girl to him. It’s not that he needs to feel superior to his lady-friends or anything – dumb people don’t become nurses, after all – but that he probably doesn’t think he’s worthy of a genius like her. Poor Misaki…though I do appreciate the fact that we’re getting more than one potential relationship (i.e. avoiding the full-on harem). Poor Misaki-sempai (for now), but maybe she’ll tame her womanizing osananajimi in the end. Be ambitious daio!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Aoyama tsuntsun freakouts, Misaki in naught but ribbons, & Shiina stripping Sorata for art(!?) Also, there was plot. Seriously! #Sakurasou

Random thoughts:

  • I liked how the OP sequence gave us what was basically a 25 second story with Sorata vs the wasp nest. It was a clever way to show off some of the characters’ personalities without dialogue. That + the lively song + the happy picture of them all smiling and covered in paint…well done, J.C. Staff. Well done.
  • Atashi, be ambitious daio!
  • By the way, did I mention that Jin got the best birthday (present) ever? BECAUSE IT WAS!
  • I may or may not have seen nudie flicks that started like this. I AM NOT COMPLAINING. Doujins where?
  • Hold her? oh gods. Closer? OH GODS. “Have you ever had sex?” OH MAN, WE’VE GOT A DEFCON ONE HERE PEOPLE!! …oh, but it’s not over yet! Shiina hitting on Sorata? S-SO JELLY! “We’re not sleeping tonight.” HNNNNNNNNNN–!! *Stilts blows a gasket* *dies*

Full-length images: 02, 07, 13, 18, 22, 26, 33.

 

Preview

60 Comments

  3. This episode had me over the edge. Too much delicious sexual tension. A fuse just blew up in my head… Fantastic! Also, best birthday gift ever, which by my standards, was just un-refusable.

    Raw
    Reply

    1. I know, right? There’s got to be some baggage there. I mean, Misaki-sempai is as crazy as a (very busty) loon, so it might be a huge mistake to take the “bait”…but damned if I could turn it down!

      Stilts
      Reply

    2. He just happens to pass by every one of them, and they need blogging badly… He picks up ecchi shows like Sorata stray kittens.
      btw, no further “Oniichan dakedo” posts? second episode was as hilarious as the first…
      “he doesnt have any friends because on every break you barge in and proclaim your bro-con!”
      “ok I will be barging in every second break!”
      also, Arashi and her propositions (DE)escalation…
      want to marry me? become my lover? become my sex slave? or want to me become your slave? OH SO YOU SWING THAT WAY…
      anyway, but, that birthday present, delicious…

      ewok40k
      Reply

    3. How can you not remember the blond girl in OniAi, her name is Ana (as in “hole”) and she even makes jokes about the MC having guts calling a girl like her simply a “hole”. One of the best gags lol

      Ryner
      Reply

    1. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka is quite a good comedy actor. In that “Atama okashii-daroo!?” scene he spoke with a peculiar intonation, which was really hilarious. The same goes for the “Kawatte nee-yoo!” scene.

      Serge
      Reply

    1. I can tell you what he becomes but I won’t it might have ecchi but it actually has a pretty decent plot to it as well. So far it’s really faithful to the source material which is a good thing after what has happened it the pacing issues in Sword Art Online.

      rezakon
      Reply

      1. sword art online’s pacing issues are for non light novel readers.. i actually liked how they paced things up since it only has a 25 episode length. possibly, they might not add another season so they’re pacing it fast

        dave
        Reply

  9. I laughed so hard when Misaki put “My future’s way too bright to see” in her career sheet. Pretty fun show, I’ll stick around.

    Who would say no to DAT birthday present and I don’t even like whipped cream.

    Jaden
    Reply

  12. Shiina continues to be so mesmerizing and beautiful. Aoyama is such a joy to watch too. The subplot about Sorata not finding what he excels at I did not expect but was a nice treat. Jin’s antics of going after any beauty as long as it’s not his childhood friend feels so familiar. I just can’t remember what other series I saw it in.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

      1. Oh ok. I didn’t know what else to call it. So yeah you could say they just touched a little on Sorata’s personality a bit more. Would be nice if they did tackle his issues in the course of the story.

        Zhinvu
        Reply

  15. Misaki-sempai is fast becoming my favourite of this series. Takamori Natsumi conveys her energetic character, an impressive addition to her seiyuu portfolio after voicing another Misaki in Another.

    Ponytail classmate Aoyama is just a blast to watch, with all her awkward reactions thanks to Mashiro’s misleading words. (Her bursting into Kansai dialect to deny that she does it whenever she’s angry was just hilarious. XD ) Poor thing she’s the secondary female lead， and we all know they always get the short end of the stick.

    Like other quiet Ayanami/Nagato type anime girls, lead girl Mashiro is still too much of a blank sheet, but so far she’s promising.

    As is, I’ve gone and bought the light novels, something I haven’t done in impulse for a long time now, last time I did so was with Toradora.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

    1. \o/ I live in daily fear (well, weekly…I’m a busy guy) that my comparing this to Toradora will doom it to ignominious failure. I’m glad a bunch of you are feeling the similarities (and the quality!) too

      Stilts
      Reply

      1. The toradora comparison is inevitable..since J.C.Staff is also the studio handling this…

        n’ believe it or not…despite the apparent comedy in this episode, i believe this is gonna turn into a drama at some point…(one source of drama i can guess, shiina’s parents not accepting her wish to become a manga artist…

        not to mention the ntr..

        kingofconquerors
        Reply

  16. Even before this season starts, I know that Sakurasou would be my most favorite show of the season when I watch the PV. And now, it really is. It’s screaming happiness everywhere that somehow I broke into tears. How silly of me.

    Riilme
    Reply

  19. i guess there is love between Misaki and Jin, heh? i think the inferiority complex that both of them have with each other is such a huge wall between them after all, but we’ll see..

    i know it’s a minority opinion, but i root for the girl that aspires to be a seiyuu to get theme’s love…don’t get me wrong…i like shiina, but i can just easily be moved by a desperate hard-worker like her (i know it’s my weakness…)

    kingofconquerors
    Reply

  20. Matsuoka Yoshitsugu is quite a pro on his tsukkomi. The enthusiasm and timing is just perfect.
    I feel like rooting more for Aoyama for her misunderstandings and cuteness here(plus that Kansai-ben) but the rules say she won’t win 🙁
    And it makes me sad that my birthday last month wasn’t as grand as that. I want a present like that. Kuyashii!!

    I’m really enjoying this show. Good mix of comedy, fanservice(with manservice to boot) and some plot progression. JC Staff is on a roll this season. All their shows are delivering well. Really hope this continues.

    belatkuro
    Reply

  23. Okay, every guy who stopped breathing on those dramatic pauses as she placed her head
    on his chest waiting for it to lower… Come on, you know who you are…

    Great 1st two episodes. What I like is Shiina’s incredible innocence leads to some great comedy –
    but Sorata not about to take advantage of Shiina (reminds me of Sakurai Tomoki/Ikaros).
    Like Sora no Otoshimono. I don’t think Shiina’s part would work/be as effective if it wasn’t
    for the actress voicing her. She’s so harmlessly impulsive, you just gotta give her what she
    asks for – which is why he posed for her when she asked. There’s some good writing here.

    Truth be told, I once knew a girl who treated me to a birthday present like that – there is a God!

    Damn, this season very strong!

    mac65
    Reply

    1. A Sora no Otoshimono comparison now? Damn, this show is reminding people of all my favorite romcoms. Now if they could just work some Ano Natsu vibes in here, I, I…*swallows hard* I don’t know what I’d do!! XD

      Ohandalso, I hate you, mac65. So jelly!!

      Stilts
      Reply

      1. But, this is a good kind of hate, r-r-right?

        (I should have mentioned that this usually only happens once to a guy because,
        as romantic/naughty as it sounds, it’s really quite messy; a place where optimisum
        and reality become bitter enemies.)

        Ano Natsu vibes – they haven’t actually ruled out that she isn’t an alien.
        But that aside, she’s no idiot. This is looking like quite a different rom-com,
        definitely worth following.

        mac65
        Reply

  24. This episode had me cracking up every 30 seconds! Every time Sorata says something in response to Shiina I end up laughing. He’s like the world’s most frustrated human being right now XD But some of the perks that come along with babysitting Shiina definitely make up for that lol. This show continues to surprise me in a good way ^^

    Kira526
    Reply

  25. i think i can personally say, for now, sakurasou is better than little busters… plot wise, sakurasou is now interesting… which i have yet to see in little busters.

    i can see that my post will get thumbs down from little busters extremist but face the facts.. the story progressed too slow and you are yet to see the “point” of everything

    TheLastMan
    Reply

  26. A friend and I were talking about Shiina and how we feel she is legitimately mentally challenged on some level. I truly believe she has some form of Autism. The references to full time nurses, how she eats and dresses herself so messily, the impulsive taking and eating of things at the convenience store, the lack of understanding social cues, even her inability to properly articulate facial expressions in her drawings despite her drawing talent being amazing. I don’t say this as a slam to the character or anime (looking at it from this angle actually made me like the show way more since it gave it a new level of depth), just something interesting to watch and see what develops.

    TheWalker
    Reply

    1. I don’t know the symptoms as well as you, but it’s likely that you’re correct. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if this never came up. I’m not sure how Autism is treated in Japan, but we’re not usually given a reason why emotionless girls (trope!) are emotionless…or if we are, it’s not liable to come in the form of a medical diagnosis.

      That said, usually the reason they’re emotionless is because they’re clones or aliens. Add in Shiina’s art abilities…well, I’ll just say that I’m prepared to be surprised.

      Stilts
      Reply

      2. I too am unsure how Autism is addressed in Japan. I’m likely making this to be much more than what will actually develop, but they seemed to have done at least a bit of research…or it is all one happy accident. Usually the cute mutes and emotionless girls have some traumatic experience to attribute to their current condition; thus far they are presenting it as a trait that is innate to her being. The only reason I’m hoping for a bit of depth in this direction is because usually, the impulsive nature, lack of personal boundaries, and the inability to take care of ones self to a slovenly degree (bonus points for being a bottle fairy) are all traits usually attributed to a character like Chihiro or Misaki.

        TheWalker
        Reply

  28. I somehow get the feeling that numerous doujinshi with Shiina and Sorata will be available at the next NatsuComi because of this episode…
    *is planning to go to Japan next summer*

    J-Luke
    Reply

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