Simulblast! Week 002 Of Winter 2014
We’re already into the second week! Have we watched too much anime? Probably not yet.
This week’s challenge: Grab your least favorite character from the show and talk about them extensively.
Wake Up, Girls! (Episode One)
Player: Kanashimi
Class: Boss
Oh god, I’ve forgotten everyone’s name from last week. That’s not a good sign! I do remember this sleaze-ball Sudo wanted to put all the girls in swimsuits. Apparently Sudo has found the girls a place to preform and it’s… a onsen? It just seems like a run-down place to hold a concert, but they’re letting them preform in swimsuits. It’s such an odd thing, but I have to respect Nanase here. She has a bit of modeling experience, but she doesn’t seem like she wants to stand for this crap, and I can’t blame her.
Mayu encourages the girls to give it a try regardless, and they go to perform in front of these sleeping, drunk men. The men begin to catcall to the girls about their “assets.” It’s rather humiliating, but Nanase steps up to introduce their song properly regardless. Obviously no one cares about the song, but instead they’re focused on their costumes. It was really demeaning; it was probably the worst thing I’ve seen in the show.
Matsuda tries to stand up for the girls, but Sudo insults him by saying he won’t ever make it as their manager. This Sudo guy is the worst. Not only is he just parading the group to a bunch of older men, but he seems to be getting a kick out of belittling Matsuda along the way. I’d rather this jerk didn’t stick around for long because he’s just slimy all around.
We actually get a shot of Green Tea Entertainment’s previous president getting a foot massage after she abandoned everyone, but she mumbles about possibility returning. I’d rather she didn’t either. It’s like they’re purposely throwing in horrible people for fun.
Apparently, in the contract Matsuda didn’t read, the girls are forced to get their photos taken by customers in swimsuits. These girls are 14 to 17 if not younger. They even have to serve and work in the onsen. The whole thing is completely condescending. It’s like a bikini maid café, and Matsuda did nothing to protect the girls. Eventually, they start advertising kisses from the girls. Miyu is literally about to explode and once again the men are hounding them. In an act of panic, Miyu screams no and pushes the man who was trying to kiss her. She ironically runs right past the president that they thought abandoned them.
Matsuda finally steps up and asks if they can cancel the performance. Sadly, Sudo has left with all the money like the complete idiotic he is. In through the door Tange brings a beaten up Sudo. She begins threatening him, and eventually he squirms back to the hole he crawled from. What a frickin’ loser, seriously.
The girls are obviously upset at Tange and stick up for him while the president beats him down. In addition, the president is angry that Miyu isn’t around and orders the girls to get her back. This mess… No one is dealing with the president’s actions and honestly, she doesn’t deserve the benefit to take the same place she had. Everyone is too concerned with Miyu and her doubts however to worry about the president. Miyu asks the girls to watch her preform in the maid café, but there her mind is changed as her fans cheer her on and ask her to pursue Wake Up, Girls!
Miyu is obviously touched by everyone’s encouragement. It’s really quite lovely and makes the icky-ness from the earlier part of the episode not so bad. In addition, Tange has finally gotten the girls onto the news as a regular part of the show.
God, I’m thankful for that roller-coaster to be over. My dislike to Tange is pretty huge right now, but Sudo just took the cake and ran with it. This episode had a lot of ups and downs, but it continues to somehow be manageable. I’m still rather surprised honestly that it hasn’t gotten dull, but at the same time it’s been quite a while since I’ve watched a true slice of life series. Here’s hoping next week goes better for the Wake Up, Girls!
Watch Wake Up, Girls! on Crunchyroll or talk about this episode on our forums.
Sakura Trick (Episode One)
Player: Midnight
Class: DJ
Episode 2! This time I learn that it’s brought to us by Pony Canyon. I haven’t heard that name since I watched K-on. Hooray for Pony Canyon! Okay, nobody here is going to understand why that company is so funny to me. So let’s just move on into the episode. This episode we have a lot of stuff on Shizuku and Katone, but I want to talk about Yuu-chan. Oh god, it’s sort of funny that I brought up K-on because Yuu reminds me a lot of Yui in that “She’s too stupid to survive” sort of way. How in the world did she pass the High school entrance exams anyway? I mean, the entire second half of this episode is dedicated to how lazy and stupid she is. How annoying is that?
It’s not like American High School where you advance naturally. You have to actually be smart in Japan. So how can she get off being such a bubbly airhead? You know what, we’ll talk about how much this really grinds my gears in the second half of this review. First let’s focus on the beginning part of the episode.
Shizuku comes into class looking happier than usual, and this frightens everyone. Katone walks in after her and they ask her what’s up with Shizuku, thinking she’d know because they live together. Katone seems to think she’s angry because she gave Shizuku a kiss on the cheek. We find out from Shizuku that this is not the case. She’s actually angry because Katone, while listing reasons she was happy to be staying at Shizuku’s house, didn’t list the fact that she was there as one of the reasons she was happy. Haruka and Yuu come across the two girls kissing, leaving it so they end up wanting to kiss. It’s super cute. The first part of the episode wraps up with Haruka wondering, If Yuu and her, and Shizuku and Katone are in kissing relationships. What about Yuzu and Kaede? She imagines them playing the pocky game; it, however, is nothing like she imagined. Honestly I think those two might be the only two straight girls in the series. I could be wrong, though.
The second half of the episode, like I said before, is entirely dedicated to the fact that Yuu is really lazy and bad at studying. She wants to barrow Haruka’s notes; they insist, however, she learn to study on her own. Otherwise she might get held back. This throws Haruka’s imagination into overdrive about her wanting Yuu to call her “Big sis”; her dream is ruined, however, when Shizuku reminds them that the school is being shut down in three years and she’s more likely to be expelled than held back. Still not sure how she got into the school in the first place. I mean, I sort of get the cute dense trope in anime, I’ve just never been one to really get into it. Characters like Yuu and Yui always sort of annoyed me, in particular the more I learn about the Japanese school system. I can only sit there and ask myself “Why?”
Anyway, obviously we need to have a study session to save Yuu from being expelled from the school. It’s time for a group study session, and Yuu is trying to sleep through the entire thing. So now we have to go through all the trouble of figuring out how to get her to pay attention. Oh for the love of… It would just be easier to let her get expelled. I mean, Haruka could still see her outside of school, and then the main couple focus of the series could be Katone and Shizuku. Anyway, they try everything from doodling a animal character she likes in her notebook to using volleyball to teach her. The volleyball one might have worked if the Teacher hadn’t caught them and chewed them out for goofing off before the tests.
The other girls leave and, of course, because everything in this series is solved by kissing, Haruka figures if they kiss while studying, she’ll be able to remember what she learned during that time. Well, I guess it worked because she’s blushing up a storm during the test. We come to the end of episode 2.
Overall: Why is Yuu so stupid!? I just don’t get the dense Loli trope. I mean, maybe if she was vaguely attractive and not just a copy and pate of something I know I’ve seen before (*cough* Yui *cough*) I’d be more willing to accept her! I think the entire series should just shift focus over to Katone/Shizuku. Also they should tell us If there is something going on between Yuzu/Kaede or not! Oh well, can’t all get what we want I guess.
This player has been docked 10 points for grammar problems in their summary.
Watch Sakura Trick on Crunchyroll or talk about this episode on our forums.
Gundam Build Fighters (Episode Thirteen)
Player: Elk
Class: DJ
Hi everyone! Episode 14 of Gundam Build Fighters is upon us, and thankfully it’s not AS bad as last episode. We’re opening up with a bit of a flashback showing Aila agreeing to be the team Nemesis pilot before cutting back to present day where she’s thinking of Reiji.
OH SNAP NEW OP! The OP for season 1 was pretty awesome, and this one is even better in my opinion. We get to see some awesome short clips of battle between different Gundams, and a possible foreshadowing? Those are LARGE sized Gundams behind the PPSE boss.
Now that the awesome musical interlude is over we see Sei piloting the Build Gundam Mk II, probably due to the fact that Reiji’s wrist is still hurt, and the Star Build Strike probably needs some repairing after losing its arm against Luang. Luckily this isn’t a battle, but a skills competition. The Gundam are all lined up on a rifle range taking part in target shooting. The next competition is a beanbag throwing competition? The title on the screen for the round is TAMAIRE. Doing a tiny amount of research, I have found this is indeed an activity Japanese schoolchildren take part in during undoukai, or “sports day”. It seems like all the Gundams are split into red and white teams, with coloured aprons to designate which them they are a part of, and it’s a competition to throw as many beanbags into raised baskets as possible. The team that fills their basket the most in the time limit wins? Regardless, Sei and Reiji seem to have been on the winning team, as coloured Haros tell us who scored the most.
The sixth round is a 3-on-3 battle. Let me tell you, I’m quite sad that this (and to a lesser extent the target range competition) are montaged. I mean, I love a montage (who doesn’t?); However we’re missing out on a lot of awesome action by cutting these 3-on-3 fights into small segments showing off the decisive moment. The Star Build Strike and the Gundam X Maoh (Mao’s Gundam) are teamed up with a female Heero Yuy cosplayer with a Mercurious. The Mercurious, with it’s signature shield, defends them from the enemy who is pinning them down with rapid fire shots. Mao takes the opportunity to jump up and charge his Satellite Cannon. The V2 Gundam barely defends itself with a beam attack shrouding itself while the others are left to disintegrate. Unfortunately for the V2, the damage done by the cannon was so severe that it is crushed by a falling building as soon as it lowers its guard.
Reiji, Sei, China, and Ral are all eating and celebrating their undefeated streak. Ral, however, lets them know that they can’t let their guard down, because if they mess up in the next two rounds they can still lose, while at the same time reminding us of all the other high class combatants, including some characters we haven’t seen like Morris from Australia, Szpilman from Poland, and Fox from Canada (Any relation to one of our national heroes, Terry?).
And now we get to see the boss of the PPSE, the childish moron of the series. I know it’s kind of a cliche to have a childish enemy in charge of some huge organization, but that doesn’t make this guy any more likable. At every turn he’s hounding Sei and Reiji because he’s terrified of Reiji for some reason. There are a lot of theories out there, and one of the most popular is that the PPSE stole Plavsky technology from wherever Reiji is from (because he’s not from Earth), and, as the prince of the planet/colony/whatever, the PPSE chairman recognizes him. Meanwhile his calm and collected secretary keeps setting Sei and Reiji up to fail, this time with a sketchy looking character going by the codename “C”.
And with that revelation, we learn that round 7 is Gunpla Kart! No, but really, it’s a race, and one of the first times people are encouraged to buy and build more Gunpla as they can use fighter jets and other plamo (Plastic model; Japan loves doing that.) kits from the Gundam universe. Reiji goes to get his wrist checked while “C” spies on Sei. Aila confronts Reiji outside the sports clinic to ask him why he’s in the Gunpla Tournament. Reiji tells her it’s a lot of fun and she should try it, which upsets her. She stalks off and has an inner monologue where she says gunpla piloting is painful. Is that suit somehow hurting her while she pilots the Papillon? For now that question will be left unanswered.
However we’re now watching all the races. Attacking your opponents is allowed, so you have to think about actually racing, or taking out the other racer before the finish. The highlight of the montage showing all the other main characters winning has to be the fact that Nils has his Sengoku Astray riding Fuunsaiki, the horse Gundam from G Gundam.
After this montage Ral notices a shifty fellow acting suspicious (it’s “C”) and goes to follow him. If you’re going to be doing sneaky things, wouldn’t it make more sense not to dress like a completely suspicious person? Sei and Reiji’s race starts, and they defend some beam attacks with their special shield, using the energy from the attacks to take an early lead with their Plavsky Wing speed boost. They easily win the first lap way ahead of everyone else. Of course, with such a lead, it’s the perfect time for an ambush. “C” is hacking into the race from another location and grabs the Star Build Strike with a Zeong. Sei’s mom is freaking out at the TV, but there aren’t any cameras below the surface to show what’s going on.
Ral confronts “C” and they actually have a physical fight (I thought everyone settled their disagreements with Gunpla battles…) while the Build Strike remains trapped, taking damage from electrified tentacles. “C” beats up Ral, but Ral, refusing to give up, lifts “C” over his head and throws him into the equipment used to control the Zeong, shutting it down. The Build Strike surfaces and sets off to catch up. It’s in last place, but with the rest of the Plavsky particles stored from earlier, it quickly overtakes most of the pack, and is in second place. He’s up against the brothers from Argentina in a BuCUE tank. They’re neck and neck, but right before the end it runs out of power. The twins win, and Sei and Reiji’s unbeaten streak is broken.
NEW ED! Again, the first was pretty good, but this one is way better. It has a cool style to it, and it’s a little more easy going. It’s Never Ending Short Pants Spirit! Is this perhaps insight into why that one Pokemon trainer loves shorts so much?
After the credits we’re treated to Reiji breaking into the PPSE bosses office, and he pretty much wets himself at the sight of Reiji. It seems all his meddling has exacerbated the situation and brought on the one thing he didn’t want. Sadly, this is a cliffhanger, but we do see a next episode preview, and it looks like a 1 on 1 battle between the Build Strike and the Fenice.
Watch Gundam Build Fighters on Gundam.Info or talk about this episode on our forums.
Nobunagun (Episode One)
Player: Bobby Henshin
Class: DJ
With the declaration of the name, Nobunagun, Sio enters the battle with the monsters. Welcome to episode 2. With her new found power, Sio unleashes everything she has at these monsters destroying everything in her path. After a while, though, she starts to miss her shots. Jack yells at her that the recoil from the gun is jerking her body, making her miss the shots. Shio’s sensei then starts rushing at them, trying to help them get to safety. One of the monsters sees him and launches himself like a rocket at the teacher. Right before the creature hits the sensei, a giant metal boot smashes down on it. We are now introduced to Newton; she mutters “5G” and crushes the beast with gravity. Jack asks where Gandhi is as Newton points behind him. Gandhi is
blocking enemy advancement with a force field created by the large metal hands from the contraption on his head.
After introductions, they decide to take refuge at the large statue. With one man injured and the other two only having supportive type powers, Sio orders Gandhi to take the others and hide in the statue while she comes up with a plan to use Newton’s gravity power to her advantage. She asks Newton to put her foot on her back and apply 3Gs of gravity to her. With this she is able to prevent her body from jerking from the recoil and make better shots. The enemy then decides to flank them from the right. Nobunaga then pops into her head.
“The enemy is Takeda’s infantry! When one line is done firing, they are cut down when they try to reload. So if one line isn’t enough… You use two!” Declared Nobunaga with great force.
Sio then pulls out a part of her gun that turns her other hand into a finger machine gun… That’s right a finger machine gun! Newton then notices that the monsters are now dropping in on then from above. Nobunaga returns saying:
“Then if two lines don’t prove to be enough, you use three! The Nobunaga Three Line Volley!” As the demon head looking piece of armor opens
it’s mouth to reveal another gun that fires above them and kills the incoming enemies. After a while of firing, the monsters look to be defeated. After
gathering for a moment of relief, the large enemy that jack took out in the first episode seems to be gathering a mass amount of energy and inflating like a
balloon about to pop. Turns out there was still one more enemy left in hiding as it launches itself at the inflated monster and causes a mass explosion that,
if Gandhi didn’t contain it with his powers, could’ve destroyed a quarter of the city.
We then cut to Sio walking as a montage of people helping in a relief effort in Taiwan. Then the scene cuts to the universe passing by. The bunny
humanoid guy returns to tell her that these monsters are aliens that came crashing down on a meteor and are evolving to the the point of walking on land with the sole purpose of controlling the earth. So, to retaliate, the bunny humanoid guy traveled throughout time to gather the essence of famous people throughout history to create reincarnations and give them powers to fight off this threat. He is giving her till she returns to japan to decide. We then cut to a long scene explaining what the enemy is and the organization that fights them. The organization is called Doogo, made for the extermination of the Invasionary Objects.
Sio and Asao are now resting in the hospital where Sio tells her about herself and is happy that Asao is okay. Asao found her interesting for a long time. This is where you sense a huge lesbian aura from these two which I’m… kinda okay with. After Asao brings her hopes up and puts everything into perspective, Sio decides to join the fight to protect her new friend. This ends episode 2 of Nobunagun. This episode made me extremely get into the story, and I can’t wait for the next episode. Now the challenge this week was to talk about the character we hate the most. The thing is, I don’t hate any character so far. I mean, it has only been 2 episodes, so I haven’t had time to get to know any of the characters enough to hate them. So they told me to talk about the character I least like. It’s the same thing with that one. So if I had to choose one I’d say it would be Asao. I mean, she’s okay, but right now she has done nothing but show friendliness to the point of creating a lesbian aura; this season of anime seems to be nothing but magic, Oda Nobunaga, and lesbians. But like I said I really don’t hate anyone in the series yet and feel that this challenge was too early in the season.
This player has been docked 10 points for grammar problems in their summary.
Watch Nobunagun on Crunchyroll or talk about this episode on our forums.
Log Horizon (Episode Thirteen)
Player: Siege
Class: Content Provider
Oh boy, more Log Horizon. I’m not entirely certain where we’re picking up. I feel like I may have forgotten where we left off.
Whatever, we’ve encountered some mythical video game character. Shiroe says he’s important, but I don’t think he’s very important to me. He’s explaining magic to me. So I think he’s my least favorite character right now. Whoever is explaining something at a given moment is my least favorite character. Genuinely.
Although, this character seems to have an idea of how his fellow people ended up in this world. We actually might get some backstory! That would be great.
Apparently there was a world before this one that was very technologically advanced. The magic-inventing race, the alvs, were nearly extinct and the world fell into chaos. A spell called “World Fraction” brought rise to demi-humans who caused countless wars on the planet.
Through these wars, humans made other races we’ve seen in order to combat the demi-humans. The demihumans can never die, reviving after each death. Just like a respawn in a video game. Convenient.
The spell World Fraction was performed once again, and the Adventurers were introduced to the world. that was long ago, though. This was the time that the Elder Tale open beta opened.
Wowie zowie, this is getting interesting. This is exactly what I wanted this show to be. It’s getting to the heart of everything I wanted; however, they do spend a little too much time trying to explain things like respawning and losing experience. Can the people who wrote this just trust us to suspend disbelief for a bit? Or, more likely, can they understand that we really don’t care?
I suppose they’re trying to give some weight to death. We could have probably done without that, but I’m sure they have a good reason. Basically, when people die, they’re losing a bit of their memory. Apparently this is important, despite the fact that no one in the world has noticed.
We’ve cut back to the kids for a moment, which seems like a good time to talk about my least favorite character. There’s a blonde kid, Rudy, in the group of kids. I’ve talked about him before. He tries way too hard to be the best, even in areas where he lacks. Nothing bugs me more than that; it’s a level of unwarranted self-importance that I just can’t understand.
Still, here, we see him practicing his magic in self-made dungeon corridors. It makes him almost human now that he’s putting effort behind his claims. He’s actually pushing himself rather than trying to pretend to be the best.
Damn. Without him being awful, who will be my least favorite now?
Watch Log Horizon on Crunchyroll or talk about this episode on our forums.
Engaged To Unidentified (Episode One)
Player: Kayarath
Class: Content Provider
It took a while, but I do have a least favorite character in Engage The Unidentified. It’s definitely not Mashiro, because she’s just too cute! The fact that Mashiro tries to act mature only makes her cuter! Seeing her freak out about things is just so adorable! And believe me, the plot gives her plenty to freak out about, like spooky alien shows, adjusting to city life, getting to eat hamburger steak, and resisting Benio’s advances while wondering how the entire student body likes her so much! When she starts theorizing that Benio is an alien, it’s just too much! Half the episode is just her freakin’ out over stuff in the most adorable way possible!
Hakuya is quite likeable as well. Having his wooden block construction constantly knocked down is a good way to make him sympathetic. He also makes the decision not to inform Kobeni of their past. This is a complex, multi-faced decision that Hakuya thought through. It seems there was an accident of some type involving Kobeni, and Hakuya feels guilty about it. What exactly happened, no one says but isn’t that what future episodes are for? Hakuya also doesn’t want to use the past to pressure Kobeni into marrying him. I guess he wants to win her over but easier said then done, am I right?
I can’t dislike Kobeni either. She’s the show’s protagonist and that means they made sure she was likable. If doing all the cooking and cleaning in the house wasn’t enough to make her appealing, she also takes the effort to cook foods that Mashiro will enjoy. She’s handling the whole being-engaged-at-sixteen thing with more grace then most people can muster. She’s even starting to remember the past! Only about eleven more episodes until we know what happened back then!
Last, and in this case least, is Benio. I hate to say it, but she’s a flat character, personality wise here… not as in having a flat chest. (Benio doesn’t believe small breast is a flaw though!) My description of her last week still stands. She’s the most popular girl in school who enjoys being a big sister a little too much. She just loves having Mashiro around as a source of moeh and makes speeches that has the entire student body fawning all over her. While she is the most one-dimensional, I still do like her! Just not as much as the other characters. She serves as a springboard for jokes and gags, which is needed. While Benio may not have a strong role in the main plot, I’m sure that can change over time.
Even if it doesn’t, I don’t mind. The whole cast is so adorable and nice; I can watch them do anything! From hanging out at home and watching scary shows about aliens, to discussing breast size in school, and making it public information that they’ll all living together, it’s just so much fun! Even the ending theme is super cute, with chibi versions of the cast singing a song on a stage! I wonder what next week will bring? Only one way to find out! Tune in to the next episode; I sure will!
Watch Engaged To Unidentified on Crunchyroll or talk about this episode on our forums.
Kill La Kill (Episode Thirteen)
Player: Knightshade
Class: DJ
How goes it mortals! It is I, DJ Knightshade! I am here to make you bow before me! Nah maybe some other time. Anyways, I’m going to tell you guys about Kill la Kill episode 14! So let’s stop talking and watch the crap out of this show!
We come into this episode to Ryuko waking up in Aikuro’s hideout, Ryuko discovers that, miraculously, Senketsu’s consciousness still lives within the scarf that she managed to hold onto. After learning what had happened to his other pieces, Ryuko heads towards the Kansai region, where Satsuki has begun her raid operation of doom! I didn’t realize that this was a world-conquering-type operation, this just got real. Well as real as you can get in this show… ANYWAY! As the Elite Four attack the main schools in the tri-city area, Ryuko interrupts each of their raids and recovers the scraps that had been given to some of the students to increase their power before heading to her next destination, eventually reuniting with Mako in Osaka. With nearly all of Senketsu’s pieces gathered, Ryuko prepares to face Satsuki, who possesses the final piece.
First of all, I’m so glad that I didn’t have to deal with Mako much in this episode. So far she is my least favorite character in this show. Now I’m going to be crucified for this, but I do not like her. She is so annoying. Now I know she’s there for comic relief, but good god she doesn’t know when to stop being comic relief. She just keeps being funny in the most serious of situations. Now I know taking this show seriously is a tall order to fill, but when I feel when the show is serious I will treat the situation as such. She ruins those situations, like in the season finale when she acts all silly towards monster Ryuko. This is only my opinion, and I have said my piece on her.
This episode was great! The action is back and in full force. Getting the pieces of Senketsu’s clothing back is a good way to start off the season. I’m getting really excited about this season now. Places are getting invaded like D-Day, and it’s awesome! This episode is getting a 9.5/10. I know ratings are not normal, but for this I will give it a great score. Can’t wait for episode 15. Till the next time everyone!
This player has been docked 10 points for grammar problems in their summary.
Watch Kill La Kill on Crunchyroll & Daisuki or talk about this episode on our forums.
Nisekoi (Episode One)
Player: Zero Gravity
Class: DJ
What do you get when a Gorilla meets a bean sprout? You get Yakuza and American Gangsters partying together.
We start off from our previous episode with Raku and Chitoge objecting to the idea of their relationship, saying that they would make a horrible couple, as the two can’t stand each other. Their fathers proclaim that it was the only way to stop the gangsters and Yakuza from killing each other. Suddenly explosion. Claude, the second in command of BeeHive, the American gang, bursts onto the scene with a group of men, determined to rescue Chitoge from what he assumes is a kidnapping. Members of Shuei-Gumi, the Yazuka gang, also barge in, preparing to kill the intruders. The fathers then proclaim that there should be peace, since their children are now dating. When confronted as to whether or not this was true, Raku quickly snaps and calls Chitoge a gorilla, while Chitoge calls him a bean-sprout.
Not taking this well, the rival gangs do not seem pleased. Raku and Chitoge then swallow their pride and admit they were simply “pet names” for each other. Everyone is convinced, wishes them well, and calls a truce. Claude, however, is skeptical. Much later, Chitoge and Raku debate how they’re going to go about their fake relationship, when Chitoge asks about the pendant that Raku got so worked up over. Raku tells her that it was a promise from long ago that the girl with the key would open the locket, and the two would be married. Chitoge finds it rather romantic and the two part for the night.
Their time apart doesn’t last to long as Chitoge arrives the following morning escorted by Claude, asking Raku to please go on a date. Claude, still skeptical, is following them in the shadows, as well as members of BeeHive and Shuei-Gumi to make sure the date goes over well. Raku uses his fantasies of going on a date with Kosaki to guide him through the day, but, as he discovers, Chitoge is rude, loud, uncultured, and bores easily, as she fell asleep during their movie only to make demands to him after waking up. Chitoge sends Raku away to get her a soda, at which time Chitoge is confronted by several older men, hitting on and sexually harassing her. Before Chitoge can throw a punch, Raku appears out of nowhere, and runs with Chitoge.
Raku scolds Chitoge, telling her to pick her battles; had she thrown a punch, she would have been at their level. Chitoge grunts, but acknowledges he’s right. As she uses the bathroom, Kosaki surprises Raku, wondering what he was doing all the way out in town alone. While washing her face off, Chitoge overhears members of BeeHive talking that they might be faking since all they’ve done is bicker. Re-doubling her efforts, she goes back to give Raku affection only to find Kosaki there. Kosaki is embarrassed and shocked to see that Raku and Chitoge are dating. Raku is forced to go along and lie to Kosaki when he notices members of the Shuei-Gumi hiding and watching. As Chitoge runs ahead to do a special “errand”, Raku takes the time to ask if Kosaki has ever seen the pendant that he wears before, to which she says she never has, much to Raku’s disappointment.
Claude, hiding in the shadows, notes that, while he hasn’t caught them red-handed, it was more then enough to prove that there was something else behind their “relationship”, comparing Raku to a fly that is pestering his lady. When Raku catches up to Chitoge, she’s livid that he kept her waiting. He apologies by bringing her a bag of bean jam bread, saying that it’s his way of his apologizing, to which Chitoge notes that it’s her least favorite food. Kosaki returns home, which is at a bread shop. She goes to her room and slumps onto her desk, looking at pictures of Raku in her room, upset with herself that she lied to him while holding up a key with a similar design to Raku’s locket.
This episode once again manages to use its visuals to make the scenes rather enjoyable. The art is silly when it needs to be, and it’s serious when it has to be; but, with the latter, it still has it’s own unique design that reminds us that it’s still genuine anime. However, during the scene in which Kosaki finds out Raku and Chitoge are a “couple,” it reverts to a “manga transition”, where is goes from panel to panel as though it were a manga; for fans of FLCL (Fooly Cooly), you’ll see this exact same effect used in episode 1 and episode 6, a transition I’m not particularly a fan of, and something I find rather lazy. If I had to nitpick, a transition like that should only apply if the anime has no original manga before it, and if the manga was possibly drawn with a different art style; an example being having a serious moment, but, to add comedy to the routine, it would have to be drawn as though it were from Fist of the North Star or Berserk. Or vice versa, taking a rather serious drawing and add comical aspects that shouldn’t be there, like Cromartie (another favorite anime of mine). While I don’t feel this episode can match up to the previous episode, I still have high hopes for it. I just don’t want the animators to get lazy after that Manga Transition.
Watch Nisekoi on Crunchyroll or talk about this episode on our forums.
Week 002 Tally
- Kanashimi: 1,977
- Midnight: 1,691
- Elk: 1,468
- Bobby Henshin: 1,235
- Siege: 1,140
- Kayarath: 940
- Knightshade: 840
- Zero Gravity: 610
Next week’s challenge: Watch the episode twice and see if you noticed anything different the second time.
Make sure to vote for your favorite review below! You can give your favorite an extra 20 points.
I will vote for Midnight this week.