Tsuki ga Kirei – Episode 4 & 5

REACTION – I’ve got to hand it to this anime series for having such an engaging slice of life, romance plot with so little words used and just different forms of the two main characters.

These two episodes have rare occasions of talking and if there were such scenes, they were little words spoken between the speakers. That’s something great for an anime series – to tell an romance story without any words but merely the characters giving off hints through body language.

But because of this lack of conversation, it makes character interaction rather… dangerous. In real life, no one would actually understand what you wanted if you don’t voice it out clearly. This series keeps its realistic tone by putting that in. It’s also one of the most heart-clenching aspects of a story for me.

So after confessing to Akane, Kotaro is given the answer “Let me think about it” and that almost goes every much wrong. Throughout the fourth episode, I was left on the edge of my seat awaiting for some sort of closure – will they get together or not?

The events in the fourth episode contributed to that fear of mine as the entire class 3-1 goes out for a school trip. It was pretty much awkward for the characters to notice each other after that confession scene, even me as a viewer is left in tension.

School trip starts and what’s horrible is this – Kotarou asks out Akane to hang out with him during free time, but his phone is confiscated by their homeroom teacher. Thus this leaves Akane in the air and unsure if the agreement will push through.

And by dear lord, it almost goes out of hand.

Kotarou desperately trying to reach out to Akane but hesitating since she’s with her friends. Akane glancing at Kotarou, trying to make the decision to go to him, but ends up swept away by her friends’ request to go shopping.

The weather turns for the worse and the rain pours down hard.

Akane’s friends were such good people to notice that she was very much uncomfortable and had something else in her mind. They gave her space which allowed her to go to the aforementioned meet-up destination.

This scene is where it gets me so hard. Kotarou running desperately in the rain as there were different branches of the same store he mentioned to Akane for their meet-up and he never specified enough which one.

That one moment where they almost met but the crowd was too thick for them to meet – AH GODDAMNIT!

Akane gets a little bit concerned and wonders if Kotarou has lost interest of her.

Kotarou, however, manages to find one of Akane’s friends, Chinatsu, and asks for her phone. The dilemma which Kotarou faces – whether to ask Chinatsu for Akane’s number but it could give out the fact that he might be interested in Akane. Fuck. FUCK!

But Chinatsu, I don’t know why, catches on and gives him Akane’s number. At that moment, I gave a sigh of relief, as did Kotarou.

So they met up and Akane’s answer was “I want to talk with you more.”

Fifth episode, they are now officially a couple but have a trouble on what to do next. What do couples do, both of them thought. I like how these two characters felt so real in a way. Their worries, their joy, and their sadness, the two of them felt so real.

But Akane’s feeling a little bit threatened since Chinatsu has been getting too close for comfort towards Kotarou – but Kotarou doesn’t know that.

Chinatsu goes on and asks Kotarou if he knows any good literature cram schools and invites her to his cram school. Much to her delight.

So throughout the fourth episode, the tension rises for Akane as she tries to assert herself as a girlfriend for Kotarou whilst Kotarou is at a stumbling block when it comes to his grades.

Kotarou invites Akane, later on, to his favorite bookstore – to the recommendation of the bookstore owner. They have a good talk and a romantic scene where they hold hands. But here comes the big bomb. The rain in the parade – where the parade is the Kotarou x Akane ship and that is Chinatsu having a crush on Kotarou.

. . . . . Someone help me.

I applaud Feel. and their work on these two episodes. When an anime series tells a story effortlessly, without much dialogue and just pure body language alone from the two main characters – you know that it’s a good anime series.

Studio Feel. is nailing the atmosphere and characters right for this anime series. They doing a good anime adaptation of real life romance between middle schoolers and I think that is a great step for this studio. Especially when they did Oregairu a few seasons back.

Just a well done effort for this anime series and I am almost calling it a masterpiece. Let us hope the next few episodes keeps this kind of pace and doesn’t go wrong.

Honestly throughout these two episode I was expecting some sort of netorare bullshit to happen but praise the heavens nothing of the sort did.

Eromanga-sensei – Episode 5

REACTION – This anime series has probably taken a blunt move and that is acknowledging Sagiri’s romantic love for her older brother, Masamune. After reading the “300-page love letter” of a manuscript, Izumi and Sagiri somewhat confess their feelings for each other? But not at the same wavelengths.

Masamune says that he loves her sister, but only as an older brother. Whilst Sagiri hints that she likes someone which is the anime way of saying “I like you but I don’t want to admit liking you so you’ll have to live in agony not knowing what I truly feel” kind of statement.

This is very evident when the episode starts off with Izumi making breakfast and wants to go inside Sagiri’s room to talk about “something important.” As per her response, Sagiri quickly changes to somewhat more revealing clothes from her usual pajamas. Hinting that she may want her older brother to make advances with her.

I applaud this anime series for getting right down on the imminent incest premise to be shown in the story. In fact, it fills the anime series with some sort of tension, disbelief and entertainment for most viewers.

But then again, Masamune is the usual dense main male character who can’t take a single hint from any woman making romantic advances towards him.

Another great part of this episode is the meeting between Sagiri, as Eromanga-sensei, and Elf Yamada. I like how Sagiri just acts as if she’s this leech of an old man behavior towards Yamada, just to get her somewhat disgusted and disinterested, therefore making her leave their household.

What happens is that Elf Yamada doesn’t take the bait and proceeds to interact with Eromanga-sensei, to the point of actually showing her panties to Eromanga-sensei just because she wanted an illustration. Of course, Masamune saw that and was left confused.

It was kind of annoying but relieving that Masamune is just that good of an older brother character and tries to do whatever is good for her little sister. He sees the meeting of Sagiri and Elf Yamada as a sort of new friendship. Much to Megumi’s displeasure, since she wanted to be Sagiri’s first friend.

Later near the end of the episode, Masamune is told by Sagiri that she’s stuck to drawing loli-characters and needs more “inspiration” – meaning Masamune must invite more girls to the household (wait this is all too familiar).

Masamune is called by Megumi and they meet up in the local bookstore where Masamune first meets Tomoe. He, then, opens up with a proposition to be some sort of “reference model” for Eromanga-sensei by “showing your panties to Eromanga-sensei.”

Comedic and flustered grill ensues.

Megumi comes out and devises a plan to befriend Sagiri – to buy “creepy otaku books” and share with Sagiri.

Oh, dear lord, where will this take us?

The episode, overall, was a mixture of tension, humor and disbelief. Mainly because the two main characters, Sagiri and Masamune, are operating at different wavelengths when it comes to each other’s perception of love for the other.

It was humorous because of the meeting between Eromanga-sensei and Elf Yamada. Tension was felt because of Megumi’s plan.

I love where the anime series is taking its story but at the same time, I worry for the character and relationship development of Sagiri and Masamune. Is it going to end up like Oreimo where they end up getting married and act as if nothing happened a few days after? Will it become a harem? Probably. Will I get triggered later down the road if Masamune gets a girlfriend but dumps her for his sister? Yes, I might.

In short: help me, I’m weaboo trash.