Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu – 08 [Mildly NSFW]
Uh oh, we can see where this is going…
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…well we continue where we left off last week, with the gang heading to the hot springs. I have to admit, Satelight played this one with a fair bit of taste and humor, but that doesn’t mean the post won’t earn it’s Mildy NSFW marker… |
Endless Eight….not….
…sorry I couldn’t get Tsurya in the shot…
We did have a fair bit of progression with the Yuki and Kyon front. But in all honesty, it was even paced. We know that rom-coms must move at glacial speed, even when soaking in the onsen. Whereas last episode covered about three chapters, this one covered one, and was filled with mostly anime original content. The show has been confirmed for 16 episodes. We often hear complaints of two cour shows getting the “mid second cour blues”, so perhaps this count is the magic number…
Regardless of technical details, this episode went off without a hitch. Onsen shows are usually built along the same formula, and as this show isn’t regarded as an ecchi program, they played with the scenes in the most demure of fashions, I for one, and grateful for that, as I think the show does better without them. For the most part, onsen shows are there to exemplify character bonding to one extent or another, and in many cases raise the bar ever so slightly. If school are the characters at work, then the onsen is the characters at play (yes, those lines can blur…like a lot)
…some shows do table tennis better though…
But, even if such school life fare is a dime a dozen, that doesn’t mean a show can get sloppy and adhere to only formula. In that regard, Yuki-chan measures itself quite well. All of the scenes underline character interaction without devolving to outward silliness. Just the right amount of silliness to be exact. A favorite was the sudden departure from Kyon’s karaoke performance, and that one bit where Asakura “bounced” Yuki’s head on the surface of the outdoor bath just a tiny bit like a beach ball.
But as they featured it this episode, the main bit of fun was the matchmaker gate. As far as mischief goes, it’s narrow, but that doesn’t mean a sneaky slice of prurience cannot come through. For this gang, the idea is to be played with, and not really followed through on. Besides there’s always fun to be had on your side of the fence. And yes, there is Mikuru envy enough to go around, along with a fair bit of play. A bit unexpected, but not at all unwelcome (at least by choice members of the audience), is some of the skinship on the boy’s side…
…sometimes Othello just isn’t enough….
Matchmaking…
I quite liked this exchange. It did everything an onsen episode is supposed to do. It also had a sense of charm to it. There isn’t a thing wrong with an innocent bit of exploration, and they put in just the right stops to keep it from veering out of control. It also might be a bit of a road sign. I don’t think Yuki-chan would have been so daring with any other fella, so it’s her on her road to become more comfortable around him, and especially him, not just other people. But the tire can be punctured, so to speak, as Kyon’s reaction could have been for any other girl there. Men, huh?
A few more dips in the bath
Haru-nyan want’s something….bigger…
Obligatory shot….
…a lovely eyecatch….
YEAH!
“Have you seen our mansion staff? If so, please return them to our Island“
I’m not a betting man. But I would put a few chips down on the identity of who moved past the matchmaker window so quickly. As she is the star of the show, it’s fitting for it to be Yuki-chan herself. It’s also somewhat fitting of her character that she missed the timing just a bit.
Nothing like some good clean fun. I think this one had the highest count of other Haruhi franchise references that I was able to notice, but some other episodes might have featured content from non-adapted novels, so what the heck do I know, having not read one of them, much less the un-adapted ones. They did manage to sneak in one of the old character songs in Mikuru’s karaoke performance. I’m not sure if Kyon’s was taken from any source, as I couldn’t quite get the mettle to track it down. But, as far as Sugita goes, he’s done better?
As I mentioned earlier, they are at the half-way point of the story, with a good half of the manga adapted. Not that I really feel blow-by-blow adaptation is the way to go all the time. But they are on pace. I can also say that this is really the half-way point for the story as things are going to change. As I said in the First Impression, this isn’t just simply school life, but I do want to emphasize, that it’s also not going to be a Haruhi S3. It’s Yuki’s story, and an alternate version at that. So the changes coming are going to fit right into what we’ve seen so far. I cannot wait….
Next Time
“Hold my hand”
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
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Completely SFW! 😛
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…better forewarned…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
A Cat Is Fine Too at Work.