Love Lab – 05
It’s turned from the Love Lab to the Letter Club
I think I was as surprised as anyone when Love Lab was put in the “Bad” group in the MetaVerse Podcast last week, but it seemed to be there entirely because of the possible yuri vibes. I really don’t think the show goes that way, even if the random girls in the background get hearts in their eyes when they see Riko, or Maki, or Riko and Maki together. I don’t even think Suzu is in love with Riko, as much as she wants a boyfriend who is just like Riko. It’s certainly not like YuruYuri, even though the characters look similar (as Fosh pointed out), where there was definitely a love polygon going on, as well as multiple side crushes (like Sakurako and Himawari).
I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
Maki and Eno give a special English lesson
The Student Council’s plan to broadcast their answer about what to give a guy gets put into action, and mastermind Riko has assigned roles to everyone. Trying to get everyone in the place where they can do the most good, She sends Maki and Eno to bluff their way onto the broadcast, using a skit in english, for plausible deniability, to get across the point about presents that guys don’t like (handmade or expensive gifts and that it’s best to just ask what he wants). Meanwhile, Sayo and Suzu are sent to the teachers’ office to distract them, but under instructions that Suzu is the one who talks. Or doesn’t talk, as it turns out, as her dojikko tendencies take over and she stammers, spills, and slips her way through not actually saying anything, but being really moe about it. Sayo is actually impressed with Riko’s forethought about having Suzu do this, and she was right about “whether she does well or not, it’ll work.”
Poor Suzu…
And Riko’s part of the plot? Despite what she tells the rest – that she’ll stand guard – she’s actually intending to take the blame. And Sakagami-sensei is all too ready to blame Riko for breaking the rules. And Riko intends to keep her real part of the plan secret, even though Sayo spies her getting taken to the detention room and Maki notices her usual hair tie is missing. But Sayo’s much more apt to keep secrets so that she can torment Riko. The truth doesn’t come out until Maki runs into Sakagami-sensei the next day in the library, who wishes Riko could be more like Maki, instead of making trouble “like she did yesterday.” But Maki points out that Riko is supportive of her, and she tries to be more like Riko in some ways, leading Sakagami-sensei to maybe consider Riko a bit differently.
Riko gets the crappy part of the plan
Random Acts of Comedy
Riko has to make up with everyone first
After the radio broadcast caper, they got back to some of the in-club activities that are always full of laughs. From Riko’s poor English skills to Maki’s desperation for a boyfriend to Sayo’s complete dismissal of the boy unlucky enough to be her boyfriend, the topic bounces around giving us a chance to see the usual quirks of everyone in this group. Standing out is Maki’s cross-dressing as a guy to try to motivate Riko to study English, which more motivates Eno and Suzu, to the point where their ideal guy starts being “Makio”, or in Suzu’s case a mix of Riko and “Makio.”
Eno falls hard for Makio
Interrupting the action, they girls actually get another comment box submission from the girl who asked the original question, where she thanks them for the advice, and says she actually gave it a try. Unfortunately what she found out from the guy she liked was that he likes another girl. But after crying a bit, she realizes he’s not in a relationship yet, and decides that she’ll try to win him after all! Of course this sets Maki off again about wanting a boyfriend, but Sayo (hypocritically, or maybe not) points out that a Student Council member having a boyfriend would be a big scandal, since it’s forbidden at the school. But the next challenge for the girls is coming up, as some amateur reporters start getting wind of what the Student Council is actually studying…
Another fun episode of Love Lab, and I think the show’s doing really well at spreading around the laughs. It’s not all at one person’s expense, and it doesn’t totally rely on Riko being the tsukkomi. The show is pretty liberal at passing around the idiot ball, making everyone have the things they’re good at and bad at. But how much will this scandal coming up nab them all? Or will they make it through mostly unscathed again?
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I was also caught off by how this show was categorized on the MetaVerse podcast. If anything, I’d put it as moderate. Not bad but not that good that you’d be ranting about it. To me, it’s a feel good show and as for the vibes, it’s gets prejudice on yuri as I assume would be same as Free! supposedly harboring BL vibes.
The interesting thing in this show is that despite being cute and all, you can actually see blood like when Sayo burned Riko about her ethic when she studies or when Maki got embarassed when Eno was disrespecting her father about lingerie.
I admire Riko determination to help the club and the clients even if it means sacrificing herself but she shouldn’t try to shoulder everything. In the end, she was doing the same thing Maki did taking in all the responsibility. I imagine she felt the karma when Maki used the slapstick on her.
What bugged was that teacher acting all high and mighty when she doesn’t know Riko enough to even suggest who she should be like more. I can’t stand people like that.
Maki’s crossdressing prowess is too powerful. Totally didn’t see that coming.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think Sakagami-sensei has had quite the long history with Riko. Riko’s always been the ‘bad girl’ of the school, that’s how she’s got the name “The Wild One”, and they’ve had their run-ins before. I think what this was was more that Maki helped Sakagami-sensei see that there was more to Riko than she’s presented the rest of the time.
It would definitely be good for Riko to be more like Maki in a lot of (or even most) ways. But there are just some ways that Riko is better, too.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Well, not everyone can be Hajime. If you’re a teacher who’s caught a habitual trouble-maker in a questionable spot, you aren’t likely to say “oh maybe she has her reasons”. Instead, you will jump to the obvious conclusion that she’s up to no good again. That’s just how human psychology works, for better or for worse.
But yeah, the bishie powers are strong with Makio. =)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Riko is pretty smart to get everyone assigned to the right job. Even herself. I would have been mad at her as well.
Definitely no YuruYuri vibes here, but it wouldn’t hurt to add a few. That Makio is just cheating….
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
she does a good work in her own way, she already knew what would happen pretty smart of her!