Love Lab – 08
Riko’s gone girly!
I’ve been watching Sasameki Koto recently, since CrunchyRoll said they’re losing their license for it at the end of the month, and I’ve been really surprised at how much I like it. Now, I know that yuri has been mentioned in conjunction with Love Lab (and argued that it’s not) but if you’re looking for actual yuri and shoujo ai, you should definitely go watch Sasameki Koto (I’m rooting for you, Sumika!). But for now, let’s see how Riko, Maki, and the others are doing this week.
Identity Crisis in the Student Council Room
Taking it WAY too far
Riko suffers from an identity crisis after finally learning that her nickname is “The Wild One” and deciding that she’s going to be more like Maki (who she laughed at for being the “Fuji Princess”). Good role model selection, Riko. At least her mother would be happy, but the problem is that she goes too far too fast, creeping everyone else out, and really making a fool of herself (including a sequence where she imitates every move Maki makes, leading Maki to contort into weird positions). But Maki finally breaks Riko by becoming Makio, which is a place that Riko’s just not going.
Just… no
The show also went a place that really shows it’s not American, at least: Maki (and Eno and Suzu) in blackface, because they got a question of “Are dark-skinned girls unpopular?” I don’t know if this part was funny or not, to be honest, because I was just boggled at how “wrong” it would be in just about any other country. I think it’s honestly still a lot wrong here, given Riko smacking Maki again.
Girly Riko really takes it to Sayo, mentally
Suzu also gets a little attention, since the other question is “What if I’m a little plump?” and she’s kind of taken on that mantle. Not that she actually is, as drawn, but she’s overly sensitive about it. And it does take Eno a little bit of scrambling to get her not worried about her bra size, too, but Maki tries to horn in on the flat-chested angst and gets smacked down quick.
What is the Newspaper Society After?
Itterasshai! Enjoy your date-o!
That’s really a question, isn’t it. This episode threw out multiple theories and they all got shot down. Nana-chan seems to think that it’s all to get their club status back, but Momo doesn’t seem to think that it’s that important. But then, Nana-chan also wants to get revenge on Sayo for (rightly) declining their request for too many funds, so Nana’s kind of all over the place, and forgets all of that when someone praises her photos. Plus, according to their advisor, they didn’t have any other active members anyway. The only thing that seems to be a lead is that they need to be reinstated as a club so that they can enter in an article contest. But even asking Momo about that, she says it’s not that important. In fact, Momo even asks if they want her to publish their love questions in her underground newspaper.
She’s really not interested in him
But the real crisis is for Sayo. Not only does she have to look at freaky girly Riko, but her “boyfriend” is actually coming to visit her, not that she wants him to, even threatening to ask him the other question they’ve gotten: “How do you tell a guy that you don’t want to be his girlfriend anymore?” But of course, Nana manages to capture the two of them together, and while they’re arguing, Sakagami-sensei, she of the highly-trafficked detention room, catches them, and puts Sayo through the ringer, finally getting her to admit that he’s her boyfriend, but that the rest of the Student Council didn’t know. Too bad they’ve got tea and cake to celebrate waiting for her.
Sayo takes the fall
Will Sayo stay quit from the Student Council? And how are they going to get out of this jam. The preview actually shows the guy in front of a group of teachers, so I’m guessing we’ll have an inquiry of sorts. My guess is that he’ll say all the ways that Sayo has put him off and that’ll help prove that he’s not really her boyfriend, just a guy who keeps being a stalker.
Girly Riko really took the cake this episode, tho, with that freaky walk, talking to flowers, saying the onomatopoeia out loud, and generally ticking everyone off. Thank goodness that didn’t last all episode. But now we have to wait until next weekend to find out the future of the Student Council!
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: 600-699 with 691 comments
awww i liked girly Riko
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
After seven episodes of seeing Riko as a tomboy, this change was far too drastic and didn’t suit her. I felt creeped out like the other girls did. *shivers*
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Riko just isn’t Riko if she isn’t a tomboy. I’ll take her normal character over her Maki-inspired one any day.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Amen to that, Sumairii! High five, bro. Tomboys are just as attractive in their own way as much as effeminate girls.
Guilty conscience. I’ve been browsing around Fakku too long.POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
What a coincidence. I was right in the middle of watching the episode when the post showed up.
Riko acting girly was creepy as hell so I can sympathize with the rest of the girls being mortified. She even broke Sayo of all people. Thank you for the Makio limit breaker. I’d take my cute tomboy Riko over that any day. And she seems to be learning from Index/Raigun’s Touma learning the new slapstick technique “Delusion Breaker”.
Things got real interesting with Sayo. Guess it takes a streak of bad luck to peel her layers back. Out of everyone, she’s the most mysterious. I might be jumping the gun but doesn’t her boyfriend look a bit like Riko’s childhood friend Satoshi? If so, they could be relatives. It’s a gamble but there could be a chance Maki finds a way to bail Sayo out in a way that she doesn’t need to quit.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I have no idea if the connection to Satoshi is true at all, but I don’t think they are related in the least. Just a case of slightly recycled character design, I’m guessing.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Girly Riko ftw! If her brother saw I think he would die from laughing his ass off xD
BEST EPISODE!
Blackface though wtf…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Followed by getting a sharp blow to the back of the head. After what happened last episode, if he doesn’t want to get possible brain damage, he’d better laugh in a place Riko can’t get to him. I’m pretty sure he already has a cracked skull.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 22 comments
True, USians do have a stick up their ass about the whole negro thing.
Nah, just USA and its lapdogs. The rest of the world is unlikely to give a shit. We’re normal, after all.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Highway, I’m with you on your prediction about Sayo’s BF. He knows better than anyone how nonexistent their relationship is. And perhaps his standing up for her will cause Sayo to think better of him. Not that she could be more involved with him anyway, considering the school will probably be keeping a closer eye on relationships after this scandal. But there’s always after graduation. Or the student council leading a movement to “legalize” relationships.
Also, this episode reminds me of how absolutely ridiculous the no relationships rule is. It just makes no sense and seems to function only as a blatant plot device, not that I think less of the show because of this. But surely no school in reality enforces such a rule?
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
i thought the dark skinned part was weird but i wasn’t particularly offended. only because they don’t know any better.
POWUH: iLurker with 11 comments
I thought the preview showed Makio pretending to be the guy?