Majimoji Rurumo – 03
Let’s peek in on Rurumo…
This has become one of my most anticipated shows this season. I know it is because I get downright ornery when a sub hasn’t dropped. Well, that and a cute little witch…
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So why is everybody always picking on me?
All according to keikaku?
So just what is she up to this week? Well, she lands a job as a lunch lady at Shibaki’s school (why she isn’t attending school…I have no idea), but that is only the small part. The large part is her dojikko routine. It’s smack in the middle of the moe gap as far as the male students are concerned. They fawn over her left and right and she drops everything from udon bowls, mop buckets, prepared food, to more than a little dignity. But this is all a “restriction”. Rurumo has made this part of her routine more or less on purpose. Why would she do such a thing? She has a shot at a normal life. What could be more important than that?
Chuunibyou demo koi ga shitai
Girls don’t have to try hard to make an entrance to the FHK club
Oh yeeaah, we got a new cute character in the mix. A girl that very much wants to join the FHK club for her own unique reasons. But other than being a Mahou Shoujo chuunibyou, Tanako Kujirai has her own sets of restrictions. “She may be missing a few marbles, but it’s a miracle for a girl to enter the FHK club”. She’s either too darn clueless to know her tricks are transparent, to darn chuuni to care, or…well what other reason? Suffice it to say, she’s joining the club for more than just an extracurricular activity. And this gives Shibaki, he that just wants normal contact with a girl, a shippers load worth of hope.
An unarmed battle of wits...
Well, that’s one more proof of Shibaki’s selflessness.
Which leads us to a little witch showdown. Or a magical girl duel if Tanako’s chuuni is believable…or not? This was perhaps my favorite bit, as it just lead us from one false expectation to the next building us up to the big reveal at the end. We all think she falls for the MC, Shibaki, but in truth she confesses her love to the club president. Who, let’s face it, is always shortfall in the buying of social clues.
In terms of direction, I thought this one turned out rather well. They were able to add just the right touch of tension when Tanako’s was doing her “final trick”. Either that or I am so incredibly stuck on my vertigo that TV hit’s me hard. But I think the one thing that really stands out in my mind and underscores her character, is Rurumo’s room. It’s closed of, it has a weird wardrobe, it feels cramped. She hasn’t escaped that jail she mentions in the premiere…
All according to keikuku, Shibaki? Yes? No? Beuller?
Wits, twists and mild gits
But the lasting impression this episode gives is the life that Rurumo finds herself in. Let’s face it, magic is often seen as a cheat; and as we see in this episode a literal lifesaver. Tanako could have been an awful and tragic character under normal rules. That’s the cheat, as is having a new lease on life granted by magic. A family that loves her, and a “big brother” that buys her cute clothes. She wants this new image, but is afraid of it as well. Rurumo is painfully aware of this, as she is aware that Shibaki has real unfound and unconfessed feelings for her. She acknowledges this in her own way and makes herself a clumsy idiot as a form of repayment. Is it going to work?
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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I like the cat. Reminds me of nyaa-san. Except that nyaa-san is more exasperated at nyaa-san’s apprentice demon/lover.