Jitsu wa Watashi wa – 03
Time to meet Mikan
This show is too cute, even when Youko isn’t really in it…
It’s Time For The Annoying Childhood Friend
Seriously, peeing jokes?
This week focused on the Demon Queen, the person who isn’t afraid to go all the extra lengths to get the story, Mikan Akemi. And if the story’s not really there, she’ll just make something up. After hearing Asahi and Youko get hot and heavy on her hidden microphone, but not hearing the whole story that it was just lunchtime for Youko, Mikan’s going to find out what their relationship is. First, she goes after the bros, figuring that she can get the story from them, but although she sets them up in “embarrassing poses” (because apparently she’s a 12-year-old boy), she doesn’t get any information out of them. That’s when she turns her attention for good to Asahi.
Okada is the best buddy Asahi has
I think it’s important to point out right at the beginning that no matter what pressure he’s under from Mikan, Asahi never gives up Youko’s secret. And although Mikan does end up finding out that there’s some sort of relationship between Youko and Asahi, she overstates it in her writeup in trying to find a scandal (and even labels it as fiction). It becomes clear through the entire episode that it’s not really the scoop that she’s after, it’s attention from Asahi. Of course, Asahi doesn’t make the connection until Okada points out to it that most of Mikan’s antics are focused on him because it gets a rise out of him. He’s a reliable target, he’s a predictable guy, and… Mikan’s got a schoolboy crush on him.
And she yells at inanimate objects…
Maybe She Can Put a Frog In His Desk
She figures out she might be losing him
It’s easy to see that she’s got a crush on him, just from the fact that she’s trying to hassle him, and the way she’s hassled him in the past. But it took me a few times watching it to understand that the reason Mikan actually gets so upset when Asahi finally follows Okada’s advice and stops resisting isn’t because he’s ruining her fun. Mikan was threatening to post the photos to get a denial from Asahi, to make sure that he’s not actually going out with Youko, who he spends some quality time with at her house. But when he gives up, Mikan realizes that Asahi really does like Youko, and isn’t afraid to admit it to the rest of the world (in fact, he has admitted it to the rest of the world, he just can’t get Youko to understand it). The reality of seeing her crush moving out of her life hits Mikan pretty hard, but again she deals with it like a 12-year-old boy, running away in a huff. But like everyone else in the school, Mikan has a secret to keep, and that’s that her glasses are possessed by a god of fortune, tsukumogami-style. But she’s not so happy about Fuku-chan’s prescription for her happiness: being honest about her feelings for Asahi.
Good job, Youko!
And back to that trip to Youko’s house, using the old “Delivering a handout to the person who stayed home from school” dodge. It’s another chance for breaking down the barriers between Youko and Asahi, and we see that Youko’s actually very comfortable with Asahi, maybe because she thinks he’s just her friend, but also because she trusts him. But there was definitely a bit of a subtext to Youko’s welcoming of Asahi, after having cleaned up her room quick, and being insistent that he stays for a while. Once again we see that she really does like having a friend that she can relax with and let her wings out. And maybe some of that is that she really does like Asahi, but hasn’t really come to the realization.
Flap Flap Flap (kawaiiiii!)
Either way, the interaction between Asahi and Youko is really cute, spontaneous, and natural. It’s my favorite thing about the show, and one reason I really like that the show has pretty much been OTP between those two. Not that I think that either Nagisa or even Mikan is a bad person, although Mikan tries with her Demon Queen routine (I have no idea why they translate that as “heathen” on Crunchyroll, the “heathen queen” makes no sense unless you’re talking about the queen of a group of heathens). She’s just not really grown up yet. But the show still has a great flow, and the characters are working really well playing off each other. At the moment, this is my early favorite for the season (helped to first place by a kinda weak episode of Shimoseka last week), because it’s cute, funny, and authentic… for having a vampire, a chibi-alien in a robot suit, and a possessed glasses childhood friend. We’ll see what otherworldly being we get introduced to next week.
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
Seriously, having a brownnosing, tormenting tattletale like Mikan for a childhood friend. Asahi is far more cursed than blessed. As if being unable to keep secrets wasn’t enough.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Sometimes those types childhood friends makes me wonder, what is their redeeming feature for them to be kept around or is the MC a complete fool?
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’m more on the MC being a masochistic doormat.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Even worse.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s just increasing his own suffering.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Just like being Lancer is suffering.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think the idea that Mikan is a ‘friend’ is probably overstated in translation. I doubt that Asahi considers Mikan his ‘friend’ the way that any of the characters that have been named in the show are his friend. More like childhood acquaintance who continues to have contact with him. Asahi is a friendly guy, so if Mikan was friendly to him, I’m sure he’d be friendly to her. But it’s more a situation where he just can’t avoid her attention since they go to the same school.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, she’s a friend in that, constantly needing to be approved and or payed attention to at nearly every single moment friendship usually works out. He’s always on her mind, but is he really? That change-over in her attitude was very telling, as you point out.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
More like close acquaintance instead?