Jitsu wa Watashi wa – 11
Awwwww
It’s a trap! Well, not really a trap, but we get a setup and then we get some soul searching.
It’s a Setup!
Yeah, there’s nobody else there…
So you believe your friend and go to the festival to hang out with them all in a nice group. And then when you get there, the only person there is the guy you were heard to confess to, even though you didn’t actually do it, or it’s just the girl who confessed to you, even though she said she didn’t right afterward. Awkward… But Nagisa and Asahi do end up spending their time together, after Asahi points out that Nagisa was definitely looking forward to it, having come in her adorable goldfish yukata (skylion loves that Chibi-Nagisa always wears the same outfit as Big Nagisa, but unfortunately we only get a quick look at Chibi-Nagisa in a cute little goldfish yukata). Of course, the excuse for Nagisa is that they’re looking for Youko, although that gets forgotten a few times.
Shiho’s always happy to share
And Youko is certainly there, spying on the two that she’s set up, but now she’s alternating between being smug that they’re getting along so well and that *gyuuu* in her chest… because they’re getting along so well. And through all of the spying, Shiho is a great wingwerewolf, even trying to point out that Youko maybe is acting counter to her own feelings. Shiho also gets the win this time (again) for best laugh line, when she invites Mikan’s little brothers to touch her boobs. But unfortunately, Youko’s not really listening to Shiho, too caught up in herself.
Nagisa’s finally given up
And Nagisa and Asahi are actually having a good time, because even if Asahi likes Youko more, he is still a good guy and will do his best to help a cute friendly alien have a good time at her first shrine festival. And in a change from her attitude at the beginning of the series, Nagisa is a lot more interested in getting along with the earthlings. Well, at least one earthling, because when Asahi catches her from falling, and she gets her hair caught on his button, she finally gives up and admits her feelings to herself, at the same time that they become clear to Youko, Mikan, and Shiho. The only one who doesn’t get it is Asahi.
Taunting Isn’t Nice
“ehhhhh?”
Following up at school the next day, Nagisa’s avoiding Asahi, Mikan is pretty short with him, a bit jealous of the other two. And Youko is just out of it, so much so that Akane takes the golden opportunity to troll Youko a bit. Even if Youko denies that’s how she feels, it’s really gotten into “Methinks the lady doth protest too much” territory. And by the time Akane’s finished trolling Youko (an end signalled by the return of Akari to the scene), I think that Youko’s really figured out that it’s not shrines she has a problem with, it’s other people moving in on her boy.
Complete with backdrop
This was my favorite writing for Akane so far. It was a great way to use the two traits that Akane has: being older and having life experience and being a brat. She was able to put just that bit of spin on the situations that Asahi and Youko had been in to bring out a plausibly true narrative and embarrass the heck out of Youko, and she didn’t turn into a childlike brat in the process. Her impressions of Asahi were great, and the scene played out just perfectly, bordering on caricature, but not really overdoing it. Even the sequence that got Youko out of Akane’s office, with Akane’s one-word “Ohhhhh?” goading her on again and again, was excellent.
Might be pushing it a little much here, Akane
But by the time Akari chases off Akane and the real Asahi shows up, Youko’s had to face enough of her feelings that she can’t really deny them to herself anymore. So she does the only thing left: runs away. Will anyone be able to clearly state their feelings in the last episode?
Youko did realize something at the festival, it seems
I want to give a little more character spotlight this week, with Shiho getting the nod this time. Yeah, she’s mostly a joke character, but even in that limited slot, she’s both written and played perfectly. The character hasn’t been ruined at all by having the one-off appearances, and after a few early instances hasn’t needed to overdo it to get the laughs and the sexiness. It’s also good that they don’t focus on the werewolf part, and go with the pervert part of the character instead. Plus she’s got a style that just fits the oddball nature of the show. Like this episode, wearing that trucker hat with wolf ears along with her usual outfit, it added just the right amount of trashiness to her. Similarly, she’s always played right on that edge of loose morals, with her pervert girl schtick going far enough to get genuine laughs and reactions (“Oh, I lost my panties”), but never going too far and getting into skeevy territory. Even if you know she was serious about letting Mikan’s brothers touch her boobs, it plays as completely funny, not creepy. Another great character in this show full of them.
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: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Oh look! It’s Ted! The foul-mouth, pimping, etc2 etc2 Teddy!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I have a deep love for Tiny Class Rep. I wish they would bring her out more. But, with this show, they toe the line that “less is more”, and never overplay a character when just-the-right-amount-of-play will always do. Shiho is a great case in point for that. They play her character just right. But then she brings a symphony with every note.
Akane is more troll than demon. But she’s an effective troll that’s for sure. But I think she’s more interested in having fun with her subject than in helping her unwind. Somehow, it’s all gonna dawn on our vampire girl sooner or later.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Akane is definitely a troll, but as I said, I really liked the way she morphed, just a little bit, from the bratty way she acted in the first instance we saw her. And even if she’s a troll, I think that she actually does take some pleasure and happiness from seeing Asahi and Youko be in love. We saw that when she was spying on them in the pool. She’s not trying to harm their relationship, or drive them apart, or be an impediment. If anything, she’s trying to push Youko into realizing the feelings she has for Asahi. Akane just goes about it in a way that maximizes her personal benefit.
I think it’s hard to gush too much about these characterizations, at least in relation to how great the show is playing them all. Like you say, they aren’t overdoing anything. It’s such an instructive contrast compared to a show like Shimoneta, that does overplay its characters. And while it’s kind of the schtick of that show, it can be tiring, especially when they really overdo it. Inversely, Jitsu wa uses all the characters, enough to make them be more than just plot drivers, but not so much that they become hardly more than their jokes. I think Mikan and Shiho really exemplify this, as I’ve talked about in the last two posts, while Nagisa and Youko take up the mantle of the main characters. Mikan and Shiho could have been turned up to 11, always torturing Asahi and Youko, always being the bad guy, turning the show into a repeated “how can we avoid Mikan and Shiho today” enterprise. But instead, they turn them down to, say, a 5 and blend them into that symphony you mention.