Well, it can’t be more uncomfortable than last week.
Episode 6
0:10 – The lilting school bell fills me with unearthly dread. Uuuugh…
0:25 – Now there’s an appropriate freeze-frame
1:17 – Oh man those classmate reaction shots. This show can be really funny when it wants to – Kasuga’s screaming derp-run, Nakamura’s airplane-noises stalking…
2:06 – What a lovely song this is
3:20 – It’s a great show in its own right, but every part of this really does play like a cruel perversion of a classic romcom, even down to the demented OP sung by the MCs
3:46 – Yamada’s definitely got a spine – he’s gone against Nakamura’s wishes plenty of times now, and here he’s immediately calling out his asshole friend for abandoning him when the class turned against him. This makes me both more aware of his frank dim view of people and more inclined to think he’s putting up with Nakamura’s bullshit at all because he likes the romantic tragedy of being abused like this
4:38 – Another great moment – Kasuga pausing mid-prance in horror
6:30 – Jeez, middle schoolers are dicks. I like how they just resort to make weird bird noises at them as they leave the room
7:59 – “Are you and Nakamura friends?” “WHY WOULD YOU ASK THAT, PRAY TELL?!?” God, this show doesn’t need the soundtrack to create an uncomfortable atmosphere – Kasuga’s perfectly capable of doing it all by himself
9:23 – “It’s a bit embarrassing to hear someone say that, huh?” Oh, Saeki. Saeki Saeki Saeki. That’s embarrassing?
11:27 – I like how you just get the shots of the desks being put together – “That’s right, shitheads, it’s time for an awkward lunch scene”
15:24 – “If you really loved her, you’d want to look at the whole picture” – Holy shit, Nakamura’s totally right for once! Kasuga is creating a fabricated version of Saeki to fit his own warped delusions of idealized platonic love. Unfortunately, her proving him wrong on this obvious truth will probably make him start thinking some of the othercrazy things she says are true, and then we’re gonna have a problem
16:45 – C’mon, who wouldn’t trust that face? [RES ignored duplicate image][1]
17:41 – “…spend eternity bound in noble and sublime love…” It’s like Nakamura is making Kasuga even more stuck in his delusions, since he has to articulate them all the more fervently to counteract her influence. Healthy!
18:32 – “I sure hope it wasn’t you… here are today’s printouts. You should take them to her.” After six straight episodes of middle schoolers being terrible to each other, it’s nice to get a brief glimpse of someone actually worried about their friend in an honest way
19:00 – This is it Kasuga! This is the moment. Walk in there, explain that you took her gym clothes, and it was stupid, and you regret it, and since then Nakamura has been abusing you, and that yesterday didn’t mean anything, and that you wish none of it had ever happened, and you hope she can forgive you! And she likes you, so she will, and the show will end at 6 episodes and we’ll all live happily ever after and I won’t have to live in this nightmare world of insecure middle schoolers any more
And Done
Man, Nakamura just makes this show. Well, I actually think both her and Kasuga are playing their roles to perfection, but her bouncy, silly enthusiasm for all of her cruel pranks is just great, and keeps the show from ever feeling dreary. She’s definitely one of the most entertaining villains I’ve seen