The kids are doing their friggin’ best in this week’s Just Because! The show remained as consistently acute and endearing as ever this time, with Ena in particular getting a serious bounty of charming new material. I feel a little sorry for Mopey Mio, but look, Ena’s the one out there putting the hard romcom hours into this relationship. If Mio wants a doomed adolescent romance, she’s gonna have to shape up quick.

You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my episode notes below.

Hazuki has let her hair down, an act that doubles as metaphorically letting her hair down. She’s self-conscious about it, but the act is itself an embracing of her body image

Mio’s indecisiveness conveyed even in her trying to choose a drink at the dispenser

Yoriko remains a blunt and good friend to Hazuki. “If you don’t regret it, pull yourself together”

And now things are weird between Eita and Ena. She’s worried he found her confession weird, and can’t talk to him

Haruto is so friggin’ bad at expressing any of his feelings towards Hazuki

Hazuki and Mio have a very grounded conversation about their future plans

Mio has realized she might just be following her sister, but if she doesn’t follow her sister, what else can she do?

Mio says Hazuki’s hair looks great, and that Haruto thought so too. Hazuki responds asking if Mio has feelings for Haruto

This sequence with Ena hiding behind the pillar is so great

I wish the animation weren’t so limited, but Ena’s triumphant “today sucks” is really great

Eita going out for a run because he can’t do anything else

“Just so you know, this isn’t a coincidence. It’s an ambush.” Ena is so good

Ena and Eita once again demonstrating that they’re pretty much the only “proven” couple of this series. They can actually talk to each other, actually have satisfying conversations

The old baseball dudes razzing Haruto about Hazuki and Yoriko is very endearing

And Hazuki now sees Haruto as the one having his act together

Haruto’s terrified eyes, lol

Ah, she actually cut the length significantly, too

Valentine’s Day is approaching

Mio articulates the fact that she just liked the feeling of having a crush

And so she chooses to go to a different school, and chooses to pick up the valentine chocolate

Of course, Eita doesn’t know this, meaning we’re moving towards some Gift of the Magi-style college admissions mixup