Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish): Season 1/ Episode 8 “Sweet Refrain” – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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The time to confess, and likely be rejected, has come.

 Episode Focus: That Sunday, That Summer (Akane, Mugi, Hanabi, and Kanai)

It’s the summer and with that, both Mugi and Hanabi are separated from their crushes. However, in order to move on, likely with each other, they have to remove the obstacle. For Hanabi, her confession brings closure. Kanai thanks her for liking him and that’s it. Mugi’s is a bit more complicated. For while he knows Akane is full of crap and verbally says that, she is a snake charmer. So even with Mugi calling her out, she somehow gets him into her hotel suite. So while Hanabi has moved on and waits for Mugi, Akane has won another battle that Hanabi didn’t even know to prep for.

Commentary

One of my major issues with this whole Akane and Mugi situation is that it doesn’t have the background of most of the unrequited loves on this show. It seems purely shallow in comparison to how everyone else grew up with their crush and developed feelings. Heck, even for Atsuya, noted below, there is something there which makes it seem to be more than him finding Ecchan physically appealing. Yet, while I say that, I realize that Akane is a sausage wallet. She just collects men.

But with Mugi calling her out and still sleeping with her, it leads you to remember Mei. He didn’t necessarily want to have a sexual relationship with her, but it developed into that. Which, now that I think about it, could be why he has such a difficult time pursuing sex with anyone. He is so used to the woman being the aggressor or not so shy about it, that he now has to adapt. For both Mei and Akane are experienced. They seem to know what they want out of sex, both mentally and physically, while Hanabi and Noriko are still discovering what sex is. Not in terms of what is the physical act, but what they like, what they are comfortable with, and how to ask permission.

So it is going to be interesting to see if this is just written off like Hanabi and Mugi’s past times pseudo-cheating on one another. Especially since Mugi didn’t just hear the words “I like you too” but had sex. So whether he is now just another one of the foolishly love struck or he truly isn’t entranced, I can’t wait to see.

Subplot 1: A Cousin’s Love (Ecchan and Atsuya)

I don’t necessarily understand why, but we learn that Ecchan’s cousin has a crush on her. A middle school styled crush where he blushes just looking at her. She, of course, has no interest in him. But, being that she hangs out with him and seems to enjoy his company, he is reading the fine print and trying to figure out a loophole. For while Ecchan says she hates guys, Atsuya she still hangs out with. Though she says she likes girls, could it be she is just bi and didn’t find the right guy yet? This is the mindset of Atsuya.

Commentary

I wonder if your cousin liking you is as weird in Japan as it is in America. For once he noted they were cousins, and I don’t think he meant that in an affectionate way, like how Hanabi refers to Kanai, I checked out. For while I get this show is titled “Scum’s Wish” there is just so much one can accept and try to work with. This being one of those things you just have to tap out on.