Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Misuzu increasingly finds herself facing how she might impede Tomo’s relationship with Jun, which weighs on her.
| Aired (Crunchyroll) | March 15, 2023 |
| Director(s) | Daiki Nakamura |
| Writer(s) | Megumi Shimizu |
| Newly Noted Characters | |
| Tatsuro | Yuu Wakabayashi |
| Previously Noted Characters | |
| Jun | Kaito Ishikawa |
| Tanabe | Matsuoka Yoshitsugu |
| Carol | Sally Amaki |
| Misuzu | Rina Hidaka |
| Tomo | Rie Takahashi |
Recap
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Raising Expectations – Jun, Tanabe, Carol, Misuzu, Tatsuro, Tomo
To make some money for a gift, Tomo proclaims to Misuzu she wants to get a job, Carol wants in, and Tanabe shows up, offering them to work at his family’s ramen shop. His dad Tatsuro agrees, and for about a week, they all work there. Tomo is a waitress, Misuzu is a hostess, and Carol attracts attention to the restaurant.
Jun even comes by to eat, not work and realizes there is something about Tomo serving him that feels nice. He even decides to keep coming throughout the week to get this experience over and over again. But, with telling Tomo this information, once again, Jun gives her hope.
I Cursed Her – Misuzu, Tomo
After trying to force close contact, maybe even a boob grab, but failing, Misuzu realizes she has cursed Tomo. By telling her in middle school she needs to be more girly, now Tomo feels she isn’t enough and has to strive to be something she is not. The guilt weighs on Misuzu since, even with her getting closer to Carol, Tomo is her best and childhood friend.
Because of this, Tomo checks on her when Misuzu stays home to avoid Tomo. But, learning she has been cast as Cinderella in a class play leads to her storming into school.
Cinderella – Misuzu, Tomo, Jun, Carol
Most of the cast is set with Misuzu as Cinderella, Tomo as the Prince, Carol as the Stepmother, and Jun as a tree. But, while Misuzu, as when working in Tanabe’s shop, can switch things up and perform, Tomo is having trouble. Her natural state as the “Lady Killer” is what the role calls for, but with her so focused on wanting to come off as more feminine, she stumbles and struggles.
So, to help ease Tomo into being herself, Misuzu encourages her to perform the role as she normally would talk, leading to good results. But, the fun part for Tomo isn’t getting the hang of the role but convincing Jun to help her practice by reading the lines of Cinderella. She gets a real kick out of this as Jun struggles with playing a feminine role.
Things To Note
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What is Tanabe going to do now that he has Misuzu’s contact number?
- Can you imagine what Misaki would try to do if he learned Jun felt his girlfriend’s breast?
What Could Happen Next
- Tanabe may put in some effort to talk to Misuzu, and with her feeling guilty about Tomo, he could at least become a friend
Review
Highlights
The Evolution of Misuzu’s Feelings
Often, Misuzu can be a more evolved form of a tsundere, as she often goes for the jugular but, so it seems, still wants some level of closeness. In my mind, how she acts with Jun isn’t just because of him breaking up with her or how obtuse he is to Tomo’s feelings, but because he is the guy she is closest to, and she doesn’t understand it. That’s why when it comes to Tanabe, things are weird.
Misuzu only had a short time to explore what it would mean to date a boy before it went south. So him showing and saying he likes her? All she can think of is how things went with Jun, and it leads to disgust.
Yet, when she tripped and landed on him, and he was worried about her, and she let her guard down, it was like we got to see a softer side of Misuzu. One who wasn’t insecure about losing her friend, guilt-ridden about potentially leading her astray, or none of that. She was focused on someone else, a boy, and it seemed to naturally have her in a different mental state.
Now, it is hard to say if Tanabe could bring that back out of her, but who knows? We saw Carol’s dark side and her cry, so there could be a chance Misuzu’s affection and loving side could exist. It just needed the right person to give a reason for it to come out.
Gender Performance
As shown in the last few episodes, Jun has modeled himself after Tomo. He was a gamer, who was not athletic at all, but because Tomo was, and he wanted to keep up with her, he got stronger. He ran, worked out, learned to fight, and anything she did, he would do, and it really helps you understand how Misuzu messed things up. Jun loves who Tomo is and is inspired to be her.
Yet, Tomo is made to downplay those qualities that led to a lasting friendship because the assumption is that Jun doesn’t want a girlfriend with masculine traits. But, as shown when he was dating Misuzu and when he hangs out with Carol, he can’t hang out or deal with an overtly feminine woman. He does like a feminine body, but someone dainty? That doesn’t work.
So there is a need to question, as Tomo explores her gender identity and learns she does like some feminine things, how will Jun react? He is often shocked, if not surprised, but that is when one-off changes happen. How will the relationship shift when Tomo isn’t setting the standard for his masculinity and instead is able to embrace her femininity and blend the two?
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