Catch the other episode reviews here
Last episode, we met our main couple of the series and, all around, had a pretty damn good introduction to the story.
My Thoughts
Continuing to mess around with the timeline (not in a bad way, of course), we start this episode with more events from volume 2. Shikimori and Izumi have a “ball sports tournament,” and while I can’t say that’s incorrect, it’s certainly an odd way to put it. Izumi can barely walk without dying, so he’s worried more about cheering Shikimori on. Too bad both their games are right next to each other.
What they choose to do next is actually really cool and shows how good this adaptation has been at not only transforming things to better fit the medium but also adding more context to things, just like showing Izumi’s clumsiness better. They start the sequence leading up to Izumi getting hit in the face with a soccer ball, which then leads to Shikimori taking him to the nurse’s office. There’s a cute scene, etc.
In the manga, the soccer game is implied, not shown. We just start with him there. The anime decides to show us this but also throws in Shikimori’s volleyball game from volume 2 in right after. It completely changes the manga timeline but reworks it in a way that tells a much more coherent story. Doga Kobo is actually nailing everything and really solving all the problems I was expecting it to have. The very same problems Komi suffers from.
I’m also sensing that the volleyball…arc, if you can call it that, is setting up a later bit of character development that wasn’t in the manga yet, but I haven’t read far enough ahead to know that for certain. What I do know for certain is that Izumi is a good boyfriend that works hard to cheer on the girl he loves. Everyone that doesn’t like him, I don’t like you! Ok, maybe that’s a bit harsh, but I really don’t see how he’s unlikable.
A tad bland, I guess, but at least he has a more interesting design than more male protagonists in these things. Not only that but he’s actually got some backbone. Really likable, in my opinion, but hey, to each their own. Anyway, Shikimori becomes really popular with all the girls in class. The guys too, I imagine, but maybe in this world, they’re very respectful of happy relationships. Either way, it makes Izumi question if he’s right for Shikimori, yatta yatta.
So, Izumi is so distraught that he attempts to throw himself off the school steps to atone. Well, I mean, he actually slips, but I thought that was more dramatic. Shikimori shows up just in time to catch him, scolds him a bit, and the two declare their undying love again. Well, kind of. Basically. They’ve only kind of said that in passing, but you know they do.
This was another really good episode. I keep comparing this to Komi, but it’s very easy to see the similarities. I think looking at these two series next to each other shows how well Shikimori is doing with its adaptation. They’re both essentially the same thing. A collection of cute romance moments. That’s it. Shikimori is just pacing it much better, and again, more coherently than Komi did towards the end. I don’t know if they can keep it up, but I really hope they do.
I’m really happy with it, but this, of course, comes with the problem that they likely won’t adapt every single scene, and for some people, that will be a bad thing, but I never saw it as a possibility really. I think you need to trim the fat just a little bit. Also, props on the cool Shikimori faces. They feel way more fitting than I expected. Great adaptation all around so far.
Thank you very much for reading
Be an Izumi. Be a good person!
