12.15
Yay, Summer episodes mean Summer wardrobe!
Leave it to the unassuming Kumin-senpai to knock it out of the park with her classy white outfits. Interesting to note how Nibutani mentions how old-school it is in comparison to, say, hers which isn’t all that memorable. The real kicker is that Kumin would probably say something along the lines of “what, this ol’ thing?” unironically if someone were to compliment her outfit. After the disaster that were the derp hats in Natsuyuki Rendezvous I almost lost all hope for hats in anime.
Rikka’s grandparents are your typical grandparents/plot device to get the cast in the setting of a nice, big house nearby the beach. The grandma being more accepting of Rikka’s syndrome in comparison to the grandpa was, like most things in the series, just too real. In general, most of the things in Chu2 seem like they had to have been based on the author’s past experiences. I can’t see the author being able to get into characters like Rikka and Yuuta’s heads without having experienced what they’re going through firsthand.
I can see Yuuta going because Rikka’s sister made him, but the rest of the club members have absolutely no business being there except to lighten the mood, which I’m grateful for. With Isshiki now part of the main cast, it’s like a dream team of comedic relief is finally completed. Things felt a bit too one-sided with Kumin sleeping while Deko and Nibutani poked at each other, but Isshiki seems to have balanced all that out. So while their presence there makes no sense from a practical standpoint, it still works. And I guess you could say they tagged along because they’re the only friends they’ve got, for better or worse. Nibutani’s occasional lines of not being the most popular among the cheerleaders seems to support this.
While Kumin wins again for best outfit in a scene, I must say I’m kinda surprised that out of all the girls, Deko and Rikka ended up being the least covered up. Is the result of videogames featuring scantily clad female characters? I actually wouldn’t be surprised if that was the reasoning behind it all. As a sidenote, while Rikka’s beach-wear doesn’t come anywhere near Kumin’s, it still gives off a certain something. Dunno what, but she pulls it off.
So this is the heavy-into-the-drama episode(s). I guess it was only a matter of time until an explanation for Rikka’s syndrome was given. Whenever comedies try to get into a more serious story-telling mode, I feel like the only way it can be guaranteed to succeed is if they tell their serious story in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner. Otherwise, it just ends up coming out of left field and I end up not watching it no matter how good its shonen references are (I’m sorry, Binbougami Ga!). Surprisingly enough, though, Chu2 was able to handle Rikka’s backstory incredibly seriously without having the episode as a whole suffer from it. This series just can’t do wrong, I tell you!
In addition to the variety of outfits for the cast, I was also pretty surprised that they went as far as giving different tan tones for each character after they went to the beach. Apparently Kumin just slept under the umbrella all day, if her lack of tan tells anything.
I know Yuuta’s pretty much a part of Rikka and her wacky adventures by this point, but to have him be a part of something more serious in Rikka’s life seems to up the ante, if that makes any sense. Like, helping make a club? Sure. But helping get to the roots of possible daddy issues? Dude. Yuuta. I only support this because Rikka/Yuuta moments are just too cute for words.
And just when you thought things might get too intense, they drop some comedy in the form of falling from a second-story roof. This series!
Would it be considered a downgrade if the supporting cast is given scenes where they essentially play the role of the fans and just gush over Yuuta and Rikka? I say no. Again, their awkward kinda-romance is just too cute for words.
And end out the episode with the saddest visual possible. While an empty lot in the midst of a bunch of houses doesn’t really make sense when you consider that the house used to be a lot itself, it does serve as a pretty depressing sight even without the context.
Also, just how were Rikka and Yuuta able to bike all the way there yet have it seem like Rikka’s sister wasn’t waiting all that long for them? While on the topic of Touka, is she really so stubborn that she won’t let Rikka and co. drive to their grandparent’s place in her car? Is bus fair free in Japan? So many questions, all of them transportation related.
Again, not the biggest fan of the fight scenes in the series. I mean, it makes sense to include them, but at the end of the day they just serve as nice little asides from the rest of the story. I will say, it was a nice little addition to include the house as part of Rikka’s delusions this time around, though. Having it disappear once Rikka was forced to accept the truth added a nice amount of oomph to the scene that consisted mainly of domestic violence otherwise (maybe I’ve grown used to American TV, but seeing kids get slapped is just weird and off-putting to me).
I get that the rest of the guys aren’t crucial to the plot, but to have them literally just hanging out away from the plot is very… odd. It’s like when you come over to a friend’s house, but your friend isn’t there so their parents let you in and you just awkwardly watch TV for a while. I’m sure the grandparents must think of them as some kind of freeloaders. If I have any complaint about this series it’s that the rest of the cast hasn’t really identified themselves as being friends with Rikka and are more just there for the ride. Hopefully the final episode brings that element in.
Depression commercial, Chu2 style! We already got the gist of Yuuta’s backstory, but having him explain it at this point was fitting. That feeling of exclusion even when you’re among friends is just another of those things that this series understands.
Kumin-senpai being home-schooled makes too much sense. Having Nibutani tell her to cut the whole cutesy thing and Kumin having no idea what she’s talking about was hilarious and just further proves that Nibutani interactions are the best interactions for comedy. Also, as a dude I just have to say I find it strange that girls blow-dry their hair.
Yuuta is essentially having a nerd’s fantasy come true right now. But it’s played off so effortlessly that I don’t mind at all. I’m sure it helps that he doesn’t see Rikka in any kind of romantic light while this is happening so nothing seems too forced even when on paper it should seem that way. I mean, not only did you chase the girl to catch her train departure, but she forgot her key code to her place and has to stay at your conveniently empty place for the night? I’d hate it if any other show did it, but Chu2 just makes it work.
And just as a safety net of sorts, it was nice to have Isshiki’s romantic failures juxtaposed alongside Yuuta’s romantic streak. Wasn’t really necessary for me, but for those not yet invested in Rikka/Yuuta, it was a nice breather moment.
But seriously, how can you not be invested in Rikka/Yuuta by now? It’s the perfect match of syndrome-ey and ex-syndrome-ey. And once you get past Rikka’s eccentricities and she starts to show her true self (oddly enough, her line about Yuuta’s clothes smelling like him is probably the most normal thing she said this episode) I honestly don’t know how Yuuta could resist.
I take it for Rikka, this was the equivalent of first base. Kinda makes you think about what second and third would be. Either way, romance is definitely blossoming. Definitely the best episode of the series so far.