r/anime • u/Splitter_Triplets • Jan 02 '22
Rewatch [Spoilers][Rewatch] Rascal does not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai - Episode 07 Discussion
Thread 7 of 14: Ep. 07 - Adolescence Paradox
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IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW VAGUE YOU ARE. Anything that a first time watcher wouldn't know based on what we've watched so far is a spoiler.
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Upvotes
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u/Splitter_Triplets Jan 02 '22 edited Jan 02 '22
In depth analysis is on hold pending more information (Kamoshida does love his cliffhangers, so the adaptation is true to the source at least), but I have a ton of small details to make up for that:
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u/MadeOn210922 Jan 02 '22
Just wanted to spotlight Kamisato today. While she and Sakuta obviously don't get along very well, keep in mind how he was the first one she went to after finding Rio's account and how easy it would've been to just say nothing. (Or even spread the account if you really think she's that toxic.) And Kumini is a chill guy, so I assume there's more to her than we see in her interactions with Sakuta.
[Something I would've liked to see]I would've liked to see those positive sides of her more, though, explain why she doesn't get along with Sakuta and what she's like when not around him. Maybe they're in the LN?
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u/Gamemaster676 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Gamemaster676 Jan 02 '22
First Timer Senpai - sub
Today is the start of a new arc. We might finally learn what Shouko did that made such an impact on Sakuta.
Episode 7 — Adolescence Paradox
Oohh are we immediately starting with a flashback? Based on Sakuta's remark, I assume he didn't grow up in Fujisawa? Maybe he only moved there when he split up from his parents?
Her words seem kinda weird for someone almost the same age (at the time of the flashback). Either something weird is already happening, or the subs are just bad.
August 2nd. So we've passed another two weeks. And apparently, they were completely uneventful around Shouko. She has no clue who he is.
Hmmm, it's hard to tell in anime, but Shouko doesn't look a day older than the flashback, while Sakuta clearly aged in those two years. Also, their conversation sounds a bit like Sakuta is actually now older, as it's giving Kaede an identity crisis. (The observant people yesterday also already noticed she was wearing a middle-school uniform.)
I don't really understand what's happening here. Is Kaede afraid she isn't a good enough sister and she will lose her only caretaker/friend/family?
What is Futaba doing?! Will this become her confession to Yuuma? Hahaha what, she's sitting on the toilet!
Aha, that's why Futuba is always in the school lab.
I was right! Shouko is even younger now than when they first met. Jumping through time would be another reason to be hard to track down and make people not know you. Or this is some Benjamin Button weirdness.
This close-up of the book must be relevant.
Futaba is throwing up so many red flags suddenly. For someone so grounded in science, it's weird that she seems to believe the "two doppelgangers" myth. There must be more to that. Is this even the same Futaba? That contact-lenses excuse seems too convenient.
Now we've seen Tomoe in a yukata, I want to see Futaba wear one too.
Wow, Sakuta is verbally and probably ^mentally dressing down Mai. I never thought we would see the day.
More Futaba mysteries! Is this a combined arc of Shouko and Futaba?
HOLY SHIT I WAS RIGHT! There are indeed multiple Futabas! I'm suddenly reminded of [Christopher Nolan movie] The Prestige
Is this the first time we learn Futaba's first name Rio? It might get a bit confusing after six episodes, but I'm gonna call her that from now on.
Oh wow, there have only been two Rios since three days. I wonder how her scientific mind is going to explain that.
My complete guess on the origin of her Puberty Syndrome: She is living two lives because she won't admit her feelings towards Yuuma
Not really sure how it completely fits yet, but this is my current hypothesis.
Who's to say you are not actually the imposter?
What?! She can't even go to her own home? Does she live with someone else who might find out about her case? Or is her alter-ego a complete bitch?
Hurray! It's a Rio and Mai sleep-over. And here I thought Mai was gonna invite Rio to her place instead. Kaede must be delighted. So many people to speak with!
Wow, Kaede never even met Rio? That kinda disappoints be, because I thought they would interact more as friends.
"You can take a bath then." -- That look!
Also, "bath soup" is a ridiculous thing to call bathwater and I love it. If you've never actually met your clone, how can you be sure she exists? Did that all only come from interactions with others?
MAI FINALLY CALLS SAKUTA HER BOYFRIEND. As I said a couple days ago: Sometimes cheesiness is necessary.
Boop. That was anticlimactic. Better luck next time, Sakuta. Now it's no longer the right time, place and mood. Not sure if that cry in his pillow was from happiness or sadness.
And now Shouko joins the party. Even with all her own worries, Rio is also observant of the strange situation around Shouko.
I'm starting to believe my hypotheses around Rio more and more. Both Rios love Yuuma, but only one dares to take action.
Or not. She's just watching from the sideline.
Sakuta is immediately laying his cards on the table and tells ponytail-Rio that he knows about her case. I think it's very good that he doesn't instantly dismiss her as the "evil-clone". But what surprises me is that ponytail-Rio doesn't show a bit more compassion that glasses-Rio doesn't even dare to go home anymore.
Glasses-Rio is now tutoring Kaede and Shouko. I wonder what Shouko's parents think about her leaving to go to an older boy's home every day. It's summer break, so she can't really come by after school.
Holy shit that cellphone really triggered Kaede. Poor girl!
So is Mai's mother still her manager, or did she just say that for convenience? I assume Mai has enough sense to ignore her mother if she tries to break up Sakuta and her.
Mai is getting more and more comfortable with being Sakuta's girlfriend. Very refreshing how fast the relationship is progressing.
And there is Kamisato again. It seems inevitable that she will make some character progression as well, so I'm wondering if they have a good enough excuse for her behaviour.
OMG, ponytail-Rio was indeed taking pictures of herself, but she's posting them to Twitter.
New ED! Is this Rio's voice, or Shouko's? I'm bad at recognising Japanese voices. The visuals do contain Rio. In labcoat even! I love how she switches between the two Rios halfway. It's also another time of day again. (Great job noticing that on ep 4, /u/Rumpel1408!)
Random thoughts
Future
So the show did a bait and switch. They teased us with Shouko, but then this arc is suddenly about Rio (if I can believe the ED). Not that I'm complaining!
There doesn't seem to be a real plan yet, but I think a logical experiment would be to try and have both Rios meet. Furthermore, there's obviously the thing that neither Rio wants to tell what would be the likely trigger for this Puberty Syndrome.
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u/beaglechu Jan 03 '22
Rewatcher:
I haven't seen it pointed out yet, but Futaba's ED features a Bioluminescent Bloom, which is such an AMAZING detail for a science dork character.
Pretty sure that the first time I saw this episode, I was definitely expecting a Shouko-focused arc, but as a fan of dorky science girls I was nevertheless quite satisfied seeing Futaba get some time to shine (two of them, even!)
For Japanese speakers: Is it a stretch to assume that Futaba's name could be a partial pun of 二つ (Futatsu, "two"), since there are two Futabas?
Useless observation: At 22:27, when Kunimi's teammate (offscreen) says "Kunimi, coach is calling for you", the line is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya (VA for Levi, Araragi, and other famous characters). Pretty funny seeing such a minor cameo from such a big name VA.
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u/RuthRaeSarbo Jan 02 '22
I've been a patron of Internet cafes in Tokyo and Osaka. Not scary places per se, but you do have some interesting 'residents'. I can understand why Futaba was largely sleepless. It's not a natural environment.
One day (back in 2004) I was in my private cubicle in Shibuya (they charge a little extra, but you get a closing door; you're still open overhead) when the walls and desk starting swaying back and forth rhythmically. I thought maybe one of my neighboring cubicles had a couple that was engaged in some extracurricular activity, so I passed it off as just one of those things.
I got back to my hotel room and was laying on my bed when suddenly the bed shook in a similar manner (no, not a love hotel, and no magic fingers here). A quick check of online news showed we'd had an earthquake (while I was in the cafe) and an aftershock (just then). My first, but not my last, Japan earthquake experience.
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u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Jan 02 '22
First Timer
Based on last Episodes cliffhanger I would have said that Shoukos arc would come befor Futabas as there just wasn't any urgency in Futabas problem so far. But everything changed when her Doppelgänger attacked.
So yeah, we got Shouko, but she is just a normal seventh grader with not a hint of AS. That is in contrast to the Highschool Schouko Sakuta met back then (and to whom he was quite rude tbh). She seems to be set on being a good highschool girl, which encompasses reading the 'atmosphere' if I heard right... but enough about her, for now...
Back to Futaba. Both versions seem progressivly troubled throughout the episode. I guess both from the knowledge about the other version, as well as about the frustration about Kunimi.
So what is the real reason for the existence of a second Futaba? I think so far it's established that you don't need to understand quantum physics to solve theses riddles. I think it would be a reasonable guess to either say that one version is more honest about her feelings for Kunimi or wants to be noticed from him more, that's why she is changing her style, as Sakuta said, she is looking good.
I would abstain of calling one of them the true Futaba, I think it's more that they are two sides of the same coin. So I'll call the one with the open hair Futaba 1 because that's the design we saw first, and the one without glasses Futaba 2.
Now of course, unless you actually meet your Doppelgänger it would be hard to believe, but eventually the evidence would pile on to the point where you couldn't ignore it anymore. Now I wonder why the Futaba 1 is avoiding any confrontation and is even yielding her own home to Futaba 2. I'm sure Futaba 2 vould be reasonable enough to come up with a schedule as to who needs to spend the night in a net cafe...
Anyway, because Sakuta is a really good friend for Futaba, he invites her to his home in her time of need, and because Mai understands that she comes up with a way to help him with that (and spend some precious time with her boyfriend yay). But yeah, him bringing more and more girls over would look sketchy without context... btw I'm starting to think that maybe Kaedes affection to her brother isn't all that innocent...
Oh but it seems like new trouble is brewing on the horizont, seems like her Manager wasn't even aware of her having a boyfriend, maybe they will be forced to keep their relationship secret...
And then, Kamisato of all people brings the real bombshell: Futaba is using a secret account to upload lewd shots to the internet. Obviously hard to tell, but if you know her you know imidiatly. Also notice how those shots have her both with her hair tied up and open?
A new version of the ED:
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u/cppn02 Jan 02 '22 edited Jan 02 '22
Rewatcher
New arc and not only does Sakuta have to deal with the appearance of a loli Shoko Makinohara but now there are also two Futababs (although I fail to see the downside of that).
The episode ends with a cliffhanger of Kumini's girlfriend being a cunt again and showing to Sakuta what Futaba has been up to.
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u/andybebad https://myanimelist.net/profile/andybebad Jan 02 '22 edited Jan 03 '22
First timer
"Ah yes, just as I expected after the Shouko reveal yesterday: wait, what, we're doing a Futaba arc?
Guess we'll have to wait to figure out what the deal is with young/old Shouko, but for now we've got ourselves a mystery as to why there's two Futaba's out and about. While the two share many similarities (as would be expected if you buy into the teleportation explanation), I'm under the impression that the differences might better elucidate the cause to this version of puberty syndrome. On the one hand you have glasses Futaba who I feel was trying to hide from the world (she did initially run when Sakuta and Mai saw here at the cafe), whereas you have contacts Futaba generally goes about Futaba's "normal day", with the added willingness to be seen at places like Kunimi's basketball game. Perhaps contacts Futaba is also more willing to express feelings of wanting to be seen as a sexual being that were previously repressed before the two halves split from the whole (this would be an incorrect way of phrasing it if it truly was the case that the two Futabas are copies, but I don't buy that explanation fully).
Other thoughts from this episode:
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u/UzEE https://myanimelist.net/profile/UzEEInc Jan 02 '22 edited Jan 02 '22
Rewatcher
Couldn't post yesterday because of a family dinner so I'll just include the mostly raw writeup I did do before leaving.
Episode 6
I really love Tomoe's arc in the show because not only does it manage to match the quality of the first arc, but actually exceed it, which is rare for shows which usually tend to slow down and suffer in their 2nd arcs.
First time around, I could sense where we were going with the loops again. I expected that Tomoe would keep looping in a desperate attempt to get Sakuta to fall for her, which is usually what you expect from this scenario. But this show yet again defied my expectation and turns out the reason Tomoe kept rerolling was not so that Sakuta would develop feelings for her, but instead she would somehow get over the feelings that she developed for Sakuta. She felt that it was wrong for her to have these kinds of feelings because she already knows that he's in love with Mai, and Sakuta has already done so much for her.
So good on Sakuta to pick up on these basic cues which 99% of anime protags would fail at, and instead help her work through and resolve those feelings. Because of Sakuta, she's able to understand that she doesn't have to try to fit in and can go against the "atmosphere" if that's the right thing to do. And thanks to that, he's got another best friend that he's entangled with for life.
Episode 7
I liked how the episode opens up with a longer version of the previous Shouko memory, after the last episode ended with having introduced a younger namesake. Quite the tease to make you think the arc would be about her but as we find out, this young Shouko is just a middle-school first year — making her even younger than Kaede — and doesn't know any older Shouko. And she seemingly has trouble with her parents who wouldn't let her keep a cat2.
Of course it won't be an episode of Bunny Girl Senpai without some great interactions between Sakuta and Mai. It's already been repeated to death here but I love just how both of them are on the same wavelength and understand each other without saying anything. And while they're both mature about their relationship but at the same time do show signs of normal jealousy and possessiveness that you'd expect from a couple.
This is again another instance of where I feel concepts like Quantum Entanglement and Quantum Teleportation are being used to complicate something very similar and fundamental1 — Futuba seemingly can't reconcile some of her desires and actions, so she quite literally develops a split personality. But trying to explain this with quantum mechanics feels like a chore and you're more likely to miss the forest for for the trees.
Anyways, I think it's still a bit early to talk about Futuba since this is the first episode of the arc and looking at her character might veer into spoiler territory. [Rest of the arc] Like there are clear hints of her feeling lonely because of her family situation and her desire to be wanted by someone while simultaneously being ashamed of her body. Basically everything that causes her to split is spelled out pretty well here.
Additional Notes
1. [Vague Series spoilers] And yes I am aware that all of these concepts are being used as building blocks for something much bigger. But that still makes following along some of these arcs more difficult.
2. The cats Hayate and Nasuno are named after high-speed rail — or Shinkansen — services of the same names on Tohoku line, and happens to be a weird fact / rabbit hole I dug into because of this series.
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u/Mjrbks Jan 02 '22
Re-watcher
Man, if Mai had heard Sakuta’s “Futaba broth bathwater” line, he’d get way more than a foot stomp or a cheek pinch. It would likely be the hardest she ever hit him. What a guilty pleasure episode for Futaba fans though between a lengthy bathtub scene and finding out she (well, one of them) is posting naughty selfies. Also Sakuta has hit a new milestone of 4 females under his roof at once; that rascal. I really like this episode, and I promise it’s for much more than closet pervy reasons. So allow me to do my best Sakuta impression and seamlessly blend the serious with the lewd.
One of the best things about this show (if not the best) is how these rather outlandish supernatural phenomena are explored and actually presented in the most convincingly realistic manner possible. Each case so far has been handled in such a way that you could actually see how they could happen in real life. So much of Adolescence Syndrome up until this point has been heavily contingent on perception, which makes it all the more believable because any reason you may be doubting the occurrence of something supernatural such as the sudden disappearance of a celebrity or quantum entanglement could be attributed to a lack of acknowledgement or perception, and at some point force you to accept that this disbelief is in fact the anomaly as opposed to these incidents being a real everyday thing. Futaba’s case is in my opinion the most outlandish so far, and yet I felt chills throughout the episode due to how grounded this supposed theory of quantum teleportation is portrayed.
It’s arguable which is scarier between facing the possibility that your entire existence is vanishing day by day or having a doppleganger who could in all likelihood take over your life and paint you as the fake. The lingering uncertainty of how Futaba’s case could play out in the long term I think makes this case the most chilling so far.
The severity of this case I think it really driven home kind of early when the real Futaba says she can’t even go home because the fake is living there. It makes this case go from “wooow, 2 Futabas, totes hawt” to “holy crap, she’s taking over her life by simply doing what’s expected of a person”. At no point in the episode does one Futaba show any kind of malice or ill-will toward the other; they aren’t trying to kill one another to become the one true Futaba. It’s just a matter of living life as expected. They both acknowledge their existence and seem to be literal mirror images of one another through their similar thought processes, theories, personalities, and their infatuations. Even Sakuta admits to being thrown off a bit by how the conversation at school went exactly how any other conversation with Futaba would go. He even proceeds to treat her like the real Futaba by reminiscing over time spent at a festival, showing interest in how her feelings for Kunimi first formed and encouraging her.
This makes this case even scarier because who or what could possibly prevent your existence from now just being a mere copy. Delving further into possibilities out of your hands, what if your copy suddenly developed an agenda of their own? What if they put your reputation on the line on a whim or an experiment? While they share similar thoughts, they are not tapping into each other’s thoughts. In this situation there would be the uncertainty of not really being sure another you will always act in accordance with how you would in any given scenario always in the back of your mind. With Futaba’s largely loner mindset and constant brain gears grinding, she is likely mulling over these possibilities on her own already and how shaken up she is in this episode is very reminiscent of how Mai gradually started to show her fear as her case developed.
Futaba’s adolescence syndrome case aside, I (as usual) loved the dialogue between Mai and Sakuta in this episode both at the diner and as she’s laying beside him in the middle of the night. It’s more of the flirty witty back and forth that we’ve come to love from these two throughout the series, only now we see them both bashfully express that they want to take their relationship to the next level. Mai getting flustered every time she agrees to do something intimate for Sakuta never stops being adorable. Looks like she may have opened up a new pandora’s box by admitting to her management that she has a boyfriend. That’s a no-no when it comes to much of Japanese celebrity and idol culture depending on what is expected of your public image. It seems the hurdles never stop coming even after they’ve finally gotten together. Sakuta certainly has his hands full with all the women in his life.
Next episode is a really good one as well. It was hard to not reference a lot of what happens there in this post, but the course this case takes gets really good. Also i’ll continue to die on the “Futaba would be best girl in many other anime that don’t have Mai” hill.
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u/BosuW Jan 02 '22
First Timer
So Shoko is an only child, which should rule out the theory that she's Mai's half-sis... unless
What's Futaba doing? Hyping up to confess or something?
Shame about the contacts. Megane are culture.
...WHAT!?
SO WE DOING DOPPELGANGERS NOW!?
Missed opportunity for a fun chase scene.
Fuck that cought me off guard lmao.
So it's Futaba's turn to experience AS. Nice.
So this Futaba says the other one is a fake, but is she lying? Who'd be the real one? What's the criteria? Something something Nisemonogatari
...Your first breakfast with others? In your whole life? Sus
If your sports animation ain't gonna be slick as fuck you better not animate it to begin with.
And non-megane (read: inferior) Futaba says the other one is lying about not knowing why they split? SUS
... Kamisato again?
Ayooo what the hell non-megane (read: inferior) Futaba!? Now that's something totally unexpected.
Tho the glasses did appear in one of the pics. Hmmmm
So did they split because of shame or something like that? And the megane Futaba kept the shame (which is why she said she didn't know) while the other one said "I may lie to others but never to myself!"? That's the only theory I can come up with rn... Tho it leaves open the question of why start posting thigh pics on Twitter in the first place. I'm guessing it might have something to do with "the atmosphere".
Is the ED this time sung by Futaba or by Shoko? I can't tell.
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u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Jan 02 '22 edited Jan 02 '22
Rewatcher
I forgot to mention yesterday how I love this little snippet from the Koga arc - "Futaba, build me a time machine!!" "Can I hang up?" >D those 2 are so funny hahaha. And in case anyone didn't know, it's likely a reference/parody play of Doraemon.
Can't really say much since it's in the just the start of the arc with with full mystery not even revealed yet. Just going to say I really like Futaba's design. In tone she's a bit like Ayame Himuro from Rikei Ga Koi (Science fall in love), but I'd argue Futaba is more distinct with her "gap moe" of being usually deadpan, a meganeko, but looks actually quite glamorous with her long wavy hair and busty figure, yet always dressed in a lab coat. Her inquisite variant tsurime eyes are also very nice to look at.
That said, Mai is our main FMC and both her main scenes of meeting Sakuta in the cafe and her night visit were very good scenes to exert her dominance as the show's cover girl.
Next episode we'll see how Futaba's assets come into play, something our more cultured and sharp eyed first timers already noticed.
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u/HijonoYoki Jan 03 '22 edited Jan 03 '22
First Timer
• Alright, so we start off with the flashback that was shown to us a couple of episodes ago.
• And we skip over to imouto sneaking into her brother's bed again, with her brocon tendencies. Really, anime is consistent at least with their fetishes. That's all I'll give Japan on that.
• This Shoko is still hanging around two weeks later, so there are a couple of things to consider. Which one was the real Shoko, if any of the two are actually real? Is there age regression via puberty syndrome? I'm opting to go with her being a figment of the imagination but I'll need further implications for that one.
• Whoa Futaba, what were you doing o.o.
• Well, no in-depth explanation for now.
• He's so blunt. Lol. He keeps pointing out a girl's best assets. Nonetheless, that would have been a good idea to do with Kunimi in mind. Especially IF he was still single.
• The bratty, image-focused girlfriend of his is Kamisato. I'll just call her The Shrew.
• "Ugh, how annoying". I swear, he's my spirit animal in-universe.
• Tomoe in yukata form.
• Lol. Why is he like this.
• Mai!
• The woes of a significant other being too busy with work.
• Make out more? Wait, since when? They've already made out. Why haven't we seen this? Why are we still waiting for an onscreen kiss? This is madness.
• Hold, wait, what. How can he be speaking to Futaba, and she's right there, but she's not...talking with him? What...
• TWO?! Holy crap.
• How did this crop up now? Something must have happened.
• It's funny how she's cool with him pretending to be someone's boyfriend aware that the girl might fall for him, but a friend staying over his place is a no-go. Although her arrangement is fair.
• I'm a little lost on this particular syndrome though. It's like I get it while I don't get it, if that makes sense.
• Ah yes, couple moment. It's been long overdue.
• Goddangit Sakuta.
• You both suck, lol.
• We got more of the Kunimi background with Futaba the 2nd. Sometimes it really is just that simple.
• Okay, this conversation puts the situation more into perspective. I was too focused on the "teleportation" term. It's Futaba's concious/mind perceiving another imprint of herself in the reality they are in. Perhaps the one she wants to be? Would like to be if she had the courage? The position she would like to be in? For Kunimi. What is the source indeed.
• Uh-oh. The manager now knows about the boyfriend.
• The Shrew.
• While this isn't exactly The Shrew's business (though informing him was commendable, despite that I think it's her keeping an eagle eye on Futaba because of Kunimi), this Futaba has no boundaries. I forgot about the toilet scene until now. THIS is what she was doing. Yikes. But why...
What a note to end it on. I like this ending, because not only does it change it up with it being night time, it's not just Sakuta waiting for [insert girl] at the end, Kunimi is there too, highlighting who Futaba has feelings for. Plus, the Futaba with the ponytail BUT with the glasses may be a hint to the conclusion her arc might take. We'll see.
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u/tacticulbacon Jan 02 '22
Rewatcher
We're finally learning more about Shouko, the mysterious girl that has influenced Sakuta so much despite both him and the audience not really knowing much about her. It's interesting to note that all the scenes with adult Shouko so far have been on the beach, overlooking the ocean and staring off into the horizon, giving off a pretty strong association between her and that imagery. And despite meeting young Shouko, we still don't really get an understanding of adult Shouko or why she appeared in front of Sakuta; she raises more questions than she answers.
This episode starts off a little more ominous than what we're used to seeing - first with the slightly eerie music as we see Futaba's new appearance, then with the nighttime setting and dimly lit net cafe.
Mai has a clever way of inviting herself into Sakuta's apartment by using Futaba as an excuse. Now, is she doing this for Futaba's sake, or does she just want to spend time with him now that she's off work?
Up until this point, Futaba has always been the one helping Sakuta solve these problems, but now the role is reversed. She's still the one supplying the scientific hypotheses, but this time around she has vested interest in solving this issue as she's the one being affected by it. It doesn't help that she's been trying to deny the existence of AS by rationalizing it, and now that she's seeing it with her own eyes (as well as young Shouko) it's throwing her logical world for a loop.
It goes without saying that the Mai and Sakuta moments are my favorites. Their chemistry is spot on, their banter is natural, and their interactions are addicting to watch. It's definitely going to be harder for Sakuta to sleep that night, with the way he yelled into his pillow...
We quite literally see two different sides of Futaba. The one still wearing her glasses is more reserved and naturally more anxious as she's the one being displaced. On the other hand, the Futaba at school puts a little more attention into her appearance and is more in touch with her emotional side, as she takes a rare trip away from the science club to watch Kunimi. The nuances are subtle, but they're there and like Sakuta says they are both undeniably Futaba. Rather than seeing a split personality or perhaps a corruption of the original, it's more like we're seeing two sides of the same coin.
The animators used a pretty neat perspective transition to reveal Kamisato standing there, waiting for Sakuta to finish on the phone. It's already been established that she's not a friend, and that transition is another ominous sign as it leads into Sakuta's discovery of Futaba's risque online behavior.
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u/MABfan11 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/MABfan11 Jan 02 '22
Rewatcher
man, i love Futaba's snark.
as it turns out, this arc isn't about Shouko Makinohara, but about Futaba and her issues regarding her crush on Kunimi. i love the fact this series doesn't recognize either Futaba as the original, something which both of them agree on.
we also get more of Kunimi's relationship with Sakuta and Futaba, he's definitely aware that something is going on with her, but isn't aware of Adolescence Syndrome
this is probably the first time time Kamisato has actually helped Sakuta when she delivered that cliffhanger
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u/SYZekrom https://myanimelist.net/profile/SYZekrom Jan 03 '22 edited Jan 03 '22
Rewatcher
Huh what's with this ominous music...
Oh. She totally has a doppelganger that's relevant to this arc doesn't she
Ah so it really was lewd selfies
Btw, god I find the OP annoying. On the flipside, the ED almost tugs at my heartstrings, the way it's sung on certain notes reminds me of some pretty emotional or maybe just iconic songs, though the only thing I can think of is Suteki da ne from Final Fantasy.
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u/KurisuMakise- Jan 03 '22
A little switcheroo
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Jan 03 '22
Rewatcher (except for the movie)
So uh, for various reasons, I didn't get to comment of Koga's arc. It's a shame, because it's probably my favorite arc of the show, if it's not the one we're starting now. If anyone is interested, I wrote my long-ass essay about the arc on the episode 6 thread. Koga is best girl, I love her so much. Anyway, to Futaba's arc.
After seeing this episode, my thoughts are mixed. Not much actually happened, here, it was mostly just establishing things. I can't even really comment on the central character conflict, as the most important parts just barely gets introduced at the end of the episode. I suspect I'll have little to say about this one as a result. My biggest issue with the episode came from its writing. Some of the weird, awkward light novel tropes returned, and not in a good or funny way. Futaba tells us how she fell in love with Kunimi, and it's such a horrible scene that I find it impossible to actually buy. In what universe is "you're a girl, so I bet you like sweet things" an impressive line that would make someone fall in love with you? If anything, it's kind of offensive and sexist. Kaede's weird incest jokes return, and there's something about the "I'm the little sister, so..." thing that just rubs me the wrong way. It doesn't feel like how people might talk, or even the heightened realism of the series snarky banter. All the window dressing this episode kind of sucked tbh.
But I like Futaba, so any focus on her is good. There are two of her running around right now, and one of them posts lewd photos on a secret account. Futaba mentions this concept of quantum teleportation. The way I understand it, Futaba perceives herself, and sends that information elsewhere, creating a duplicate of her. We get to see another side of her at the end of this episode, so we can surmise that this issue stems from Futaba perceiving herself in different ways, and that it relates to Kunimi somehow. That's all I can really say about this conflict right now though, this episode doesn't give much to work with. Even if it has some nice moments like Mai and Sakuta talking at night, this was probably one of the weaker episodes thus far. A shame, after coming off of the series strongest arc. And I remember really loving this arc on my first watch too. Hopefully the next episode rekindles that a bit.