"School Paradise?"
*Gasp!* A male romcom lead who doesn't get all indecisive when more than one girl likes him? Somebody get me the author for Sakurasou; he needs to watch this.
I didn't think it was possible, but
Manabe just keeps getting better and better each week. It makes me seriously happy to see at least one character on the cast who
hasn't forgiven Moritani for her actions. Being a girl or cute doesn't mean you deserve instant forgiveness, just as being a bishounen doesn't give you the right to do what you please and get away with a simple apology. That Manabe is wary of Moritani and doesn't outright forgive her is truly refreshing; he doesn't even care that there are signs she might like him and says whatever is on his mind (
"what is that, poison?!"), and I really hope that if he does find out he won't waver over his feelings (I doubt he will, he's just not that kind of guy). I
completely understand what you see in him, Haruka!
The drama has toned down as of this episode, and interestingly enough I think that's a pretty good move on the part of the studio. The drama was great, sure, but post-premiere things felt a bit rushed and forced, and while the fast pacing is still here, this was a much more comfortable episode compared to the three before it. In exchange for the drama, we're given some character development and humor, and I think that both worked, for the most part. I certainly laughed at the "The End" when Kotoura-chan was
crushed by boxes, and while the recurring gag got a bit repetitive over the course of the episode, there were plenty of other laughs to be had. Manabe pushing Moritani away (literally); Moritani getting herself into a tight spot through the lie about psychic ability and Kotoura and Manabe's hilarious determination to see her lies fall flat; Manabe declaring Moritani's food poisonous without hesitation;
Haruka pretending to be above Manabe's level with the "Mori" picture but laughing her ass off at it in secret... it was all good humor and I loved how on-spot it was about high school friendships.
If you've never had fun at the expense of a friend, you are either a saint or a dirty, dirty liar. It doesn't always make you a jerk (though it does quite often), but this is just what most adolescent social relationships are like, and I think a good deal of media tries to pretend that isn't the case. Laughing at someone or messing with them isn't necessarily nice, but we all do it and we do it without malicious intent (most of the time). In this case, it was Moritani at the butt of the jokes, and frankly, I think she deserves it. Haruka and the others aren't necessarily doing this because
they think she deserves it, however; she's just an easy target for their amusement and even saintly Haruka isn't above this kind of fun, which makes her easier to relate to, at least in my opinion. The whole
club dynamic of wasting time and having a damn good time doing it is really nice to watch, and there were some "aww" moments with Haruka and Manabe to top it off. The
sports festival portion of the episode, on the other hand, wasn't as engaging, though the look of expectation on Haruka's face when Manabe came toward her was
priceless. Her failure was imminent from the moment she mentioned her clumsiness, but the best part of it all was when a dejected Haruka went home and was cheered by the
Mori photo Manabe gave her all over again. Say what you will about his ecchi side; Manabe is a friend I would love to have.
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