Kotoura-san - 6

"Summer Vacation!"

Have I already mentioned how awesome Manabe-kun is? Yes? Well too bad, because I'm not going to stop saying it anytime soon.

I am seriously loving the fact that Moritani still isn't off the hook when it comes to Manabe and Haruka's grandfather. There have been so many series that just let the bitchy rival become friends with the heroine like she never did anything, and it gets very, very old. Not to mention how unrealistic it is; all of my "enemies" are still on my shit-list, and they aren't coming off that anytime soon. I'm probably not the only girl in the world who holds grudges either, so it's great to see someone get suitably punished for what she did. Even better, the punishment is subtle enough that it doesn't let Moritani be at ease or truly integrate with the rest, and when the grudge is out in the open it's downright awesome. That guilty consciousness must really be eating at her, and that's just the way it should be, in my slightly twisted opinion. It's almost like Kotoura-san is lobbying criticism at that trope, and I think it's great that it is; whether or not you believe in karma, sometimes people really do need reminding that being horrible is not okay or completely forgivable.

In truth, the whole episode at length feels like satire, though on the conventions of comedy and romcom series in general. There's no denying that this is a funny series when it wants to be, and ridiculous in good measure as well. Haruka's fantastically rich family must do something very important, for example, because few people can commission a theme park (named Haruka Land) just for welcoming her friends over summer break. Yet there's darker and more serious undertones, such as the aforementioned revenge on Moritani (If I could symbolically place my enemies in cages...) or the fact that despite all his perverted fantasies, Manabe won't cross the line to hurt Haruka when she trusts him as much as she does. It's especially true of the last point that there's great chemistry and depth when it comes to Manabe and Haruka, and watching their relationship develop remains as fresh and wonderful as it was during the first few drama-oriented episodes. They don't need to be explicitly going out to prove that they really do love each other; they just do, and they prove it through their actions rather than their words. It's well-written stuff and the staff really shows that it knows what it's doing.

The side characters can occasionally leave a bit to be desired, especially when it comes to Yuriko and Daichi, but on the other hand, characters like Haruka's grandfather are quite fantastic. He may seem like the slightly creepy old man common to anime, but he really isn't; he's supporting Manabe and Haruka's relationship openly because he understands how much Manabe has helped change Haruka from her old self and he is overjoyed to know that his granddaughter is finally starting to find happiness in her friends. However, there's drama on the horizon with the reappearance of Haruka's mother, Kumiko, and I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing. Luckily, even when the drama is a little thick, Kotoura-san has always managed to deliver and I'm looking forward to see what happens from here on out.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the abundant and beautiful caps!

ED 3 "Tsurupeta (つるぺた)" by Hisako Kanemoto
Episode 6 Screencaps: