Funny Temptation of Amaama Kun Chubby

Episode 03:

「ラブコメの波動を感じる」 (Rabu Kome no Hadou o Kanjiru)
"I Can Feel the Love Comedy Waves"

I changed my mind. I really don't have the time to blog another show, but screw it – picked up. I'm enjoying this too much to not talk about it.

Good Comedy, Consistent Comedy

The reason I was originally not going to cover this is because, as opposed to say Sakura Trick, is that it's hard to write about. The comedy in Mikakunin de Shinkoukei is solidly good every episode, from Benio's delusions to Mashiro's love of Western food to Kobeni's reactions to everything, but there's not much to say about it. If you like the jokes you like the jokes, but they're not so far out there as to make me go "Whoa!" They're good, solid, warm, relaxing, and funny. Which I love to watch, it's just hard to write about without getting repetitious.

A Reveal Already?

Then there's the reason why I'm going to continue covering it anyway. Most shows would have saved Kobeni learning about how Hakuya saved her as a child, but this one threw it out there in the third episode. I can't comment on my expectations because obviously I've seen Episode 04 by this point, but I can tell you that it was niggling at me all week that I wasn't covering the show. It deserves it, but I really don't have the time! I have work to do, a book to finish, all these other things!

But screw it. Better to be busy than to regret. Show picked up. Onto Episode 04!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – "Kobeni already learned about her past with Hakuya? How dare this show get even better right when I decided not to blog it #mikakunin 03" < -- Whoopsie! I spoke too soon.

Random thoughts:

• Kobeni's kobenis are not a handicap, they're the dreams of humanity! Also her hips are amazing. That can't be said enough.
• Rocket launchers!! Seriously though, I promise not all my random thoughts will be about Kobeni's oppai. Probably.
• That cooking animation. I haven't seen cooking so lovingly animated since Gin no Saji. I want some scones now.

Preview

Episode 04:

「あれはただのへんたいです」 (Are wa Tada no Hentaidesu)
"That's Just Being a Pervert"

For what started out as such a relaxing love comedy (with emphasis on the comedy), this show isn't afraid to dive into the weeds of romance and really develop the situation.

It's Benio's Fault

Not to put too fine a point on it, but bullshit. The whole situation is broadly faultless as we know it. Kobeni tripped by accident, no one pushed her. Hakuya tried to save her from that accident of his own free will, so it's not her fault he got injured too. Neither is it Hakuya's fault she got injured when it was, once again, an accident. Of them all though, Benio's guilt seems the silliest. She did nothing wrong by wanting to play with her friends and suggesting her sister go play with a boy her age when she should have been in no danger whatsoever. The guilt they all feel was silly, even if it did lead to the cute scene where Kobeni and Hakuya both kept trying to take on the blame. D'aawww!

That is, until you put yourself in their shoes. They all know their guilt is silly, except for perhaps Hakuya, though there seem to be extenuating circumstances for that. The thing is, I can think back to similar instances from my own childhood (and adulthood, for that matter) where I did or said something out of no malice and with no intent to harm, and yet I still feel guilty. It's irrational, but it's a very human kind of irrational.

Supernatural Love Comedy

It's a tricky thing, adding in supernatural elements where they aren't expected. To use a recent Western example, I was watching The World's End with a friend, and he reacted with surprise and alarm when the dramatic pub crawl turned sci-fi. Yet where that was jarring – though I would argue to good effect – here the supernatural elements have slowly leaked into the rest of the story in such a way that they seem natural. Or rather, they haven't changed the fundamental DNA of the series. This is still the same warm romcom it was during Episode 01. The direction it is taking has just somewhat changed.

All that said, damn this show continues to impress me. I've talked about this before, but I feel it's better to go quickly and to continually surprise and delight one's readers (audience), even if it means the story will be shorter. I keep expecting them to stretch out these revelations like any other show would, but by the 4th episode they've already taken care of one big reveal that I thought it would take the whole season to resolve. That's why I had to cover this – because they're doing storytelling right. I have to encourage that.

As for what kind of "ambiguous" creatures the Mitsumine household is made up of, I think it's clear that they're some kind of wolf or dog youkai. (Or something of that sort.) We've seen hints of this before, but this time not only gave us more, but also featured Kobeni continually describing Hakuya in dog-related ways. How this eventually comes out – and what it will mean for Kobeni and Hakuya's fledgling relationship – is where the fun will be.

Kobeni x Hakuya – The Problem With Hakuya

Pardon me while I indulge in a little light shipping, but Kobeni x Hakuya hnnnngg!! Okay, it's mainly cute because of Kobeni and her reactions, but any guy who can get those kinds of responses from a girl like Kobeni deserves part of the credit. Not much, but some. Kawaii!

That said, I know some people are already sick of Hakuya, and the more he comes into the spotlight, the trickier this balancing act becomes. The problem with Hakuya is that he doesn't seem to try. I wrote a post about this matter just this week, but it's not the characters who succeed that we love, it's the ones who try. Kobeni is an excellent main character because she's always trying, and now that she has decided that she needs to (or, let's face it, wants to) get closer to Hakuya, she immediately went about doing exactly that, even when she didn't exactly know how.

Hakuya though, is very, very passive. It's not that he never talks to Kobeni, it's that he doesn't seem to try. That makes it harder to cheer him on, and if he were the primary character it would have killed this show long ago. Fortunately he is not, and as with the main male character in most love comedies, it's less about Hakuya and more about how Hakuya actually seems to be a pretty good fit for Kobeni. Since she's the focus it's still working. Plus, to me Hakuya is saved by the fact that he's clearly not human, which gives him some leeway.

It's interesting to think of how we would likely respond if the tables were turned and Kobeni were the male lead and Hakuya the female lead. I imagine far fewer people would have a problem with female-Hakuya being passive. I'm not passing judgement – personally I prefer to see both the male and female love interests being proactive – it's just something to keep in mind if you're totally hating on Hakuya. But I don't completely blame you even so.

Looking Ahead – Loli Mama Incoming!

Damn, can you believe I said this show was hard to write about? Not this episode! Regardless, the big question at this point is how long it'll take for this next big revelation to come to the fore. Personally I hope the arrival of someone who is going to "check up on" Hakuya and Mashiro draws some more reactions from Hakuya. That boy needs to be flustered more often if him and Kobeni are going to get anywhere!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Supernatural elements, in my warm love comedy? Yesplz. In other news: I'm weak. Show picked up #未確認で進行形 #mikakunin 04

Random thoughts:

• But seriously Benio, you're way too much of a siscon. That's supposed to be the onii-chan's job y0.
• Only in anime do girls look cuter while sick. In the real world they look all achy and snotty and whine a lot. The guys too, I just never think they're cute.
• Seriously though, damn! Just, yes. More please! Whoa. I need to go lay down.
• For once it's the girl chasing after the guy! D'aaaaww~
• Here, have some pictures of Kobeni blushing. Those are almost as delicious as her rocket launchers and child-bearing hips, yum!
• He just out and said it! Daaaamn, Hakuya can be daring as long as you prompt him.
• I wasn't fond of how Mashiro basically started trying to coerce Kobeni into taking Hakuya, mostly because it's not an effective way to go about it. (Sorry, still a marketer.) It does make me wonder why they're so desperate about Kobeni being with Hakuya, though.
• Probably my favorite part of the episode was how Kobeni has learned to read Hakuya's expressions. They've already got a sort of language that only the two of them understand, d'aaawww!
• In the two years and one month I've been writing for RandomC, I've never done a double post before today. I've never been late or unable to find someone to cover for me. I find it fitting that my first double post isn't because I finally had a late post, but because there was a show I just couldn't not blog, despite my best efforts. M! Stilts is an M because he can't not blog!

Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I'm writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: I can quit anytime, so I don't have to, Admiration & those who try, Dogfights, battleships, & sword fights, and Combo counter update – It's going well, it's going not so well. My current combo counter: Editing chain, 19 days long. Writing chain, 3 days long.

Full-length images: 06, 19.

Preview

andrewsfonumene.blogspot.com

Source: https://randomc.net/2014/01/30/mikakunin-de-shinkoukei-03-04/

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