Nisekoi – Episodes 6 & 7

Episode 6 Impression:

Ah, and so it begins – the ‘long haul’. Beginning this show six episode prior, I expressed my desire for a romantic comedy (with harem aspects) that had a baseline story, weaving comedy into the mix as the story progressed. For Nisekoi this would be the ‘Locket & Key’ plot point, Ichijou’s search for his lost love leading him…well, nowhere as of yet – and this is my first issue with episode 6. What was it’s purpose? Was anything actually achieved? Sure, we received a grain of plot towards the end of the episode, but if it’s not leading anywhere in a show with an as of yet undefined episode count, what’s the point? Nisekoi – get on with it already!

Despite my complaints, Nisekoi attempts somewhat to refrain from falling into the realm of the utterly banal, giving two situations in one episode where both Chitoge and Onodera respectively must rethink their methods of approaching Ichijou…that said, much like the plot of this episode, the reality is ultimately that neither of them have progressed much past their original dispositions – even in spite of their taking baby steps. In Onodera’s case, she – after being prompted by Ruri – attempts to confess to Ichijou, hearing from Chitoge that she and Ichijou aren’t actually an official item. ‘Excited‘ by the prospect, Onodera rushes on in and marries Ichijou on the spot is left in a classroom as the sun sets in the background, taking twenty years to confess her love before ultimately being interrupted by a baseball that smashes the window of all things at the most important bit of the confession…yes. It’s important to remember however, that Onodera actually values her friendship with Ichijou – it’s not all about the romance for her. Sure, she’d love to Ichijou’s girlfriend (and wouldn’t that be great?), but, as far as she’s concerned, as long as she’s making at least some progress – in her own confidence and in her relationship with him – she’s succeeding.

Chitoge, on the other hand, just wants to try and attempt to broach hers and Ichijou’s relationship in a different manner – proffering an closed fist olive branch as a means of thanks for saving her life…but, as is now only natural for our blonde haired female protagonist, she quickly turns to anger after several comical misunderstandings on Ichijou’s part (which not only show his truly selfless nature, he not ever assuming that she could be thanking him for an act as habitual as saving another’s life (although, let’s be honest here, there really is no other reason she’d apologize to him), leaving her no closer to the apology she set out to give then she was before Onodera and Ruri’s intervention…

That is until Chitoge finds Ichijou’s locket (the chain of which probably broke after Chitoge beat the sh*t out of Ichijou for the one thousandth time…)! Chitoge then, after having the chain repaired, hands it back to her life saving beansprout, looking lovely (might I add) as she did so. This act of kindness is in and of itself one of the many changes we’ve seen in Chitoge’s character thus far, and one of many changes that are sure to come in regards to Ichijou and her feelings towards him. That said, if we’re ever going to get anywhere with her’s and Ichijou’s ‘relationship’ (platonic or otherwise), they’re both going to need to be more direct. We’re glimpsing change – we’re not experiencing it. A perfect example of this is the locket itself – as I mentioned earlier, it’s as if this ‘locket plot’ is going nowhere – Chitoge makes mention of the “Zawsze in love” phrase that Ichijou had spoken about in episodes prior, but the appearance at the end of the episode of this new assassin characters leads me to believe that we’re not going to see any real progress regarding it. We receive a whiff of plot and then it’s blown away…hopefully it’s collecting somewhere – preferably in the near future.

Lastly…what is this? Assassinating Ichijou? An androgynous assassin who shall almost certainly be the next love interest? Please, Nisekoi, make episode 7 worth it… I expect guns, girls inadvertently fawning over a girl, and all of the other cliches I’m sure you’ll throw in.

~*~

Episode 7 Impression:

Tsugumi Seishirou, assassin extraordinaire, transfers into Ichijou and Chitoge’s class – every girl in the class then proceeding to drool and fawn over the ‘model’ in their midst. Tsugumi immediately throws herself at Chitoge, declaring her joy at being able to see her friend after such a long time a part. Ichijou is immediately thrown. Who is this boy who should so audaciously throw himself at the ‘gorilla’? Episode 7 of Nisekoi has finally answered the question I’ve had lingering at the back of my mind since it began seven weeks ago; no, we’re never to get anywhere in the plot.

But I digress. Let’s take Nisekoi for what it is and judge it on that basis.

When Tsugumi confronts Ichijou of the roof of the school and makes her intentions clear, he – Ichijou – almost dies…? You know, as the son of a Yakuza crime lord, you’d think Ichijou would have some self-defense training, if not a gun in his possession. Just saying. After almost having his head blown off, then telling Tsugumi that Chitoge is his – Ichijou’s – girlfriend, and he’s not letting anyone have her (in the name of peace in our time)! Tsugumi then challenges Ichijou to a dual…a dual in which she pulls out around one hundred guns…and fails to hit Ichijou with even a single shot from one of them…master assassin is she? Took out an entire organization on her own? Uh huh, keep talking Chitoge.

The fight itself was very SHAFT, crazy, artsy, and well-designed – Ichijou ending it with a spectacular leap of faith (out of a window, three stories high) into a pool below…which somehow knocks Tsugumi out but not him…Regardless, Ichijou then takes it upon himself to prevent her getting a cold, only then, after removing her trousers and unbuttoning her shirt, realizing that she’s…well, a ‘she’…oh! And then Chitoge walks in on them…well, she does after they first climb into a locker and Ichijou admires her feminine features for around five minutes, then telling her that she’s cute and watching as her cheeks burn red.

I liked watching the character art change as the ‘big reveal’ is made that Tsugumi is actually is girl – her large chest, large eyes, large eyelashes, and rounded head making themselves known immediately after bloodied…mouth…It’s little (cheap) touches like that that keep Nisekoi fresh and interesting – if not slightly cliched. Tsugumi’s new role as a female protagonist is highlighted by her struggle to accept her feminine side, something that, I’m sure, will come back into play later on in the series.

Overall, episode 7 was a marginal step up from episode 6, introducing something new into the mix that’s both a welcome addition and yet also threatens to push aside characters like Onodera, who spoke one or two lines (if any) in this episode. Nisekoi needs to maintain a balance – hopefully we’ll see more Onodera in episode 8.

– Chris.