“Natsumi-chan’s tests start here!”
Impression
MY HEART JUST GOT SUBTRACTED HAHAHAHA MY SIDES
Can we objectively agree that this was the best line of the episode? I know the Natsumi stuff in the first half comes close (‘Natsumi-chan might really be a genius!’) but you can’t beat Ren-chon’s delivery. In general, Ren-chon is also objectively the best kid ever – next week could feature her teaching the class instead of Nee-nee, and I honestly wouldn’t be too surprised. I was almost expecting her to complain about the injustice of more homework with her perfect score being averaged to half by Nattsun’s zero, but instead she decided to focus on making Nee-nee a better teacher – and she’s what, in first grade? She even gets up at the crack of dawn to feed that tanuki we all forgot about from the first episode of last season. At the same time, she gets excited over video games and non-existent cakes, and makes these hilarious stares of disapproval whenever Nee-nee acts like a lazy slacker – which in this episode was practically all the time. On top of being useless, she was pretty mean in admiring everyone’s suffering from afar and laughing inside, but having left compulsory education myself… I know that feel.
I love how, after failing to bribe Koma-chan and sweet-talk Nii-chan, Natsumi finally motivates herself to work by staring at her teacher and coming to the sinking realization that, as survivable as that sort of life might be, that’s not the kind of adult she wants to become. Natsumi-chan might actually be a genius if she made it to 75 all the way from 0 – although if it all doesn’t work out, she could still make a living as a stand-up comedian. After all, it was Bob’s mistake.
I wonder if these were the tests Natsumi got chewed out over by her mother back in the first season – that time when she told Koma-chan to hide some tests, and they were quickly found hidden in a stack of futons. I seem to remember it being the summer holidays back then, and it was Golden Week this episode so maybe not. It’s pretty cool seeing small references here and there while we repeat the timeline of the first season, like that tanuki or how Hotarun’s obsession with senpai started. But you know what I want to see most? The return of Ren-chon’s friend. I still remember how heartbroken she was when that other girl had to leave, and I’m not sure if they have any scenes left from that to adapt, but they can just make up more, right?
