I was wondering how they were going to keep up the high-tier shenanigans in the second episode, and I might have guessed that it would be by sticking Rui and Natsuo in the same school. Which I guess they had to do eventually. It’s predictable but I’m in favour of it since it’s a positive development for Drama.
I have decided I really like Rui. I have such a soft spot for blunt but well-meaning characters like her. She had some serious zingers this episode, too. Possibly a bit too harsh here, though:
Ouch. But then again, having to drag your wasted sister to bed every night probably takes its toll on one’s patience. Her conversation with Natsuo in the classroom was one of the high points of the episode for me, so full of great one-liners, and her awkward maternal side is adorable. Even though Natsuo clearly looks better with his bedhead.
The other highlight of the episode had to be the bath scene just because of how much of a troll it was. It’s not like I actually wanted or expected them to fuck in the bath or anything, but it is a little cheap that Rui just wanted to talk in private, like there’s absolutely nowhere else in the house where they could do that without attracting attention. It did, however, result in one of the best facial expressions of the season so far from Natsuo.
Speaking of which, I’m kind of warming to Natsuo a little bit after this episode too. I mean, I still think he’s kind of a creep, but he’s not totally irredeemable. He had some genuinely cute moments with Rui at school. But he’s still my least favourite of the triumvirate, because Rui is great and Hina is probably the most entertaining character in the show. I almost respect how little the woman has her shit together, or at least how unashamed she is of it. I’m over here getting embarrassed over minor email typos and Hina’s drinking to the point of blackout on work nights and having conspicuous messy arguments with her boyfriend, and she barely even attempts to conceal it. Is she… living her best life? No. But also sort of yes, in a way. If she could only stop flirting with minors, perhaps her free spirit could be an example to us all. But I think she’s probably not going to stop doing that. In fact, feel free to call me crazy here, but I have a funny feeling that she’s going to be flirting with minors more than ever before in the coming few episodes.
On a final note, I love how incredibly casual the parents are about everything in this series. “Oh hey guys, we’re heading down to the registry office to get married today, we might go grab a bite to eat after!”. They’re cute and I like them, but these levels of chill are frankly irresponsibly high.
So yeah, my expectations were actually exceeded by this second episode, and I’m feeling pretty positively towards covering the show to the end. I have a feeling some real bullshit is going to kick off with Hina next episode and I am very much looking forward to it.
Someone once mentioned how the author is good at making realistic characters, or at least characters that are relatable. I kind of see that through Rui and Natsuo.