Happy Birthday Sarasa !! I hope you had a good birthday, and it seemed like you got some pretty good gifts. 16 roses from an admirer, Kouzaborou, A figure from Ai (and you’re on a first name basis!), and of course you have something coming later from Akiya. You’re another year older so make sure you celebrate with all of your friends! Or ya know, go ahead and ask your teacher to spice up the course with some expression basics!
Okay, before I jump into the Romeo & Juliet stuff, I just want to say that I absolutely cannot get a read on Kouzaborou. I can’t tell if he’s trying to relive his youth through Akiya or if he’s just someone we need to worry about. I think I’m on edge about him, but is he just a hopeless romantic who just doesn’t recognize boundaries? Or is he more like Shigure from Furuba who likes to cause a little bit of chaos? I suppose we’ll just have to keep our eyes on him. Since he’s not in the direct area of the Kouka school he’s not an immediate threat. Plus, there’s a lot of other things going on for the girls at school, he’s definitely the least of anyone’s worries.
But speaking of the girls, they’ve been given the assignment of acting out a scene from the famous Romeo and Juliet. I definitely feel like this was a lighter episode, but I loved all the little things we got to learn about some of our characters. We primarily got to see a lot of anxieties, both spoken and unspoken, come to light. First, we get to learn a little bit more about Kaoru, the “legacy” student who has to walk in the footsteps of those who have come before her. She has the added burden of living up to what her mother and grandmother did before her. Though, I’m sure a lot of that is self-imposed. I hope that she gets more time dedicated to it, I’d love for her to learn to become her own person and forge her own path (though with the ending of this episode… I think that plotline might be given to someone else. There’s still a chance for them to learn together!). I just really wish there was more that followed during her little explosion during lunch. We got to hear a lot of it through whispers of other classmates, but I did like Ai telling her why someone like her was important to the group. Kaoru may be someone who comes off as mean, but it’s coming from a place of wanting perfection. She’s the one who is going to help push the group to the next level. Sometimes you need someone who’s firmer (her firmness just happens to come out a little explosive). Also, I like how they casually slipped in the fact that Ai couldn’t read Kanji during that moment.
But in addition to Kaoru and Ai’s shortcomings we also get to learn more about Chika who has now been separated from her twin. It seems she is much less confident in herself when she is separated. She was unable to take charge and take the Juliet role even though she had won the rock, paper, scissors match. I think she’s the type to inconvenience herself rather than take something away from someone else. I would love to see that explored more! I loved the little moment on stage when she flubbed her lines but she recovered, it was a nice little victory for her. But at the same time, I’m happy that we got to hear her thoughts about how she was going to cry. Chika you did great! Nice recovery! I hope you can grow from this experience (and also follow Andou’s advice that more goes into playing an older woman than just a hunched back).
But I think the biggest “upset” of the episode was definitely the ending for Sarasa hearing that she’d never be a Top Star. Now, from a viewer perspective, I understand why he said what he said. She’s not adding anything new; she’s simply mimicking what she’s seen. Is she good at it? Absolutely! But nothing about it is original or “her”. She did a great job copying the teachers, and the actors she’s seen but Andou’s the one to call out that she needs to do more. Of course, he didn’t get the chance to say all this, but I’m pretty confident that was where they were going with this. Still! That absolutely shattered Sarasa in the final moments of the episode. I can’t wait to see how they approach this next week!
This week’s episode was a lot of fun even with the drama they were able to sprinkle in. I feel like I should have more to say, but I think I’ve gotten it all out. Essentially, I’m just looking forward to seeing how all of this plays out.
