Sasaki and Miyano Episode 8

Not gonna lie, Sasaki locking the door behind him got me freaking out!

I want to say I loved this episode, but I will say that this particular went especially overboard with its drama and our favorite special effects. Most of the episode was pretty great. The beginning with Miyano being the fudanshi/fujoshi interpreter was pretty funny, and Tashiro falling for crossdressing Kuresawa was especially hilarious. I mean I don’t blame him, Kuresawa looked way too pretty as a girl. I also love how casual he is about all this too. Actually, just a shout out to Kuresawa in general. He’s a good friend, funny, and he cares about his girlfriend so much it’s just so precious.

Hanzawa was in this episode quite a bit with his involvement with the crossdressing competition. He’s sort of been in the background and said amusing things here or there, but this time he felt more like a character since he was actively interacting with everyone. The best scene was the moment Miyano asked him what it meant to like someone. It seems like he knew something was going on with Sasaki and Miyano, and when Miyano almost let his name slip while talking about romance, it confirmed it. Kuresawa seems to know something is going on too with the two of them, what with him backing away from taking pictures of Miyano. I mean, I think everyone knows something is going on between them because of how close the two of them have gotten. It’s just funny seeing how some of them are so casual about it, like Kuresawa. But back to Hanzawa, it was nice getting to know him. He may be a tease but it did seem like he was having a lot of fun with everyone as this would be his last cultural festival. And he put a lot of care into the words he told Miyano about romance. I think his words were what really pushed Miyano to really understand himself before his scene with Sasaki. Almost everything Hanzawa listed he could apply to his relationship with Sasaki, like wanting to do things for him, spend time with him, always think of him. It was all there and the realization sloooowly set in, until…

Sasaki, oh Sasaki. I mentioned this last week, and my mind hasn’t really changed. I’m not a fan of this obsessive and jealous Sasaki. I understand that at first he was looking out for Miyano since he knew Miyano was self-conscious about his looks and being perceived as girly. And again, I do appreciate that Sasaki immediately felt bad and apologized for how he spoke to Miyano in that harsh tone. But then it got ehhhhh when Sasaki asked if he would drop out of the competition. Again, the jealousy set in and made him act brashly. So I’m conflicted. Sasaki hugging Miyano (teasing a forced kiss again, phew) was nice, and that action made Miyano fully realize his feelings for Sasaki which made me super happy and all. But the build up to it was kind of weak and concerning. Please Sasaki I don’t like this aggressive jealousy. :/ He also didn’t really give Miyano the chance to really speak out. Also while it was romantic, it was all a little too overdramatic with the slow-mo, quick cuts and camera angles, and the blur. So while I should have loved all of this more, there were a couple things that didn’t do it for me. The best part of this moment was Miyano realizing his feelings, so that makes me excited for next time.

This one was a little iffy, mostly near the end because I did enjoy everything else. Lots of sweet moments, and funny ones too. I wish Hanzawa will show up more because I thought he was fun. We got a shot of some guy smiling at Hirano and Hirano looking the happiest we’ve ever seen him. It was adorable and I’m not sure what that was about but I liked it! There are a couple characters in the OP we haven’t seen yet so maybe that guy was one of them? Anyway, while I wasn’t the biggest fan of the final scene, I’m super excited for Miyano’s answer. Next time! Now, let’s appreciate girl Kuresawa.