From experience there is absolutely no point in trying to second guess what an episodic comedy will do next, but even if I had made an attempt to predict what would follow last week’s episode, I don’t think I would’ve accurately guessed that this week’s episode would also be devoted to the development of Ichiko’s character. Now, repetition is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to anime (all you’d need do is read my Nazo no Kanojo posts to see that!), but I’d say this is more a continuation of rather than repetition of this theme, and it’s given the series some kind of focus, which is really satisfying to see.
During last week’s episode Ichiko developed a little empathy, realising that she didn’t want others to feel as crappy as she did when she was lonely. This week however, it was not another character that forced her to develop, but the exploitation of her one weakness, Suwano. I genuinely felt sorry for her when she lost all letters from him and resorted to spending all night in a rubbish tip looking for them. It showed that she does have a soft spot; she’s not a cold-hearted bitch through and through, which made her more endearing, so it wasn’t as much a development of her character as it was a development of how viewers see her character. All this got me wondering- why was it I felt sorry for a girl who’s pretty despicable 95% of the time, more so than I felt for, say, Eureka 7 AO’s Ao (to make an example from a show airing alongside this one) who’s orphaned, been shunned for being ‘different’ right from the start and put into all sorts of shitty situations, at that moment? I guess it’s because it catches you off guard that such a horrible person has such a weakness, making it more likely to sway your emotions when their Achilles heel is exploited than when a character who’s already pretty unstable emotionally because of their tortured past has more shit thrown in their face! In any case, I like the direction the show’s taking, improving Ichiko’s character, making her slowly, but sure, more likeable with each and every episode- as I said in the above paragraph, it gives the show a focus (no doubt it’ll conclude once Ichiko has become the charming young lady she was destined to be both on the inside and the outside), it’s no longer a show that’s just ambling around, waiting for the appropriate time to die, which will, of course, make it far more memorable than comedies that did just that…
On a less positive note, was anyone else offended by the above ‘joke’? I mean, fun’s fun, but a line needs to be drawn at some point! They’ve ridiculed having small boobs enough! I know girls that are really self-conscious about their breast size, what with the media’s constant glorification of big breasts and the influx in the number of women opting for cosmetic surgery, and stuff like this really doesn’t help! I won’t say any more in case I incur someone’s wrath for being too serious *rolls eyes*, but come on!
Stay tuned for next episodic to see if I can find something to write about episode 5! Oh the suspense…
Well, think counterfactually: in a place with many lolis and traps, liking smaller breasts skirts the danger zone. Conversely, one way to defend yourself, and maximize your odds, is to favor tits and lots of them.
At least, if you were a betting (wo)man!
I ask not that the character sing the praises of smaller boobs (for the reasons you stated), but that he not insult women with them. Women with small breasts are not truly women, pah…
I think the “joke” in this case was more her getting angry him for being perverted and…well, awful…as opposed to what he said itself. As in, they wanted you to laugh at the slapstick reaction, not him being a terrible person. In either case, I think that line was a little too much, but…
I can’t imagine anyone laughing at her getting angry, I imagine most will be too taken aback by that horrible, horrible line to pay her reaction much notice, even as loud as it was!
I wonder what made the powers be think a line like that was acceptable?