First of all, we wanted to acknowledge how nicely Shinka’s development has come along. Once a love interest ot Yuuta and rival to Rikka, now she’s just their friend, and is fully on board with the love pact they enacted. But she’s concerned, as are we, with the happy couple’s progress thus far. By spying on them she learned that they don’t act all that different when they’re alone together, and Yuuta treats Rikka more like a sister or granddaughter than his lover…and he admits to Shinka that in six months, he and Rikka haven’t even held hands. He fails to mention he has bent her over his knee and spanked her, which…dunno what that was all about!
Because she’s concerned, Shinka does what anyone would do for a concerned friend: provide guidance—or at least point him in its direction, which is the direction of Kannagi Kazari, a girl’s girl. Kazari advises Yuuta to take the initiative, and makes sure he does by texting Rikka a date request on his phone. The immediacy of Rikka’s reply in the affirmative shows Yuuta that Kazari knows what she’s on about. The date that follows is an important milestone in Yuuta and Rikka’s relationship, but not because it meant they’d be increasing their level of physical contact.
Yes, they do end up holding hands for the first time, in an exceedingly tender, adorable little scene with the aquarium tank as a backdrop. The camera really had a way with hands this week. Also, we like how once they finally do it, their hands stay clinched for much of the date. But the true value of Shinka’s referral and Kannagi’s advice and gambit were that they allowed Yuuta and Rikka to get on the same page with what exactly this love pact thing really is. When Rikka is out of her shell, she speaks with fierce honesty about her confusion about what to do and when.
That being said, she also speaks about how the fact that she has Yuuta, and gets to go home and keep living with him, makes her so happy that it’s hard to fathom it getting happier. Yuuta has been pretty happy too, which is why it took a third party to even get a discussion started about the pace of their romance.
But he’s now realizing he had nothing to fear in doing so. Long story short: Yuuta and Rikka love each other deeply, and they’re going to take things nice and slow and not worry about what other people think. It’s the logical choice, considering their mutual inexperience. It’s also similar to the strategy Mei and Yamato in the excellent Sukitte Ii na yo.
Even so, there’s a new girl living above Yuuta’s apartment. This girl is also a Chuuni and meets Rikka same magical, somewhat dangerous way Rikka and Yuuta met. Will she fill Shinka’s old space in the love triangle? Which one is she after? Rough seas ahead for our lovebirds.
Rating: 9 (Superior)
RABUJOI - An Anime Blog 