Masamune-kun’s Revenge R – 05 – Il n’y pas de retour en arriere

Aki is stunned when Masamune tells her he’s the real Masamune, but she doesn’t disbelieve him. Gasou Kanetsugu isn’t ready to take his interference lying down, but his, or rather her further efforts to keep Aki in the dark fall to the wayside when, in the course of her struggle with Masamune, her shirt is pulled open, revealing her cleavage.

Kanetsugu makes a hasty retreat, leaving Aki and Masamune together for the first time ever with Aki knowing who he really is and Masamune knowing she wasn’t the one who called him Pig’s Foot and sent him away. She repeats all the insults Masamune threw at her, and then, to his shock, she accepts the request he made in the heat of the moment. She’ll go out wit him, the real Makabe Masamune.

When Kanetsugu visits his little sister, and in fact the moment Aki found out her gender, I didn’t just start being more empathetic with Kanetsugu, but also started to like her. She’s done shitty things, but her sister was never an excuse for those things. Her sister is everything to her, and clearly the opposite is also true.

That night, Chinatsu can’t get her brother’s attention, and she even startles him off the treadmill, he’s unresponsive to the point she’s worried he died. But no, he’d not dead, he’s just dating! And before they parted that night, Aki makes it clear he’s the one who asked her out. That gives her the upper hand.

The next morning, word has already spread to the entire school that Masamune and Aki have become a “supercouple.” That doesn’t stop a cute underclassman from asking to be his side piece and happily settling for his half-drunk sports drink. And while Masamune senses Neko is down, she doesn’t want to hear his official rejection. She’s still holding out for the possibility he ends up single again, and then she’ll strike.

Neko’s position isn’t entirely unreasonable when we watch Masamune’s first day as a kept man unfold. Her demands for him to go on the school store bread runs are immediate and insistent. And who should be working at the store but Kanetsugu, now presenting as a woman?

This caught me completely by surprised, but I loved every minute of their subsequent conversation in the hall. That’s something I don’t think I could have said even last week of these two characters. But as Kanetsugu says, she’s basically free now. She sold her family’s mansion to pay the debts, and she no longer has to try to get Aki to marry her.

No longer weighed down by that debt or her male disguise, she just looks and sounds like a happier person. By the same measure, she senses Masamune is genuinely concerned for her, because in his heart he’s still that sweet, wimpy fat boy Aki fell for. This is why when she jokes about him making her his wife, it only seems like half joking.

Despite the horror movie lighting of the athletic storage shed, once Masamune arrives with Aki’s food, and helps her with the stove, their unassailable chemistry reasserts itself. Even if they’re prickly with one another, you can tell a part of both of them is happy they’re finally at this point.

When Aki immediately tries to change her man by insisting he eat more junk and fatten up, it occurs to Masamune he only transformed his body into a slab of granite for revenge. But now that revenge is unnecessary. When she asks what she can do to reward him for getting her food, he draws in close—to kissing proximity—to tell her the sentiment is enough.

When Yoshino arrives with kerosene for the stove, she knows she’s interrupted something, no matter how innocent, and Masamune sheepishly takes his leave. But he does ask if his Master can meet with him again, because he wants to know how she’s doing.

Yoshino is doing fine, especially considering Masamune didn’t tell Aki about what she did eight years ago. His thinking is that it would serve no purpose; Yoshino already feels plenty of remorse for what she did. Instead, he asks her for help with Aki, because, as it happens, going out with someone is super hard!

Yoshino will only say that Aki’s birthday is Christmas Eve, and she’ll be very happy if Masamune shares it with her. Only five episodes into the season, it’s not outside the realm of possibility Masamune misses that date for some reason, and ends up back in Aki’s not-so-good graces.

But I don’t want to jump ahead or be pessimistic. It’s weird and awkward, but it’s far too early to say Aki x Masamune isn’t working. Even if it was corrupted by a couple of outside impostors, their feelings for each other are still there. Little does Masamune know that Yoshino has her own feelings for him, and that’s why she can’t meet with him or be his Master anymore.

Masamune-kun’s Revenge R – 04 – Tout le monde est un gros idiot

Look, I get it: Gasou Kanetsugu desperately needs money. But I cannot forgive him for going to far to deny both Aki and Masamune their fated pairing! Gaining the trust of her well-meaning fan club and getting their help keeping both Yoshino and Masamune away from their Aki-sama is another black mark in his disfavor.

As for Yoshino, she’s decided the time is now or never to tell Masamune the truth: she was the one at the window who called him Pig’s Foot, not Aki. And she did it because she hated him. But things aren’t so simple now. She’s limited in her movements, but can’t give Kanetsugu free rein over Aki, lest the lie reach the point of no return.

When Yoshino got chickenpox, she was initially happy for a little peace and quiet, away from Aki and her moods. But it doesn’t take long for her to be horribly bored. Then she hears Aki laughing outside, having gained a new plaything in Masamune.

But Masamune doesn’t seem like a plaything to Yoshino, and Aki doesn’t treat him as such. Confined to her room, Yoshino’s FOMO turned to a specific hatred of the new friend. Aki went down with a bug the very night Masamune ran to her house for help, and Yoshino put on an Aki wig from a doll, went to the window, and got rid of Masamune.

The thing is, Yoshino almost immediately came to regret that choice. Not only was Aki ruined by the sudden vanishing of Masamune, but she came to distrust and hate all men. And as close as she and Yoshino were, Masamune could put Aki’s heart at ease vis-a-vis her parents’ marital troubles in a way Yoshino couldn’t.

When Masamune transferred to their school, Yoshino recognized him immediately, and says Aki didn’t because she’s always been a bit dense. But in his return Yoshino saw and opportunity to right the wrong she had done. But here’s the twist that really gets Masamune: while she agreed to be his master in winning Aki’s heart, she never wanted him to dump her once he did.

Yoshino appreciates how at-sea Masamune must feel, having learned that she was the one who told him off, that Aki isn’t to blame, and thus there’s no reason for a revenge plot at all. But he’s also their only hope to save Aki from Kanetsugu’s lies. So she sends him off to do just that.

Masamune runs first while considering what he needs to say to Aki when he finds her. At this point, she’d already been calmed down by Kanetsugu, the two went on a Ferris wheel ride, and were now enjoying ice cream. When the fan club intercept Masamune, he tells them they can call him trash if they like, but he needs to know where Aki is to protect her from Kanetsugu’s lies.

They acquiesce, and just before Kanetsugu gets to reply to Aki’s offer to do anything for him, he appears to punch Kanetsugu right in the face, telling him to stop using his name. Masamune doesn’t help his case at first by getting in a dig about Aki’s “ugly personality”, but manages to get the words he needs to out: if she’s going to date Masamune, she might as well date the real one!

It’s great to watch Yoshino’s web of lies fold, even as I feel bad for her since her hatred for Masamune has gradually turned to more positive feelings. Nevertheless, she puts Aki’s feelings first, not because it’s her job to defer to her, but because her lies caused this whole mess. I really hope Aki believes Masamune about Kanetsugu’s deceptions—deviousness such as his should not be rewarded!

Masamune-kun’s Revenge R – 03 – Le deuxième enfant

Everyone’s back in Japan, and Yoshino is confined to the mansion when not at school, a punishment her sister says could have been far stricter. While at school, she meets with Masamune, and says she’ll try to smooth things over with a stress-eating Aki. Then she crosses paths with a smug Kanetsugu. Neko also notices something off with Masamune, and asks if he can accompany her somewhere after school.

That somewhere turns out to be the hospital for some routine checks, after which Neko and Masamune go for a stroll by the river. When he gives her the gist of what happened, she asks if revenge is still his goal, to which he says of course: Once Aki falls in love with him he’ll dump her. Neko decides to be bold and hug him from behind.

If he’s only pursuing Aki for revenge, it wouldn’t be cheating if he fell for Neko. The hug is interrupted by Muriel’s brother’s goons. After a brief chase, her bro pulls out not a handgun, but Muriel’s manuscript, which starts with Aki and Masamune’s story and has an original, happy ending that makes Masamune wonder why things couldn’t turn out that way.

Masamune’s sister Chinatsu greets him with a jump kick to the spine, as she suspects him of going through her laundry, having seen someone through her window. But when their mom says she was the one folding their clean laundry, Chinatsu has to recant and apologize.

Meanwhile, Aki goes to a family restaurant with Kanetsugu and her three-girl fan club, who go over the photos of Aki from Paris. When Kanetsugu says most of Aki’s free time was spent with Masamune, the girls are upset, but when they press Aki for info she lashes out, then excuses herself.

While she’s gone, we get a compressed version of the genesis of Kanetsugu’s scheme to empty the Adagaki coffers, using an official document he found among his late gramps’ stuff which he’ll use to betrothe himself (really herself) to Aki. As for the money, he primarily wants it to help his little sister, who is always in and out of the hospital.

His interactions throughout the afternoon having planted an idea in his head, Masamune arrives at the mansion to meet with Yoshino. He notes how much smaller the courtyard feels compared to when he was little. As for his idea: “Pig’s Foot” was the nickname he thought Aki gave him when she did nothing to stop the bullies from beating him up in that very courtyard.

But Aki forgot that nickname. That means the only ones who know it are him, the bullies…and a second girl in the mansion. At the time, Masamune didn’t know about her, but Aki said someone was confined to their room with Chickenpox. It now occurs to him it might not have been Aki’s voice calling him Pig’s Foot and rejecting him from the window, but that second girl: Yoshino.

The question he has for her is, how does she know that nickname? The answer is revealed in the last shot of the episode, as a young Yoshino removes a black wig. Now it’s official: she was the one who rejected Masamune back then and prevented Muriel’s happy ending from occurring. My question for Yoshino is, since what has been done cannot be undone, how willing is she to sort things out with Aki and Masamune?

Masamune-kun’s Revenge R – 02 – Mains moites

Gasou Kanetsugu is a real piece of work. He (I’ll use that pronoun while she presents as male) doesn’t threaten to go to Aki with the news that Yoshino is conspiring with Masamune. Instead, he snitches on her to her parents, knowing full well that when the families get involved, Yoshino’s station will be a millstone around her neck. While she’s initially defiant, Gasou seems to have neutralized her as a player here.

Speaking of playing, Aki and Masamune are forced (on pain of death by her brother’s hired goons) to role-play as a rom-com couple for Muriel Besson’s benefit. Masamune decides it’s unbecoming to seem flustered about something like this, so he takes Aki’s hand and leads her around the park. When she gets exhausted and hungry, he suggests they feed one another, but that proves too much for both of them.

Instead, Aki eats her own (legitimately delicious-looking) sandwich, then gets down to the business she originaly intended: to tell him how she met “Masamune” and why she can’t accept this Masamune’s feelings. We get her side of the story of how she needed a distraction and a friend as her warring parents fought for her affection. She found one in Masamune. I liked the elaborate prank she helped set up to set Masamune’s bullies straight.

While walking home from their victory, Aki admits to Lil’ Masamune that she “at least wants him” to be happy, since it’s “hopeless” for her now that her parents are separating. Unable to hold back her own tears, it’s Masamune’s turn to give her comfort and solace from her troubles.

But despite him saying he’ll stay by her side forever, Aki says that was the last time she ever saw Masamune, AKA Gasou Kanetsugu. Now the real Masamune knows that Aki believes Gasou was him. But he’s confused: this isn’t how things went down from his perspective—He didn’t abandon her!

While picking flowers to cheer Aki up (dawww) Masamune is ambushed by the bullies who now have an excuse to get back at him. Masamune runs to Aki’s mansion, but she comes to the window and tells him she’ll never have feelings for him, and calls him “Pig’s Foot”.

When Masamune confronts Aki about it in the present, she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Both of them believe they’re the victim. Something’s missing here! But Masamune is unable to hide his anger and contempt for what he considers a twisting of history.

He’s nasty enough that Aki runs off on her own, never a good idea in a foreign country where you don’t quite know where you are and the vast majority of people don’t speak your language. She happens to run into Gasou, who opens his arms when he sees she’s upset, but she runs right past him. GOOD.

Yoshino, who apparently hasn’t budged from the bridge since Gasou checkmated her, reads a message from her parents telling her to shape up and that she’s grounded. To her surprise, Aki runs into her arms crying. She comforts her, and recalls having done it before when they were younger.

Was it because Aki’s parents broke up, or because lil’ Masamune, whom Aki had feelings for, suddenly vanished? Neither Aki nor Masamune have enough information to know the full picture.

Aki’s sharing only drove a wedge between them, because her story so perfectly contradicted the one he’d always held as justification for his Dead or Love plan. If something is going to give, someone other than these two needs to contribute a key piece of information…

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 12 (Fin)

Last week I predicted that Masamune would fill in for Kanetsugu in the Class-A play—a safe prediction, since that’s what came to pass. The show tries to be coy about it, what with showing Masamune arrive in the auditorium to see Aki already on the stage performing, and not immediately revealing his plan. But really, we all knew where this was going.

What I did not know was how much I would enjoy the performance scene, telegraphed as it was. Simply taking Kanetsugu’s place is no mean feat for Masamune in his ill and weakened state, but the well-rehearsed cast (which includes his master) catches on fast, as his fatigue is explained as the result of his “long journey.”

Back to another safe assumption: that Masamune would, in fact, give Aki a real kiss. I mean, how could he not, that’s what the role demands! But when Aki said the kiss would be “pretend” while waiting in her coffin, it all but confirmed to me that it wouldn’t be. It wasn’t a bad kiss at all, and it even compels Aki to do a little improvisation of her own, by decking him for stealing a kiss. Because he’s so weak, he’s out for the count.

Fast Forward to the conclusion of the festival (thankfully) as reps from both classes meet at a karaoke joint for the after-party. This is where the episode kinda stretches out and relaxes, and where it was clear, if it wasn’t in past weeks, that this whole Masamune’s Revenge thing wasn’t going to be wrapped up in just twelve episodes. The last half feels more like a self-contained OVA.

Which, yeah, makes sense. Masamune feels a lot of tension at the karaoke bar, and when his turn in the sing-off approaches, he’s hassled by Sonoka and Kikuon, warning he won’t be able to run away from humiliating himself at the mic in front of their mistress. But it’s Aki who scolds them and sends them off, taking his side. She later regrets it, as Masamune’s singing is so bad everyone looks dead by the end, and quickly clear out afterward.

At least that leaves Masamune and Aki alone together for one last scene, which is as nice way as any to close out the show. They exchange thanks and apologies, and Aki earnestly asks him what she should do as far as tokens of appreciation go. Masamune swings for the fences and asks for a kiss, and to his shock, she accepts.

Aki’s lips do come within less than an inch of Masamune’s, but she stops short and pops a baked yam (I think) in his mouth, provided by Yoshino, who just showed up to feed Aki. Aki feels they got “close enough for now,” and strides off, far more playful than aloof.

Thus, Masamune and Aki end this 12-episode run on pretty good terms. However, obstacles still exist. We know Kanetsugu is deceiving both Aki and Masamune, something Yoshino hasn’t informed her of. Neko doesn’t quite seem ready to give up now that she’s been given a new lease on life. And then there’s the whole matter of whether Masamune wants to actually exact his titular revenge and dump Aki once he’s earned her favor (eh, likely not).

I assume Masamune-kun no Revenge will be back…someday, to resolve these remaining issues. If it does, the show has earned my loyalty, so I’ll be taking a look. If it doesn’t, well…it was a nice, if incomplete, ride.

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 11

I’ll admit I am not the biggest fan of “school play” episodes, but MnR’s wasn’t just an admirably-paced example of the type, but also the most consistently funny and best episode of MnR yet. It’s a joke-laden, increasingly wacky series of unexpected events that build up to a denouement I can look forward to watching.

It all starts with Masamune worried about Class Rep Futaba’s sudden transformation into your typical overbearing director. At the same time, Kojuurou is just about sick of people treating him like a girl (even though he’s voiced by one, the great Hayami Saori), but glad that at least Neko doesn’t, leading to him kinda falling for her.

We also see more of Kanetsugu treating Aki so very nicely, but then revealing to us his true intentions. Obviously, he’s not the Masamune Aki knew as a kid (that’s the thin Masamune), so who is he? A fat kid Aki’s mom mistook for Masamune, assuming he’d never lose weight.

Because Kanetsugu’s once-rich family has fallen on hard times, he’s been tasked with restoring their financial standing to go with the prestige of their name, hence Kanetsugu pretending he’s the boy Aki once knew. It immediately makes his character much better because A.) now we know what exactly his deal is and B.) he’s not perfect, like everyone else in the show.

Everyone…except Neko. Neko is perfect. I guess you could call her health imperfect, but there’s nothing wrong with her personality. Back from her life-threatening illness and surgery, Neko hasn’t skipped a beat, and despite having her heart broken, would still like to be Masamune’s dance partner should he lose to the other play.

She also notices that he’s ill and takes him to the nurse’s office to rest (he spent a chunk of the night outside in his skivvies to prove how hardy he is, then caught a cold). Masamune can’t refuse her offer, should it come to that.

How could he refuse? Fujinomiya Neko is THE BEST, and this warm, caring scene is more proof that she wouldn’t be a consolation girl. KOJUUROU knows what I’m talking about, though his attempt to assert his manliness by speaking in a weird dialect only serves to confuse, not woo, an oblivious Neko. I know it’s a bit late for his development, but I like how Koujuurou is trying to escape his typecasting…even if it’s futile.

Aki’s self-appointed “personal guard” hatches a plan to sabotage Class B’s play, in the silliest way possible: Kikuon kidnaps Masamune, ties him up in a big mattress, and imprisons him in a storeroom.

That’s…pretty lame, not to mention unsporting and even cowardly, which is exactly what Masamune tells Kikuon, who, to her credit, takes his words to heart and immediately starts to have a moral crisis about what she’s doing…until she learns from Masamune’s call to Mari (and his poor attempts to hide it) that their prince, Kanetsugu, has also been taken hostage. Masamune only knows that he’s missing from Mari, but he knows that it was Master Yoshino who nabbed him.

I like how Masamune knows this, and how he’s right that it was Yoshino. They’re operating on the same wavelength, it’s just that she thought to do it pretty much the same time as Mari (who pitches a hissyfit when she thinks she’s bested), while Masamune, who we know is a tourist in these kind of dark dealings, only of kidnapping his counterpart as a tactic once Mari mentioned it had already gone down.

Still, Masamune isn’t all brawn no brains…though Kikuon might be, as he manages to get the slip on her by pretending to leap out at least a third story window.  She leaps out to chase him down, only to fall into a pool below and somehow not break several bones, while he’s hanging onto the window sill. Call it Kikuon’s Wile E. Coyote moment.

But you know what? I’ll allow it, because Kikuon is, if nothing else, devoted to Aki, for without even knowing it, doing something that made Kikuon feel good after a tough loss to someone who cheated: Aki turned the guy down and called him a coward.

Mari and Sonoka doubtless have similar stories that lionized Aki in their eyes…but Aki didn’t ask for their loyalty and devotion; she simply has it, whether it’s in her best interest to have it or not. I say this because she, like Masamune, wanted to perform the plays and determine who would win fair and square. It’s their proxies who complicated matters by playing dirty.

Well, the show will go on for Aki, with or without Kanetsugu (she considers his sudden absence at such a crucial time to be a repeat of abandoning her when they were little kids). I feel bad that Kanetsugu is deceiving her, while loving the irony of Masamune’s extreme physical makeover actually forestalling Aki’s falling for him.

Of course, with Kanetsugu still absent and Kujuurou sick of being treated like a princess, the solution for both Class A and B would seem to be clear: pair up Masamune and Aki. I hope they finally go there (it’s the logical path) and I also hope Aki finds out about Kanetsugu, be it from his being found out or from his own mouth.

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 10

Turns out the mystery fatty isn’t some stunted clone of Masamune, but Gasou Kanetsugu, who is, at least according to an apparently genuine letter, Aki’s betrothed. For now, it appears to be just a coincidence that he looks a lot like our “Pig’s Foot” if he never lost weight (or gained height).

Aki’s household accepts Gasou’s sudden claim, and when the next term starts, he’s a transfer student at the school. Unlike the hunky baseball ace, Aki can’t contain her smitteness for the round lil’ guy, much to the shock and consternation of her fan club, which consists of Sonoka (twin tailed loli) Kikuon (tall and sporty) and Mari (serious/dark glasses).

Even more gobsmacked is Masamune, who just dosn’t understand how this could happen just when he thought the path was clear (in other news, Neko’s surgery went off without a hitch and she’s back at school, though no longer pursuing him).

To his surprise, even his master Yoshino is at a loss regarding Aki’s new squeeze, and feels like she’s let her apprentice down, even though he doesn’t blame her.

There’s a tension that runs throughout this episode, once once accepts the suddenness and coincidence of Kanetsugu’s appearance. On the one hand, I can’t deny I’m on Masamune’s side, even though I know he only wants to win Aki’s heart so he can immediately break it.

Kanetsugu is a huge obstacle to that, but I can’t help but admire Aki not abiding by the typical norms of attraction, confused friends, fans and suitors be damned. Kanetsugu is a good kid, too. When Neko first showed up, I felt like she was hiding a secret, which turned out to be nothing evil.

But Kanetsugu doesn’t give off that vibe. There’s no ulterior motive here, beyond fulfilling his obligation as 17th-gen-whatever. In fact, he holds Aki in such high regard he dare not even entertain the possibility of getting romantic with her, either in the present or the future. He thinks he’s too far beneath her; in reality, she’d be just fine with that!

In any case, though she’s mistaking Kanetsugu for the younger, fatter Masamune, the fact is Aki likes what she sees, and her betrothed seems to have completely usurped thin Masamune from her thoughts. Her fan club, who gets a lot of screen time, also ends up allying themselves with Kanetsugu when he promises he has no intention of touching their goddess.

That alliance is somewhat undermined by Class Rep Futaba, who insists her class put on a performance of Snow White with Masamune and Kojuurou as the prince and princess, respectively. Mari, fan club member, and her class are putting on a Snow White of their own, only with Aki and Kanetsugu.

Masamune helps the two warring classes come to a compromise: both performances will be held, and the school will get to vote for the one they like best. It will also determine which “prince”; which Masamune gets to dance with Aki (though she herself isn’t informed of this wager).

If the pro-BL caucus propels our Masamune to victory in the drama battle, what then? How will he be able to wrest Aki from Kanetsugu’s pudgy clutches?

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 09

Whether due to her suspicions about him going to Neko’s place, or the fact that Neko being missing takes precedence, Aki completely ignores the fact Masamune said he “chose” her and rejected Neko. The girls (and Kojuurou) pile into the car to go look for Neko, and there isn’t room for him.

And yet, after nothing comes of searching the immediate vicinity of Neko’s apartment, Masamune and Aki both end up at school. There, Aki tells Masamune she doesn’t want Neko wallowing in despair. She feels bad that he rejected her…which is pretty rich, considering she did the same thing to Masamune years back, which leads him to bring up “pig’s foot” to her.

That conversation is curtailed by the re-enactment of a scene in the manga Masamune owns which Neko also started reading, in which a girl turns her unrequited love letters into paper airplanes. Only when they finds her on the roof, it isn’t long before she collapses from exhaustion. Clearly Neko is frailer than Masamune ever imagined.

While recovering in hospital, Neko asks to speak to Aki alone. After that, she has Masamune brought in to talk to him alone, and reveals her plan to him to fall in love before undergoing a risky operation that could improve her condition (or not).

She says he was chosen at random to be her suitor, but a later flashback indicates the two did meet little kids, and were thought by his family to be a good match. Alas, Masamune only ever had feelings for Aki. She thanks him for giving her “lovely memories,” then excuses him.

Neko’s talk with Masamune about not walking the “same path” as her through an uncertain fog, and he redoubles his efforts to block out “unnecessary thoughts” and recommit himself to his goal: to make Aki fall for him and then “throw her away in the best way possible.” He’s not thinking about what happens after.

We thankfully also get Neko’s frank talk with Aki. Neko was soundly rejected, so now she sees no good reason why Aki should keep acting tough and denying the love Masamune has for her.

Neko is conceding defeat, and Aki can’t dance around the fact that she feels something…but interestingly, she thinks back to the fat Masamune of her childhood as her ideal of love. After all, Masamune has only showed us his version of their relationship. It’s not a great leap to assume she teased him because she liked him…he was just to thick to realize that.

As for what happens in the end, with a fat little guy who looks like Masamune showing up in Aki’s garden…I don’t know what to think. Did she fall asleep beside the fountain and is simply dreaming? Or is she mistaking this random kid for the real Masamune?

It was a very bizarre and confusing—if mildly intriguing—way to end another solid, earnest, emotional episode.

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 08

I was right at the edge with Masamune-kun no Revenge, and with the gang planning to hang at the pool, it looked like we were in for another color-by-numbers harem outing. Instead, things got a little more serious…all because Masamune’s photo is gone, and he suspects Neko of taking it—which she did.

While meeting Akagaki at a family restaurant so she can give him back luggage he left at her villa, the photo distracts Masamune to the point where Adagaki is insulted by his distance and leaves. The minute she leaves (without paying for the four sundaes she ate) Masamune gets a call from Neko, which leads to him asking if they can meet so he can somehow bring up the photo she stole.

It’s here where things get hot and heavy in a hurry, and very unexpectedly so. Neko doesn’t jump his bones like a cat in heat, no; in fact, it’s Masamune who sneaks into her room to look for the photo, then comes across the same romance novel she saw at his house.

Neko catches him snooping, but thinks nothing of it, and before long owns up to the theft of the photo, saying the young him—not the young Adagaki—was just too cute for her to resist. His self-image poisoned by his interactions with Adagaki and others, Masamune never once considered himself cute, but Neko means it.

So what if he was fat? Well, the fact he was once fat means everything to Masamune, both in terms of his present obsession with fitness and his vendetta with Adagaki.

Masamune is so messed up, to the end he believes Neko is working some other angle, some ulterior motive he’s on the cusp of discovering. So when she advances on him, he questions whether she really likes him, then takes the photo and leaves, telling her choosing Adagaki is his…revenge.

After he leaves, Neko doesn’t seem like her plan had failed. She looks heartbroken, and says as much. For his part, Masamune is pretty messed up too – he just had his first kiss with a girl, and having rejected her out of hand, his stomach hurts something fierce. He’s just not sure whether he did the right thing, only that he can’t get Adagaki off his mind.

The pool party is an afterthought, both narratively (because the Neko incident takes precedence) and practically (there’s no animation, just a bunch of panning stills). But that’s okay; what matters isn’t what happened at the pool, but who didn’t attend: Neko told Futaba she wasn’t feeling well. And again, Masamune feels frustratingly far away to Adagaki.

While everyone is leaving the pool, Neko’s attendant pulls up, asking what Masamue did to her, as she’s now missing and without her meds. That’s right: Neko isn’t just some vitamin junkie; she’s a very sickly young woman and a seizure risk. Masamune was wrong. So he tells the truth – he went to Neko’s to tell her he couldn’t go out with her because he was choosing Adagaki.

The episode ends there, with us wondering how much those words may have affected Adagaki, and knowing that with Neko who-knows-where without vital meds, this isn’t a game or test of courage. They’ve gotta find her first, then deal with the romantic ramifications.

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 07

Masamune-kun no Revenge got off to a halfway clever start, but in the last few weeks has been leaning heavily on overused rom-com tropes. This episode is no different, combining three such tropes: The Beach Trip, The Test of Courage, and the Man-Hating Older Woman (MHOW). As such, it’s an adequate but unexceptional outing.

In an attempt to add stakes, while on the yacht to the island where the Adagaki beach manse is located Koiwai warns Masamune that if he doesn’t make progress on this trip, she’ll spill the beans to her master – all of them.

It spooks Masamune into taking risks, like telling the trip chaperone—Adagaki’s dad’s secretary Yuisaki Midori (the MHOW)—that he’s Adagaki’s boyfriend. He knows Adagaki cares greatly about appearances where other women are concerned, and it pays off…just.

We know the reason why: on some level, Adagaki wouldn’t mind actually dating Masamune. She’s keeping up appearances, both by allowing the lie and making sure Neko stays away from her man, but also because she doesn’t want Neko sniffing around Masamune anyway.

Masamune later goes to Yuisaki for suggestions on what to do that’s good for a dating pair, and she suggests the dreaded Test of Courage (I like how she considers it childish, but the still pretty childish Masamune is fine with it).

He rigs it so he’ll have to save Adagaki when she’s trembling in fear, and we get another one of his far-fetched fantasies where she says and does things the really Adagaki never would, at least not yet.

But because Yusaki hates men, and wants Adagaki to become like her, she tries to dispose of Masamune by trying to scare him. Instead, Koiwai (whom Masamune sent in first so she could brandish a chainsaw) ends up scaring Yuisaki, who hits her head and has to be carried home by Masamune. Yuisaki learns that the dating is a lie, but also learns that Masamune is actually a good guy and she feels bad for prejudging him.

I never thought for a second Koiwai was going to spill the beans, so there wasn’t really much in the way of stakes this week. He doesn’t make much in the way of progress, nor do we learn anything more of Neko (oddly we now know more about Yuisaki than her). Here’s hoping the show is troped out and will do something a little more interesting next week.

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 06

That Masamune-kun’s big grand scheme to destroy Adagaki is put in jeopardy by the mere offer of a kiss is yet another indication that he simply hasn’t thought this through that much, that he’s better at losing weight and keeping it off than relationship stuff, and that he’s very lucky to have Yoshino on his side; otherwise he’d be toast.

Masamune’s outer timidity around Adagaki belies his tougher inner revenge plotter, and Adagaki seems to make it clear: if he can’t kiss her, he must not really like her.

Watching his plan’s life flash before his eyes, he quickly envisions Adagaki as a piece of meat and goes in for a bite, only for a flustered Adagaki to recoil and delivering unto him a crushing (and physics-defying) uppercut.

This is two people inexperienced in love and romance fumbling around, unable to read or predict one another because they can scarcely predict themselves.

After an awkward scene in the school courtyard, Yoshino decides Neko needs to be tailed, lest she be up to something that will disrupt her accord with Masamune regarding her master. When Neko ends up at Masamune’s house, both she and Yoshino are snatched up by Masamune’s tiny loli mom.

I’m all for representation of little people in anime, but I’m not sure that’s what his mom is, and it’s kind of irritating that her character design is indistinguishable from that of a grade schooler. It was less of a concern when she was a background, but we see a lot more of her this week.

In fact, the whole episode kinda grinds to a halt at Masamune’s house when he comes home to find two members of his harem plus the two female members of his family amicably mingling. All he manages to do is complain that Yoshino and Neko are there, that the food is fattening, and that they dress up in yukata to light fireworks after dinner.

Masamune deems all of this a waste of time he could be spending lifting weights or something, but I can’t say I relate to his displeasure with what seemed by all accounts a warm, pleasant weeknight. As for Neko, she’s happy her obsession with health (through more medicinal means) mirrors Masamune’s obsession with fitness. She also steals his photo of him and Adagaki. Not cool, Neko!

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 05

I’ve found that it’s tricky switching gears from Kuzu no Honkai, an R-rated seinen show, with Masamune-kun’s Revenge, a PG-13 rom-com that’s becoming increasingly harem-y. You won’t see a lot of girls posing with airsoft guns in Kuzu.

The two shows, while ostensibly about relationships between people, go about their business in very different ways. Revenge, even at its most serious, is still a much “lighter” show than the leaden Kuzu. I realize I’m not saying anything particularly groundbreaking here, just noting an observation.

For one thing, Revenge utilizes an array of familiar, well-trodden elements from its genre as it progresses. Masamune truly wants to get Adagaki to fall for him so he can exact his revenge, but he’s unwittingly finding himself flush with women, due partially to his hot guy status, but also his genuine, if sometimes, reluctant, kindness, borne from once being on the other side.

Put up against Adagaki, Yoshino, and even class-rep Futaba, so far Fujinomiya Neko is the weakest of the girls now in his orbit, for two big reasons. First, she’s less of a character than a collection of odd quirks (elaborate lies, going commando, fake blood) that doesn’t yet add up to anything. Second, like Masamune we know nothing about her, why she truly respects/admires him, and why she transferred.

Her most interesting moment comes when she spots her competition, Adagaki (which had me thinking of and comparing her to Akane over at Kuzu, which I really shouldn’t do). But again, because we have no idea why she’s going after Masamune specifically, I’m not really invested in her mission to beat Adagaki.

Masamune, meanwhile, ends up firmly back on Adagaki’s bad side, for, among other reasons not being more forceful in rebuke her advances. Adagaki is still figuring out what she feels about this guy, but it’s clear she really doesn’t like watching another girl get too close to him, or the fact he does next to nothing to stop it. It makes her think he’s shallow to fall under another’s spell so easily.

The two get to have it out, somewhat, when they’re punished for skipping class by having to clean the pool (which is oddly full of water). Because it’s a pool, Adagaki naturally ends up in it, can’t swim, and almost has to be rescued.

When pressed, Masamune admits he can’t help but want to save her, since he likes her so much. Adagaki wants proof: a kiss. Looks like the turbulence caused by Neko didn’t fully snuff out the flame…unless, like last week, another unfortunate interruption ruins the moment…again!

Masamune-kun no Revenge – 04

Masamune continues to expose the fact all he knows about courting girls is through shoujo manga. Staring at Adagaki throughout class and then lending her his umbrella, all while spouting canned lines, just ends up kinda creeping her out. Yoshino suggests he cool it, literally, by mixing it up and starting to ignore her.

That turns out to be a lot more difficult than Masamune could have imagined, as he feels he’s throwing away all the goodwill he’s built up with Adagaki. But, despite how badly he’s flailing, it does actually work: Adagaki doesn’t consider him a bug.

She can’t, not when he’s irritating her this much with all the ignoring. When she confronts him roughly in the hall (not at all what he imagined), Masamune can only say he likes “everything” about her before running off…to see Yoshino again. But because of the camera angles, you know Adagaki followed them, and gets the wrong idea about the two.

While playing hooky for the first time, Adagaki is approached by Yoshino, and tries to play it cool, but Yoshino comes right out and tells her about all her contact with Masamune. “He only has eyes for you,” she says to Adagaki, getting more and more flustered. Before Yoshino can deny she feels the same, Yoshino vanishes.

It’s while Adagaki is rushing around aimlessly, stuck in her thoughts, that we learn what she thinks of herself, and why it’s so “inconceivable” that she’d like anyone, or that anyone would like her. The Cruel Princess act is an intentional one, designed to keep others away.

She wants to keep others away because, as she says, she ” hurts others to avoid being hurt,” and we see her there dressing down Pig’s Foot. I imagine she did not expect Masamune to leave when he did, and branded him a liar, but also wonders if he left because she drove him away.

To avoid history repeating itself, she’s been aloof and kept her distance from everyone. Whether she’s worshiped or hated, she’s not close enough to anyone to hurt anyone or get hurt.

But now things are changing. Masamune’s cold shoulder awoke feelings in her, and when he saves her from getting hit by a car, she’s right on the cusp of telling him when the driver of the car gets out…and embraces Masamune.

Apparently, the story of Masamune and Adagaki cannot be so neatly wrapped up so quickly and easily. Whoever this girl is, she’s competition, which is something Adagaki has never had, reigning as she has over all the boys and girls at school. And like class rep Futaba, this girl is someone else threatening to knock Masamune off course.

But what’s the fun of things being too easy? I’m game for the complication New Girl brings.