Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible – 12 (Fin) – Eyes On You

After their big eventful date, Kubo’s finale strikes a quieter, more laid back tone. When Shiraishi is back at school, he notes that the day doesn’t seem any different. And yet after spending the day with Kubo and promising to hang out more, it feels different.

Kubo tries to get Shiraishi into psychological tests to learn more about him—and also to tease him a little—but ends up playing herself. He answers a question in a way that suggests he’ll only date one person. She ends up answering a question in a way that indicates she wants “oodles” of kids! She has to make a tactical retreat to blush.

The next segment is a curtain call for Akina, who is surprised to learn that Kubo has tried coffee. When she pinpoints when it happened, it’s the same time Kubo was fussing over her outfit and also graciously accepted Akina’s help putting her hair in a ponytail.

Akina may be a drunk, but she’s quick on the uptake: Kubo drank coffee for the first time while on her date with someone she liked. Akina has bittersweet feelings about her kid sister growing up to the point there are some things she doesn’t know about her, but she’s also excited and proud of her. Kubo even manages to tease Akina!

Back at school, it’s Shiraishi’s birthday, and perhaps in preparation for an evening feast, his stomach growls so loud during quiet study session that he attracts the attention of the whole school. Kubo snickers, but also offers a Kit-Kat with a message of Happy Birthday.

A second Kit-Kat tells him to look in his desk, where a little axolotl plushie is waiting for him. At first Kubo worries she got a gift too cutesy for a boy, but Shiraishi is clearly happy and promises to take good care of it. When Kubo feeds him a Kit-Kat, it’s Shiraishi’s turn to hide his face so Kubo can’t see how wide he’s smiling.

The finale closes with Kubo telling the tale of how she met Shiraishi from her perspective. She was interested in the guy ever since she saw a class photo where his photo was added in even though he was already in the photo, a gag that’s doubly hilarious thanks to Hanazawa Kana delivering it straigt.

Basically, Kubo immediately became intrigued by this kid no one else noticed. When they ended up in the class, she was surprised how quickly she spotted him, and amazed by how no one else could. She hoped to become his seat neighbor so she could casually strike up a conversation, and lady luck was on her side.

When she does first introduce herself, Shiraishi is so shocked to be noticed, he ends up showing her a side she’d never seen before. From that point on she was hooked, always keeping an eye trained on the inexpressive yet easy-to-read Shiraishi.

Little by little it seems he’s becoming more noticeable to everyone else, thanks to Kubo leading the way. But I’ve no doubt that no one’s attention is more welcome to or sought out by Shiraishi than Kubo’s. And for her part, she’ll be keeping an eye on him for the foreseeable future, eager to learn more about him.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible – 11 – So Bitter, So Sweet

The long-awaited movie adaptation of Shiraishi’s favorite manga is finally out. When Kubo learns this, she doesn’t hesitate. She liked the manga when he lent it to her. She bought the other volumes, and she’s excited to see the movie too…so they’ll go together, and that’s that!

Shiraishi may not be fully aware that this constitutes a classic date scenario, but it doesn’t matter, ’cause that’s what it is. As with most things Kubo-related, he goes with the flow and stays resolutely himself, which is very considerate, so things go well.

Kubo makes sure she’s looking her absolute cutest, with a ponytail and carefully selected outfit for their date. I feel bad for her that Shiraishi’s outward reaction is so meh, but she does end up getting wall-slammed on the crowded train. Shiraishi tries his hardest to avoid physical contact, but Kubo doesn’t mind. She’s exactly where she wants to be.

When Shiraishi’s invisibility to others results in three guys hitting on Kubo, he makes sure the guys know he’s there. When Kubo grabs his arm and says they’re dating, and Shiraishi looks hesitant, the bittersweet vibes lead them to leave in peace and with good wishes to the couple.

When the 2:30 PM show doesn’t have any open pairs of seats, they buy tix for the 4:00 PM show instead. Kubo doesn’t mind, because it means she gets to do more stuff with Shiraishi, starting with getting a pick-me-up at the cafe. At this point Kubo is feeling confident she can get whatever she wants, but Shiraishi draws the line at at drink for two with a heart-shaped straw.

When Shiraishi reports he’ll be ordering coffee, Kubo is impressed with such an “adult” choice. She’s determined to get the same thing he gets, but black coffee proves too bitter (Hanazawa Kana is an absolute delight throughout this episode, giving Kubo at least 10 different voice “modes”).

While Kubo is determined to drink what Shiraishi’s drinking, he goes and gets cream and sugar…for both of them. That thoughtfulness and attention to detail is a big reason why Kubo likes Shiraishi. Also, he’s a cool big brother, and she uses her Gatcha luck to score the toy Seita wanted.

The two are having so much fun on their date that they almost miss the start of the movie, but they make it before the lights go out. More than watching the much anticipated movie adaptation, it means so much more to be watching it right beside the boy she likes. And that boy makes what, for him, are pretty expressive faces during the move.

As was the plan all along, Shiraishi walks Kubo home. She asks him if he had fun. He did. She says she had fun too, and so they should hang out again. For Kubo, this was just the beginning: there are so many things she wants to see and do with Shiraishi. He’s game, and they seal it with a pinky promise.

Before bidding each other goodnight, Kubo says Shiraishi’s face was a lot more animated by his standards. She also mentions that despite usually having the same neutral expression, she finds him “easy to read.” While walking home, he worries about all the times during the date she might have read him, and then he just turns red.

Look, I don’t ask much of my date episodes, except that the couple have fun, don’t run into too much bullshit conflict, and end up a little closer than they were before the date. This episode didn’t break any new ground, but checked all those boxes with solid execution. It was also a nice culmination of all the little interactions and steps Kubo took in order to get the boy nobody ever notices to notice her. It seems like he’s finally catching on.