I died a little inside

Well, putting that joker aside, let’s get to the meat of episode 4. The verdict? It was not spectacular. Nothing surprising happened, nothing on the level of episode 3. Or… I should say that I in particular wasn’t surprised.

Because I was expecting realism.

And I got realism.

Namely, I was greeted with an implicit retelling of Kannazuki no Miko’s most valuable takeaway message. Himeko worries about Chikane following the KnM episode 8 rape “plot device”, puzzling over whether her best-friend-turned-sexual-assailant is an angel or a devil. She eventually concludes that Chikane is just a sixteen-year-old girl.

Now, Morishima Haruka isn’t 16. (And maybe she’s not a girl! We don’t know for sure, do we?)

But the trope applies.

When she breaks down in the hotel, crying about something so seemingly pointless—why hasn’t TJ confessed again? doesn’t he love her? wtf, mate?—rather than shake my head and sigh, I felt for her (and even more for TJ being subjected to the befuddling rant). One might smack her on the head and say, “Yo! Haruka! Maybe he’s not trying to be overbearing? Maybe the fact that he’s spending his Christmas eve with you is enough of an indication?”

But self-confidence is a big player in reality.

And ‘first-time’ feelings are scary.

It’s understandable that Haruka feel outside her element, and be worried, uncomfortable. What she was thinking by dragging TJ to a hotel is… well, that ED article I linked about 16-year-old girls might provide some answers. I wouldn’t shout “slut!”—or, I would, as lolikit, but not here. A time and a place for everything.

We can pontificate to our wits’ end as to whether all the dog stuff is reasonable/cute/weird/whatever, but in the end we see that this is not mere puppy love. Ten years down the line, the two are “rabu rabu” and still roleplaying.

This show GMH.

I hope future arcs live up to the stellar expectations set by this one.