Ⓒ竹岡葉月・Tiv・一迅社/「政宗くんのリベンジ」製作委員会
Two episodes before the finale, Masamune-kun’s Revenge seems to be losing its touch. After a great arc with Fujinomiya Neko that turned the series into more serious alleys, the series returned to a light-hearted approach that is neither fitting nor really funny to be honest.
Japanese Title: 疑惑の新学期
In my review of Episode 9, I thought that the newcomer was a crude stunt of Masamune, but the only similarity is his uncanny resemblance to how Makabe would have turned out if he remained chubby. He is in fact Kanetsugu Gasou, who according to a mysterious letter that the Adagaki household conveniently accepts, he is to marry Ai.
Of course, when the next term starts, the mysterious betrothed is a transfer student at their school. While Aki starts the term with rejecting one of the most popular guys, when it comes to chubby little Kanetsugu she can’t help being far from the ‘Cruel Princess’ we have known so far. That only reinforces the fact that Aki was once in love with Masamune, and Kanetsugu is a kinder, friendlier, and generally cooler representation of that love. Yoshino’s apology to Makabe later in the episode suggest that she may have had something to do with the misunderstanding between Makabe and Aki in the past. Her motives are still blurry. After all, in this episode we also learn that the butler of the house is Yoshino’s father. He was perplexed by the engagement letter, and to be honest, this whole ‘fiancé via family arrangements’ thing smells a little fishy. Something is terribly wrong here.
Also Aki is a little out of character. No matter how infatuated was with Makabe when she was a little girl, her reactions feel out of place. It would have been interesting to see the same episode from her point of view.
Masamune, on the other hand, may be thinner and handsomer from his mountain training, but he is the same jerk as ever. There was a glimpse of redemption during the Neko arc, but now he is back and determined to win Aki’s heart… just to break it right after. Seeing how good and innocent Kanegutsu is, it really makes you wonder: Is it possible that I am rooting for the wrong guy here?
Snow White: It seems that Aki’s heart will be contested in a battle full of drama. Class 3-A (Kanetsugu and Adagaki) will have to compete against Class Rep Futaba’s BL dream cast of Masamune as the Prince and Kojuurou as Snow White. The wager is this: whoever wins the popular vote of the two, Makabe or Gasou, will have the chance to dance with Aki. Though Aki doesn’t know of that… maybe she will dump them both?
Yuri Fan Club: There is no other way to describe the 3-person fan club of Adagaki. The group consists of Sonoka, a twin tailed loli who is also the vice president of the student council; Kikuon, the tall and strong member of kendo club; and Mari, a serious glasses type that is obviously the strategic advisor of the group. Their motives are clear: they hate men and Aki is their role model. I felt that their introduction was a bit untimely; why now? What is the purpose of the group, except of feeling curiously out of place?
Fan-Service: Yoshino’s panty-shot was… eeetooo…untasteful. Not because I disapprove fan-service. It is fun, but only when it’s done right. This felt forceful. It was like the series was telling me, ‘this episode is not as good as the previous, I know. Here are some panties. And Yoshino’s huge boobs. Feel better?’
Beauty Standards: If I had to guess, I’m certain that Makabe’s numbers of Kanetsugu’s figure are a little strick. He is listed as being 160 cm, which is a little short I admit, and 63 kg. While Makabe says that he’s fat, if you take out of the equation the belly, the relation between his height and his weight is well within the healthy region. We can probably guess that Makabe’s complexes drive him to make untasteful weight-related comments, but in the end, it is Kanetsugu who has everything we should admire in a person. He is good at sports, clever, kind, ready to help, friendly, and with a sense of justice. Now that I think about it, he is a little too perfect, and coupled with his purely platonic love for Adagaki, I’m sure that his motives will prove to be less than ideal.
Tiger and Dragon: This scene doesn’t refer as one of my friends suggested to the popular martial arts movie. At least not directly. The Chinese have an idiom that includes the two creatures and refers to two spirits so wildly different and yet at the same time similar, mortal enemies intricately linked together by destiny. Adagaki and the Class Rep are not exactly linked together by destiny, but their determination is fierce.
Yuri: Yuri is a term used for works that involve love relationships between women. It is the exact opposite of the BL effect that Makabe’s class is aiming for with their Snow White version.
I was really stunned by the readiness of many fellow otakus to spoil maybe one of the biggest secrets in the series. I don’t want to mention the spoiler here, and I will try and treat it like a possibility. I don’t think it will make my experience with the series worse, but they definitely ruined a good ‘WTF’ moment. Spoilers are bad people. Don’t be a dick when you can avoid it.
I preferred the more serious Masamune-kun’s Revenge. The sudden turn to the more light-hearted approach made the mix between the drama and the humor feel awkward and forceful. I giggled in a few scenes, but the drama was not good enough to balance and the light humor. I just hope that this was just the introduction of the main characters that will play the last act of this drama, an act that I have confidence it will be planned and executed well enough to close the series in a way that will leave us a sweet aftertaste.
Did you like Episode 10 of Masamune-kun’s Revenge? Let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to check the rest of our episodic reviews for Winter 2017.
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Otaku Poll: Winter 2017 Anime Final Impressions & Spring Anime Expectations
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Ⓒ竹岡葉月・Tiv・一迅社/「政宗くんのリベンジ」製作委員会
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