Masamune-kun's Revenge Episode 5 Review: Mysterious Cat

Fujinomiya Neko is the perfect rival to Adagaki-san: she is beautiful, clever, and with a very sexy mole under her left eye that makes her even more impressive. Yet, Episode 5 of Masamune-kun’s Revenge will find our lovable hero just a step away from one of the most pivoting steps of his revenge plan.

Japanese Title: ミステリアス・キャット

Plot

As it happens with most female antagonists, Fujinomiya-san has the necessary breast power to make any boy in the school fall for her. She is cute, she doesn’t wear any pants for health reasons, and she is determined to win Masamune-kun over an incident in which Masamune played no part in.

Feeling moderately tense is the secret to good health

I am guessing that we will meet a male antagonist very soon, but until then we can only speculate that the person that offered his jacket to Neko-chan and his money to her cause was someone that looks like the stud-him and not the fat-him from three years ago. Regardless, she is determined to win Masamune-kun’s heart even if it means confronting flat-chested Adagaki-san face to face.

In the end, a carefully placed detention gives the couple the opportunity to further the plot towards an unexpected outcome. Now that we have the erotic triangle all raised and ready to wreck some havoc, Adagaki-san clears any suspicions Masamune-kun might have had that this is an one-way ‘love’, something that could have destroyed any hopes of completing his success.

There is no getting through to someone who is closed off to begin with

‘Prove it to me’ says Adagaki in a voice that wants to be firm but betrays her eagerness. ‘Prove to me that you like me!’ But the way Adagaki-san suggests is the one Masamune-kun least expected: ‘Prove it with a kiss…’

Things are going to get more interesting.

Episode Highlights

Adagaki as a Sith Lord: I’m clearly biased since I am huge Star Wars fan, but the scene where Adagaki-san is wearing a Darth Vader mask complete with the heavy breathing and all must be my favorite in the series so far. The helmet had cat ears for anime god’s sake. Priceless.

Love: Masamune-kun has to lie to Neko-chan about his feelings for Adagaki-san. Since his revenge is his prime reason for being, when she asks him if his crush is wonderful, he first goes through an entire internal monologue before answering a simple ‘yes’. Masamune-kun described Adagaki-san as a crude, unrefined, and gluttonous fiend, a metaphor that persists for the rest of the episode: Adagaki is shown as a Lord of the Sith and the sandwiches that Masamune-kun brings to calm her wrath are referred to as ‘offerings’. ‘You piss me off’ he says in more than one occasions… I’m sorry Masamune-kun, but that sounds more like ‘I like you so much’ in my romantically sensitive cat ears.

Themes & Trivia

Neko: The title of the episode ‘Mysterious Cat’ of course refers to Fujinomiya Neko, not only for her mysterious appearance, but also for her name, ‘Neko’, which means ‘cat’ in Japanese.

TV Show: After the incident with Fujinomiya-chan and Adagaki-san’s furious exit, Masamune-kun is expressing his frustration in what seems like a TV show. Since Masamune-kun’s Revenge always had clear references, I am sure that this also refers to something culture-specific, but I have no idea to what. If you know, share your knowledge in the comments below!

Darth Vader: I have already included the scene in the Highlights above. If you don’t know who Darth Vader then you seriously need to watch the Star Wars movies. If you need a short but concise description: Darth Vader is the protagonist of the Star Wars franchise (and never let anyone tell you otherwise) and the most tragic figure in the space opera genre. Probably the best fictional anti-hero ever created alongside Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné.

Military Beret: The beret that Yoshino is wearing has been a common piece of the military uniform of many armies around the world. Military berets are usually pushed to the right to free the shoulder that bears the rifle on most soldiers, but the armies of some countries, mostly Europe, South America, and Iran have influenced the push to the left. Some countries have different beret colors for different army divisions.

Comments

Masamune-kun’s Revenge makes me laugh. Not in the hysterical way that silly parodies like Monty Python do, but definitely more than the ‘that was cute’ smirks that most other anime manage to get out of me. The series doesn’t have high-level humor or many hilarious mishaps, but its funny moments are well-placed and always tied to the overarching theme. You won’t find any slapstick clichés in Masamune-kun’s Revenge, but you will laugh with the accurate references and the sincere dedication of our protagonist to his cause.

Adagaki-san on the Offensive!

Adagaki-san probably felt the looming danger coming from the very possessive cat that has set her eyes on Masamune. I don’t know exactly what it is that makes us empathize with fictional characters, but I am beginning to root for Adagaki. Will Masamune-kun go all the way with his revenge, or will he fall for Adagaki the way that Adagaki has begun falling for him?

Did you like Episode 5 of Masamune-kun’s Revenge? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to check the rest of our episodic anime reviews. Masamune is also in the Top 10 of our first anime survey where we asked you, the otaku readers of MANGA.TOKYO, of your favorite Winter 2017 anime so far.