We had to swap one ‘antagonist’ for the next in Episode 9 of Masamune-kun’s Revenge, as Fujinomiya exits and fake Masamune enters. I personally think that we haven’t seen the last of Neko yet, and she will probably play a crucial role in what happens next, but the real question is this: Who the frak is that chubby impostor?

Japanese Title: 愛とも恋ともいうけれど

Plot

I call on my Captain Obvious powers to make the ‘I told you so’ sign. Adagaki was in love with chubby Masamune. A girl in love with food was in also in love with Masamune’s chubby cheeks and layered tummy. Not that she doesn’t like hot Masamune, but if there was something she could call ‘love,’ then her relationship with Masamune Past is closer. Her feelings betray that the supposed rejection is nothing but a misunderstanding, but we have to wait for the episode that will take us back to these events to learn what really happened.

At least we learned what really happened in Fujinomiya’s case, and as much as I would love to call my powers for a second time, I was so sad that she chose to hide the truth from Masamune. All the telltale signs were there: a frail body, ‘we are so similar,’ being in the know about his past. The lie she chose to say was ridiculous, but Masamune fell for it nevertheless. The lie, however was used to sugarcoat a monologue of truths. Fujinomiya is Masamune without the need to exact revenge. She was in love with him from when they were little chubby donuts, and his rejection was even more painful than the one Masamune experienced from Adagaki (though we said that it’s probably a misunderstanding.)

Thank you for all the lovely memories

The whole Fujinomiya Arc (the last couple of episodes) has left Makabe very confused. He almost fell in love with her and could have abandoned his plan if things were a bit different. He was so close to telling Adagaki about the past, but was saved by the bell, in this case a paper airplane. Her puzzlement to his nickname, Pig’s Foot, and Adagaki’s affection to chubby Masamune, all suggest that there is something terribly wrong with Masamune-kun’s memories. Who rejected him back then? Do we have another doppelganger?

Episode Highlights

Family Photo: Little Masamune and little Neko looked so good together that I almost cried. Adagaki is awesome, but I vote Neko all the way. On the other hand, I still can’t get out of my head how disturbingly wrong his mother looks in the picture.

Themes & Trivia

Kouhai: Japan has a deeply rooted hierarchical structure in their culture. The terms senpai and kouhai are found in what is generally known as the mentor system. It is found in all parts of education, clubs, businesses, and even informal meetings. You can think of it similar to family relationships extended to people who have no blood relationship, even if it sounds a bit generalized. In general, senpai is someone of higher status, like an upperclassman. Kouhai is someone who is of lower status, like someone who is lower in the corporate ladder inside a company. In the episode, Fujinomiya uses the term kouhai to refer to her juniors in school.

Comments

Last time I mentioned that I felt that I was watching Kuzu no Honkai, and not Masamune-kun’s Revenge. For the first time, the often mean-spirited revenge romance took a serious turn that felt alien to the general premise of the series. Alien but good. With Masamune’s resolve to carry on with his revenge and the fake Masamune trying to ruin his plans, it seems that the series is going back to that comedic element we saw during the first episodes. I personally enjoyed the seriousness of the last couple of episodes, and the few bits of humor were enjoyable. Humor is difficult to be expressed in as consistent way, and that’s why I usually prefer serious series with bits of comedy instead of the other way around. Unless it’s parody. Parodies are awesome.

WHO ARE YOU?

It seems that Yoshino and Makabe are not the only conspirators in this series. Someone is playing a nasty game that will probably create some even nastier encounters in the following episode. This was a great cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see how this plot card is going to be played.

Did you like Episode 9 of Masamune-kun’s Revenge? Let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget to check the rest of our episodic anime reviews for Winter 2017.

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TV Anime ‘Masamune-kun’s Revenge’

Official Website: http://masamune-tv.com/

Official Twitter: @masamune_tv

Ⓒ竹岡葉月・Tiv・一迅社/「政宗くんのリベンジ」製作委員会