Tada Never Falls In Love Episode 4 Review: I'll Pretend I Didn't See That

Have you ever had the chance to meet one of your idols in real life? I have been lucky enough to attend a watashikai just like Pin-sempai one time, and I can tell you I was so nervous when I shook his hand! So I can really understand Pin-sempai’s feelings, although I didn’t have any of his strange perverse thoughts… (I swear) Was Hajime able to make a good impression?

Thank you for being born!

Japanese title: 見なかったことにしよう……

Story

The president of the photography club is in a good mood. He has won tickets to a meet-and-greet session with his beloved gravure idol- HINA! Hinako seems a little restless about the news, especially after Hajime goes into heavy details about what he loves about HINA and her lovely body. However, it gets a little too much for the president, and he starts to go a little crazy with nerves. The rest of the club decide to help him practice. Although the idea of having one of the guys dress up is thrown out the window, and Alec won’t let him near Teresa, Hinako is somehow roped into doing it. Even in front of Hinako, (of course, Hajime seems to have no idea that she is HINA), his nerves are clearly getting the best of them. As he explains what his loves about HINA, Hinako is clearly embarrassed in a way that confirms what we already knew- she loves her childhood friend Hajime-chan.

Hajime turns up to the meet in a horrendous outfit, but luckily Tada is kind enough to swap clothes with him. Despite both HINA and Hajime’s nervousness, the meet goes okay (I guess?) and Hajime is able to tell HINA his feelings. They both go home in a good mood, although Hajime still doesn’t seem to realize that HINA has been beside him all this time.

Highlights

Kaoruko Ijuin

Ijuin’s cross-dressing to get new club members was great. The simple white dress, blonde wig, and caked-on makeup were obviously very popular, as he seemed to have a lot of fans.

Hajime’s Fashion

Hajime’s fashion this episode was the only point where I actually sniggered. From the crop top to the chain to the slicked-back hair. What on earth was he thinking? Tada was almost able to pull it off, but did you notice that the people in the background were taking pictures of him?

Alec’s Perceptiveness

I love how Alec just get straight to the point. She didn’t ask Hinako if she is HINA because it was so obvious. She seems to be just as perceptive as the detective from the novel series that Yui likes and I find it cute how Alec has become such a huge fan before we knew it. Alec is probably my favorite of the female characters at this point.

Trivia

Swallow a Person

The technique that Hinako teaches Hajime to help him control his nerves is to write the character 人 (person) on his hand and swallow it. This is quite a common technique in Japan and I’m sure many of you have seen it in anime before. This is from the phrase ‘Hito wo nomikomu’ (lit. ‘Swallow people up’) that also has the meaning of ‘to dominate over people’ or ‘to not be dominated by people’. I don’t know how common it is for people to actually do this, but it is a well-known technique in Japan.

Watashikai

Hajime goes to a kind of meet-and-greet called a watashikai (lit. ‘Hand-over meeting’) These are quite common in Japan with idols and are a great way of getting the fans and idols to interact. Generally, the fan needs to buy the idol’s newest item (such as a CD or in this case a photobook) and the idol will hand it over to you. In most cases, you hold both the hands of the idol and you can say a few words to them. When your time is up, the idol will them hand over the item to you. In most cases, they go without a hitch and you get a wonderful memory, but there have been some cases where trouble has arisen, especially with young female idols. Luckily, HINA’s meet went well other than Hajime going a bit loopy at the end.

Always Make Your Heart Rainbow!

This episode was certainly the most forgettable for me so far. Although I love Hajime’s enthusiasm and Hinako’s crush on him is very cute, I don’t think we really needed an entire episode on it at this point. The comedy in this wasn’t strong enough to distract me from the constant camera-panning that gave a cheap look to the animation. After such a strong episode last week, I’m a little disappointed, but just because I didn’t enjoy the episode doesn’t mean it was bad. It just didn’t suit my tastes. HOWEVER~! Next episode looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun! I hope we get to see the new character soon…

Don’t forget to check a few official screenshots from our preview of Episode 4. Each week, you will be able to read the summary and see a gallery of stills before the episode airs!