Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! – 07

Kono Bijutsubu - 07 -1I’m at the stage with Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! where the biggest problem is trying to decide what sort of episode to root for.  I like all the characters pretty much equally – girls and guys, mains and supporting cast – and the series has already shown itself capable of succeeding with a wide range of comic styles.  With most comedies you sort of focus on whichever characters and elements you like the best and wait for the episodes or chapters where they feature to get really pumped up, but with Kono Bijutsubu it’s an embarrassment of riches.

Kono Bijutsubu - 07 -2Given that, it’s hard for Konobi to really go wrong, and so far it hasn’t in my opinion – every episode has been very good indeed, and this one was no exception.  The first (and main) storyline featured another art competition, which means another chance for Uchimaki-kun to show off his formidable talent at drawing waifus.  Except that he’s (again – and still) quite uninterested in sharing his creations with the world, even when Yumeko-sensei tries to fire up everyone’s competitive spirits (and rather badly).  If I had to pick a characters that’s my least favorite it would be her, since the humor is a bit one-note and the fanservice a bit crass, but even Yumeki-sensei draws some pretty good laughs with her malapropism.

Kono Bijutsubu - 07 -3You know, I think Subaru would make a fine manga artist – for all I know that’s what he drew on his “What do you want to be?” questionnaire as a first-year (more on that shortly).  He’s got a real talent for what he does and he’s quite conscientious as an artist, though he’d certainly have to work on speed and the whole “share my waifu” thing.  It’s only when a snot-nosed classmate declares his work to be “garbage” and his own infinitely superior that Subaru gets into the idea of competing – though not nearly as much as Usami, who goes into rage mode at seeing both her beloved and her bijutsubu slandered by a kid whose name she doesn’t even know.

Kono Bijutsubu - 07 -4Funnily enough we never do hear that kid’s name – Mizuki cuts him off before he ever gets a chance to say it, and his art never makes the exhibition (which is “winners only”).  Uchimaki wins of course, first prize this time – and he gives credit to Mizuki, who posed in a maid costume for him.  The posing sequence is surprisingly cute, and the funniest moment comes when Mizuki gets so caught up in the moment that she flashes Subaru a shot of her panties (was drawing them off-limits only because the painting was for public display?).  Mizuki’s fantasy sequences are a big part of the episode – Uchimaki’s earlier use of the word “wife” is enough to send her off into another fantasy (even in fantasy Subaru is wearing an apple tie).

Kono Bijutsubu - 07 -5The second chapter features the aforementioned questionnaire, and it’s Colette who’s tasked with filling it out.  What she chooses – “hero of justice” – gets quite a rise out of the Prez, and even more so of Usami.  But that’s only after Col-chan mocks Usami’s earlier answer to that question – “wife”.  Usami’s cruel dismissal of Colette’s answer sends her running tearfully (is “one way street” the Japanese equivalent insult to “one track mind”?) into the arms of Imari, who as far as I know Colette has never met.  She’s in the midst of some chuunibyou silliness on the rooftop, but naturally she’s a receptive audience for Col-chan’s vivid fantasy life, so much so that she agrees to become Colette’s shishou as long as she and Usami make up.

Kono Bijutsubu - 07 -6Colette and Imari are both examples of characters that probably have no right to be as good as they are – on paper, each of them should be really annoying.  But both are about as well-executed an example of their trope as you’ll find – Imari is that rare chuuni who’s committed without being obnoxious about it, and a genuinely kind person to boot.  But Colette really breaks the mold the most, because as a hyper-kawaii imouto type she has no right to be as loveable and hilarious as she is.  But she is – her goofiness is her saving grace (along with the terrific character designs in Kono Bijutsubu) and she carries the B-part quite impressively.

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5 comments

  1. J

    Loved this episode – was getting Conrevo flashbacks during all the “Hero of Justice” stuff, haha (Even if that is a pretty common phrase in Japanese media).

  2. s

    After this ep, im more inclined to agree with your theory that subaru is just not ready to deal with the world of females and raging hormones which is why he deflects by insisting he’s only into 2d girls. He subconsciously digs usami a lot; if im not mistaken, almost all the female waifu’s he draws are templates of usami, whether she models for him or not. This week was the final nail in the coffin in which not only did he draw usami’s body type without asking her to model initially, but he was able to imagine what her proportions were like pretty accurately according to usami. You have to be really be thinking about a girl a good amount of the time if this kind of behavior is habitual. On that note tho,, subaru and the other cast members still fall flat as characters to me. Mizuki is the one carrying this show on her adorable back, with some slight help from colette, but as i mentioned last week, that’s cuz i like uesaka sumire as a seiyuu.

  3. r

    Interesting perspective. That thing using Usami as a template hadn’t crossed my mind. Then again, since it’s a 2D painting of a 2D show, and since most girls typically look eerily similar minus hair and eyes, I never made a connection. You’re making me watch the previous episodes to see If I can spot that (besides the hilarious Totsuka Saika cameo a while back).

  4. R

    I think “one-way street” might refers to the fact that Mizuki is in a one-sided crush with Subaru.

  5. Certainly possible. I was thinking it might very to her obsession with one thing – making it with Subaru.

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