Inu X Boku SS – 08

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[HorribleSubs] Inu X Boku Secret Service - 08 [720p].mkv_snapshot_08.48_[2012.03.01_16.04.33] [HorribleSubs] Inu X Boku Secret Service - 08 [720p].mkv_snapshot_12.05_[2012.03.01_16.08.54] [HorribleSubs] Inu X Boku Secret Service - 08 [720p].mkv_snapshot_22.55_[2012.03.01_16.20.43]

Why Rei, Why??

There’s a basic conflict with Inu X Boku for me.  Soushi and Ririchiyo have to be exactly who they are to drive the premise – their relationship is the very essence of the show.  Yet their nature and their relationship – at least for me – is fundamentally unsatisfying and generally not interesting to watch.  I feel as if very little has changed in eight episodes, and we’re seeing essentially the same thing over and over and over – he’s obsequious to the point of absurdity, and she frets about it.  That we may be finally seeing some movement there is a good thing – more on that in a moment – but is movement on the central conflict (and problem) with a 12-episode series at the end of the eighth episode really something to be celebrated?

There’s no question this is a show with many charms.  I can think of few series that try to make so much out of so little – I find myself invariably looking back at an episode and marveling that anyone had the audacity to try and build 22 minutes around such minutiae.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but at least there’s consistency – there’s almost never any real plot.  This week was devoted almost entirely to Ririchiyo obsessing over the unequal relationship between she and Soushi – which is certainly the case – and trying to summon the courage to invite him to coffee.  There were brief intercuts of her bonding with Watanuki and Karuta at school, especially over lunch, but that’s about it.  And that sums up Inu X Boku – the issue here is the exact same one that existed in the first five minutes of the first episode, and essentially still exists unchanged from what it was then.

I guess I should say “existed” because at long last we finally saw a little shift between Soushi and Ririchiyo after the credits.  Frankly, that epilogue went a fair distance towards redeeming what was otherwise a fairly irritating episode, because it was truly excellent and featured some of the best dialogue of the series so far.  Soushi’s frank admission that “I don’t know how to interact with someone other than to serve them.  It’s how I’ve spent my life.” was met by Ririchiyo’s “I am the least qualified person to lecture anyone on how to communicate with others.”  That exchange felt shockingly raw and honest – and my reaction was, “Finally!”  The two of them stated out loud what I’ve been thinking for the length of a run that’s two-thirds over already, and I guess it’s better late than never.  It was too long in coming, but it was handled beautifully.

The question now, I suppose, is where the show goes with that scene from here.  Is the relationship between Ririchiyo and Soushi going to fundamentally change, or are they going to have coffee together and then go back to essentially the same boring one that already existed?  It looks from the preview as if next week’s ep is going to be a light-hearted comedy focused on a completely unrelated subject, but I won’t make any assumptions – previews can be deceiving.  I do hope however that those words, once spoken, have as powerful an impact on the future as they did in the moment.

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[HorribleSubs] Inu X Boku Secret Service - 08 [720p].mkv_snapshot_21.56_[2012.03.01_16.46.28] [HorribleSubs] Inu X Boku Secret Service - 08 [720p].mkv_snapshot_22.22_[2012.03.01_16.46.07] [HorribleSubs] Inu X Boku Secret Service - 08 [720p].mkv_snapshot_22.37_[2012.03.01_16.20.13]
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11 comments

  1. d
    daniela
    March 2, 2012 at 2:14 am
    Reply

    thanks you so much¡¡

  2. d
    deafvader
    March 2, 2012 at 3:24 am
    Reply

    I wonder. In a KarutaXTanuki pairing, their child would belong to which family?
    Since they are the power corner stone of their family, wouldn't both sides want the kid?

  3. I
    Indigo_Fire
    March 2, 2012 at 5:08 am
    Reply

    Easy. If the kid turns into a Tanuki, then he's with Watanuki's family, and if he turns into a giant skeleton, then he's with Karuta's family.

    If he turns into a giant Tanuki skeleton then you sell him to the circus for a few million and spend the rest of your life drinking Pina Coladas on the beach in Tahiti. 😉

  4. d
    deafvader
    March 2, 2012 at 12:58 pm
    Reply

    If the kid turns into a Giant Tanuki Skeleton, he would destroy the world

  5. E
    ELX
    March 5, 2012 at 11:10 pm
    Reply

    *lol-ing so hard*

  6. m
    morg
    March 2, 2012 at 5:33 am
    Reply

    It's kind of funny. The anime is actually slowing down the pacing of the manga some. A couple of these episodes weren't in the manga at all. I know where they are trying to end the series story wise. It just didn't take 12 episodes worth of material to get there in the manga.

  7. admin
    March 2, 2012 at 5:55 am
    Reply

    This is the sad part about the anime industry transitioning mostly to 1-cour series, even if it doesn't suit the subject matter. It's actually gotten a bit better in the last year, but nothing like it was 5 or 10 years ago when so many series were two cours or longer.

  8. K
    Kinny Riddle
    March 2, 2012 at 6:23 pm
    Reply

    I dunno, I find Ririchiyo fretting for the whole episode trying to be honest to her feelings sickeningly cute. Yeah, my mileage is quite low.

  9. A
    Anonymous
    March 2, 2012 at 9:16 pm
    Reply

    Same reason why I watch it. LOL

  10. E
    ELX
    March 5, 2012 at 11:23 pm
    Reply

    I can see how it's grating but I don't mind Ririchiyo and Soushi – I actually like them, not as much as Watanuki and Karuta … and the bunny dude of course. But I like them mostly because I think the longwinded, overdramatic "I'm your lowly dog, not worthy to share the air you breathe blah blah" stuff is kind of meant to be ridiculous to the point of humour.

    It's not always funny, but I do get a kick out of the fox. He gives off that wily "this is 90% BS" vibe somehow … I still can't forget that eppy where Ririchiyo's fiancé showed up and was all like (points at Soushi) "You're a Sadist! … And even worse because you hide it!"

    Anyhow I absolutely LOATHE the tsundere trope and I love Ririchiyo, so this show is a gem in my eyes … pity the run's so short.

  11. admin
    March 6, 2012 at 12:56 am
    Reply

    I think the longwinded, overdramatic "I'm your lowly dog, not worthy to share the air you breathe blah blah" stuff is kind of meant to be ridiculous to the point of humour.

    That may be – if it's the case, it really isn't working for me.

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