More is better when it comes to Tonari no Seki-kun.

The only bad thing about this OVA is that it confirms for me that the TV adaptation of Tonari no Seki-kun would be even better if it were 12 minutes instead of 6.  I like the format of two chapters per episode, as it gives the series a chance to offer somewhat contrasting bits every week and give the enterprise a little bit more of a substantial feel.  In any event, though, it’s certainly nice to have it on the schedule.

Part I of the OVA this week is a conventional Seki-caper, this time involving the game of “Topple the Flag” (which we never played at the beach when I was a kid, making me wonder if it’s a Japanese speciality).  Not much to add to the self-apparent comedy here, apart from the fact that it got surprisingly suspenseful when Seki-kun had to stand up and do the English translation at the board (which Yokoi ended up having to do anyway).  Of note here is that we (and Seki) got our first real look at the Yokoi death glare, which stopped his in its tracks.

It was the second routine, “Cats” which was the real charmer in the episode for me.  I love Yokoi’s delayed reaction when Seki pulls a live cat out of his school bag, for starters.  And really, who wouldn’t go crazy seeing two adorable neko-chan being petted and pampered right next to you, much less a middle-school girl?  Yokoi never had a chance.  The capper, of course, was the great Seki troll – his offer to share turns out to be not one of his cats, but one of the sardines he was feeding them.

The important take away from this sketch, apart from the hilarity, is that Seki-kun wasn’t intentionally trolling Yokoi here – he just happened to start feeding the cats just as Yokoi got the bright idea to lure them away from him with her ebi fry, and he really thought she wanted one of those delicious sardines (he finds them delicious too).  That’s what I think, anyway – and somehow the whole premise of this series is funnier if Yokoi is effectively the one trolling herself, and Seki just happens to be the catalyst.