I noticed something quite strange about the second episode of Just Because!, and I take it to be a rather good sign.  Despite what some would no doubt call extremely laid-back pacing, this ep seemed to flash by in half the time – I could hardly believe it when I looked up at the end and saw that it was almost over.  That, of course, is not going to happen unless you’re invested in what’s happening on-screen – and it’s safe to say I was.  Even though in truth, not all that much actually was happening.

It’s also odd that I felt that way given that I struggling for a good little while to keep the major characters straight, especially the girls (two of them look quite alike to my eyes), and figure out whose name applied to which kid.  The new one (though we did briefly meet her last week) added to the mix was Morikawa Hatsuki (Yoshino Yuna).  She’s the crush that Souma Haruto (for some reason I came out of the premiere thinking his name was Youto, which didn’t help my confusion) finally worked up the nerve to confess too after his “home run” – except it ended up before no more a real confession than a real home run.

Thankfully Just Because! isn’t one of those teen romances where nothing ever moves forward, because despite Haruto chickening out he does manage to finagle a group outing to Enoshima Aquarium.  That ends up including Hatsuki’s two little brothers, who’re nuts about sharks and insist on coming with.  Morikawa-san is a devoted elder sibling (she has a middle-school sis, too), with no sign of parents anywhere that I noticed, and quite oblivious to Haruto’s true motives (or a great actor).  The outing also includes Eita and Mio, roped in to keep the pressure off Haruto by making it a group.

The title is “Just Because” but this is a teen romance, so the subtitle might be “It’s Complicated”.  The residual feelings from Mio that were hinted at last week were for Haruto, not Eita – her main interest in the latter seemingly that he knows about her feelings and no one else does.  Eita, of course, has feelings for Mio that he’s never told her about, which means that we’re dangerously close to one of those spaghetti interchanges where everyone has feelings for the wrong person.  All we need now is for Hatsuki to have a develop on Eita and we’re pretty much there.

For me, the aquarium sequence was just as excellent as it was odd.  And it was odd, make no mistake – oddly staged, oddly paced, but somehow quietly compelling.  The sidelong glances were quite effective (especially Eita’s) at conveying the bemused and bewildered state of the kids, who seemed to find this situation as odd to live out as it was to watch.  Haruto naturally, big kid that he is, soon bonds with Hatsuki’s brothers (her friend Yoriko is along for the ride – though I’m not sure yet she has a role in the larger geometry of the piece – and seems to approve of him as well, if not her friend’s cluelessness).  Mio seems mainly concerned that Eita not spill her secret, and Eita would just rather be somewhere else.

LINE must be pretty ubiquitous among adolescents in Japan, given its prevalence in teen dramas this year – and it’s on LINE that this new posse formalizes their relationship (and where Mio threatens Eita with death if he spills).  The wildcard here, perhaps, is Komiya Ema, the photo club kouhai.  She’s interested in Eita as a subject, certainly – but might she become interested in him as more than the “mysterious transfer student”?  Might he develop feelings for her?  Against this backdrop we still have the malaise of the third-year quartet facing down the reality of life after high school, be that getting into college (Eita has already secured his spot) or working, that was the best part of the premiere.  It’s a fascinating mix, one which I’m still unsure will have staying power but definitely has me fully hooked for the moment.