There are definitely things in Tonikaku Cawaii that don’t seem to make sense, but it’s not the sort of suspension of disbelief scenario you see in a lot of anime. It’s not so much individual elements that defy belief (though the premiere had a few), but that the whole scenario is so thoroughly unusual. Marriage is as mundane a part of normal modern existence as there is, but in this form? In this medium? In its own way Tonikaku Cawaii is one of the more unique series out there because it puts such a weird spin on such normal things.
This part of the story is (obviously) not about answering those puzzling questions. No, Hata-sensei dumps is right into the middle of Nasa and Tsukasa’s new life, with little preamble and no allowance for the weirdness. They’re just married, and left to deal with it – and so are we. There’s certainly a part of me that looks at this situation and says, “Isn’t it logical to assume that you’d sleep together and be intimate with each other?” But I didn’t have a bishoujo propose to me and move into my room when I was 18, so I can’t say whether I would have reacted any differently than Nasa does.
Since Nasa doesn’t make that assumption, he’s left to agonize over the sleeping arrangements while Tsukasa runs her mysterious errand. His single bed is only 80 cm wide, not big enough for two (almost) adults to share comfortably. He doesn’t have a guest futon, because I’m guessing he’s never had a guest. He toys with the idea of ordering one online – Jeff Bezos and Mikitani Hiroshi (Rakuten) get a cameo – but realizes it won’t do him any good tonight. So when Tsukasa arrives back with her suitcase, he proposes that the two of them head to Don Quixote and buy her a futon (his treat).
We can see that Donqi is obviously a paid advertiser here – hell, they even get their jingle some airtime – and Tsukasa gets her futon (she scores points for not choosing the most pricey option, even as Nasa proves himself a walking Wikipedia). But that’s not the only issue. Upon returning home Tsukasa realizes that there’s no bath – Nasa uses the local sento like he’s in the 1950’s – and he has none of the necessities a young woman needs to spend the night (and the morning). One might ask what was in the suitcase if not stuff like underwear and hair clips, but… This isn’t the time.
The rest of this is the dictionary definition of fluff, but that’s fine as these two are about as fluffy by nature as it gets right now. Nasa – understandably I suppose – is constantly in labor about this weird situation. He worries about everything, and then once Tsukasa nods off she reveals herself to be a restless sleeper to say the least. Water is drunk, hair escapes its confines, a blanket is stolen, breasts are bared – it’s all a bit much for Nasa. But the moment of reflection is coming sooner or later, because the situation sort of demands a bit of clarity.
I give Nasa credit for asking Tsukasa why she married him, and while she dodges the question pretty artfully by returning it, it’s one he can at least answer even if it’s not a logical one. She as much tells him that she loves him, but this is a scenario that requires either a lot more facts or a considerable leap of faith. Marriage is about more than a hand-holding tabehoudai – though I suppose in Nasa’s shoes, one could easily be happy with the notion that it wasn’t.
ED Sequence:
DP
October 10, 2020 at 4:39 pmTo me, it seems like the only purpose of this show, at least so far, is to try and be as cute as possible. The result is that it’s incredibly dull and empty. Instead of leaning into the fantastical nature of a girl who took a head-on collision from a truck on your behalf, disappeared for several years and then showed up on your doorstep to get married, it’s playing the all-too-frequent anime card of, “Oh, my God, can I really hold hands with a GIRL?”
I hope it gets better as it goes along, either leaning into its fairy tale aspects, or getting a bit more gritty and realistic, because after two episodes it comes across like a bowl of sugar – too sweet and not very good for you.
BluBlu
October 10, 2020 at 6:48 pmI second it. Honestly, I wasn’t planning to watch that show as from the trio Tonikawa/Maou-jou/Komi-san (anime when?), Tonikawa is the one that I never found any attraction, and neither found it funny (if that is the goal) when I tried to read it randomly. I gave it a chance due to the opening song when I saw the PV (yeah, me I can be influenced by anime songs, hence my question in a former podcast). But…nah.
On one hand, I won’t deny that it delivers what is said in the title (if written with a “K”) but…sorry the fact it makes no sense makes it hard for me to stop thinking. And honestly, apart from them being a couple (at least on paper), I don’t see any difference in “silliness tropes” with romantic/harem comedy that some people like to hate (while still watching). Unfortunately (for me), I am insensitive to virtual cuteness and if there a “super mysterious twist” somewhere (which I am sure there is), sorry but that’s still not enough for me. Actually, that “mysterious flavor” is even what bothers me the most as it makes it travesty to me.
But well, as it is a “Shonen Sunday” series, I hope that the cuteness will be enough to increase the manga physical sales for Shogakukan which really needs it.
Guardian Enzo
October 10, 2020 at 7:43 pmWhy are you assuming you know everything you need to know after two episodes? If a show doesn’t work for you that’s obviously fine, just drop it. But this isn’t a LN – it doesn’t tell you everything important about the story in the first two chapters (or even the title).
nixx
October 10, 2020 at 10:36 pmSuch a pleasant show to watch. Weird but cute. I decided to try it after Enzo’s recommendation and intriguing bloody screenshots of the first episode. No regrets.
I’m perfectly ok with the pace of the author’s storytelling for now, and just enjoy what I see. Anticipating what’s coming next.
Say
October 12, 2020 at 2:31 amI still have to watch the second episode and I am planning to go though the series once more episodes are available. What picked up my interest last time was that on the paper the person who guarantee for Tsukasa was some Tsukuyomi dude. Tsukuyomi is the god of the moon . I could say that supernatural is behind the corner just by that. I can’t tell now if it is enough for me to like the series in spite of its oddness, but I am open minded.
Stöt
October 13, 2020 at 7:53 pmThat was certainly intriguing and saccharine! I think there some pretty dept storytelling here. If I was a shounen blowhard, I’d say the next episode looks like a filler, but I actually have confidence that they will handle that really well and keep me coming back for more