It’s amazing the extent to which this show has become appointment TV for me.  The formula is simple, even repetitive, but so damn effective.  Every episode seems to start off with a more or less typical teasing chapter, and build up to much more substantial (and sometimes original) “relationship” chapter.  In-between you get the Douyoubi crew and the baka boys, and various snippets of middle school life.  As I said, simple – but sometimes simple works better than complicated.

What the adaptation does so well – and perhaps why it’s better than the manga, which by definition doesn’t have the ability to do the same – is suck you into the inane idyll of middle school existence.  It strings the chapters together artfully, slowly wears your resistance down and draws you into the daily lives of the characters, where the trivial seems monumental.  That’s also why the “bomb” segments at the end always hit harder, because they feel like milestone moments (which stuff like what they depict certainly does when you’re an 8th-grader).

So this week’s beginning sections about the school uniforms fit the bill.  There’s not much consequence here (although the “warm me up” bit is chunky).  But for kids this age the uniform thing is one of those annual milestone moments.  Basically, they get a one-more transition period where they can wear either uniform (before and after that month it’s mandated), so when they decide to make the big change is kind of a big deal.  “Lunch” is a more substantial moment, because of course eating lunch together is kind of a watershed for chibi coupledom.  Takagi-san saw that opportunity and was on it like a shark with blood in the water…

“UFO” is a fun little reminder of Nishikata’s essential nature, which is sort of why Takagi loves him so much.  It was nice to see the Lum cosplay here, and the “I wouldn’t mind if you abducted me, Nishikata” bit could hardly be less subtle.  But it’s all building, really, to the sento episode.  I remember it feeling like a tentpole chapter even in the manga, and it was always one of my favorites.  Again we have Takagi seeing an opportunity and ruthlessly seizing it, though as is often the case the tables get turned on her to an extent (which she artfully covers up, thanks to Nishi’s denseness).

Blushing has been a topic for a while is discussions of this series.  Here’s the thing – Takagi-san would be a terrible poker player.  Obviously Nishikata-kun too, but you know that. Thing is, Takagi has a surefire tell – the blushing.  Here the cover of darkness saves her, but often she’s blushing in plain sight and Nishi is too mired in his own misery to notice.  Hell, she even sent him a selfie of herself blushing in the (anime-original – written by Kaji  Yuuki in fact) messaging sketch.  For all her adept control of situations, this physical reaction is one thing she can’t control – if only Nishikata would notice.  I’d also note that she has another weakness – there are times when she could advance her goal farther by stepping off the gas and giving Nishikata a break from teasing, but she just can’t help herself.  To thine own karakai jouzu be true…

ED this was was of more recent vintage – Hata Motohiro’s 2014 hit “Himawari no Yakusoku”.