The adaptation of Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta – and the reaction to it – certainly haven’t been of the garden variety. You would expect that of anything GoHands, of course, but this has been easily the least batshit work they’ve ever done in my opinion. Yet (though not so much in Japan) we still see a massive gap in approval of the anime as opposed to the manga. To me, as a manga reader who tends to view adaptations of series I love with a jaundiced eye, this one seems perfectly fine. But it’s not being taken that way by foreign fans, for whatever reason. This intrigues me as someone who likes things to make sense, even if in the end it really doesn’t matter. Are people just writing this off based on low expectations before it ever aired?
This week was a series of short vignettes showing that the relationship between Komura-kun and Mie-san is advancing very nicely, thank you. Wet socks do indeed suck, though I might have found somewhere to hang them up rather than throw them away like that. How to push someone on a swing was a problem I never encountered, never having been a part of that transaction with a girl when I was old enough for it to matter, but I could see where that would be awkward.
The whole “Apple card” thing got a good laugh out of me right from the manga, even if you could see where it was going. What’s notable here is that Kaede is too much of a gentleman to point out Ai’s mistake to her. But there was meat in this ep and not just fruit, starting with that late night phone call. Ai accidentally calling Kaede because she’s lost on the way to the bathroom at a sleepover is pretty in-character, and the two of them have great chemistry through this whole exchange. Ai asking him to sing for her (he chooses the school song) is really the cherry on top. Whispering into the phone is apparently very powerful, even for someone as innocent as Ai.
Next up is swimming, another staple of the school romcon. Indeed, Komura does stare too much, but he has no awareness of it because he disappears inside his own imagination. Next is ice cream, and a winning stick. This gives Kaede a chance to be bold, and it seems Ai rather likes it. I would even say there was a glint of something in her eye when she gave him that stick – maybe “awareness” would be overselling it, but certainly something a little more than pure whimsy whether she was conscious of it or not.
Finally, two tropes brought together – the cat and the confession. “Cats don’t look like shopping bags, but shopping bags look like cats” – they do? Spare a thought for Azuma-kun, for whom constantly having to crush hearts must be no fun at all. Kaede is bold again here, in preventing Ai from stepping on the moment. Again, she surprises him here – innocent though she may be, Ai is not so much so as to be unaware of what she stumbled upon. That’s good news for Kaede in a way, as it opens the door for him to do what he dreams of, confess to her. If he does, she’ll understand what it means. But that removes one excuse, and amps up the pressure on him…
R3rok
August 23, 2023 at 11:55 pmI think their interactions and story just aren’t grabbing people enough, it similar to how you drop other popular romcoms or other big series that doesn’t interests you. Since japanese fans often read the source or pick it up after anime starts airing, often knowing what to expect, Sukinako performs better there…but it still aren’t pulling Bokuyaba-level of engagement. I guess watching anime adaptation which consist on short vignettes based on the “forgetting glasses” gimmick is more boring and time-consuming compared to quickly reading it in the manga, which later becomes better by focusing on Kaede&Ai relationship more.
Guardian Enzo
August 24, 2023 at 8:26 amThat’s sound reasoning. I just find it interesting that Western fans rate the manga so highly, if that were the case. Yes, manga fans are more patient as a rule. But BokuYaba’s anime started out similarly low-rated and eventually spiked (which is what happened with the manga). Yes it’s obviously better than SukiMega, but the contrast is interesting.
ruicarlov
August 24, 2023 at 7:25 amI’d say this show has gotten better and better since the 1st episode. That late night phone call skit was adorable and that final “Good night” was the cherry on top of the cake. This has become one of my weekly highlights.
Guardian Enzo
August 24, 2023 at 8:24 amAgree with that, certainly
leongsh
August 24, 2023 at 9:03 pmNeeded 3 tries to finish the episode. 1st try – managed to clear up to the Apple card and went meh. 2nd try – the night call was good, then the meh swimming pool skit, which prompted me to stop. 3rd try – managed to finish the rest.
The number of times that she has forgotten her spectacles defies belief and reality, especially when her eyesight is so bad that she is probably legally blind without wearing her spectacles.
Brian Guy
August 24, 2023 at 11:57 pmI think the biggest problem for foreign viewers is how long it’s taking to move through the less-focused early material (which relied overmuch on the glasses gags and, especially in the first thirty or so chapters, did very little to advance the main story or to world-build) and get to the story proper. We’re seeing fewer complaints lately thanks to a) the whiners bailing and b) moving into a section that clicks better with expectations globally.
Snowball
August 27, 2023 at 7:53 pmFor me, given the notoriety of the studio, this show has been one of the overperformers of this season. I like the characters enough, though inner Kaede could do with a bit of toning down. I’d rank this show just after the three great romcoms from the spring season (Bokuyaba, Insomnia and Clueless transfer student).
Guardian Enzo
August 27, 2023 at 10:22 pmI would too, though I think in manga form I’d rank SukiMega equal to or perhaps slightly above CTS. That reflects that the Tenkousei adaptation somewhat elevates the manga, and the SukiMega adaptation somewhat underperforms the manga (though by GoHands standards, it’s an overperformer) – largely because of what you describe with Kaede (which is too heavy-handed).
Also, SukiMega improves tremendously over the course of its run.