Yeah. “shameless” was definitely the right word.  And Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen doubled down on that this week.  It’s almost into self-parody territory at this point, as if the series is trying to top itself.   There’s really no need for double entendres or implication when you just come right out and say it.  The new guy definitely adds to that atmosphere, because “come right out and say it” seems to be his .O..

That new guy is Kinjou Aigo, and he’s played by another of the usual suspects in Fukuyama Jun (all the seiyuu in this series fall under that heading).  We actually did see him last week briefly, as Momose was fretting over his getting a dressing down from his abusive boss on the phone.  Just like that Kinjou – taken by the obviously polar opposite dynamic between Momose and Shirosaki – quit his job and set out to get hired by Minette (Momose remarks that he’s hitting on Shirosaki).  If only it were that easy in real life, but this show is a fantasy and there’s no doubt about that.  It’s definitely the sort of thing Kinjou would be prone to do.

They may both be fleeing black companies, but the similarities between Momose and Kinjou end there.  Kinjou is snarky and aggressive, says what he thinks, and grabs at what he wants.  Which seems to be Shirosaki, mostly, though Aoyama-san – desperate for some attention – puts the new guy directly under himself.  Fortunately for Aoyama Kinjou is sharp-eyed and a master manipulator, and he’s happy to provide his new boss a little service as long as it greases the wheels for him at work.  He also tries to bond with Momose despite their contrasting natures, recognizing the shared kinship they have as survivors of terrible bosses.

As for Aoyama, he’s still wallowing in self-pity as he mopes in his big house accompanied only by his many bears.  But Kinjou’s arrival at least gets him included in the socializing, which Kinjou is keen on.  At their four-way noumikai Kinjou remarks that he doesn’t care about looks, he just cares about what’s on the inside and if he likes it he’s fine with anyone male or female.  Make of that what you will – we also find out that Momose used to have at least one girlfriend, and we knew that Aoyama was married and Shirosaki was dumped by his wife (both bosses were cheated on by their partners).

As if all that weren’t enough, we have Aoyama asking everyone to live with him (no takers).  And Momose goes home with Shirosaki after the drinking party, on the pretext of seeing Hakutou again (and seeing him home safely may have been a pretext too).  He crashes on Shirosaki’s couch and bolts out in the morning.  And Hakutou continues his tsundere side by sharing some kitten food with Shirosaki, though he denies it.  I have had cats who scooped dry food out onto the floor while eating, though it never occurred to me that they might have had that in mind.

Lastly, yes – Atarashii Joushi won the Patron Pick poll for fall.  I might just have covered it anyway, but it’s sealed and delivered now.  The vote wasn’t actually all that close, though everything I listed on the ballot (16-bit Sensation, Shangri-La Frontier, Boku no Ameiro Protocol, Tokyo Revengers Tenjiku-hen, and MF Ghost) got at least one vote – I believe the first time that’s ever happened.