Baby steps is the the theme around here this week, I guess. In any romcom you expect the festival arc to move things forward in some way. But of course Otagal is kind of a non-com, really – the core premise seemingly precludes any real romantic development. As such it wouldn’t have surprised me if we left this arc exactly as we started it, relationship-wise. Judging by the third act this week though, it does look as if things are going to move along, at least incrementally.
Three-ways are the way of Otagal, it seems. Kakeru and Hibiki show up at the festival – sent by Gen to get a pic of their sister, who’s somewhat disappointingly sporting the same “Heisei Gal” costume as Kei. They’re devastated to have missed Sayu, then get beset upon by the same swarm of admirers who accosted her. They’re pretty much zombified by the experience until Kei perks them up by promising a sleepover with Sayo at her place. In their case the indecision is understandable – they have plenty of time before it all starts to get awkward (especially with the sibling factor added in).
Takuya babysits the boys for a bit, then Kotoko snaps a photo with him. The main trio had off for a private afterparty, blowing off the concert in the gym that the girls’ friends are congregating at. This is all well and good, but Takuya starts to feel guilty when he sees how in-demand they are. Of course Ichiji and Amane are perfectly happy to be alone with the three of them, but that’s not how it looks to a kid who couldn’t possibly be in less demand socially. This is always the biggest threat to this sort of relationship – when the awkward loner starts to feel like an anchor for the popular one.
It’s ironic – even as Takuya is starting to drift back into thinking Kotoko and Kei are out of his league – socially and otherwise – they’re both reckoning with the idea that he’s the one they want to hold hands with at the fated fireworks. Kotoko even admits it to Shion, then does a very clumsy job of trying to deflect. The pretend yuri thing in the bathroom is funny, but it too is just deflection. These two are best friends and absolutely don’t want to admit that there’s something that could very easily drive them apart.
So that’s where things stand. On day two, the girls are having a grand old time seeing the sights while Takuya hangs out in the deserted library and reads a book. And seems quite happy doing it too, even if from an extrovert perspective it does present a rather depressing prospect. This is something Takuya is going to have to figure out sooner or later, as he’s never going to be the popular gadfly Kotoko is or the awe-inspiring idol Kei is. The thing is, they don’t care – but that isn’t always enough.
“They have better options than me” rings of self-pity to be sure. But it’s that thought that’s seemingly going to spur Takuya into action. He may not be choosing between them, but he is at least admitting he hates the thought of them being with anyone else. Baby steps. The problem, of course, is that in they time and place they’re living in polygamy is not an option. So no matter how much any of them would like to pretend otherwise, at some point someone has to win and someone has to lose. They’re still zygotes, it’s not like they don’t have time to figure this out – not as much as the three chibis, but some. In anime terms they only have 22 more minutes though, which I suspect is going to leave us feeling disappointed.
