You know it’s a weird relationship when the girl is the one pitching a tent.

I have much to say after that episode of Kekkon Suru tte, as I usually do. For one this show is criminally underrated but that’s something I knew was going to happen, so whatever. Not enough commercial boxes checked here, so be grateful for an adaptation in the first place. Even if it’s (I presume) going to adapt the entire 11 volume set in 12 episodes, since I can’t imagine this getting a second season. I’m an introverted cat-lover who’s bad at relationships and used to work in the travel business, so I’m pretty much the focus group. But there aren’t enough of us to make this series really popular.

I tell you what, though – it’s good, really good. Being squarely in the bullseye I can vouch for the authenticity of the writing – it’s on the nose. My God, this series just does awkwardness so well. And that’s not easy, either. It doesn’t pull any punches. It also has an arc every week in the general sense, to the effect that the B-part of the episode is always the most engaging. That’s a quality I always notice and always appreciate, and it reflects as much on the talents of the anime staff as the writing itself (though that’s clearly excellent).

The MacGuffin this week is Kurokawa-san – at the behest of the “blackmailer” (maybe Kama-chan is the one making the calls, ever think of that?) – asking Rika and Takuya to live  together and blog the experience. This is clearly a test (Takuya’s suspicions are spot-on) though it proves testing in all sorts of other ways as well. I think my main question about the mysterious caller is whether their aim is to expose the lie or to bring these two together, and I’m increasingly starting to believe it’s the latter (which is interesting in terms of speculating who the culprit might be).

This offer is a tectonic shock, naturally. And as usual Rika’s response is to overthink it to death. She goes off to stare at the Benkei Nana Modori (a famous rock on Mt. Tsukuba in Ibaraki). And then makes Takuya wait five days for a decision. Five days! Not only that, she makes a plan for how everything is going to work (presuming he’s going to sign off at all) without consulting him in its construction. I don’t like to take sides but I won’t lie, I think Rika should consider herself really fortunate to have Takuya drop into her life. He’s a classy guy in so many ways, with the patience of a saint. And he likes her to boot. To say Rika is a high-maintenance partner is the understatement of the century.

And so, the great adventure begins. And because Rika is a basket case, her plan is ridiculous to the extreme. It involves raising hands every time someone wants to speak and living in a tent, among other things. I do like that she’s so respectful of not traumatizing Kama-chan – not everyone is so understanding of how important our cats are to those who love them. All the stuff with Kama is really great – I love the way he increasingly looks at the two humans as if they’re nuts (if the shoe fits). Rika clearly isn’t a cat person since she doesn’t recognize the meaning of Kama’s gesture (scent-marking her – yes, that’s acceptance). But her instincts are admirable where Kama is concerned.

Again, this whole cohabitation is just so incredibly and realistically awkward. Kekkon Sure tte doesn’t gloss over the fact that yes, living solo has huge advantages and it’s natural to be attracted to it. For two loners trying to live together is going to be ridiculously hard anyway. But then add in Rika’s plan, none of which is remotely practical. They can’t even bring themselves to use the toilet or (Heaven forbid) bathe in the other’s presence, and the tent is a furnace (yes, that would happen). Then there’s the matter of rent and utilities (she’s still paying for her place – complicated) and household chores.

I think Takuya’s instincts are right here, as he increasingly seem to be most of the time. If they’re going to do this it would actually be easier to drop the charade and just get married, so they can deal with their respective hangups openly. But for now, as ever, he needs to give Rika space to be the bigger dumpster fire. Eventually he suggests she go to the local sento (rather than racing back to her apartment – again). He joins her as a matter of courtesy, then waits for her to finish (how romantic is that) so they can walk home together. Quietly classy and sensitive – that’s Takuya in a nutshell.

I love the little moments here as they learn more about each other’s quirks (like his love of collecting spices). And that texting exchange was pretty cute, and – if anything could be under circumstances this bizarre – quite realistic. I think this can work because it might be good for Takuya to be the stable one. Most of the time he’d be the high-maintenance and awkward one in a relationship, but this is pushing him to grow. I’m sure this adaptation would be even better if it had ample space to adapt the manga, and their relationship could develop even more organically. But the time constraints just make it that much more remarkable that it’s as authentic and endearing as it is.