In last week’s Bisque Doll post I said “being annoyed in the final analysis is better than being bored where anime is concerned”. And this episode went about systematically putting that to the test. I guess I’d still say it’s true – anything dealing with the part of the story that’s actually engaging is better than being put to sleep. But boy, the way this series deals with that issue is seriously annoying indeed.

That said, there were some amusing moments with Marin’s misunderstanding of Gojou-kun’s intentions. It’s a function of her inexperience – otherwise she’d know teenage boys don’t need the sort of enhancement she fancied he was looking at. The question of just what Marin really wants and doesn’t want here is an interesting one, and her behavior indicates she’s quite conflicted. Objectively this is probably a little fast for her, but OTOH she obviously has the hots for Wakana and there are no obvious negatives apart from her own anxiety over it (especially if the condom in the wallet thing is actually true).

In point of fact Wakana is of course so timid that even the idea of sleeping in a different room freaks him out, never mind sharing a bed with Marin. Eventually she eats cup ramen (50% fewer calories – and probably 110% the salt) and falls asleep, where she’ll wake up at 11:00 the next morning astonished not to have been ravaged. Gojou in fact has spent the whole night with energy drinks and existential horror for company, as “Coffin” turned out to be way more than he bargained for. And while I know it’s not a real game, holy shit – that’s some pretty dark stuff right there…

So after the elaborate setup “it didn’t happen one night” turns out to be a total nothingburger as expected. And at this point I’m despairing that there’s going to be any movement in this relationship, physical or otherwise. Marin can’t even muster the nerve to tell Wakana she likes him, for fear of being rejected. I’m fully a Sono Bisque Doll skeptic at this point – I’m not saying there’s never going to be any growth or movement romantically, but it’s going to come as a surprise to me if it happens. I just don’t think the series has what it takes, though I’d certainly love to be wrong.