It struck me this week that Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari is pretty much Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san with smoking and mistaken identity. It lacks some of that shows breezy charm, but that’s because these are adults, not middle-school brats. Honestly, they ought to have outgrown this sort of behavior by now (even Yamada). There is a certain charm to it, don’t get me wrong. But there’s also a half-life on watching an adult woman (albeit barely) teasing a grown man.

That’s the gist of it, I think. The teasing, the denseness, the smoking – there are many elements of this series that are amusing, but get beaten into the ground. With Takagi-san, the teasing had a longer expiration date because these were kids and kids in love often do act that way. But the series didn’t really level up until it – and they – outgrew the teasing act and it became about the relationship in a much broader way. I have referenced Takagi-san in relation to Super no Ura before, in the sense that this series had to make a change when it transitioned from Twitter to full serialization. But it goes much deeper than I initially figured, honestly.

So that’s it, really. This series needs to grow – up, and otherwise. And it does, just not at the speed which I would have liked. Daigourou is actually a sight for sore eyes. Not so much because of Daigourou – I mean, he’s a dog. He’s cute but that’s about it. But he has a master, and a role in the plot. He’s a pathway to expanding the cast and the story, and this series absolutely benefits from whatever diversification it can get.

I do like this bit with the talismans (Yamada had to look it up, ROFL) because it accentuates the sweeter side of their relationship. I mean, even here “Tayama” has to turn it into a teasing exercise, but in the end what she gives Sasaki helps him. Of course it also serves as a reminder that Sasaki-san basically goes to Hell every day, and that’s not OK. Just like we shouldn’t ignore how terrible smoking is for his health (hers too of course), it’s wrong to just accept someone being treated like that. There’s a fatalism about that in Japan – “that’s just how companies are”. And if you quit a job like that here, you get blacklisted. I sometimes feel like that should be the main plot.

Yup, just led myself to another niggle I realize I have with Super no Ura. The tone of the series doesn’t match the seriousness of the story. Again, that does change to an extent as it evolves but as always, I wish it were faster. At this point I’m so desperate for Yamada and Sasaki to just have an honest conversation, because despite the age gap I do feel like something clicks between them. Each of them is fundamentally empty in a way the other makes better. And there are certainly worse bases for a relationship than that.