One Room S3

There’s more? I would never have thought that there would be a third season for One Room but I guess it is no surprise since everyone around the world has mostly been in lockdown mode in 2020 due to the you-know-what virus. So I guess we need more 2D girls to come talk to us and make us feel special that we’re the only one for them, huh? Heh. This isn’t anything new actually. For we otakus have already been doing this kind of crap since the dawn of time! So who are the lucky girls that we are going to conquer this season?! I say, bring ‘em on!

Akira Kotokawa Arc

Episode 1
Looks like we’re in the same gardening club as our kouhai, Akira Kotokawa. Yes girl, you’ve gotten better with watering your plants. No sexual subtext here… We talk to her in the clubroom as she asks if we have plans for the summer. She looks pretty disappointed when we say harvesting vegetables! Those aren’t the plans you’re talking about?! What is it?! Tell us?! Then she shows us her embarrassing side when she breaks into her accent. Oh yeah. We find that cute. Later when it’s just the 2 of us after school, she thinks we’ll get along just fine because we’re both very lonely people. As she has transferred schools a lot of time, she got used to being lonely. Oh, I bet she won’t want to transfer away from here, if you get what I mean.

Episode 2
Akira wakes us up because we have to get ready before the typhoon hits. So why the gloom face? Because it reminds her how we first met? Because somehow this leads to her remembering how she avoids everyone and nobody cares about her because they think she’ll eventually transfer out? Oh… Next day when the typhoon hits, it seems Akira comes to the clubroom to take refuge. So she didn’t know we’re here, huh? Because she’s all soaked, we lend our jersey to her. Yes, it’s alright. Go ahead and wear it. Since we’re such gentleman, we turn around and only see her silhouette changing. She’s done but still feels embarrassed wearing it. Then the power goes out. She wants us to sit closer. A little more closer… Oh man, what are we going to do to her?!

Episode 3
Akira prepares to kiss us but THE DAMN PHONE RINGS!!! Oh. It’s mom. When you coming back? Anyway, Akira tells us something that she couldn’t tell us for a long time. You guessing it? Yup, she’s going to transfer away soon! Oh damn, what a surprise! So we see the next few scenes, Akira enjoying her time at the club with us. And of course, she tells us she’s having so much fun with us that it’s going to be hard when she transfers out. She has never felt like this before. Time flies when you’re having fun. Oh well, she thanks us for everything. Did she get over that fast?

Episode 4
We stumble into Akira’s gardening notes. Oh, what’s this? A little note that says she wants to stay with us? Then she catches us. Embarrassed, she runs away. We chases her. She tries to give excuses and blame us for being a coward, blah, blah, blah. How far can she run? To the garden rooftop of course. Since she’s going away, we give her carrot seeds. Don’t forget us as long as you have that. So we’re f*cking carrots?! Anyway, this has her confess she loves us. We won’t run away this time because Akira is preparing to kiss us! Oh man, look at how our beautiful Akira had blossomed… In the aftermath, looks like we’re doing long distance relationship as we frequent keep in touch via handphone. Yeah, nothing beats seeing each other in person, right?

Natsuki Momohara Arc

Episode 5
We return to our hometown where our little sister Natsuki is waiting. She is surprised because we didn’t inform her we’ll be back. She talks to us about her plan to go to Tokyo next year to study designing. Then she’ll get to live with us and it’s a win-win situation, right? Apparently we’re not siscon so this makes Natsuki mad as she starts mocking us. Because of that, she doesn’t want to see us and just leaves sarcastic notes around. That night, we go talk to her again. Especially this bottle design she actually designed. Natsuki is sad that papa and mama also disagreed with her studying in Tokyo. We give her the encouragement that this isn’t like her usual self. She’s the kind that always acts first before thinking, right? Not the nicest thing but whatever. And just like that our sibling relationship is back on track. Yeah, we really show it that we’re her onii-chan. With that, Natsuki hopes to get her room ready because she’ll be coming down to Tokyo next year.

Minori Nanahashi Arc

Episode 6
Minori welcomes our return to her bathhouse. Yeah, we tease her by undressing right in front of her! Later she talks to us about her little issue. Apparently dad and grandpa want her to sell this place and turn it into a parking lot but she remained reluctant. She somewhat tries to bring out name into it but realizes that everybody is just concerned for her. She puts this problem off later as she suggests we go shrine visiting. In this frigid winter? Okay. After building a snowman, she obviously hints of wanting us to ask her out on a date. Isn’t today’s shrine visit some sort of a date? More obvious clues that her hands are freezing. What to do with them? Oh, nothing? What a waste. Such a tease. And of course she writes on the plaque her wish for her business to prosper and to be forever with us.

Saya Orisaka Arc

Episode 7
We see a woman sleeping in our bed. She freaks out when she wakes up to see us a stranger and falls out the wrong side of the bed. Ouch. Turns out Saya Orisaka returned to the wrong room when she returned home late last night drunk. She apologizes and wonders if money can settle this. You mean not with her body?! HAHAHA, just kidding!!! What’s that she said about blaming us for not locking our door?! Anyway, since we’re such good guys, we treat her to our cup ramen to start off her day. Later that evening, we see her sitting by the swing alone so we go chat with her. She notices we are feeling down too. Probably our mock exams didn’t go so well. Saya wants to repay us by helping us to study. So this means coming into our room once again. So why is she getting flustered when we ask if she has entered another guy’s room? And what’s this about she has a classier and nicer boyfriend than us? So we don’t expect anything? Don’t worry. We won’t.

Episode 8
How the f*ck did Saya fall asleep while watching us study? Even more so her top unbuttoned?! No wonder we let her sleep. She tries to give excuses so we remind her about her boyfriend. Why so flustered? Nothing happened, right? She continues to watch over us but it’s hard to concentrate since we’re just looking at her boobs! We even get honest about it! Damn, it’s too bad these won’t be in the exams!!! She even cooks for us as a special treat but we tease her it’s some penalty game. Then we ask her why she is doing this much for us. She thought she could tease us by hinting we are interested in older women but our icy cold stare has her worried, thinking she is a nuisance. Nah. We’re not bad guys. We’re okay with her and we’ll both benefit in many ways when we help each other out, right? So when the sex part happening? JUST KIDDING!!!!!

Episode 9
When we return, Saya is waiting in our room as she pops the surprise to congratulate us in taking our exams. But we get mad at her because she came in uninvited?! So what our door was unlocked?! But we’re just trolling so we thank her for helping. So to celebrate, she suggests hanging out. Like a date? You mean she’s cheating on her boyfriend?! Yeah, she’s not even going to comment on it. Don’t spoil the date with words of another guy. Just enjoy the date! So as the day nears its end, she finally confesses she doesn’t have a boyfriend. But of course we already know! Yeah, it was so damn obvious! And we’re glad she doesn’t. So did she get the hint we want her as her girlfriend? But that will have to wait for next time as something urgent pops up: We failed our exams!

Episode 10
We meet with Saya who is ‘mad’ that she kept contacting us but we didn’t answer. How can we? We failed our exams, right? So as she talks to us about things and that she herself is the biggest liar because she is currently not working and still looking. Failure in life. That’s why she was reluctant to tell us when she saw us trying our best. She just wanted to help us. She is after all our girlfriend. Did she just admit that? No wonder she feels embarrassed and ‘hides’ on top of the slide. Of course we take her for a Ferris Wheel ride as we confess that we wanted to tell her to be our official girlfriend if we passed. But well… Then we receive a call. All hope isn’t lost because we’re now on the waiting list! Yahoo! Does this mean we can officially be a couple now?! And so it is official. This somehow now makes Saya very embarrassed to come into our room. Because we’re her official boyfriend, right? I wonder if we had our first official sex too because that ambiguous scene at the end!!!

Yui Hanasaka Arc

Episode 11
Yui tries to wake us up but we get cheeky and ask her for a morning kiss. Was it worth it to see her pout like that? Later we celebrate the anniversary of the day we started dating. I guess it’s a big deal. Then we play some card game made for couples. We have to do what the cards say. I wonder if it’s rigged. Because we need to massage Yui’s back. I guess not. The game itself is probably boring but it’s the act of what you have to do that might be fun. Especially getting Yui to look all embarrassed and say embarrassing stuff. Then there is one of the cards that has her answer yes to marrying us. I wonder if this can be a form of proposal. She claims we cheated because we saw that card earlier on an ‘ambushed’ her with it. So she ‘ambushes’ us back by giving a quick peck on the cheek. Oh yeah, are we starting to like this game?

Episode 12
So I’m assuming that from that picture that we are married to Yui?! Hence she is packing her stuffs and moving out from this apartment. But first, we accompany her to the public bath. Sorry folks, no POV here. Later we walk her back and she sleeps on the table. We tease her about being defenceless so she tries to get back on us by jumping on our defenceless selves. Not sure the logic but okay. Next morning, all the stuffs are cleared out. Yui takes a look one last time the place that started it all. Yeah, so many memories. She hopes the next person who lives here will find happiness. And off we go starting our new lives. And later, we see we have a wonderful daughter.

Room For Doubt
So having that final ending with Yui means there will be no more future instalments for this series? Not sure if I should feel relieved because it finally ended. There can now be some closure. Can I also assume that with us marrying Yui, the rest of the other girls that we date were just parallel worlds or figments of our imagination? An alternate reality of us if we took different paths. Oh well, maybe in that case future sequels might see us getting married to these other girls too. I doubt it but there’s always that small possibility. So Yui being our wife, the first girl shall be our last, so to speak.

The formula is pretty much the same as in its predecessors. I mean, if it is not broken, why fix it? And it is unfortunate because people like me seems to be pretty bored with it right now. So in the event if they really do want to make another season, they better come up with something better. After all, there is only so much a first person view of a silent protagonist can interact with a cute girl. Feeling a bit horny? Then go for that pantsu showing one where the girl show you their mad irritated faces! Haha! Yeah. Can’t go that far.

So what else can I say for this season? Nothing new except a couple of new girls. Heck, they had to feature 3 old ones whom I am guessing are the more popular characters, the reason they get a recurrence. Like Yui who is probably the poster girl of this series, she appears in all 3 seasons and the dating is still going strong in her. We also probably like a cheeky little sister, that’s why Natsuki is back as well as that bathhouse drama girl, Minori. We tried long distance dating with Akira and finally some tutor/mentor thingy with Saya (who feels a bit like a clone of last season’s Mahiro – girl who is down on her luck and without a job). I guess the new girls are pretty average and nothing that special. If they are going to add another season like this, probably they’ll have to fit in more episodes or add another cour because at this rate there 3 minutes and a dozen episodes won’t be enough to feature the old favourites and new ones. Wow. So many girls but none of them really for us in real life. Sad… :’(.

This season’s new casts are Miyu Tomita (Gabriel in Gabriel Dropout) as Akira as well as Yumiri Hanamori as Saya (Nadeshiko in Yuru Camp). Of all the ending themes, my favourite one goes to Saya, 3-Kai Kara Yamato Nadeshiko. It has this catchy Chinese tune to it so if there was something that I like truly about this season, this song easily comes out as tops. The others just feels okay and generic like Akira’s Taiyou To Rainbow, Natsuki’s Aozora Ni Kami Hikouki, Minori’s Yuki No Machi To Kuusou No Time Machine and Yui’s Shunkashuutou Egao Biyori are all lively pieces but still as not as catchy as my aforementioned favourite.

Once again, this season is still cute and awkward (POV shows are always awkward, isn’t it?) but personally it seems to be losing that shine a little. Unless of course you want to pay extra for that VR experience. Yeah, now I remember that crowdfunding VR they were doing the last time and looks like it was really successful. From what I can see it’s just Yui. I guess we’re married to her in the series so no cheating with other waifus! Not sure if more features will be unlocked if I throw in more money but you know me, I’m hesitant to part my money for something like that when you can get something like PornHub for free all over the internet! Haha! No wonder I’ll still stick watching to this in the event another season comes up. Hey, can’t complain. The amount for free love you get is equivalent to the amount of free love you give.

One Room S2

Oh gee, I didn’t know this was getting a sequel. At least I didn’t read or follow up on the series that aired back in early 2017. Even with the alternate gender spinoff series, I thought that was the end of it. But I guess the demand is there for loser lonely otaku guys to want to see more of this cheap VR-like series without having to resort to anything naughty or sexual AKA porn. That is why we lonely people are getting One Room S2 as our next fix. I guess this also means within that year we fail to find a proper girlfriend for ourselves and hence the need to watch this.

Yui Hanasaka Arc

Episode 0
Somewhat a recap episode of the first season’s Yui’s scenes. If your memory is so bad or if Yui wasn’t the kind to stimulate you, I guess you won’t remember as she narrates how she first came here to study for her entrance exam, fell in love with us with all the times spent together and thanking us for our undying support that finally saw her passing. Then that spring confession that has her want to hang out with us and officially be our girlfriend because conveniently now we go to the same school. And now it’s our first summer and she is taking us to the beach. Oh yeah. We need more swimsuit fanservice of Yui.

Episode 1
We’re here at the beach. Yui asks us if we feel great. After looking at her awesome body and bikini, you bet! For some reason they need to show her blow up an inflatable. Since she has no strength, we take over. I guess this shows she hasn’t given a blowjob in her life! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!! Then the usual fun in the sun and sand. As we rest, she also lies down beside us. Is her sexy pose supposed to make us think we can’t think any other women besides her? Yeah, because that’s what she is asking us. Back home as Yui talks how fun the beach was and wants to go again, suddenly our horny desires go wild as we push her down! OMFG! Wait. WHAT???!!! IS IT REALLY HAPPENING?! Perhaps this is our answer if she doesn’t want us to think about other women…

Episode 2
And we go back returning to a wuss because we backed out. FFFFFUUUUUUU!!!! Partly Yui rejected us too. Because of that, for the next few days, we give excuse that we are working overtime, hence no time to be together. Eventually Yui confronts us thinking if we are avoiding her just because she denied us sex (okay, reason was highly speculated). When asked why we are working overtime, she gets mad because we say it’s a secret. Nothing beats Yui having a cute-mad face. So one night she tails us but we discover her. She quickly apologizes as we scold her for doing such dangerous stuff. I guess we raping her wasn’t as dangerous. Heh. She lets us know her feelings that she really wants to spend time with us but is unable to do so with us working overtime. I guess we’re sadists because we love seeing her cute-mad face as we smirk like nobody’s business.

Episode 3
Yui thinks we’re going to work again but looks like she can spare some time when we want to talk later. We can tell she is overthinking. She thinks we want to break up. Damn, why must we wait till she starts crying before we do something? So you want to know what we’re really up to? Here. Here’s the damn ring that I’ve been slaving my hours just to give you. Oops. I mean, here is this lovely ring present I have saved up just for you my honey. Damn, she must be confused as her tears of sadness transitions into tears of happiness. And then another breakdown once we put the ring on her finger. Scream how worried you were but I guess with the ring on your finger, everything else is forgiven. We can go back to happy times as always. Yeah, the magic of a little shiny thingy could bring so much happiness… :)

Episode 4
Looks like we’re bringing her to a getaway at the mountains for some relaxation. Like newlyweds? Yeah, she even asks us if we would like to bath together with her. Don’t mind if we do! But nothing really happens in the bath. Nothing, really. Damn, our desires are fully under control. Then the nervous part comes when we’re supposed to sleep together. Yeah, now we can’t sleep as we take a walk. Cue for cliché talk about change and moving forward before the cliché multiple I-love-you confessions before a light kiss. I don’t know, why does this ending feels so boring…

Minori Nanahashi Arc

Episode 5
Don’t know our relationship to Minori Nanahashi because looks like we are helping her opening the bathhouse that her grandpa runs. She makes us work hard and even teases us a little. But she is worried about the business of the place since there aren’t many customers. But she is happy we are here to help because it means less work for her. On a rainy day, after we see her getting soaked in the rain and she isn’t shy about being seen through, she listens to our music and kinda likes it. She teases that our face is too close but we hit back that we only see her as a little sister, hence making her a little mad. Not the reaction you expected? With the rain over, Minori is confident today there might be more customers strolling in.

Episode 6
Looks like grandpa wants us to go to the festivals together. Minori teases us because we want to see us in her yukata. So what if we do? And then she complains when we stare at her too much. WTF. You want to be complimented or not?! I suppose she had too much fun until her feet hurt. Time to rest and play sparkles while she talks about her nostalgia with the festival. Yawn… Then she hints it got a bit lonely when things started changing. WTF has people lost their houses to the fires and coming to the baths has got to do with us, baby?! Oh, right. We’re supposed to be the kind and considerate guy to listen to her story why she wants to continue providing a place where many could feel at home.

Episode 7
Looks like Minori wants to talk to us since she had a career counselling at school. After bath, she teases us that we like girls who come out of the bath fresh. We troll her by acting we do and causing her to panic. Gotcha! Saw your embarrassed side. On to the serious talk about her career counselling, it seems Minori wants to take over this place but grandpa told her not to as such old fashion bathhouse is falling out of style. This place will be demolished and be turned into a parking lot. I don’t know what we said but apparently it wasn’t the answer she is looking for so she storms out mad. What?! WHAT?! What the heck did we say?! Yeah, this feels like a typical relationship. We guys are supposed to guess why the girl is mad. That night we see her sitting dejectedly inside one of the tubs. She feels hopeless. Probably desperate enough that she asks us to marry her.

Episode 8
Minori acting like our wife? Yeah, so embarrassing that she can’t keep up with it. Hey, it was your idea. However she is serious in giving some thought about it. That we marry and take over the bathhouse. We think she won’t like that. She thinks she wouldn’t have ask this if she doesn’t like a certain person. She doesn’t seem happy when she says she won’t push us if we don’t want to do it. But at least think about it. So I guess there’s only 1 option, huh? In the bath, she asks if we can bathe together if we get married. WTF it made us lose our footing?! You mean we’re surprised to hear that? Next morning, it seems we gave our answer. Not sure because we can’t hear our damn selves think. Minori looks nervous (or is it disappointed?) at first but soon gives a bright smile.

Mashiro Amatsuki Arc

Episode 9
We take a picture of Mashiro Amatsuki doing a gymnast pose in the park. Apparently she doesn’t like it and thinks we’re a pervert. Oh, you better get used to this pervert because we live in the same apartment! That really enhances our pervert credibility. Even more so our stalker credibility because the next day she thinks we are following her. We’re going to school and she’s going for a job hunt. Yup, fooled me there thinking her petite size makes her a student. That night, suddenly she wants us to come to her room! Wait. Calling us a pervert and inviting us to her room? Actually the electricity tripped while she was using the hair dryer so she panicked. I guess she’s a bit embarrassed by it. We notice a picture of her in her gymnastic attire. She explains she used to do gymnastics but retired due to injury. Oh, job hunting didn’t go well too. But somehow she feels better with us by her side. You mean us, as perverts? She doesn’t think we’re bad guys but still calls us a pervert. Is she tsundere? I think we should come up with a name or she’ll keep sticking with this nickname. I mean, are we okay being called a pervert even if we are?!

Episode 10
Looks like Mashiro failed another interview. We suggest practising with us. She sounds passionate and honest that she has no hobbies or any reason why she want to work with the company. Then she gets embarrassed. Maybe that’s why she failed. To lighten the mood, we suggest cooking. So while we wait, she does some stretching. Is this our ‘reward’? No time to be a pervert because she is really down. Bad at interviews. Bad at cooking. And she already quit being a gymnast. She asks us if our job is fun. We also have our problems and thought of quitting. Yeah, you could say we’re the same. After dinner, she hints she wants hamburg steak next time. Only if we make it with her. So we’re her personal chef-cum-motivator now?

Episode 11
Another job rejection for Mashiro. However she doesn’t feel so depressed this time. Maybe she got immune to it all? She feels relieved knowing we too feel as anxious for her. We suggest she do a job teaching gymnastics. But she is not confident of teaching others so we tell her to teach others how to have fun because she looked so happy while dancing. She’ll give it some thought as she wonders why we are helping her. Because it’s fun. You mean we aren’t getting in her pants?! Oops… Too bad she didn’t invite us to shower but after she’s done, she gets embarrassed seeing us admiring her photo during her gymnastic days. Are we trolling her when we say we like leotards? She ‘upgrades’ calling us as onii-san since she has so much fun with us. All going as planned… :).

Episode 12
We see Mashiro’s cute sleeping face. She catches us doing so but isn’t mad. Yeah, she’s been waiting to tell us the good news she got the trainer job. So to thank us, we are allowed to request one thing. Since we are such good guys, we didn’t ask for sex and just, you know, a lap pillow. First time experience, eh? Mashiro tries to earn more points as she tries to make breakfast for us. The toast and eggs are so burnt… We note how cute she smiles and this makes her happy. Have we conditioned her? We want her to continue last night’s conversation, something which she is reluctant to do. Unless we come home early from work. You bet we will.

Gloom Room
Is it me that this season has one of the most boring endings for each of the girl’s arc? They trolled us of a possible sex scene at Yui’s ending but NOTHING CAME ABOUT! And then for Minori it is like the answer is up to us to think how we want it to end because all that will happen only in our minds. And finally with Mashiro, did we just end up being in friendzone? Are we still at first base with her? Oh well, spend a little more time with a girl and she’ll let you into your heart. At least that is what such VR lessons tell us. Damn, it’s like asking us to get a real life, which we obviously can’t :’(.

Well, is it me again or does this entire second season feel sad and depressing? I know it is for a much needed drama because even if the series is just 4 minutes long, you can’t have nothing if you don’t have your relationship drama. Last season also has some of that sadness but unlike this season it just feels like it is permeating throughout. Because like for Yui, she is wondering if we still really love her or not. Every girl would be sad to know if the guy she loves doesn’t love her back. Surprise! Proposal ring. Then like Minori, she is troubled about the bathhouse that might go under and be closed forever. Last and not least for Mashiro, a gymnast forced into retirement due to injury and having a hard time looking for a job. Yeah, it’s just so depressing that it must be a blessing that they met us because we gave them that glimmer of hope. And also we are somewhat fun to be with. Sort of. Only twisted girls would ever enjoy the company of otaku losers like us, eh?

This season also feels disjointed. What I meant is that in the first season, we were that same single guy who was ‘related’ to all the girls that were featured. The boyfriend to a college girl, the little sister and the childhood friend. This season for each of the girl’s arc, you are a different person. Not to say that I don’t really like it but I felt that the continuity is disrupted. When Yui’s arc was done, I was a bit confused as to suddenly wonder why we are working in Minori’s bathhouse. We just got engaged to Yui and how dare we flirt with a girl working under her grandpa’s bathhouse?! Then it occurred to me that we are now in the eyes and shoes of another guy who is unrelated to the first. Same case when it came to Mashiro’s arc. I suppose if that is the only thing uniquely different about this season than the previous, it is this. Like I said, it is not a bad thing but it feels like watching a different series altogether for each of the girl’s arc.

Other than that, everything else I want to say about this series remains the same. Whether it is the first person perspective view to the bland plot (which is of course enhanced by the gloominess as mentioned before) as well as the art and animation style. But is it me or does Mashiro look like Lumiere from Kiddy Grade? With Mao Ichimichi reprising her role as Yui, the new ones joining are Rie Takahashi as Minori (Tsubasa in Comic Girls) and Inori Minase as Mashiro (Chino in Gochuumon Wa Usagi Desu Ka). Also like last season, each of the girls have their own ending theme which sound a lot livelier than their story. Yeah, seriously. The ending themes are Aozora Morning Glory (Yui), Poplar To Bokura No History (Minori) and Searchlight To Tsuki Akari (Mashiro). And each of the ending credits have the girls in considerably sexy outfits or pose just to hog our attention a little more.

Overall, this anime that was once cute but awkward is now cute but awkward AND gloomy. I guess if you really want to enjoy your first person VR experience, might as well go and watch porn! Haha! Oh speaking of VR, this series actually got its own successfully crowdfunded VR project! So does this mean we can have a threesome or fivesome if we bring back the other girls from the first season?! Oh well. Have to wait and see. If I am interested. Not likely. If this series possibly gets another season, perhaps my suggestion is to make it the normal 24 minutes duration so as to have proper character development and story. Something like Amagami SS and Seiren as multi-arc branching style would suite it better too. Otherwise 16 minutes of face time with a girl feels insufficient because it feels more like speed dating and a slightly longer Tinder swipe. Heh. At least 2D girls won’t nag you for not spending enough time with her. I think.

One Room

VR is the rage these days. But the accessories are too expensive and perhaps too inconvenient for certain things. It is still at an experimental stage and while it looks potential for gaming, it is still a question mark for dating simulation. That’s right. If you’re a loner and desperately in need of a girlfriend from a first person perspective but you can’t afford those VR stuffs, then have this cheaper 2D version. A short anime named One Room. This anime features mainly from the views of viewers as we interact with our potential love interest before our eyes and usually occurs in a room, our room. Hence the name of this anime. Only, we can’t control our actions as we watch how we interact with her from our viewpoint. I guess it is better than dreaming and making out with your pillow.

Yui Hanasaka Arc

Episode 1
Yui Hanasaka just moved in next door as she gives us a souvenir as greeting. We ask about her school uniform and she tells us she wants to go to a university in Tokyo. As we bump to her in the streets that evening, we are such a gentleman that we help carry her stuffs home. Because of that later she comes to us looking nervous and shy. She wants us to help her study. Damn, and here I thought we are going to have a first episode confession and things escalating quickly.

Episode 2
We let her in to study. It’s getting a little late and she is feeling a little tired. She asks if we can keep doing this. The study. Sure, why not. No reason to turn down the only girl who wants to come to our place. Next day she has to come by again not because for studies but her water is out. We would have loved to let her use ours and lead to some hentai scene but looks like the place is having water outage. So we go to the public bath instead. I hope those views of watching her bath isn’t us peeping… We walk home together and she thanks us for everything. At first she was nervous when she came here but now feels okay.

Episode 3
To thank us for helping her study, Yui is going to cook for us. Mmm… Nice ass, I mean apron. Of course anything made by a cute girl would be delicious. She picks a rice from our face but gets embarrassed when she realizes it. When she tries to put away a book, a naughty magazine falls off. She flusters but ‘understands’ that we are guys. Later Yui is seen sad. Looks like she didn’t do well in her mock exams and will not be going to her first choice university. She doesn’t want to go to her second choice. So how? No, we’re not going to make love to soothe her grieving heart. Instead we go study more! Can’t give up now, right?! Damn it we’re nerds!!! She studies until she falls asleep at the table so we’re kind enough to put a blanket over her. She wakes up and notices this and wants to stay this way a bit longer. Hey girl, the bed’s a lot warmer. Wanna lie there?

Episode 4
Before Yui leaves for her second test, we give her a charm. We know what the results are. Heck, she doesn’t even need to say it. It’s all there in her big smile. As we walk with her through the sakura trees, she tells us why she wanted to go to this university. That is where her parents met so she thought of finding somebody wonderful too (you mean it’s not to study? Sorry, sarcasm). However she has already found someone wonderful. Guess who? She hopes we could do things together and stay with us forever. Yes! YES! Oh YEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Natsuki Momohara Arc

Episode 5
Our bratty little sister, Natsuki Momohara visits us. After ringing the door umpteenth time. Wait. We have a sister?! Oh, we might have forgotten how she looks like. Tee-hee! So she’ll be staying here for a while and yet she complains how hot it is. Yeah, we want to save energy that’s why we didn’t turn on the air-cond. And perhaps we love to see how sexy you are sweating. Oops! What is she, our mother to come check on us to see if we’re taking care of ourselves properly? Oh, the fridge is empty. I mean, it really has nothing! So she buys some stuffs and cooks for us. She wants to help wake us up for tomorrow but she herself got up late. We already left… When we come home from work, she is really concerned we really look worn out. She becomes a tsundere about being worried for us. And so she sets her rules for us on how to live properly…

Episode 6
What is she now?! Our wife?! Would like to have dinner, bath or her first? Sorry. No response. We’re not into loli types. She tries to be considerate by massaging our tired bodies like old times. We tease her if she has a boyfriend. Obviously not. She shoots back if she has one, he’ll have to be better than us! Natsuki must be bored staying at home in Tokyo. We even fight over which channel to watch. When she finishes cooking, she wonders why we aren’t at the table. Because the fireworks outside is so beautiful! She thanks us for working hard.

Episode 7
What is she now?! A slave driver?! Because she won’t let us sleep in on our day off and has her help clean the place. Then she stumbles into our naughty magazine, gets embarrassed and calls us the worst. Told you we’re not into loli types. When she is bathing and the shampoo runs out, she keeps bugging us to bring another one. And when we do, she calls us a pervert for looking at her naked body. So young so feminism already?! Sorry, we’re not into incest. And yes, those tits are small. She thought she could get back by us by burning away that magazine but then she realizes we have come home reek in alcohol. She panics but does enough to take care of us. Try not to worry her so much. Natsuki decides to stay a little longer despite mom nagging her to come home. But we drop the biggest shock bomb because we tell her to go home.

Episode 8
It’s heart breaking to see a sad loli’s face. However the reason we said that is because we blame ourselves for being pathetic. Natsuki argues we aren’t because we always worked so hard. So after we have a little chat, we go out to eat for a change of pace. She asks us why we don’t have a girlfriend (what a rhetorical question). Aren’t there girls in our workplace? No chance to meet? Whatever. She has hopes we will find one. I guess this settles Natsuki isn’t the kind to marry her big brother. Natsuki decides to head home the next day as we accompany her home via train. She’ll come visit her again. We go back and her rules so far she made as she stayed thank goodness only have 4 of them. The last one being to keep in touch with her once in a while.

Moka Aoshima Arc

Episode 9
Moka Aoshima is playing her keyboard at the park as we come to pick her up. She feels sad as a failed musician and is happy that we are treating her like a girl. What? She is glad we haven’t changed especially our dreams from young are still the same. There is only a reason why a girl would invite us back to her room as thanks. She likes us. Or she could be our childhood friend. Or both. So she goes through her old album and talks about how we moved away after graduation. She was afraid we had forgotten about her. We used to sing at a park and made a promise. If she became a musician, we would become a writer and made her to heroine. Too bad we’re both not doing well as we can see. The dream is still far. Moka won’t give up yet and will still do her best.

Episode 10
Moka meets up in our room to celebrate our success for entering the next competition round. Food, video games and Moka getting a little bit drunk after a few beer cans, complaining about other people ‘complaining’ she lacks sexiness. Really. She tries to feed us to prove otherwise but realizes maybe she needs to be flirtier. Then I guess it just goes downhill from here. Moka can’t hide her depression anymore. She wrote a new song but was rejected. She regrets being a downer at our party. But she is going to try again to sell her new song. And if that still doesn’t work out, she’ll quit. Don’t look at us with such sad eyes!!! Please!

Episode 11
Moka is playing in the park (with nobody around) when it starts raining so we have to pick her up. So back home she takes a shower as we see a rejected letter. Moka is trying real hard not to be gloomy but it is too obvious to hide. She feels sad like as though the world is rejecting her. It’s like she really wants sympathy from us because she’s telling us we don’t have to be nice to her too since we’re gunning to be a novelist. WTF logic? Next day, we learn she has come down with a cold. We are so kind to go visit her. Yeah, being next to her makes her feel so calming that she admits the reason why she relies on us. We stay by her side till we fall asleep. Next morning she feels a lot better. She has decided to give up and return home. Thanks for everything.

Episode 12
We hear Moka singing her song amidst the gloomy montage of her forlorn face, her younger days and the train trip back to her countryside hometown. So sad… She is surprised to see us here with her. She is sad she has no right to be with us because she gave up and that will only ruin us both. Then we hand her our novel manuscript. One of the lines read, “I didn’t run away. I was just resting a while”. With more ‘motivated’ lines like that, you can say it touched her soul. Oh sh*t! Don’t cry on and ruin my manuscript with your tears, baby!!! And of course we’ll wait for her as long as it takes. But it won’t be long because by spring, here she is back at our doorstep. Welcome home?

OVA
Swimsuit episode! For obvious reasons… Somehow, Yui greets us at our doorstep to give us a present. In a swimsuit. Yes, yes… Look at all her delicious parts… What’s this? She says this is her school uniform?! I WANT TO ENROL IN THAT SCHOOL OF HERS! Natsuki decides to help clean our room. In a swimsuit. She tries to open a stuck closet and when she finally does, a porn magazine drops out. She takes a look at it and flusters like hell before turning into the ultimate moral police we know. We visit Moka in her room. She is somehow in her swimsuit. Here is another one of those women logic whereby we are allowed to watch her in a swimsuit but she gets embarrassed when she notices us looking at her lingerie hung behind. I’m not sure if the swimsuit is going to distract us from Moka talking about the good ol’ days and promise we made. Please don’t start this depression thing again… Luckily she decides to motivate herself to do better.

Room For More Love
Well, it certainly feels a bit different but yet a bit weird. At least to a person who has never played a dating simulation game before. Okay, so I have played a dating simulation before. That was some free game online and many years ago (yes, that cheesy Love Hina and Galaxy Angels one). Therefore as far as I know, this is the only anime whereby the entirety (or a big part of it) of its view is from the perspective of the viewers instead of other angles. The whole series also feels odd because it is like watching the girls talking to themselves (although they are supposed to be talking to us) as they are the only ones with dialogue for their particular arc. Perhaps this is nothing new for viewers who have been listening to character drama CDs for a long time. But to me, this sounds pretty new and since I’m not used to it, it feels a bit awkward.

However the stories itself aren’t really something unique and feel pretty bland. After all, a story through the eyes of the protagonist, how much variety of a plot can one put in? I know there is porn but that is entirely out of context for this blog… Anyway the stories for the 3 girls I am not saying that they are uninteresting but they are hardly exciting either that it would make me want to have more of such ‘conversations’ and ‘views’ with them. Because Yui’s story is like a slow boring love drama unfolding. Natsuki feels like the brat and finally Moka’s arc is just filled with depression and gloominess, which isn’t really a great way to end the series.

Seeing that each episode lasts only 4 minutes, there is hardly any solid development to be expected from the girls. From first looks, they are pretty generic seeing that you have your generic classmate, your generic bratty little sister and your generic childhood friend. I am sure these are overused tropes in romance drama genres. Each of them has their own issues to deal with and in their own ways are of course supposed to love us as the silent protagonist who is seemingly a very decent, considerate and nice guy. Imagine a big majority of the drama developing in our room. Yeah, such a hotbed for relationship development… But somehow it never ended in sex because we’re too nice a jerk :'(.

Going back to the first person perspective, I did say that the first person view is not always 100% from our eyes. I have a feeling that it sometimes shows certain angles where if you think about it, would have put us in a very awkward position. For example that shower scene Moka was in. Don’t tell me we peeped at her bathing?! My best guess is that such awkward first person view angles are for some fanservice scenes because there are close-ups on the girl’s butt, thighs and boobs at times. So you’re telling me that we are this close to her and watching those prized assets, huh? Can’t be because the girl would have got embarrassed and screamed her head off. Remember, we are the nice guy. Overall, the artwork seems pretty decent. As long as the girls look cute, it overwrites everything. Well okay. Sometimes. At least the background sceneries are quite good especially the sakura petals scattering and all. Animated by Typhoon Graphics in which this is their first animation production.

An anime series having one of the smallest casts ever with Mao Ichimichi as Yui (Renge in Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku No Zvezda), Rie Murakawa as Natsuki (Ageha in Kyoukai No Rinne) and Suzuko Mimori as Moka (Sherlock in Tantei Opera Milky Holmes series). It goes without saying that the ending themes are different and sung by the heroine of that arc. I thought it would be tailored to suit their character but it doesn’t sound because Harumachi Clover (by Yui), Aozora Yell (Natsuki) and Kibou Refrain (Moka) all sound like lively anime pop rock music. They aren’t bad to listen, though.

Overall, this is one of those animes that is cute but awkward at the same time. Well, there is still room for more development. Mind the pun. I hardly doubt that this would be turned into a full-fledged anime series with the usual 24 minutes of running time. That would be just unbearable. Imagine looking at a girl who is talking to you in a monologue for almost half an hour! Per episode! I think it would turn guys off. But oddly we can watch the same scene if it was porn for hours and then still come back for more.