Contains Spoilers
I said it weeks ago, but goddamn, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san is a wonderfully wholesome and refreshing anime. Dancing the line between Slice of Life, Romance, Drama, and Comedy, there is nothing this season quite like this show that leaves me all in my feelings. This week, though, was something that harked back to the underlying metaphors within Demi-chan wa Kataritai (Interviews with Monster Girls) last year.
It’s not news to anyone that Takagi-san is into Nishikata and if you didn’t already pick up on that, then I don’t know what I could say or do to help you. However, their unique, and this is crucial, relationship is starting to come to light and that is being reflected in the comments of other characters. Nishikata was self-conscious about it and we know that he’s slightly lost in his own thoughts, but Takagi knows what is up and going on. They are in a relationship with everything but the titles. However, either due to Nishikata being slow or not, they aren’t official. However, all of their classmates are beginning to suspect it.
This is where the social construct of relationships in Japan comes into play. Even nowadays, strong women are viewed as odd and not really welcome in the workplace. Companies want demure women and strong men (hi gender gap!) for their employees even if they act and say otherwise. We know this because it’s reflected in both hiring practices as well as pay. While gender is a construct, more on that later, the fact that a woman cannot be smarter than a man is an issue that plays out all the time, but with Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, Takagi-san always has the upper hand and she is always the one in control. She’s the smarter of the two and by her being so, it’s not only showing girls that it is okay to be smart and like things beyond generic kids shoujo anime, but it’s okay for boys to think more in a cookie-cutter society where uniformity is still something drilled into children. It’s also showing them that standard relationships are not the only option which is fantastic. I want to show all elementary and middle school students this anime because it would help them out so much during their formative years. Honestly, I should talk about this in depth in an article because it’s so fascinating. Thankfully each week Takagi-san is back with her massive forehead and jokes to refresh us. I’m just sad it’s one cour.
If there’s something about Dame x Prince Anime Caravan this season, it’s that it’s really stupid and funny. I am really enjoying it because of how much it pokes fun at anime and reverse harems specifically, moreso than anime like Hatsukoi Monster. Anyway, for this week’s hot moment, I wanted to look at the difference of both princes who got lost completely naked. What I mean to say is, I’m looking at their confidence (and not their nakedness).
There’s Prince Narek who strut his stuff quite confidently throughout the entire kingdom, one that he does not reign over. He had no shame and just walked through town so easily without even trying to cover up thinking that it’s to the benefit of the people that they get to see him naked. The people swooned over him and his bare confidence!
Then there’s Prince Mare who hid in the shadows trying to get back to the castle without getting caught. He continually gets caught and is chased through the streets as a streaker even though he’s trying to hide. His sheer lack of self confidence is palpable. In both of these incidences, I wonder if it can be inferred that having self confidence is the better of the two situations as people will either bend to your will or not mind whatever you do. If you are trying to hide and act shady, people will treat you as such. Isn’t that the lesson to be learned?
We’re back to CardCaptor Sakura, but while we still wait for some revelations to happen, let’s not overlook this hot moment of the week: Sakura is asking Syaoran out. Ok, this can look stupid for a “pick of the week”, but here’s the thing: Sakura is badass, and even though she’s so cute and delicate, she can still man up and do something about the boy she likes. The reason I mention this moment is because that’s almost like a blink and you’ll miss it situation… and I’ll be honest, if this scene was deleted it wouldn’t affect this episode main story. However, the whole scene is foreshadowing 2 things: Sakura and Syaoran on a date, but most importantly, Sakura and Syaoran both wearing Tomoyo’s designs.
The funny moment, and the best part of all this, is always courtesy of Kero-chan. After all, the excuse for this date is Sakura’s tamagoyaki skills, and you can just talk about food in front of Kero without him going crazy… but his timing is perfect! No, he didn’t come out of the bag when they mention food, but when Syaoran awkwardly tries to pick a flower petal from Sakura’s shoulder, which almost leads to a kiss? Well, not really, but he leaned forward and she blushed, anyways. So, there it is! One of the silly yet cute moments of anime this week, and one that could lead to something big for CardCaptor Sakura fans.
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