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Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat
Episode 3

by Theron Martin,

How would you rate episode 3 of
Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat ?
Community score: 4.2

The second season of Saekano got off to a Slow Start, but it finally started to find its legs with episode 2. With episode 3, it comes much closer to being fully back in stride, finally regaining the spirit that made the first season entertaining. That's a big positive sign for the rest of the season, though I also haven't forgotten that the first season certainly had its own ups and downs.

One of the biggest contributing factors to this uptick in quality is that this is the first episode of this season where the humor is consistently clicking. Several scenes elicit at least a chuckle, starting at the beginning of the episode with Megumi abruptly disarming the otaku-fueled dramatic tension by casually greeting Izumi, the irony being that she disrupts the extraordinary scene by being utterly ordinary. The silly catfight that the Izumi/Eriri conflict suddenly devolves into was a joke that I didn't see coming and somehow seemed all the funnier for how juvenile it was. There a few milder moments later on too, such as a cutting comment by one of the members of Icy Tail about what Aki having numerous girls in his room without any cause for concern said about his masculinity, or one of Aki's male friends commenting on the apparent domestic relationship between him and Megumi.

This episode also gives a bigger boost to the plot. Izumi joining her brother Iori's circle to create a competing game in the same genre sets up a worthy running conflict, but by the end of the episode, that's practically been reduced to an afterthought by the other stuff going on. Megumi seems to have a gotten a burst of enthusiasm, as she's suddenly keen to help Aki figure out what Utaha is trying to say by offering a choice between the original script and the revised one, though whether she's doing this to support Aki or just because of her own curiosity isn't clear. Michiru is also back on the the scene to throw around more overt sex appeal, and the members of Icy Tail spice up the mix too. However, the real crux of the episode comes when Aki finally sees Utaha's writing as it fits within the game, and he has to tell Utaha that both options are wrong. The real question is how much the rather dense Aki appreciates that this is all a metaphor for choosing between Utaha and Megumi, and if he does, whether or not he's intending to indicate that he's not going to be forced to make a choice between the two of them. Either way, he expects Utaha to come up with a third option.

Of course, this kind of choice is a staple of the harem genre, but seeing it approached this coyly is an uncommon change of pace. I'm rather curious to see how far this series will carry the metaphor, but regardless, I'm rooting for Megumi at this point. While Utaha might be the more enticing choice, Megumi is the one Aki needs to keep him grounded. In all likelihood, a choice isn't going to be made this season. Regardless, I find myself actually anticipating next week's episode for the first time this season, and that definitely isn't a bad thing.

Rating: B+

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat is currently streaming on Amazon's Anime Strike.


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