Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove it

Episode 11

With this episode, the climax of the series begins: Yukimura and Himuro's first big fight. It's basically an amazing look at two very logical individuals trying to deal with strong, powerful emotions they are not used to.

The episode begins with Himuro confronting Yukimura about hugging Kanade in the previous episode. Now, to review, Himuro didn't just witness the hug, she witnessed Yukimura explain to Kanade why he did it. The reason she's angry isn't that he hugged another woman—it's that he hasn't had any physical contact with her in days (ever since they made the “no PDA” rule on the airplane two episodes ago).

On top of that, despite all the chances to be romantic on the tropical island of Okinawa, Yukimura has taken advantage of none of them. This leaves Himuro feeling completely neglected. And while logically she understands that things like Yukimura's health and Kanade's big presentation should be put first, she's finally hit her breaking point.

So even as Himuro tears into Yukimura, she knows she is not being fair. She doesn't even know why she is saying what she's saying—being a complete novice to both relationships and out-of-control feelings. But the answer is quite simple. On an emotional level, she feels that he hurt her. And so she is hurting him in return.

Yukimura, on the other hand, has no idea what is going on. He believes this to be about the hug and so bases his reaction on that. Logically, if he explains why he hugged Kanade, that should be enough—but it isn't. Unfortunately, he does not realize he is acting on a false premise. He is responding to the latest “symptom” instead of the “disease” and so nothing he says seems to be diffusing the situation.

Frustrated and confused, he too responds emotionally. She is hurting him, so he hurts her back. He uses irrefutable logic as a cudgel: Even if he had done anything with another girl, it wouldn't matter—it's not like they're even actually dating.

Is it any wonder she slaps him?

The rest of the episode centers mostly on Himuro's side of the fallout—her attempts to understand her own feelings and make amends.

In a telling glimpse into Himuro's past, we see that her life of being bullied didn't end just because she started to care about her physical appearance—rather, the opposite happened. Now she was being bullied for being smart and beautiful—and completely unflappable.

When she was in high school, she could use science to explain why she was being bullied—why the other girls were acting irrationally towards her. But now she is too close to what's happening and can't explain her own actions and emotions.

Moreover, we learn that it's not just that she has no romantic experience, it's that, until Yukimura, she had no romantic feelings for anyone—no matter who it was that asked her out. She is completely unprepared for her emotional responses so far. Thus, when she considers her feelings and actions, she comes to the conclusion that she must not love Yukimura after all.

Luckily, Kanade is there to talk some sense into her, explaining that all the jealousy, anger, and sadness she is feeling would not exist if she were not in love. The fact that they do proves that she does love him. Thus, Himuro, Kanade, and Yamamoto work on a plan to restore the relationship.

Herein enters our stealthy villain. While Yamamoto has been lurking in the background since her debut episode, it seems she is finally taking steps to ensure even more drama befalls Himuro and Yukimura—you know, for the good of her story. It is she that suggests buying a present as a way to apologize and she that buys a mysterious item on the side.

All this suggests Yamamoto is the one behind the shattering of the glasses case that Himuro bought for Yukimura. Unfortunately, in her current state, Himuro doesn't notice what's going on and when she accidentally gives Yukimura a broken pile of shards as a symbol of their relationship, she runs away in a mix of shock and shame about what she just did.

However, while Yukimura would have likely enjoyed the present, what he's far more interested in is the research she included, explaining her interpretation of the situation in her uniquely scientific way. So even though the research is scattered across the beach, he gathers and reads it. He realizes that he can't just leave fixing the relationship to her alone—that he's got to meet her half way.

...We're sure to see how comically bad he screws that up next week in the final episode.

Rating:

Things I Loved:

• A painfully real look at logical people trying to deal with things that aren't logical.

• The most awkward aquarium trip ever.

• Ibarada is working hard to avoid getting involved in Yamamoto's machinations. But is that because she just wants to stay out of them or is it so she'll be in a position to help when needed?

• Himuro never blames Kanade for doing anything wrong—because even a totally mixed up Himuro understands that.

Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.