Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove it

Episode 4

Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It's fourth episode is the first set firmly within the status quo. In each of the previous episodes, we were introduced to a new character—be that Kanade, Ibarada, or Inukai—who served to bring a new twist to the formula due to their personality and presence. In this episode, the premise—the main couple going on their first date—is left to do all the heavy lifting.

On one hand, this makes the episode more than a little predictable. Yukimura and Himuro focus on the minutiae of doing the date “correctly” rather than letting it progress naturally. And when supposedly simple questions come up, the pair over-analyze them to an extreme degree. This is the same general setup to the comedy we've seen in the previous three episodes.

On the other hand, while the humor is familiar it still hits home more often than not—especially given the pair's “live tweeting” of their own emotions to the events we see on screen to add an extra layer to what's going on.

The stand out scene of the episode has to be when Yukimura comes to Himuro's rescue as she's being hit on by a pickup artist. This situation is an extreme anime cliché (as is everything on the date, really) but what sets it apart is Yukimura's reaction. Sure, he is angry—as most rom-com protagonists would be—but the reason for his anger is different. He's not mad because Himuro is “his girl.” He's not mad that the guy is interrupting his date. He's not even mad that the guy is physically restraining Himuro. No, what he's mad at is that the man can so easily claim he loves Himuro.

Yukimura has weeks of data from numerous experiments and even he cannot say for sure if he loves her. And here's the key: this frustrates him greatly. It's not a random quarry he has no personal stake in. He wants it to be proven that he loves Himuro. However, the perfect scientist within—his protection from the harshness of human interactions he's seen since childhood—demands that the data show this to be true before he can truly open up.

This scene marks the first time his feelings have come through like this—not them prompting him from behind the scenes but as an outpouring of unbridled emotion. It's fantastic character growth and really adds to the scene.

The other interesting point about the episode is what it has to say about dating in general. At Kanade and Inukai's prompting, the two have planned their date to be as cliché as possible. They're going to go shopping then get lunch before heading off to the amusement park. The thing is, dating is something tailored to the people involved. Neither Yukimura nor Himuro have any real interest in shopping. And when it comes to amusement parks, Yukimura is terribly afraid of rides that are either tall or fast—i.e., the vast majority of them.

However, what makes the date work is that the observing pair, Kanade and Inukai, leave Yukimura and Himuro to their own devices—other than Kanade butting in about the clothes situation from time to time. This allows Yukimura and Himuro to enjoy the date in their own way. They can discuss which shoe Himuro is thinking of buying is better scientifically or figure out the speed of the carousel by using the time of rotation alone—despite how an outsider might feel about such a “non-date-like conversation.”

In the end, the moral is simple: only you get to decide what makes a date fun. Other people and their opinions don't really matter. It's a solid lesson and truly one to live by.

Rating:

Little Things I Loved:

• Himuro has a pre-made presentation to show to pick-up artists as to why, statistically, they need to screw off.

• Both Yukimua and Himuro are terrified of haunted houses, though they know it's irrational.

• Yukimua and Himuro's lab coats suddenly reappear mid-episode only for the fact to be lampshaded by Kanade a few scenes later.

• Yukimua scientifically chose a gift for Himuro and then it hit the mark spot on.

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.