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A Couple of Cuckoos
Episode 20

by Christopher Farris,

How would you rate episode 20 of
A Couple of Cuckoos ?
Community score: 3.7

I definitely found myself empathizing with Nagi at the beginning of this week's episode of A Couple of Cuckoos, as he exercised his exasperation at getting the run-around from Dear-Old-Daddy Amano regarding his long-lost brother. That's basically the key point I'm focusing on in this plot right now (and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in the audience), and that aggravating avoidance of the topic isn't just an in-show smokescreen from Erika's dad—It seems the story itself is unwilling to directly follow up. I understand that this Sosuke Recovery Arc is likely being primed to carry us through the rest of the season, so they want to make things take up space accordingly. And the more simple, day-to-day interactions between the cast have been a main, if meandering, feature of Cuckoos since the start. But it still sticks out when there's this much of a divide between the genuinely intriguing parts of the plot, and the other bits I'm just kind of nodding along with.

Chief among the latter style of 'story' taking up our time is the show's continued insistence on shoehorning Sachi's angle with her sisterly affections for Nagi into any point where it could potentially make for some sort of relationship complication. Though that really only applies to Nagi himself, since after Mr. Amano floated the idea of Nagi marrying her at the end of last episode, which Nagi repeats to Erika, she seems as strangely chill about the possibility as Segawa independently was. I'm still super weirded out by the whole situation, not necessarily on account of the incest thing (I reviewed Citrus to general positivity, I can be fair) but more out of the way no one else in the cast besides Nagi acknowledges at least the potential issues with this bizarre new 'solution' suggested for the honestly-not-terribly-pressing baby-switch sitch. Basically, it feels like it's only being put out there this way now to try and reinforce the possibility that Sachi actually has a chance in the Nagi Bowl.

And the thing is, I do actually like Sachi as a character. Apart from that discomfort introduced by the romance element, her familial connection with Nagi lends the siblings a distinctive relationship dynamic. They even remember and comment on their shared past and upbringing in this episode, spotlighting how that aspect is what makes such a relationship special, with Nagi directly calling out how attaching romance to that makes it a problem. And the writing of Sachi towards the end here keeps playing with the idea that her romantic attraction to her brother might simply be a subconscious cover for other issues; In this particular instance, she expresses her desire to get Nagi to pay attention to her more as a person at this point, rather than simply something he feels he needs to take care of. That's an interesting idea that could be dug into, apart from the repeatedly-pushed proposals for Sachi to become a literal sister-wife.

Similarly, Segawa riding her bike into Nagi's life this week has an equally understandable purpose in helping lighten him up after these dramatic escalations, but also it feels like a bit too much fluff padding the episode's length out. Segawa's another character I really like, and pretty much all of her best defining traits are on display here, from her habit of becoming immediately enamored in new hobbies or activities, to how so much of her relationship with Nagi is predicated on their sense of competition towards one another. As well, I'm not sure who within the Cuckoos creation pipeline is pushing the agenda to put Segawa into various different sportswear outfits, but if they're reading this, know that I approve.

The sentimental aspects of Segawa and Nagi's beach-side-bike-ride are there, helping him reach more of an understanding about the depths of family before he gets that later interaction with Sachi. And I dig how non-presumptuous Segawa is in trying to help with Nagi's issues, not pushing him to spill what's on his mind, but rather seeking to help him deal with what troubles she can clearly sense. She even uses the opportunity to make clear that she isn't forgetting about dealing with her own issues at the same time. Driving each other via competition means that both Segawa and Nagi always want the other to be at their best, which morphed into their mutual respect and now this unique support system role. It's one of the reasons I like them together so much, and am only mildly disappointed that this sort of thing is the most the story can find for Segawa to do at this point. Especially since they aren't using a lot of the other areas of the episode to address what they've told us is supposed to now be the main plot.

Overall, I didn't mind getting lost in this one's meanderingly meditative side-content as much as I might have thought at the beginning of it. It's frustrating, but it's a frustration I'll charitably speculate is supposed to be there at this point? Erika even remarks that her father's withholding of information was always a foregone conclusion. Imagine how annoyed she must be from trying to follow up on this mystery for years, when we feel this way after only one week! The other characters' explored developments feel a bit disconnected from this driving plot thread, but I can see them tying at least Sachi's deal in with the whole 'family' element as it goes on. This whole episode has that kind of 'wait and see' tenor to its proceedings: not that bad in the moment, but could become a retroactive harbinger of more pronounced pacing problems if they keep dragging things out as the show goes on.

Rating:

A Couple of Cuckoos is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Chris is a freewheeling Fresno-based freelancer with a love for anime and a shelf full of too many Transformers. He can be found spending way too much time on his Twitter, and irregularly updating his blog.


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