Go For It, Nakamura-kun!!

Episode 8

Am I alone in thinking that this episode started off being vaguely uncomfortable before eventually becoming SUPER uncomfortable? I'm not going to lie, I might be starting to see why so many people took issue with this writer's humor if these are the types of jokes that are making it into the final show after they explicitly said that certain things would be toned down after receiving feedback from others. The episode starts off like any other. I'm disappointed that the show is jumping back to relying on Nakamura's creepy insecurities when I think the more over-the-top humor that comes with the extended cast like last week is superior. Still, though, there were one or two jokes that I did find funny, with the highlight being Nakamura just failing to say hello. I think we've all been in that type of situation where we want to say something very simple and can easily visualize it, but it just never comes out right. That scream he does afterwards is spot on.

Unfortunately, the episode takes a downward spiral from that point, which is a shame because the jokes I liked happened so early that this means I ended up having a problem with a majority of the episode. I understand the joke with the gym clothes was supposed to be a subversion. It was funny that Nakamura had to potentially rationalize the fact that his precious cinnamon bun sweats like crazy when he works out. The joke that the clothes didn't belong to Hirose was very obvious but feels weird because that means Hirose was comfortable enough to loan out somebody else's gym clothes? Sure, okay, that's something I can overlook. But what I can't really overlook is the fact that Nakamura still sniffed the gym clothes when he thought they belonged to Hirose. Credit where credit is due, Nakamura immediately regrets it and calls himself a creep throughout the entire skit. I could chalk that up to him just having an uncomfortable moment of weakness that he never wants to repeat again…but then the episode kind of just takes a steaming pile of poo on my goodwill.

I guess one way to make Nakamura more likable is to introduce somebody who is more infatuated with Hirose to an incredibly creepy and unsettling degree. On the one hand, it's kind of funny that Nakamura just straight up calls this dude a pervert because…yeah he is! As soon as he pulled out those pictures of Hirose, I started thinking to myself. “Wait, why does he have those?” Then the sketch devolves into the two of them trying to…out creep each other? Nakamura is definitely better by comparison, but the fact that he was still willing to take Hirose's childhood pictures which seemed to have been taken without Hirose's consent still doesn't make him look good in this situation. What exactly is supposed to be the joke here? That they're both really uncomfortable perverts? That's not really funny as much as it is just unsettling because it honestly just makes me feel bad for Hirose who is none the wiser to any of this.

I think it would have been funnier, and honestly more emotional, if Nakamura actually followed through on calling out that behavior. Maybe it could have been a moment of reflection for him. This random guy should've been a glimpse into what Nakamura could turn into if he doesn't keep his obsessions in check. But instead, this guy feels like he accidentally makes Nakamura look worse. Why didn't Nakamura report this guy to Hirose? Oh, is because if he did report him, then Nakamura wouldn't be able to get anything from him? I felt icky by the end of this episode. It wasn't funny, it wasn't charming and I honestly hope we never see this random guy again.

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