Masamune-kun's Revenge

Episode 10

After taking a decidedly serious turn for the last couple episodes, the series is now back to a lighter-hearted approach, despite the introduction of a new character who seriously throws a wrench into Makabe and Yoshino's plans. However, this also brings the series into some dangerous territory that it has only occasionally flirted with before.

That territory involves the issue of weight. Kanetsugu Gasou, the newcomer who appeared at the end of last episode, is specifically listed in the episode as being 160 cm (5' 2”) and 63 kg (139 lbs). Makabe matter-of-factly classifies him as “somewhat fat,” and the character design shows him as being decidedly pudgy, but that's well within the healthy or ideal weight for a male of that height and medium build (which Kanetsugu seems to have). I was probably about that height and build at that age and only maybe 10-15 pounds lighter than that, and I wasn't even close to pudgy – I definitely wasn't an athlete, either. Granted, we are talking about Japan, where people tend to be a bit smaller and even mild obesity stands out a lot more than it does in the WEST., and Makabe's standards are probably a lot stricter than the average person's, but this still seems skewed. This episode also features the return of something that I'd hoped we wouldn't be seeing more of: Makabe's tendency to ladle out weight-related invectives.

I'm also keeping a wary eye on the series casting the heavier-set boy as the villain at least in part because of his weight. It's undeniable that Kanetsugu has got some ulterior motive, since the whole situation with him becoming Aki's fiancé via family arrangements and looking so much like Makabe did back in the day seems way too convenient. The household servants seemed skeptical at first too – and wasn't that an interesting revelation that the butler is Yoshino's father? The whole episode also clearly reinforced that Aki was in love with Masamune back in the day, which combined with Yoshino's unexplained apology to Makabe lends further credence to her being behind the misunderstanding that drove the two apart. It's interesting that she seems perturbed by this set of circumstances, which once again makes me wonder about her true motives. As for Aki, even given her previous feelings about Makabe, she seems out of character. I would dearly like to see the story from her viewpoint at this point instead of just Makabe's.

There's definitely no question about the motives of what I'm going to call the Yuri Club, though. I don't have any issue with that group existing; it would be more surprising if there wasn't such a group of Aki admirers among the girls, given her harsh take-downs of the boys. However, I don't recall more than peripherally seeing any of those three girls pop up before, so their formal introduction at this point is curiously timed.

Overall, I think the series made a mistake by so strongly swinging back to being lighthearted. The issues with mixing its humor and drama are still there, but now the drama feels even more awkwardly inserted. This could actually be a pretty good series if it could ever get that balance right. At least we now have a clear plot direction for the final two episodes, though I now face the resolution of that plot with trepidation. After all, unless Kanetsugu turns out to be the very embodiment of scum, Makabe is hardly a great choice for Aki to end up with.

Rating: B-

Masamune-kun's Revenge is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.