There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless...

Episode 6

I really liked this episode and no, I'm not just saying that because Mai wasn't in it at all. I find it interesting seeing how Satsuki's relationship with Renako has been progressing throughout the course of this episode and how much of it acts as a mirror to the early episodes of the series. Satsuki is basically looking at the relationship as a competition, so she's going through the motions of what she thinks she needs to do in order to even the playing field with Mai. She is still being reserved, and there are obviously things about herself that she doesn't want to share, but everything from the dates to the bath scene are being conceptualized as blows against Mai for the sake of her revenge. You might think that would make her incredibly ruthless and coldhearted, but not only do I feel Satsuki's actions are the most justified in the show so far, but there is an underlying irony and innocence to her actions

Despite saying all the right things and honestly having some legitimately good chemistry with Renako, you get the feeling that Satsuki isn't really going into a lot of these scenarios with romantic or sexually charged intentions. I really liked the bath scene in this episode because it was a perfect contrast to what Renako went through with Mai. Satsuki is direct and a bit of an ice queen, but she is also patient, doesn't push and doesn't seem to have any genuine sexual intentions despite literally getting in the bath naked. It's a very romantically charged scene, and it makes you wonder how far these two could go as a legitimate couple if Satsuki actually started seeing things that way. I like the fact that Renako needed to point out to Satsuki that a lot of the actions were very intimate, and it was especially ironic when Renako literally fell into Satsuki's chest and stole her first kiss by the end.

This episode felt like it covered so much in terms of character development and building legitimate romantic chemistry. It's part of the reason why last week's episode annoyed me so much, because it felt like the characters were not making logical decisions for the sake of progressing the drama. Here, the drama is interwoven with believable character actions. I like how Renako has become so desensitized to physical intimacy that she didn't even really bat an eye about kissing Satsuki at the end when she was given the request. I like that these two characters are building a lot of insight into each other in their own ways, with Renako overthinking and Satsuki underthinking. I wish the show was just about these too and I'm very worried about next week because I know this needs to hit some kind of climax by involving Mai. Call it a hunch, but I severely doubt that Mai has the emotional maturity to recognize or learn from the progress that these two have made in their relationship.

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