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

Episode 8

OK, so I guess this resolved what is basically Satsuki's arc and there is a lot to like about it. Satsuki has easily become my favorite character in the show so far, because while I do find Renako's insecurities the most relatable, I think Satsuki has that perfect blend of being chaotic yet compassionate. Satsuki's whole deal is that she wants to appear better than how she feels she is. It's a different type of insecurity than what was shown with the other girls so far. She has a kind heart because she understands some hardship, which is why she was able to see through what Mai was going through and provide some kind of emotional outlet. She's able to get in some jabs on Mai because she is arguably the only one who has seen Mai in such a vulnerable state. She can see through people and is probably the most self-aware person in the entire cast thus far but also unlike everybody else, she relishes being a little bit evil. She relishes in being a little bit of a bitch, and my favorite part of the episode was when she used her kind speech as a distraction tactic to get that headshot on Mai. The show is still a bit ambiguous if Satsuki has any romantic feelings for Mai, and I think it's funny that she doesn't deny it. However, the whole point of the situation is that she has been an incredibly good friend to Mai.

The problem is that while Satsuki definitely got some kind of emotional catharsis from this whole situation, I have absolutely no idea if Mai actually learned anything. Remember, this whole arc started because Mai really overstepped her boundaries with Satsuki as her friend and she intentionally overstepped those boundaries after believing that Satsuki had strong feelings for her. She was literally planning to take advantage of Satsuki's feelings for some sense of self punishment or self actualization. It was messed up when it happened, but did the show address that situation? It arguably didn't.

This whole arc frames Satsuki as hitting a bit of a breaking point, and I can understand that specific circumstance being the straw that breaks the camel's back, and I understand her desire to get back at Mai. Mai definitely deserves it, but I don't think that Mai actually recognizes or was properly told what she did wrong. There's not really a conversation about that specific circumstance, but there's also not really a conversation about what Mai really does for Satsuki as a friend. Mai is somebody that Satsuki can have sympathy for and Mai is somebody that Satsuki can strive to beat like a rival. Mai is at least self-aware enough about the latter because she'll talk about Satsuki like she doesn't want to offend her honor half the time. But even at this climax, I don't know what Mai actually provides to Satsuki or…anybody, really, as a genuine friend.

It's frustrating because Mai's whole obsession with Renako stems from her feeling like nobody truly understands her or can empathize with how hard her life is. This whole climax is all about Satsuki recognizing and laying out that she has arguably been the number one person in Mai's life since they were kids. She was the one that helped Mai's mom recognize that she was overworking her daughter from a very young age, and it's implied that there have been multiple instances where Mai has gone to Satsuki's place to cry or vent. That is arguably way more than Renako has ever done for her, and yet Renako is the one that Mai is romantically obsessed with? Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but the show doesn't emphasize what that difference is and I think it's because the show is terrified to go into any detail about Mai's actions or worldview outside of framing it as a joke. If the show actually did go into it, then it would have to address how terrible of a person Mai kind of is, which would be fine, if the show wanted to do the legwork for her to be a better person, but it doesn't. I don't know what lesson is learned at the end of this episode outside of Satsuki finally humbling Mai. Even if the arc is about Satsuki, it still revolves around Mai and her actions. That whole ending with them remembering Satsuki's birthday just rang a little hollow for me because it still felt like Mai got off easy.

Thank God this episode was funny. Everything from Satsuki's dialogue to the way the anime visually represented the FPS tournament was great. So much effort went into re-creating a fully 3D shooting environment like they just rendered a map out of Call of Duty, and it's great. I actually like the fact that the show will sometimes cut between the 3D models and the 2D character designs. Plus the timing of when people got shot got a lot of laughs out of me. This feels like a show that has so much effort put into such an annoying script. If Mai was taken out of the show, then I think everything would be much better, but the problem is that if you take her out, then there wouldn't be a show because everything revolves around her actions. Apparently, next week is supposed to start a new arc focusing on Ajisai, and I am genuinely curious about that considering the slow build up that she has had in the background. I just really hope that it doesn't start the same way that the last two arcs have.

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