Opinion (S):

“Heart knocker” is right. Its so darn RIGHT! Man… this episode just did it for me. Its been a long time since I’ve watched an anime episode with a huge grin on my face for the entire 24 minutes. But man! Did it feel great. This is one of those episodes that kept me on edge, kept me excited, made me feel a wealth of emotions, and it was just the gift that kept on giving.

Is this is what RomCom Bliss feels like?

I’ve rarely given out an S Grade for an episode to any anime series, but this episode was worth it. This is is what I feel is the epitome of entertainment for me. The progress and development was great, building up from everything that the franchise has done thus far. The comedy was spot on and just friggin hilarious. The emotions were amped up to eleven, as I felt frustration, excitement and happiness all within seconds of one another. This was a roller coaster of an episode, and I’m still riding the high that I felt as soon as I finished it.

I generally write about episodes immediately after I watch them, so pardon the extreme amounts of gushing and my hyper active writing. This episode was just that good though, and if we can get even a fraction of what we got this week for the rest of the season, I think Working! will end on a note that will set it apart from other romcom shows in general, not just in anime.

So then, what exactly has me so ecstatic that I spent the first three paragraphs spazzing? Well for one thing, despite what my 8 years of anime watching experience would suggest, we got some serious traction on the Yachiyou/Satou front.

The big hug moment from last week wasn’t ignored, it carried into and drove the events of this week. I had said last week that I was fine with Yachiyou and Satou’s story ending where it did last week, but how wrong I was! This week showed me what a show that focuses on its core romantic issues can accomplish, and be darn funny while doing it.

I haven’t laughed as hard as I did this week since Working!! started. Not just laugh, I repeatedly screamed at the screen as the whole Yahiyou and Satou situation oscillated dangerously between “lets forget this happened” and “DAMN YOU FOOLS GO FOR IT!” XD

The writing’s pretty much on the wall now, Yachiyou and Satou are both into each other. Its now just more or less a question of whether they can overcome their weird quirks and take the next step. Despite the bravery that Satou displayed last week, he’s pretty much all spent now.

Yachiyou, meanwhile, is starting to slowly piece together that she likes Satou, although she’s not quite there yet. Its adorable seeing her struggle and go for Satou.

What kept things so darn riveting this week was the classic “will they? Won’t they” trope of the romcom genre. In a surprising twist, however, it was Kyouko who directed things to a favorable outcome for both Yachiyou and Satou.

It was brilliant, seeing a dense and uninterested person like Kyouko make it so Yachiyou confronted her feelings head-on and Satou didn’t run away. For all the uselessness that Kyouko’s displayed through the franchise’s animated run, I think she single handedly redeemed herself by joining Soma on Team SatouxYachiyou.

And you can’t help but join that bandwagon. Whether it was Yachiyou’s odd confession to Satou, telling him that she didn’t want to “be friends with him” without mentioning the “but something more” or whether it was Satou’s little interview.

Mitsuki made a reappearance this week to “Quiz” Satou on Yachiyou and find out whether he loved her. That’s where the comedy gold came from, and where the emotions just swelled. It started with Satou’s monotone “Don’t Know” answer to all her questions regarding Yachiyou. That was funny in and of itself, but it also brought up the big question. If he knows nothing about Yachiyou, then does he really care for her? Its something the show brought up cleverly through Mitsuki.

But its the next part that just seals the deal for Working!!!’s throne as the king of romantic comedy. Its when Mitsuki asks about Kyouko, that Satou answers everything in eerie detail. Of course he would! Kyouko has been about the only thing that Yachiyou has been talking about for the last two seasons. What’s truly impressive though? Satou cared enough to pay attention to every little detail. He didn’t just tolerate her, but listened!

For all his faults, that little hilarious fact made me grin even wider, and warmed my heart. What is love if not liking someone for who they are and accepting every aspect of them?

If nothing else, the episode was just the ultimate followup to the solid stuff we got last week on the Yachiyou and Satou front. While they’ve made a pact to act normally with each other, Yachiyou herself isn’t content with just that, and asks Satou to invite her out again. Alright Working!!!, I get it I get it. You CAN have your cake and eat it too.

But what truly elevated this episode in my eyes, was that not only did it really bring home the game with regards to Satou and Yachiyou, but we got some excellent stuff with the main couple, Inami and Souta.

The Inami and Souta stuff was a lot more bitter than sweet, but it had its moments; funny, warm and fuzzy, and deliciously cruel. We’re at a really interesting point in this pairing, where Souta is slowly starting to understand that he likes Inami, and trying his best to deny it. But try he may, he’s totally into Inami.

The other moment of comedy gold, was the whole thing about how Souta loves small things and Inami’s chest size in referrence to Souta’s sisters. That moment was beautifully brilliant, because it was implied, and not directly spelled out. There’s some serious skill in a subtle joke that’s just so resoundingly funny because of who the characters are and how they think.

And it only continued to get better from there. As Souta tried his best to tell himself that he didn’t find Inami attractive, everything else worked against him to prove him wrong.

Kirio Yamada’s oblivious, tactless and direct mention of Souta’s feelings, and then him lying sprawled in the back of Wagnaria with a cross Popura? Laugh out loud levels of funny.

Then there was Souta’s constant denial, saying “No!” and “Definitely Not!” to everything in shock, while Inami went on the offensive to show off her totally cute and feminine side.

Poor Inami, she had no idea that every one of her attempts was actually a resounding success, and it was Souta’s rather odd reactions that converted something so darn heart warming into a hilarious misunderstanding. It was funny, it was adorable, it was frustrating, all at the same time.

Finally, we ended the episode with Souta acting like a total jerk, a complete and utter tsundere. It wasn’t his best moment… But you couldn’t help but want to have Souta hug Inami after she heard the guy she liked tell her to find happiness with another guy. The light punch, the tears, the apologies… MY GOD! I wanted to give Inami Souta on a silver platter and slap him silly at the same time.

And while the episode concluded with Yamada and Inami depressed out in the back, I think things are looking up. Much like the Yachiyou/Satou stuff, I think the Inami/Souta pairing is being given the due it very much deserves.

As a fan of Working!!, the characters, and romantic comedy and happy endings, this season is just hitting all the check marks for a fantastic piece of entertainment. Its hitting check marks that I didn’t even imagine I had in the back of my mind.

What Popura’s trying to say is: “Its Darkest before the Dawn!”

With this episode, I’d say Working!!! just skyrocketed to my favorite show of the season, and potentially my favorite RomCom ever. I’m curious to see how the show follows it up from here on out but given how much good will its garnered in just 4 episodes, I’m not worried.

Next week can’t come soon enough.

Preview:

More Souta and Inami? YES PLEASE!