Anime rating game

In the latter half of the first episode, Akio Tanabe's anger triggered a sudden recollection of past events.

A similar incident did happen in my second year of high school. After that lock of hair was cut off, Yoshino appeared just in time and beat him up.

Afterwards, Akio Tanabe was expelled from school and cut his hair short, only growing it back a year later.

After a long silence, Adagaki Aki finally spoke:

"Yoshino, you're too slow."

"sorry."

"Never mind, that's all in the past. Hmm...?"

The next moment, the scene that appeared on the screen left Adagaki Aki looking astonished.

Pig's feet? I've never said that to him before, and I would never do that to him.

So that's why he broke off our friendship.

But if it wasn't me, then who could it be?

Thinking of this, Adagaki Aki glanced at Koiwai Yoshino without saying a word.

The first episode of the anime has ended, and the second episode has begun.

"What an idiot! Why do you keep dwelling on the past? Did what happened back then really make you feel so inferior?"

Could it be that I accidentally said something hurtful to him while delirious from a cold?

"Yoshino, you really are always so clumsy."

"Sorry…"

"This isn't something that requires an apology. But the fact that that guy knows so much about me is terrifying, isn't it?"

"That guy is an idiot too! He actually used knowledge he learned from shoujo manga to pursue me? He can't even apply what he learned in practice. What an idiot!"

Despite saying that, Adagaki Aki's face actually showed a bit more smiles.

Halfway through the second episode, the plot suddenly takes a turn when Yoshino Koiwai ties up Masamune Makabe, claiming she will help him take revenge.

This caused Adagaki Aki to put away her smile again, her eyes fixed on the screen, but her left hand tightly gripped Koiwai Yoshino's arm.

"Yoshino, do you actually hate me all along?"

"sorry."

Why won't you even say something in rebuttal? Am I that hateful to you?

Episode 3, Episode 4...

As the story unfolds, Adagaki Aki becomes increasingly confused.

Masamune Makabe is clearly an idiot, but he's excessively petty and has held a grudge ever since.

Then there's Yoshino, who helps him "take revenge" on himself, constantly revealing unexpected sides of herself.

So Yoshino was hiding her true feelings all along?

In the eighth episode of the anime, after Fujinomiya Neko's confession to Makabe Masamune was rejected, Adagaki Aki secretly breathed a sigh of relief, unconsciously thinking:

'Fujinomiya Neko? What a terrifying woman.'

'However, I've never seen her in person. She can't be a virtual character, can she? I'll investigate her later.'

Although she defeated Fujinomiya Neko, Adagaki Aki had no sense of pride whatsoever.

Ultimately, the reason Ningzi was rejected was simply because Masamune Makabe was still haunted by the past and unwilling to abandon his former, humble self.

At the end of episode nine, Yoshino Koiwai suddenly threatens Masamune Makabe again with the "protagonist's foot" and asks him for his opinion on Neneko Fujinomiya.

Not receiving a positive response, he first apologized, and then bluntly stated that he was the one who had given him the nickname "pig's feet" in the past.

Episode 9 has ended, episode 10 has begun.

Yoshino Koiwai slowly recounted her past. When she was a child, she was jealous that Masamune had taken away Aki. So, on the day Aki fell ill, she hid in the dark and impersonated her to drive Masamune away completely.

Afterwards, because Aki was so heartbroken, she began to hate all men, her appetite increased, and she felt very regretful.

[That's the truth of the matter. Please don't resent Ms. Aiji; she was just a victim.]

[So...it was made by the master?]

[I'm sorry, please don't hate Miss Aiki because of this. As punishment, I'll let you do whatever you want with me.]

In the anime, Yoshino Koiwai raises her head, revealing a frightened expression like a small animal, and her body is trembling slightly.

In the end, Masamune Makabe did nothing but flick her forehead lightly before leaving with an unusually dejected expression.

From another perspective, Adagaki Aki, who happened to overhear everything, showed a sad expression, but more than that, she was at a loss.

The subsequent plot delves into the psychology of the three characters through numerous indirect descriptions.

The revenge was just an unnecessary misunderstanding, and judging from the way it was portrayed in the show, it was indeed successful.

He made the culprit, Yoshino Koiwai, fall in love with him, and then personally destroyed her hopes, causing her confession to die before it even began.

In episodes 10 and 11, Fujinomiya Neko takes the initiative again, and her younger sister Chinatsu also makes many efforts to cheer Masamune up.

The power struggles within the school, and the hostility of the many girls in Adagaki Aki's fan club towards Masamune...

In the end, he emerged from his disappointment and confusion, realizing that he had truly fallen in love with Adagaki Aki, but at the same time, he was still struggling with the past.

I wonder if Adagaki Aki likes her current handsome self or her past fat and ugly self.

At the end of episode twelve, the screen splits in two, with Masamune struggling with his inner turmoil on one side and Aki looking lost on the other.

Finally, the two met in front of the wrought iron gate of the Adagaki family, a place that left the deepest impression on Masamune.

In the eye contact, past and present experiences surfaced simultaneously, and everything from the past seemed no longer important. The two apologized almost at the same time.

After their heads touched, they looked at each other and laughed.

They blurted out their feelings, then confessed to each other, and the ending theme song played simultaneously.

Amidst the music, a scene vaguely appears: Adagaki Aki and Koiwai Yoshino apologizing to each other and then embracing tightly.

At the very end, there's a scene where Masamune takes Adagaki Aki back to his hometown in Shinshu to visit his maternal grandfather.

The story has ended, but Adagaki Aki, who is outside the story, fell silent and remained speechless for a long time.

Has he let go of the past? But if he really has, why hasn't he contacted me?

'Does he think it's just something from his childhood, that those memories are no longer important, and that maintaining a relationship of complete estrangement is the best course of action?'

Or do you want me to go find him?

Lost in thought, Adagaki Aki smiled, then turned to Koiwai Yoshino and said with a mischievous grin:

"Yoshino, you must have something to say to me, right?"

“I’m sorry. I… really like Miss Aki, but sometimes I have this thought: ‘You’ve been making me run errands all the time, without even a vacation. It’s so unfair. I want to make you suffer a little.’”

"Oh, I'm sorry, I hadn't noticed what you were thinking. If you want to leave, I can give you some money and set you free."

"No, I want to stay by Aki's side, but... if possible, I'd like to have one or two days off each week like office workers do, where I can do absolutely nothing."

"Yoshino, have you completely stopped pretending? The title 'scheming Cinderella' suits you very well."

"I didn't pretend, it's just that Miss Aki's gaze never lingered on me."

"Are you trying to call me stupid? Humph... You cunning Cinderella, was all your clumsiness just a facade? I really underestimated you. Damn it, I've never seen you smile before. I always thought you had that blank expression, but it turns out it was all an act."

"There was no pretense, it was just that I was too tired from work and there was nothing to be happy about."

"Isn't that quite the smooth talker? Watching this anime today was definitely worthwhile. Wait a minute, you weren't already here last year when Tanabe Akio was here, were you? Otherwise, how could you have arrived so quickly?"

"Miss Aiji misunderstands. I'm not that malicious."

"That's hard to say."

Chapter Twenty-One: I've come to find you, Masamune-kun

With the April anime season coming to a close, the upcoming July anime season has gradually become a hot topic of discussion.

Among the most anticipated works is "Masamune-kun's Revenge".

"I wonder how many ratings our animation will get? Just thinking about it makes me shudder if the result is too bad."

"Is it really necessary to be this afraid? It's obvious that the stories about drowning people in the river are all false."

"No, given the president's decisive nature, he might actually do it."

Inside the office, Taro Takanashi chatted with his colleagues while constantly scrolling through his smartphone screen, reading numerous comments online.

"Oh... Everyone's praising our art style, but they're also expressing concerns about the plot."

"That makes sense. Other works are either adapted from manga or light novels, and they all have a source material."

"If you look closely, there don't seem to be many original works that can be called good in the past ten years or so."

Just then, a burst of laughter, "We won! We won!" suddenly came from behind.

Taro Takanashi knew it was Karasuma Chitose without turning around, and couldn't help but ask:

"How did you win? The new anime hasn't even started airing yet!"

"Hmph... That's not what I said, it's what the president said."

Karasuma Chitose sat down beside him nonchalantly, propping his chin up with the back of his hand, mimicking Masamune's gesture from earlier in the office, and chuckled:

"Among the new anime series starting in July, there are only three worth noting: Tokyo Ghoul, Akame ga Kill!, and Sword Art Online Season 7."

"The rest of the cute anime and light novel adaptations of harem anime either have flawed plots, insufficient funding, or poor art style, so they are not worth worrying about."

"As for those three works, the first two are too bloody and too tragic, so their ratings are destined not to be very high."

"As for Sword Art Online Season 2, the plot is too weak compared to the first season, and the pacing is also a bit chaotic. It may be very popular, but the rating on the official website will definitely not be very high."

"Compared like this, isn't it a win? Hahaha..."

Taro Takanashi also stood up, put his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly, mimicking Chitose Karasuma.

"We definitely won, hahaha... Oh... that kind of laugh looks so powerful, I've learned a trick."

"Right, right, we won."