#kumatte-chan

I do feel like this is more of an Aoyama-focused episode, which is why I’ll start with him. Aoyama has always been shown to be needy and a bit of an attention-seeker, but he is a good boss. This episode shows more than what he has been shown in the past episodes. Above all of the traits he has, he’s just a very kind person overall. When he went out drinking with Momose and told about his trauma of teaching a new subordinate, it made me feel like he was like Momose in a way before. He was traumatized over a bad incident, but was healed by Shirosaki’s clumsiness; in Aoyama’s case, he was traumatized over being a bad boss rather having a bad boss. I think Aoyama saw a bit of his old self in Momose, which was why he was doing his best to give Momose good memories of a mixer after overhearing his subordinate mutter about his bad experience. I can see why Shirosaki is such a good boss to Momose—he learned from the best.

Momose wanting to learn more about Aoyama is so adorable. He’s already getting along well with Shirosaki, due to being roommates and boyfriends, and Kinjou due to their similarities and being close in age. I think that there was still a bit of a wall between them that broke towards the end when Momose learned about why Aoyama was trying hard to be uplifting in the mixer. The part where Momose starts playing along and tells the chief that he has a mole on the side of his head was cute as heck. I’d like to see these two interact more!

Shirosaki is still his goofy, adorable self. He’s still a scaredy-cat that needs Momose to protect him from horror stuff. The way he got scared of the bear horror movie and it got transferred to Kumatte-chan was cute; the fact that he treats Kumatte-chan as if it was sentient was super cute! His diligent side shows as he asks Kinjou out for dinner. It turns out that he overheard Kinjou and Momose talk about anime, and since Minette (their company) has been getting anime-related ad offers lately, he wanted to study up on the topic. If you don’t know, there’s a ten-year age gap between Shirosaki and Kinjou, so I can actually see the generational gap in their interaction. Shirosaki, 34 years old, isn’t too familiar with anime and otaku lingo, while Kinjou, 24, is very familiar with modern trends, otaku lingo and anime in general. I love the part where Shirosaki’s head goes into space the longer Kinjou rambled on about anime; the part where he looked as if he got ejected like he was in Among Us after Kinjou showed his waifu was HILARIOUS!

Kinjou is very bubbly in this episode. He was the FRUITIEST he has ever been since his introduction. It was cool learning that he enjoys anime and is not ashamed about it. Like I mentioned before, the ten-year age gap between Shirosaki and Kinjou really does show in the dinner outing. The fact that Kinjou knows about stuff like quality animation, voice actors and other stuff anime fans like to talk about made me feel something inside. Also, Kinjou’s favorite anime happens to be a game to anime adaptation called Mic Prince. HIS ‘WAIFU’ IS A MAN! I guess using ‘waifu’ (yome) is different from ‘bias’ (oshi) for otakus? I’m surprised that he’s not afraid to show off how much of a nerd he is. I also really like the karaoke segment. Jun Fukuyama DEFINITELY had a fun time doing all those ~nya’s. The way it was animated was super fluid too! His bubbly actions are very infectious as Shirosaki confidently decides to to the ~nya’s in the post-credit scene.

The lady who sits next to Momose at work was a huge mood, honestly. She hosted the mixer, yet it felt like she was there for the food. I’m glad that her friends had a good time, even if they didn’t really develop a romantic interest in any of our main characters. The fact that they were ‘interested’ in their friend who helped them have a great time was sweet.

Momose and Shirosaki are at Akita, Shirosaki’s hometown, for a business trip. After visiting the Namahage Village, the two then head off to Shirosaki’s family home to visit his grandmother; in actuality, his grandmother persuaded him to come so that she can show him something. While Momose was a bit nervous at first, he gets used to the flow of the Shirosaki household.

I have to say. Granny Shirosaki is adorable as heck. She’s probably one of the cutest anime grandmas ever. I’m still amazed she’s still alive even though her grandsons are in their thirties. I hope she gets to live for a long time. I just love how she’s just your typical Asian grandma by offering food to her guests. I love that she calls Momose “Ken-chan”, which is then picked up by Shirosaki by mistake and then his brother. Granny is seriously so cute. Fortunately, the goofy genes didn’t come from her.

The big surprise Grandma had for Shirosaki was that his brother, Seiyu, came home; before the reveal, Shirosaki said that he lost contact with his brother recently and was worried. Apparently, the goofy genes are genetic as Seiyu is as goofy as his brother Yusei. The reason he lost contact was that his phone got busted due to him accidentally throwing it in a fountain. Now I wonder if Mama and Papa Shirosaki are as goofy as the brothers; the genes have to originate somewhere. Though, the brothers’ naming sense is adorable. Shirosaki’s name is Yusei and his brother is Seiyu. The kanji for their names are the same, but flipped around.

Seiyu is a photographer and a bit free-spirited compared to Shirosaki. He’s rarely in Japan, so he has picked up a lot of mannerisms from overseas like reacting to gunshots and speaking in English (are they poking fun at America?). Watching the Shirosaki brothers be goofy made me wonder if they were in a competition to see who was the goofiest of the two; it’s honestly equal in competition. I’m glad Ken-chan is there to balance out the goofs. I’m glad that Seiyu is a kind older brother, especially since he picked up photography due to his brother gifting him a turtle doll. The fact that the anime staff casted THE Daisuke Ono to voice Seiyu is pretty amazing. The cast list was already pretty top-notch and adding in OnoD just makes it even more splendid. Oh and the brothers are only two years apart with Seiyu being 36 and Shirosaki being 34; this means Seiyu and Momose are 10 years apart.

The sub-plot of Aoyama cat-sitting Hakutou was too adorable. I liked how Hakutou referred to Shirosaki and Momose as his owners; yes, he used the Japanese word for owner, but in plural. He thinks both of them are his owners! Despite that, he’s not use to Aoyama and even refers to him as a weird old guy with glasses. Fortunately, Hakutou does warm up to him a bit as he sleeps on top of him, making Aoyama fawn over him. The fact that Shirosaki and Momose trust Aoyama so much that they’re letting Hakutou be in his care shows off how dependable the chief is. I also like how Kumatte-chan got jealous of the attention Hakutou is getting (or that could just be his imagination). I’d like to see Hakutou interacting with Kinjou if possible!

With Shirosaki and Momose, they go to an onsen trip together. Momose’s rather nervous because his previous overnight trip at his old job was a bad experience that it gives him ulcers by the thought of it. Throughout the trip, he does get excited, but his habit of overthinking causes him to hold his emotions back, which is something Shirosaki notices and tries his best to get him to relax and take it easy. The moments these two have are so adorable.  I quite like the part where Shirosaki finally tells Momose to have fun and that being all excited for the trip is a factor into making a good ad. Man, why can’t all bosses be like Shirosaki? The world will be a much better place if we all had bosses like him. I know that they’re coworkers, but I can’t help but feel as if they’re a couple that went on an onsen trip together; it’s the vibes they give off.

Some of Shirosaki’s goofy moments are actually some goof-ups that I had in the past! The part where Shirosaki noticed someone that looked like someone he knew so he approached him and it turned out to be a total stranger is something I actually experienced but a bit different! When I was in college, I was taking an elevator to class and I noticed a guy who looked exactly like my cousin. I thought he was a total stranger, but I decided to call out to him…and it turned out that he actually was my cousin! The part where Shirosaki was asking Momose about whether he had shampooed happens to me occasionally. After taking a shower, I sit down on my desk chair and some time later, I do think about whether I shampooed or not. I may not be as much of a space cadet like Shirosaki, but I can totally relate to him at times.

With Aoyama and Kinjou, they go to Kumatte-chan Land where the former is practically in heaven; he’s even considering marriage with the mascot! Unfortunately, because the amusement part is in such a secluded place that they have no visitors. Unlike the couple vibe Shirosaki and Momose had, Aoyama and Kinjou’s vibes felt like two people who aren’t dating getting forced to go to an amusement park together and then falling in love; it’s either that or Kinjou being the third wheel to Aoyama and Kumatte-chan in a hilarious way. While Kinjou did look rather dead throughout the day, he did have a rather good time as he was doing his best to be diligent and taking notes on how to make a good ad. He even used his jacket to protect his notebook from getting wet. I can tell he really does take his job seriously. I did feel sad that Kinjou’s previous work experience caused him to have a hard time telling people he’s sick. His previous boss was awful for gaslighting him about his sick moments. I’m glad that Aoyama is as attentive and caring as Shirosaki for him to notice that there was something wrong with his subordinate.

Can I also mention how adorable both Hakutou and Kumatte-chan are? They’re so cute! Hakutou’s especially adorable with his new friendship with the Kumatte-chan doll. At first, he was hissing at it before growing fond of it. Hiro Shimono’s cat noises are SO DARN CUTE! HOW CAN HE MAKE SUCH CUTE CAT NOISES? Kumatte-chan is adorable! It turns out that it has the same personality as Aoyama in that it’s needy and craves attention. The way Shouta Aoi voices him was so adorable. They seriously went all out and got voice actors who can sound so cute to voice the white mascots (Hakutou is the show’s mascot). Also, fun fact, Hakutou is based on the author’s actual cat, who I believe is named Hakutou as well. Here’s a link to the author’s video on social media where she shows off her “real” Hakutou playing with the anime Hakutou.

Kinjou makes for an interesting addition to the story. He’s like Momose where he has a crappy job, but unlike Momose who got depressed from his previous workplace, Kinjou maintains a rather cheerful disposition throughout the episode. In fact, I think that his inclusion to the story makes the show even fruitier. I’m actually pretty surprised that Kinjou reveals that he’s bisexual and he has an implied crush on Shirosaki. Personality-wise, I do like how cheerful he is. He’s also very outgoing and observant, whether it be giving Aoyama attention to giving advice on how to get Momose to be more friendlier towards Shirosaki. If he is the “rival” of Momose in terms of Shirosaki’s affections, then this is the happiest love triangle I’ve ever seen; though, it is hard to call it that. Anyways, I do think Kinjou’s personality blends well with the other three as he’s the most extroverted and the group of introverts need someone like him.

Aoyama gets some focus in this episode too! He had bought a house to live with his wife, but got divorced as she cheated on him. I do wonder why his ex-wife couldn’t have just communicated with him regarding her loneliness and issues; did she really have to resort to infidelity? Anyways, having more Aoyama screen-time brings out his true personality. He’s lonely and needy and it makes him adorable; why is everyone in this show adorable? In order to alleviate his loneliness, he bought so many stuffed bears of a mascot called Kumatte-chan. He’s also starving for attention as he hates being ignored. Fortunately, Kinjou seems to read him well, so he’s the one who has been showering him with attention the most, much to his joy.

Other than that, Momose and Shirosaki are cute as always. I loved seeing them grow closer like how Kinjou taught Momose how to send emojis to Shirosaki without worrying too much. Seeing Momose spending the night at Shirosaki’s house and seeing him with his hair down was adorable. I do hope that Momose’s tension towards Shirosaki lessens because Shirosaki doesn’t seem to mind the casualness between them; Kinjou is very friendly and casual towards him. Also, seeing Hakutou again makes me happy. The way he was chewing on his food was adorable.

I was surprised with prolific voice actors making cameos. If you listen carefully, Kinjou’s former abusive boss is voiced by Kousuke Toriumi (known for voicing Gyokko from Demon Slayer). Kumatte-chan, the bear mascot, has a voice actor too! He’s voiced by Shouta Aoi (known for voicing Fish Eye in Sailor Moon Eternal). The fact that they got two well-known voice actors to make an appearance here shocked me. I mean, the main cast itself is filled with gems, but I didn’t know they’d go this far with the casting.