#ridoi

i like how the episode starts with establishing rantarou and doi's roles within the school. the main trio's involvement with their respective committees is one of my favorite parts about them. their personalities really shine in them! rantarou being the medic of the three is so fitting.

poor doi. i always, like. get a little emo about the kids not picking up on things. i saw a fan comic in the past that hc'd the reason why doi gets so ill when the kids do poorly is because one of his previous students died during their drills, and it reminds him of the weight of his duties as a teacher. if the kids don't understand or are just not fit to be a ninja, they won't make it very far. it's very telling that in tsudoi material, he retires after the hagumi graduate. those are his babies, and while i believe he loves what he does, i bet the stress and grief of what may or may not happen to his students just becomes too much.

these two are so cute. i'll have to talk about them in a future episode review, too. bouta's admiration for rikichi is just adorable. sometimes i forget bouta is the older one... it makes me laugh that rikichi gets annoyed over how many people have ninja-crushes on him. stop being so dreamy, then!

alright. the shipping delusions are starting early. here we go.

i've noticed that rikichi notably softens around doi. with other characters, he has far less patience. i think it's cute when rikichi gets angry, since it really shows his age, but i think with their history, rikichi would find it difficult to snap at doi, even if doi does tease him on occasion. look at that gentle smile over recalling their past together and tell me that he isn't in love.

it kills me how, like... yamada treats this more like an obligation. not understanding that there's more to just a family picnic than getting it done. the scenery matters! this will be a core rikichi memory for reasons that no one predicted.

his smile and optimism, gone. auh, poor rikichi. his father isn't doing it maliciously, of course. he wants his son to be strong and well trained for the dangerous future he has ahead of him, but... it's clear that rikichi is more than lonely. i often think about how they literally live in the middle of nowhere. rikichi doesn't have any friends, and he isn't even allowed to be a kid. everything about rikichi revolves around being a ninja. that's a lot of pressure to put on a child. no wonder he dedicates his time so much to work. and then it makes sense why he becomes so attached to doi. that's the only other person he's made a connection with besides his parents.

a smile you just want to protect. look how happy he is. fuck!!! this is all he wanted! happy family time! moments like these must be rare for the yamada family, especially when you consider how things are when he's 18. the flowers are genuinely so pretty, too. i love that somewhere so beautiful was stained with violence.

there's a lot of cute details in this episode, like how yamada is the first to notice doi's presence / the sound of fighting, even before he falls.

no time for your picnic, rikichi. an angel has fallen into it. this encounter is soooo stereotypical shoujo. the love of your life falling from above, lives forever changed, a fateful encounter.

doi really is so effortlessly beautiful. it drives me a little insane. i love 19!doi's look a lot. in character sheets, he's noticeably shorter-- insane to think that he's still growing. his hair is so pretty, too. i know the show jokes about how his hair is damaged, but please!! leave it like this!! it's pretty!! it's curious that doi doesn't put a lot of effort into his appearance in canon (neglecting his hair, forgetting to wash clothes, probably constantly covered in shinbei snot); i figure that's probably a habit after his parents were killed and he had to fend for himself. no time to care about how you look when you just need to survive. despite this he is the most beautiful ninja to ever exist.

one thing i think is sooooo fucking cute is how rikichi is almost, like. transfixed on doi. even though there's another ninja a few feet away, rikichi's gaze is fully centered on doi. that doesn't change, either! the next few shots of rikichi, he's still only looking at doi.

i know he's grumpy about the picnic being ruined (rikichi voice ojan desu!) but i wonder if he's also, like. a little embarrassed being around a stranger. i have this fanfic idea in my head where, like. there's a little more slowburn in rikichi growing to like doi. i imagine his ninja training makes him suspicious towards doi, and i bet there'd be jealousy over how his father instantly takes to him. viewing him as an intruder before doi's kindness wears him down.

i'm really excited for the movie to expand on what's happening here. i've heard conflicting information about what amako-sensei intended for this, and i feel like the movie will make it a lot more concrete. what happened, doi... i really like ninmyu12's setting for doi's backstory-- i hope it'll be something a little similar. there's something really striking about someone so kind and gentle like doi being raised by assassins. i like nintama moments where they don't stray away from the reality of being a ninja, too. doi could've died here if it wasn't for the yamada's help.

doi looks so taken aback. i bet it's been a long time since he'd been shown unconditional kindness. poor thing.

another delusional take. i wonder if doi was still apprehensive around the couple, but hearing a child's voice relaxed his nerves, just a little. surely they can't be dangerous people if they have a little boy with them...