What They Say:
On the surface it seems as if Atsushi is an adult, but really he’s just an elementary student! However, he is paired with a second-year high school student Atsumi, whose height is just the opposite of his. These two together create an unusual relationship and will undoubtedly instigate some comedic antics in this slice of life comedy!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The focus in the first couple of episodes has been on Atsushi and then with Sayo, which works yet obviously gets a bit creepy. Poor Atsumi has gotten less screen time than normal here, but that changes up a bit here as we get introduced to another small person in the same grade as her that looks like an elementary student just as she does. That has the two of them at odds from the start since they get lumped together, and are pretty adorable in their own right with this kind of pairing, and it just leads to a lot of tension between them. Amusingly, Yoshioka shows himself here and continues to express his interest in Atsumi, which of course fits in with his mindset of really being interested in young looking girls and a craving for the illegal. Which is just disturbing, but at least the possibility of Atsumi would make it legal, though not any less creepy.
In Summary:
I’ll admit it, after suffering through the first two seasons of the series as we saw previously, I couldn’t believe they were coming back for a third one. But somehow, they’ve managed to draw me in more and more with this season – creepy as it can still be in so many ways – with a changed dynamic, a growing cast and a much better visual approach. Yoshioka is obviously a disturbing individual here for at least the most basic reason, but it’s also something that can be handled with the right humor in this context. Getting more time with Atsumi works well here too and introducing us to another person who may be just as afflicted as her offers a potential foil and friend.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
