Finally, the new opening we were promised. But why the spider webs at the end?
What They Say:
“Three Keys”
Marika explains to Raku how they first met. He tries to remember the details, but it’s hard for him. She takes him to her home to meet her father. Raku wants to call of the engagement, but he is so scared of Marika’s father!
The Review: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This was one of, perhaps the, funniest Nisekoi episode yet. It’s partially due to the fact that its comedic timing was something that hits my comedy bone in the exact right spot, but also because it deals in character so heavily.
We were met with Marika last episode, the orange haired ojou-sama from ten years ago. As we learn more and more, there are three keys and only one locket. Presumably, Onodera, Chitoge, and Marika all made the same promise with Raku: To marry him. Only when we get the locket back from repairs will we learn the truth, and knowing Nisekoi, not even then.
But the real comedy happens when he goes to Marika’s home to explain it all. Her father is the police commissioner, but he looks scarier than Raku’s yakuza dad or Chitoge’s gang dad. This is intentional. For Raku, his norm is the yakuza where everyone’s supposed to look scary from without. But for Raku, from without is the police, and as such, they make the police commissioner look scarier.
The best parts happen here because of Marika’s timing. Raku’s trying to play the golden boy who’s taking away the commissioner’s only daughter, and not just that but to a yakuza. Every time Raku tries to say something, Marika corrects him.
“Do you have someone you love?” “Uh…no…of course–” “Oh, he has a girlfriend.” And the father’s reactions to these statements are exactly what I was getting at before. He’s the scary guy. He’s the devil. From Raku’s perspective, he’s the biggest evil and he’s made larger than life by both the animation and camera angles (he even gets the evil red eyes).
The best part of the episode comes afterward when we’re reminded of Raku’s kindness. As a child, he imagined his ideal woman as, well, the ideal woman. The girly girl who talks like an ojou-sama and has long hair. Now, as a high school student, he sees beyond that. He tells Marika that despite the hair, despite the way she talks or acts, she’ll be cute to him. And that is so, so sweet of him. It’s comforting to know that a guy in a harem can be so sweet and not just be after the girl with the biggest tits. Even Shu, the stupid and sometimes lecherous friend, has some of these traits where he just wants to girl who will like him. Unfortunately, he’s a dumbass.
In Summary:
This was probably Nisekoi’s best episode yet because it hits the comedy exactly right and it showcases really everyone’s disposition toward Raku as we stand right now. I didn’t mention Onodera’s ONE LINE that is so heartbreaking to Raku or Chitoge’s entire actions throughout the episode, but they let on much more than they wanted to. Just a few episodes ago, I didn’t know how I’d talk for 20 episodes about Nisekoi. Now, with five episodes left, I wish we could have more than only 20.
Grade: A
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: Radeon 7850, 24” Dell UltraSharp U2410 set at 1920 x 1200, Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II
