Sakamoto’s life is anything but ordinary.
What They Say:
Someone put in stained glass! Don’t expect us to have infinite water! Did you know mature people don’t eat snacks? When I grow up, I want to be a frill-necked lizard.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Sometimes the simple moments can make you smile more than you’d expect. The prologue to this episode has the trio of girls at a shrine where they’re playing a game of red light, green light, and Yuko and Mio are both incredibly frustrated by how Mai plays the game. She’s such a quiet and patient person and has her own view of how the game should be played that before you know it, the two girls are practically panting and breathless as they deal with a lengthy red light moment. It’s very, very cute how it plays out with the quiet of it all and the intensity of their expressions while waiting for an opportunity.
Yuko’s energy can be problematic to watch sometimes, but she does manage to channel it well at times as well, especially when dealing with someone like Mai who she pins her real problem on later in the show. When she arrives late to school, every entrance to her classroom is pretty much pranked just right to keep her from getting in. She’s late enough as it is, but is becoming increasingly later with the way she gets frustrated in trying to figure out how to get in. Her mental visions of how to do it as well as the way she copes with the erasers that are put everywhere induces quite a lot of smiles. Yuko’s personality is the type that will simply get herself into more trouble all on her own.
This episode has a cute segment involving the Professor along with Nano and Sakamoto which is always a plus. There’s something adorable about him watching the other two attempting to play the trumpet and failing miserably, which affects his delicate sensibilities. Unfortunately, this cute bit doesn’t go on long enough and we’re instead treated to a somen story that just doesn’t click well at all as it’s the type that does go to the surreal side, if only in the dialogue and the backgrounds that are brought in as Annaka watches on. She’s simply not been an interesting character and this short story doesn’t do anything to improve that. Some of the small bits in the show are cute though and help to nudge things along after such stories. That we get a lengthier one about the Professor asking how mature she is to Nano which in turn gets her to try and act more mature, it goes into weird and amusing directions. The more time you spend with her, the more you wonder just how Sakamoto has managed to put up with her for as long as he has. The Professor is fun when she’s like this and seeing her trying to do more adult duties makes you grin since she’s so no up to it. And the others just panic over it endlessly, which is very amusing with how Sakamoto reacts to it all.
In Summary:
My Ordinary Life has some good stories over the course of this episode though it has its weak moments as well. Some of the small bits are definitely cute, and strange such as the space shuttle piece, and it definitely has a weak story with Annaka that just doesn’t click well. But beyond that, there’s a lot to like with the way Yuko gets herself into more trouble than she knows what to do with and the Professor frustrates her housemates by trying to help out more. There’s a pleasant story involving Yuko as well as she thinks about her future while studying and what her life will be like which gives us a bit too much of a look into what her life may one day be like. She’s still at that stage of life where she has her cute moments but also her very frustrating moments when viewed by an adult. Overall though, there’s plenty to like with this episode, especially if you’re a Sakamoto fan.
Grade: B
Simulcast By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
