Who doesn’t love the great outdoors? Otaku, that’s who. That is unless you are talking about the beach. Then they seem to get into the swing of things quickly enough.
What They Say:
Episode 6: By the Waterfront Et Cetera (For Adults)
A refreshing breeze blows on the riverbank where the Café Stile staff is having a get-together. Maika is excited despite the party-poopiness of the “indoor kids,” Kaho, Akizuki, and Miu. Eventually, they start prepping for the barbecue, but a certain ingredient Maika brought takes them all aback. Dino and Maika make tentative plans to go to the beach.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
It seems a bit early for it, but this show has already decided to roll out the beach episode, though they make us wait for a bit with a diversion to the river first. The river? As an outside of work social gathering, the manager, Dino, has brought everyone out for a riverside barbecue. Going up into the mountains and enjoying the great outdoors doesn’t seem to be for everyone though, as the self-proclaimed “indoor kids” Kaho, Akizuki, and Miu seem to be unhappy with the entire idea. Miu has prepared relief for them, however, as out come the game handheld consoles, manga, and other things to distract them until the food is ready. Speaking of that food, everyone was asked to bring an ingredient and Maika surprises them all by pulling out a giant tuna (the kind that usually sell for serious money at Tsukiji Fish Market, destined for the plates of the wealthy at high end sushi restaurants). It was from her family, of course.
While the barbecue was less than stellar for everyone, on the drive back Maika says it was a shame they couldn’t go into the water, which gives Dino the idea of making the next company outing to the beach. That means Maika needs a new swimsuit since, of course, she only has a school swimsuit. Thus, swimsuit shopping with some predictable gags when Dino comes along. Then it is time for the beach itself, with even more predictable gags. What makes it a touch more palatable at least is that Blend-S is entirely self-aware, including Dino congratulating himself on achieving an anime cliche (the accidental body contact with Maika when they’re both in the water). If it were not for that meta-commentary element, the beach section as a whole would come off as a weird combination of sweet and exploitative. Exploitative in that Kaho’s more than ample assets complete with sound-effects-enhanced jiggle are aggressively marketed at us (if there are figures to be made of the characters from this show, expect a swimsuit Kaho to be among them). Sweet in the minor side story (again, lamp-shaded in full) of Dino worrying over a small cut on Maika’s leg which sends him into a minor frenzy of care and concern, cleaning the wound and bandaging it (and overdoing it, of course).
It looks like they are done establishing the characters for the moment as instead we’re treated to changes of scenery this time around. It was enjoyable enough, but somehow this episode didn’t quite have the usual pop and zing of witty one-liners and quick gags that the show had managed before (outside of a replay of one gag from the home visit to the Sakuranomiyas’ place). I still enjoyed it, but it did not feel quite as fresh. Perhaps beach episodes have just gotten to be something that are simply there for me. We need more surprises.
In Summary:
The Café Stile gang goes to the mountains to have a river-side barbecue. It’s not to everyone’s taste as Kaho, Akizuki, and Miu would rather be indoors doing otaku things. Maika enjoys it well enough, but wishes she could have gone into the water, so Dino decides the next company trip would be to the beach. But that means finding Maika a new swimsuit (as she, of course, only has her school one). Mirth ensues. And then at the beach itself, it’s a pretty conventional beach episode. It’s still amusing, but not quite hitting with the same freshness and pop that the show had been managing up to this point.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 12GB RAM, Mac OS 10.13 High Sierra
Speaking of “surprises”, that “Surprise” waitress still hasn’t shown up, and this anime is halfway over.