What They Say:
Episode 5: “All the Lies I Have for You”
Because of the misunderstanding that she was dating Sakuta, Tomoe is able to resolve the agonizing situation of being asked out by the guy her friend is in love with. She pleads with Sakuta to continue acting like they are dating. Despite feeling indebted to Mai, Sakuta could not leave Tomoe alone as she was fearing that she would lose her presence within her class. So, he reluctantly agrees to play the role of Tomoe’s fake boyfriend for a while.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This episode, much more than last episode, begins to give a full look into Tomoe’s condition and background. We had hints of a lonely middle school existence, but the truth of that is borne out much more strongly by looking at how much she clings to the “new” life she has crafted for herself here in Kanagawa. Tomoe is presented as being a touch conflicted, as she is not entirely happy at being a fake, but when confronted by Sakuta about her qualms, she affirms her current existence. It does not seem an entirely happy one to us: she is forced to stay awake late into the night on social media with her circle, lest she be left out and fall behind. She compels herself to stay up even later looking at (very likely dumb as…okay, I will keep my language clean here) videos on the internet just because the other girls in her circle have and commented on them. She will even come to school while sick just so that she does not miss out on in-group happenings at school. Her very desperation to stay inside the social circle, to counter her lonely existence in middle school, speaks volumes to how much worse that situation was in her mind and her very real fear of being returned to that status if she falls out with her group.
She’s headed for either a major physical or mental health breakdown.
That Tomoe remains a largely sympathetic character is engineered by the show displaying her good points to us, especially in a scene where we see Tomoe go out of her way to aid someone in her class who is not part of her high-status clique. One wonders if Tomoe would have been as helpful (especially to her possible detriment, as happens in this case) had events taken place at school instead of during her date with Sakuta, far from the eyes and ears of the school.
Sakuta’s good points are also on frequent display during this episode. He is going through this fake romance with Tomoe because he sees her situation as being similar to his younger sister Kaede’s. He wins the audience’s affection in his confrontation with Maesawa, the upperclassman who was trying to get Tomoe to go out with him, about whom we’ve learned much on the negative side (he’s a player who uses–and then disposes of–women). Sakuta is also shown to be completely honest and above board with Mai, who comes to question him about the situation with Tomoe. Mai herself is shown in a positive light in her trusting in Sakuta, even if she makes sure to get in a good load of verbal barbs (though Sakuta hits right back). Even better, Mai is shown expressing concern for Kaede and even tries to help the poor girl in her own way.
All of this goodness on display, my goodness!
How can we not recoil from it all? That’s an interesting question. At this moment, Rascal is perhaps presenting too perfect a group of human beings among its leads. Mai the understanding. Sakuta the selfless. Tomoe the good-natured underneath. Kunimi the helpful (he seems to exist mainly to provide support for Sakuta, as if he were the “best friend of the player” character in a dating sim). Riko is there to help as well. Perhaps Maesawa is the only objectionable person in the school?
Except that’s not true. I think what continues to make this show watchable and not some utopia fantasy that should make you retch is that it has quite a bit of commentary to offer on how individuals might be nice, but groups can often breed and spread toxicity. It is rumors spread from the basketball club (which is Maesawa’s base; no points for guessing who started the rumors) that convict Tomoe in the eyes of the school as a slut. When Maesawa confronts Sakuta and Tomoe at the train station near the school, the other students in the background were already talking up the rumors without even trying to lower their voices too much. While Tomoe does not seem to have been abandoned by her class group yet, we never really see her physically with them either. Just as the “atmosphere” previously had labeled Sakuta persona non grata within the student body and had marked Mai for erasure, now it sentences Tomoe to be slut-shamed even as it has rehabilitated Sakuta somewhat. Individuals might be nice and all (with exceptions like Maesawa, of course), but I think what this story might be truly about is how toxic people are when they get together in groups. And now with social media, that toxicity can be created, nurtured, and spread 24/7.
It’s not all horror. One of the continuing high points of the series is the verbal jousting between Mai and Sakuta. It’s fun to hear them throw barbs at each other. Though is this relationship as firm as we might hope it to be? That is another question, for all of the lies are starting to catch up to the “fake” couple on display this episode to the point where they might not entirely be lies anymore. We’ll have to wait and see what will happen next.
In Summary:
Sakuta goes out on his fake date with Tomoe, with Mai’s understanding of the situation. As the two begin to draw closer together, one begins to wonder if this relationship will remain nothing more than an act put on for others. Will there be fireworks ahead? One will have to keep watching.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll (also at Hulu and FunimationNow)
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 12GB RAM, Mac OS 10.13 High Sierra
