The horror ASMR you never knew you needed
What They Say:
“Kozue Makihara Wants to Have Fun / Chika Fujiwara Wants to Unmask / Miyuki Shirogane’s Culture Festival”
Ishigami, who succeeded in inviting Tsubame on a Culture Festival date, browses around campus exhibits in an attempt to shorten the distance between the two. In the end, it didn’t go as well as hoped. But when he tried to express his everyday feelings of gratitude for the upperclassman he feels indebted to, it caused an unexpected uproar. Shirogane was astonished after witnessing the unexpected event. Gripped by the fear that his secretly planned “Make Shinomiya Confess Plan” will be ruined, he sinks into despair after thinking too hard about every detail.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Ishigami’s grand romance has begun! He’s invited Tsubame to the haunted house, she’s accepted, and now everything is going to– no wait, we can’t have real romantic development in this show. In fact, the followup to the cliffhanger of Ishigami’s romance going somewhere is just an elaborate setup to find an excuse for the rug to be pulled out from under him. The great irony of it all, which is somewhat subtle in that the series doesn’t directly reference it, is the fact that the plot of this setup ultimately stems from Ishigami’s own brilliant idea for the haunted house.
How do you make a haunted house great on a budget? Apparently you manufacture binaural audio by putting mics in someone’s ears – specifically Miko in this case – and it creates a terrifying aural sensation. This flashback to the implementation of said concept takes up most of the segment, introduces its protagonist – or antagonist, as it were – Kozue Makihara (unless I’ve forgotten earlier appearances by her, which is always possible), and takes not only the present story but the series as a whole in very different directions. It’s intentionally fetishistic to a degree that we’ve never quite seen Kaguya-sama. It strikes a conflicting balance in that it’s easy to appreciate the artistry behind it, but it’s also arguably horny in a way that anime can often make us roll our eyes at. It’s tongue-and-cheek enough that it feels something like Monogatari Series – which makes some sense given the director’s experience on that series – but less explicitly designed for titillation like that series often is. Even if I can see it being uncomfortable to some degree, there’s so much creative direction throughout the segment that I still find it to be an absolute triumph. And when we return to the present, the punchline, even though it prevents any progress once again, hits perfectly.
The Fujiwara family is always a source of great fun, and we haven’t gotten enough of any of them, even Chika, this season. In fact, Chika’s characterization has shifted a bit over the seasons – which is a good thing in many ways as it shows growth and dynamism – such that many of her appearances this season have almost been as the straight man reacting to Shirogane’s incompetence. That certainly continues in this episode, as she has fully embraced Shirogane as her frustrating child in every way. Now that her actual little sister is showing romantic interest, she’s more appalled than ever, even though her descriptions make Shirogane sound like a pretty great guy overcoming his weaknesses. When Shirogane does arrive to flip expectations right back around to the opposite extreme, Chika gets to be the straight man more than ever, but at the same time it’s all so absurd that we also see some of her wild traits slip out in the process. These characters have such a bizarre dynamic, but it’s always hilarious.
Just when the younger Fujiwara thinks she can make a move, though, Kaguya enters the scene for a brief but fantastically horrifying appearance. The relationship between these two takes several dramatic turns that speak to the mutual rivalry and respect from two teenage girls with the same crush and some slightly worrying character traits. We’ve certainly seen this kind of behavior from Kaguya, and it could become mean spirited and bitter, but seeing the tables turn to what basically amounts to fans appreciating each other’s passion for the same thing (even if it’s a person) is a very sweet direction to go.
We finally get to Miyuki Shirogane’s Culture Festival, but it starts out as another piece of Ishigami’s story. In another bit of oblivious irony, Ishigami’s goal for the festival was to make some romantic progress with Tsubame but ends up making the boldest declaration of love without realizing it whatsoever. While the first segment of the episode shuts down the initial hope for this romance, this takes such a significant turn that it can’t really be ignored. The only wrinkle is that Ishigami didn’t intend it and doesn’t even realize why everything else thinks it’s such a big deal, so it’s not impossible to imagine that they could keep that misunderstanding going for a while. It seems like it has to change this relationship to such a significant degree that certainly something has to be different after this festival, right?
Well, that was always the promise for this arc from the two main protagonists themselves, and Shirogane takes over the segment, as expected given its title, to contemplate what this development means for his own plans. The mental gymnastics, especially with regard to making Kaguya confess, feel very much in line with the original comedy setup for the series, but it does address some interesting points. Chika is also there to give her own perspective which informs a great deal about her own character motivations and confidence, as well as how she views Ishigami. She might have the most insightful perspective on how Ishigami relates to the world and conflicts compared to her and other characters. Even if it’s mostly a silly segment and Chika’s harsh analysis and self-confidence add to that substantially, the takeaways regarding character study are actually pretty valuable in the long run.
In Summary:
The cultural festival continues to tease big developments and mostly avoids committing to anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still full of laughs and even strong character moments. A surprisingly fetishistic horror element in the first segment sets the stage for great comedy and even stronger directorial creativity while preventing Ishigami’s romance from progressing in the expected way. Still, it manages to progress in an even more surprising way, and there’s still a ton to look forward to as we approach the climax.
Grade: A
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
