Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo Episode 6 Discussion

Lelouch22 said:
This was definitely the weakest episode so far, as it was surprisingly slow and largely uninteresting, since a dramatic monotony had filtered into the story throughout this arc, much to the detriment of the narrative flow. The last two episodes have been noticeably worse than those that came before, due largely to the heightened focus on an insufferable character that I really couldn't care less about. As such, the drama in the last two episodes hasn't particularly worked, nor was it effective with it's intended characterization, since it didn't come close to establishing Aoyama as a sympathetic or likable character, which effectively disregards the necessity for her increased prevalence and the significant focus on her relatively contrived development.

Aoyama's constant, high-pitched berating of Mashiro and Sorata's unique relationship has been exceptionally annoying and increasingly repetitive throughout the last several episodes, so hopefully that's considerably diminished in the future. One of the only meaningful revelations I could extract from Aoyama's arc is that she's exponentially better and more likable as a strictly secondary, uninvolved character, which, unfortunately, now that she's miraculously entered Sakurasou, isn't the direction her unsatisfying development is taking her. Essentially, Aoyama's a pointless, idiotic character that brings absolutely nothing new to the narrative, aside from relationship interference and an inevitably glorious friendzoning.

It's clear that Mashiro greatly prefers Sorata over Aoyama, so, thankfully, Sorata has returned to caring for her, as he's much more suited for such an important responsibility, and, of course, this ultimately makes for a far more interesting and enjoyable story, since that temporary diversion with Aoyama had overstayed it's welcome as soon as it began. The only one of Nanami's scenes that was good was her highly amusing conversation with the stuffed animal. Aside from that though, there wasn't anything of worth dedicated to her character, although her emotional collapse in the rain would have likely been sympathetic if it didn't appear as such a forced, predictable, and unconvincing moment.

Mashiro is gradually developing into one of the best characters, as she's far more perceptive than initially expected, displayed most notably by how much she cared for Aoyama and her struggles. Sorata's uncertainty regarding his future is quite convincingly portrayed, and it will be interesting to see how this theme will develop as the story progresses. The character interactions continue to be fantastic, especially those between Mashiro and Sorata. As such, their subtly romantic moment following the ED was great.

Misaki and Jin's complicated relationship has consistently been the most compelling element of the show, since their nuanced development is suffused with conflicting complexities. As such, Jin, for whatever reason, goes so far with his emotionally constructed distance from Misaki as to even attend a separate university than her. I'm quite anticipating the moment all these foreshadowed complications within their relationship collide. My favorite scene was Misaki's brief, but illuminating, conversation with Sorata, since it comprehensively illustrated her romantic insecurities and doubts.

The quality of the production values consistently exceeds my expectations. The animation, in particular, is very good, since it's skilfully able to capture a plethora of exaggerated movements and chaotic motion. The direction, though occasionally stale and unspectacular, was great throughout this episode. Musically, this episode was pretty good, especially during the quite moments, as it accompanies and often illuminates the tone of those particular scenes quite well. Also, the art, for it's own part, adds considerably to the atmosphere of the show, particularly with it's rather colorful, but faded aesthetic.

All in all, Sakurasou, aside from this episode and portions of the last, has been surprisingly good, particularly impressing with it's excellent humor and a thoroughly enjoyable narrative, while also excelling with it's engaging cast of characters and the small moments of romantic development between Mashiro and Sorata. It's certainly formulaic at times, but the strength of the narrative execution typically overshadows that slight flaw. The show, for the most part, has been considerably better when it attempts to balance the comedic elements with an occasional sort of subdued drama, rather than leaning too heavily on one particular aspect. Judging by the preview, Sorata's sister will be introduced, which should be rather interesting.

Also, Chihiro > Mashiro > Misaki > Sorata's soon-to-appear sister >>> Aoyama.

AnimeHAwk616 said:
Dude, did you just write a whole review about a show on the episode discussion? If it was, it was actually pretty good speculation and well written.

Lelouch22 said:
This was definitely the weakest episode so far, as it was surprisingly slow and largely uninteresting, since a dramatic monotony had filtered into the story throughout this arc, much to the detriment of the narrative flow. The last two episodes have been noticeably worse than those that came before, due largely to the heightened focus on an insufferable character that I really couldn't care less about. As such, the drama in the last two episodes hasn't particularly worked, nor was it effective with it's intended characterization, since it didn't come close to establishing Aoyama as a sympathetic or likable character, which effectively disregards the necessity for her increased prevalence and the significant focus on her relatively contrived development.

Aoyama's constant, high-pitched berating of Mashiro and Sorata's unique relationship has been exceptionally annoying and increasingly repetitive throughout the last several episodes, so hopefully that's considerably diminished in the future. One of the only meaningful revelations I could extract from Aoyama's arc is that she's exponentially better and more likable as a strictly secondary, uninvolved character, which, unfortunately, now that she's miraculously entered Sakurasou, isn't the direction her unsatisfying development is taking her. Essentially, Aoyama's a pointless, idiotic character that brings absolutely nothing new to the narrative, aside from relationship interference and an inevitably glorious friendzoning.

It's clear that Mashiro greatly prefers Sorata over Aoyama, so, thankfully, Sorata has returned to caring for her, as he's much more suited for such an important responsibility, and, of course, this ultimately makes for a far more interesting and enjoyable story, since that temporary diversion with Aoyama had overstayed it's welcome as soon as it began. The only one of Nanami's scenes that was good was her highly amusing conversation with the stuffed animal. Aside from that though, there wasn't anything of worth dedicated to her character, although her emotional collapse in the rain would have likely been sympathetic if it didn't appear as such a forced, predictable, and unconvincing moment.

Mashiro is gradually developing into one of the best characters, as she's far more perceptive than initially expected, displayed most notably by how much she cared for Aoyama and her struggles. Sorata's uncertainty regarding his future is quite convincingly portrayed, and it will be interesting to see how this theme will develop as the story progresses. The character interactions continue to be fantastic, especially those between Mashiro and Sorata. As such, their subtly romantic moment following the ED was great.

Misaki and Jin's complicated relationship has consistently been the most compelling element of the show, since their nuanced development is suffused with conflicting complexities. As such, Jin, for whatever reason, goes so far with his emotionally constructed distance from Misaki as to even attend a separate university than her. I'm quite anticipating the moment all these foreshadowed complications within their relationship collide. My favorite scene was Misaki's brief, but illuminating, conversation with Sorata, since it comprehensively illustrated her romantic insecurities and doubts.

The quality of the production values consistently exceeds my expectations. The animation, in particular, is very good, since it's skilfully able to capture a plethora of exaggerated movements and chaotic motion. The direction, though occasionally stale and unspectacular, was great throughout this episode. Musically, this episode was pretty good, especially during the quite moments, as it accompanies and often illuminates the tone of those particular scenes quite well. Also, the art, for it's own part, adds considerably to the atmosphere of the show, particularly with it's rather colorful, but faded aesthetic.

All in all, Sakurasou, aside from this episode and portions of the last, has been surprisingly good, particularly impressing with it's excellent humor and a thoroughly enjoyable narrative, while also excelling with it's engaging cast of characters and the small moments of romantic development between Mashiro and Sorata. It's certainly formulaic at times, but the strength of the narrative execution typically overshadows that slight flaw. The show, for the most part, has been considerably better when it attempts to balance the comedic elements with an occasional sort of subdued drama, rather than leaning too heavily on one particular aspect. Judging by the preview, Sorata's sister will be introduced, which should be rather interesting.

Also, Chihiro > Mashiro > Misaki > Sorata's soon-to-appear sister >>> Aoyama.

testyal1 said:
Oh God. These are characters without the slightest bit of common sense.

You shouldn't have taken her there, you idiotic people. Think about the health of someone before their emotions.

AnimeHAwk616 said:
ok, so tell me whats worse, doing what you want to do after you worked so hard to do it while feeling sick, then at least getting the feeling that you tried, while being able to rest afterwards and recover...or not even trying due to illness after working so hard, then regretting afterwards. Remember, sometimes regret can be even more painful than illness. Regret will continuously haunt your mind once you've gotten it. If she didn't go, she probably would have kept thinking to herself "why didn't I go?" over and over, not being able to concentrate on other tasks as much. It's always better to get it over with than to worry about it later. Nanami pretty much went for personal satisfaction. Even though she failed, she was still able to cry her feelings out, which relieves mental stress. Basically, the outcome resulted better since she went there. In short term, that act seemed idiotic, but long term, it was for the better, and IMO, was the more intelligent choice.

rishardew said:

He's doing a few of these around the forum.

Wasn't gonna bother to come here this week, but after the ending song: HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG

Serge91 said:

Yeah I agree, but she could die and there would not be any "long term"

Lelouch22 said:
This was definitely the weakest episode so far, as it was surprisingly slow and largely uninteresting, since a dramatic monotony had filtered into the story throughout this arc, much to the detriment of the narrative flow. The last two episodes have been noticeably worse than those that came before, due largely to the heightened focus on an insufferable character that I really couldn't care less about. As such, the drama in the last two episodes hasn't particularly worked, nor was it effective with it's intended characterization, since it didn't come close to establishing Aoyama as a sympathetic or likable character, which effectively disregards the necessity for her increased prevalence and the significant focus on her relatively contrived development.

Aoyama's constant, high-pitched berating of Mashiro and Sorata's unique relationship has been exceptionally annoying and increasingly repetitive throughout the last several episodes, so hopefully that's considerably diminished in the future. One of the only meaningful revelations I could extract from Aoyama's arc is that she's exponentially better and more likable as a strictly secondary, uninvolved character, which, unfortunately, now that she's miraculously entered Sakurasou, isn't the direction her unsatisfying development is taking her. Essentially, Aoyama's a pointless, idiotic character that brings absolutely nothing new to the narrative, aside from relationship interference and an inevitably glorious friendzoning.

It's clear that Mashiro greatly prefers Sorata over Aoyama, so, thankfully, Sorata has returned to caring for her, as he's much more suited for such an important responsibility, and, of course, this ultimately makes for a far more interesting and enjoyable story, since that temporary diversion with Aoyama had overstayed it's welcome as soon as it began. The only one of Nanami's scenes that was good was her highly amusing conversation with the stuffed animal. Aside from that though, there wasn't anything of worth dedicated to her character, although her emotional collapse in the rain would have likely been sympathetic if it didn't appear as such a forced, predictable, and unconvincing moment.

Mashiro is gradually developing into one of the best characters, as she's far more perceptive than initially expected, displayed most notably by how much she cared for Aoyama and her struggles. Sorata's uncertainty regarding his future is quite convincingly portrayed, and it will be interesting to see how this theme will develop as the story progresses. The character interactions continue to be fantastic, especially those between Mashiro and Sorata. As such, their subtly romantic moment following the ED was great.

Misaki and Jin's complicated relationship has consistently been the most compelling element of the show, since their nuanced development is suffused with conflicting complexities. As such, Jin, for whatever reason, goes so far with his emotionally constructed distance from Misaki as to even attend a separate university than her. I'm quite anticipating the moment all these foreshadowed complications within their relationship collide. My favorite scene was Misaki's brief, but illuminating, conversation with Sorata, since it comprehensively illustrated her romantic insecurities and doubts.

The quality of the production values consistently exceeds my expectations. The animation, in particular, is very good, since it's skilfully able to capture a plethora of exaggerated movements and chaotic motion. The direction, though occasionally stale and unspectacular, was great throughout this episode. Musically, this episode was pretty good, especially during the quite moments, as it accompanies and often illuminates the tone of those particular scenes quite well. Also, the art, for it's own part, adds considerably to the atmosphere of the show, particularly with it's rather colorful, but faded aesthetic.

All in all, Sakurasou, aside from this episode and portions of the last, has been surprisingly good, particularly impressing with it's excellent humor and a thoroughly enjoyable narrative, while also excelling with it's engaging cast of characters and the small moments of romantic development between Mashiro and Sorata. It's certainly formulaic at times, but the strength of the narrative execution typically overshadows that slight flaw. The show, for the most part, has been considerably better when it attempts to balance the comedic elements with an occasional sort of subdued drama, rather than leaning too heavily on one particular aspect. Judging by the preview, Sorata's sister will be introduced, which should be rather interesting.

Also, Chihiro > Mashiro > Misaki > Sorata's soon-to-appear sister >>> Aoyama.

Khalan3 said:
This ep proves this show is in my opinion so much better than Chu2-byo!

aiNkyy said:
More comedy pls...

archer_shirou01 said:
THOSE Nanami "Kyaaaa" moments are just over 9000 ! lol . but damn , she just raised her scores by a lot in this episode .i really dunno why some ppl still hate her that much(like how everyone is still hating Shinka sooo much in chuu2) .

But still , Mashiro's "messy hair" in every episode is a really nicely done fanservice (for me that is). XD
and somehow , i found her quite sexy here . dunno why .

Might not be one of the best episodes .But still a nice done ep .
So ... Athena Imouto coming up . ^^

katzer said:
I was going to write a few lines but after i saw this i will just quote you cause you said everything i think about this anime =).

AnimeHAwk616 said:
]Dude, did you just write a whole review about a show on the episode discussion? If it was, it was actually pretty good speculation and well written.

AiCon said:
Wow That's one hell of a review.

symbv said:
That said, I cannot agree with his view that Aoyama is unneeded and undesirable. ;-)

goh1925 said:
I always have a thing for hardworking girl.

symbv said:
That said, I cannot agree with his view that Aoyama is unneeded and undesirable. ;-)

Higashi_no_Kaze said:

And even if they made her somehow get over it at the end of the episode, it still didn't feel like it was a bad thing to do. Work yourself to death at least once, and true friends won't prevent it. Yeah, right.

totoum said:


I identify really strongly with Nanami,I had (and still somewhat have,I'm working on it) the same issues as her,and guess what,my friends let me crash and burn (but were there to pick up the pieces and help me stand back up) because they figured that'd be the only way I'd finally learn,and it was quite effective indeed.

If they prevent her from going she'd just be mad at them and wouldn't change her attitude,they'd just be delaying the outcome,not preventing it,by letting her go and having her fail miserably she was able to (painfully) learn her lesson

Yumekichi11 said:
About the preview, INCOMING! HIGH ALERT! In the spoiler Yuuko, Kanda’s sister is coming! Oh no it’s loli time! Fan service? Nah, I want comedy with her but what exactly will she bring? She already looks as stupid and dumb as Kanda if not more hyper and MOE. So I guess she bring comedy/MOE? Well let’s see what her brain brings. Too much shit can do MOE and comedy already. What is different that she may do?

Higashi_no_Kaze said:

And then they had to add the 'I can't hold a spoonful of soup even though I just had a hyperactivity phase with my teddy' trope, which is also far from my favorites. Only 90 year old people in a half-coma can't eat soup alone, trust me I know. If you want to feed her, that's okay, but why do anime always have to make up some petty excuse they pretend makes sense?

AiCon said:
You need to have more faith in your lolis Yumekichi11. Yuuko is voiced by Yui Ogura, who's voiced many good loli characters like Alice (Kamisama no Memochou), Toki (Saki: Achiga-hen - Episode of Side-A), Athena (Campione) and a few others.

AiCon said:
You need to have more faith in your lolis Yumekichi11. Yuuko is voiced by Yui Ogura, who's voiced many good loli characters like Alice (Kamisama no Memochou), Toki (Saki: Achiga-hen - Episode of Side-A), Athena (Campione) and a few others.

I have no doubt that Yuuko will be funny and MOE like the rest of them.

ap19 said:
I'm a Japanese American living in Japan. I don't have anything against Koreans, but I do have a lot against both the Japanese and Korean persons involved for this kind of obviously unnecessary infiltration. For those of you criticizing the Anti-Korean wave in Japan, watch this video before you do anymore judging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okW35n0Xz34

I don't want Japanese animation being added to this list. Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo did not need this addition either.

Note, I don't intend to make this thread go off-topic, so do not leave any excessive responses. I just don't like seeing the general Japanese population being criticized for this Anti-Korean wave.

Yumekichi11 said:
I would hope more for some drama emotions from her and intelligence. MOE and comedy are too easy in this show. It's the drama/interactions that make it nice. That's apart from the unique art whom I mention on the forum of this series. C'mon you should know better MOE and comedy are far too many in animes.

Omniknight said:
O, God... Just what we need. Loli character with the sole purpose of fanservice...
I just hope I'm wrong and there's an actual persona, character and story behind her.
I never quite understood this whole "loli" fascination.
Children are cute. So are baby animals. I can understand that melting inside from cuteness feeling, but not the other things that are associated with lolis...

AiCon said:
You need to have more faith in your lolis Yumekichi11. Yuuko is voiced by Yui Ogura, who's voiced many good loli characters like Alice (Kamisama no Memochou), Toki (Saki: Achiga-hen - Episode of Side-A), Athena (Campione) and a few others.

I have no doubt that Yuuko will be funny and MOE like the rest of them.

symbv said:
Absolutely agree with AiCon. One thing Yumeichi11 always puzzles me in his overreaction with slight hint (or perception of hint) of fanservice coming, even though apparently he is one big collector of fanservice pics. Happened in SAO game, happened at just one shot of Yuuko (who is not even doing any fanservice) and jumped to conclusion that nothing will be good except pure fanservice is coming. Why so quick to draw conclusion? Why such moral indignation (which I think it pretty misguided anyway)? Yuuko of course will bring moe but I think she also has the potential to be instrumental in triggering some hidden sides of Sorata and illuminating some of the character relations. Why such a knee-jerk reaction to an appearance of a loli character?

AiCon said:
I can understand that. There are a lot of MOE characters in anime today. I'm not too sure how developed she'll be since she's only a supporting character. I think that she'll be like Chihiro, the seemingly air-headed dorm teacher who dumped Shiina on Sorata and is only really there for laughs. Judging from the angry phone call she made to Sorata, I'm guessing that Yuuko is a tsudere loli.

totoum said:


I identify really strongly with Nanami,I had (and still somewhat have,I'm working on it) the same issues as her,and guess what,my friends let me crash and burn (but were there to pick up the pieces and help me stand back up) because they figured that'd be the only way I'd finally learn,and it was quite effective indeed.

If they prevent her from going she'd just be mad at them and wouldn't change her attitude,they'd just be delaying the outcome,not preventing it,by letting her go and having her fail miserably she was able to (painfully) learn her lesson

Yumekichi11 said:
I was being sarcastic with the fan service, I don't mind it actually but it goes also in the generic and goes back to my wish of having a different view of her role in this series.

symbv said:
I think I am more on totoum's side. I also don't like the over-working and over-serious attitude portrayed positively in Japan society, but at least here it shows that there is a limit. Unlike many shounen stuff, it is not like if there is a will then everything will just work fine. Here failure beckons if you don't estimate your ability and capacity properly and if you don't listen to your friend's advice for not pushing yourself so hard. I think here the story is pretty insightful: Everyone (and I guess the author presumes the readers too) would think that Nanami should rest but Mashiro knows Nanami's character better - she knows Nanami's insistence on giving it a try and it is better that she is allowed to try for herself and then sees if she can really makes it work. A more trope/cliche treatment would then have her succeed anyway but commendably it did not end like that. Even with all the friends' help, they could only help her to get to the place but at the end it is she herself who needs to show she is ready and capable to excel in the audition. Her friends can provide the advice, and even help her on certain thing when it is urgent, but at the end it is how she treats her work-life balance and adjusts her stubbornness that is a lesson that she has to learn herself.

SolemnCollector said:
What part of Japan are you from? I was lucky enough to host a foreign exchange student from Japan for a whole year two years back. He was from Tokyo though so he may have been influenced by the area. He told me that Japanese people love Koreans but they hate Japanese people. But japanese people dislike chinese people.

AiCon said:
Isn't it true that there are lots of people in Japan who'd rather "Work to Live" than to "Live to Work"? From what I've heard about Japan, people are sort of forced to work un-godly hours due to having no other choice but to go along. Apparently, conformity to others over your own self is really big in Japan.

They're pressured from colleagues, who think that going home after you're supposed to be done with work is being lazy. They're pressured in work since if they don't go along, they'll be fired and be replaced by someone else who's willing to work those hours. They're pressured from society since it is very hard for Japanese at a certain age to be hired again. Once you're over 35, you're pretty much screwed.

Aoyama is just being a "normal" Japanese worker who's worried about landing a good career while she still can and conforming to the pressures in Japanese society.