Episode Summary
Koizumi is a girl who is always made fun of because she is tall, and Ootani is a boy who is always made fun of because he’s short. The two are very alike in personality and interests, and bicker to the point where they’re like a comedy duo. The two of them end up in summer school – Koizumi because she fell asleep and screamed aloud during an assembly, and Ootani because he failed.
The day before summer school Koizumi tells her friends, Nobu-chan and Chihara, that she’d be able to better get through the experience if she had someone she liked. Lo and behold, the next day in class a boy named Suzuki from another class is also in summer school and Koizumi instantly gets a crush on him. Ootani realizes this immediately and gets “evil” plans.
After class, Ootani tells Koizumi that he knows she likes Suzuki, and he’ll help her get together with him if she helps him get together with Chihara, and she agrees. Later on, the four of them, plus Nobu-chan and her boyfriend Nakao-kun, go to the pool. Things are going well, if a bit awkward, as Ootani and Koizumi get to know their interests. When Nobu and Nakao go on the waterslide, Ootani and Koizumi want to go also, but Suzuki and Chihara are both afraid, so they go on it together. When they come back, Suzuki has disappeared and Koizumi panics, but it turns out he was buying drinks.
As everyone leaves, Koizumi tells Ootani she’s worried because Suzuki and Chihara went home together. He tells her not to worry. However, the next day Ootani is crushed because Chihara doesn’t think of him as a boy because he’s short, and likewise for Kotani – because she’s tall, Suzuki doesn’t see her as a girl. The two help each other out and decide to invite their interests to the summer festival.
Ootani initially blushes when Koizumi shows up in a yukata, but plays it off as thinking she was someone else. When Chihara and Suzuki show up together, it becomes apparent to Koizumi and Ootani that the two like each other, so they give up and go off by themselves. They both have a lot of fun, and Koizumi later ends up blushing because of Ootani.
The next day at school, the two are back to fighting again, and initiate a contest to see who can get a significant other first.
Characters
Koizumi Risa
Koizumi is headstrong and snarky, and has a bit of a complex because she’s so tall. It seems that she is a tad shy around people she likes and is initially unable to converse properly with Suzuki, or even act like her normal self around him. Although she’s a little tomboyish it’s clear that she still wants romance in her life. I wonder if she’ll realize she likes Ootani before he realizes the same, but she seems to be a little less observant than he is.
Ootani
Ootani has a personality similar to Koizumi’s, but he’s a bit more outgoing and it seems to be easier for him to relax and chat with people he likes than it is for Koizumi. He’s fairly observant – at least when it comes to Koizumi, and he’s mostly optimistic. I imagine that he’ll be the less difficult of the two when they get together.
Tanaka Chihara
Chihara is very shy and reserved, and initially has a fear of boys. After her visit at the pool, she is pretty much cured of that fear, as she realizes how nice Suzuki is – and maybe even because of Ootani although she said he doesn’t feel like a boy to her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes a better friend to Ootani later on in the series as his feelings for Koizumi develop.
Suzuki
Suzuki initially seems like he is the cold and silent type, but it unexpectedly turns out that he’s just really shy, and he blushes a beat red when he’s embarrassed. He’s afraid that Chihara hates him and confides in Koizumi, who he finds easy to talk to, and she reassures him. Like I said with Chihara, I can see Suzuki becoming a better friend to Koizumi later in the series.
Nobo and Nakao
Neither of these two had a lot of screen time or got their own close up shot. I think they’re sort of there to balance out the wild and quiet types of their respective groups. I really only include them here because they’ll be showing up more often, and I don’t have much else to say.
Storyline Thoughts
I’m not usually a sucker for slice-of-life types, but the characters are interesting enough that I already want to see how Koizumi and Ootani get together, because it’s inevitable at this point. At least, I think so. I’m also interested in how relationships between the other characters will play out and how everything will affect the group dynamic they had in this episode.
Final Verdict
Besides the characters being a bit silly, there’s also a lot of weird slapstick in this and some fun wordplay (as Koi means little and Oo means big when put in names). I also like the manga-ish style of the piece and I’m interested in seeing a bit of the manga to see how much of the artist’s original designs came through. It’s a nice difference from some of the other things I’ve been watching – which is mostly shounen – so I’ll be keeping an eye out on this for a bit to see if it satisfies the fangirl in me!
