Overview (Spoilers Below):
It’s summer vacation, and Wataru goes on a special outing with Fuka Sasaki. The destination is a beautiful white beach!
Our Take:
The second half of The Dreaming Boy Is a Realist begins the same way summer vacation started: hot and relaxing. With school out of the way, everyone can enjoy three months of hot summer fun. Of course, that includes Wataru, who winds up on a special trip with Fuka. The episode’s plot description points out that Wataru is on a special outing with his older sister, but that doesn’t appear to be true. Besides, I don’t think Kaede would last a minute spending time with Wataru during the summer, let alone a second. Whatever Kaede is doing is anyone’s guess, but our eyes are set on Wataru and his new mature high-schooler friend for now.
The episode depicts Wataru and Fuka spending a day at a craft shop by the white beach, with the former hoping to make something special for Aika for her upcoming birthday. While both Wataru and Aika are still not on speaking terms, Wataru hopes to bring her a gift as a friend rather than a stalker. However, these two aren’t the only ones on a marvelous beach trip, as Kei, Aika, and Aika’s young sister, Airi, are also spending the day by the ocean. While the two groups don’t encounter each other, it was nice to see Aika have some girl time with Kei without Wataru around. Plus, Airi is admittedly adorable in this episode.
But that’s not the only thing that happened in this “arts and crafts” storyline, as it has one surprising twist that turned Wataru’s life into a complete 180. It turns out that Fuka wasn’t a high school girl at all. She’s actually a middle-schooler, which makes Wataru’s nervousness around Fuka understandable. Although, I did get a good chuckle out of Wataru’s reaction when he heard who she really is. So much for that love triangle I predicted back in the previous episode, but that could change later down the road.
With the series heading into summer vacation, it gives the characters plenty to do when they’re not on school grounds. However, the concept still focuses on Wataru and Aika’s complicated feelings amid their break from schoolwork. While it did little to improve its familiar plot, it still retained my attention regarding its teen-related humor.