Overview (Spoilers Below): How will the siblings come to terms with the news?
Our Take: The episode’s title couldn’t have said it better itself. With the revelation of the siblings being adopted, they’re now faced with the challenge of adapting to this shocking truth. But, of course, since this is a rom-com, there’s also the matter of their intimate feelings gradually building up toward Arata, which got me feeling tossed about the anime. Admittedly, it has some goofy charm in the siblings’ chemistry and fan service, as showcased in the previous episode. However, the recurring topic of incest has constantly been throwing me off, especially when Banri declares they’ll still treat each other like siblings, and we’re only into the second episode. It also doesn’t help that Kotono still has strong feelings for Arata, even after the revelation. Fortunately, “Now What” felt more aware of this topic compared to the first episode, mainly when Ouka declared the thought of incest unsettling. This was also brought up again when Seiha talked to Arata about the revelation and Kotono’s actions towards Arata. Speaking of Seiha, despite saying she had zero romantic interest in Arata, her form of “observation” raises more questions than fan service. As for Banri, I’m starting to feel that the eldest sister may not be holding her end of the bargain when she was “playfully” teasing Arata with her new dress. I know it’s how siblings tease each other, but after the revelation, I couldn’t tell if that’s really the case. While the show’s self-awareness and charming humor are more present here than in the previous episode, it’s evident that the out-of-context sexual references, especially when relating to incest, still linger in its typical rom-com plot, regardless of how funny they are. At the very least, the moments between Arata and Minami near the end were more tolerable than the other sisters’ actions, primarily because Minami only cares about the siblings’ bond rather than her romantic feelings, whether blood-related or not. For someone who isn’t smart, Minami sure knows how to provide some good wisdom. Besides that, this fan service anime still has a long way to go to distract me from its seemingly icky concept.