English Dub Review: Watari-kun’s XX Is About to Collapse “Answers for Satsuki and Ishihara-san”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Wrestling with his feelings for both Satsuki and Ishihara, Naoto decides to distance himself from both of them.

OUR TAKE

Have you ever just felt fed up with everyone in a show you’re watching? I have, several times in the near decade I’ve been covering shows for this site, and it is most definitely a present feeling in this week’s episode, as this situation that all three leads are in was only possible thanks to the insecurities of two and the sheer lack of ability to read the goddamn room of the third. Ishihara really only has herself to blame for not wording herself better, which gave Satsuki the perfect opportunity to pounce and make further moves on Naoto, and Naoto is such a wishy washer that he’s just going to disengage from both of them. And honestly, good on him, that’s probably the most ethical thing he could do at this point, but true to form, Satsuki is there to plant a kiss on him just in time to meet the arbitrary stipulations of the school’s magical romance curse or whatever the fuck that all of these stories just have to have apparently. But it seems that, at least for the time being, this is another nail in the coffin for the Naoto and Ishihara relationship, not helped by Satsuki’s further efforts, and she wouldn’t have a full grasp on her feelings if not for Ishihara, so…another point away for her.

But probably the most galling revelation here has got to be Satsuki telling Naoto that she is just so down bad for him that she would be fine even being his mistress as long as she gets to be with him in some capacity. Like girl. GIRLLLLLLLLLL. Have some goddamn self respect, for fuck’s sake! What could this milquetoast cardboard cut out of a teenage boy have that is making you degrade yourself THIS MUCH?! At this point, it really seems like everyone’s likability is only going to spiral out from her, but unfortunately we have at least seven more episodes of this degradation to go. At least next week seems to be a solely Naoto focused episode as he goes to get a computer from his parents’ house which may add something of value to this story as we see his aunt maybe reminisce about her late brother and learn more about Naoto’s family situation. Oh, and Ishihara’s little brother seems to have a crush on Suzu now so even if they don’t work out, maybe those families will end up linked somehow anyway.