This show is going to give me cavities.
I try really hard not to play favorites with the cast of UtaPri since I like every character for different reasons, but if I had to pick one, it would easily be Otoya just for being adorable. He's constantly happy and upbeat, like he's the Golden Retriever puppy of the group. His feelings for Haruka are pretty cute as well, since their chemistry is based around actual interaction rather than having her act as an obvious stand-in for the audience like we've seen in the previous episodes. Otoya certainly isn't the only one to get this treatment, but it's always nice to see a relationship based around the characters rather than just a single character and the people watching.
Admittedly, this episode uses several cliches that those of us who've been around the anime block a few times will be able to spot, but UtaPri proves that it's not the trope, it's the execution. We get to learn a bit more about Otoya in this episode, marking the only time I've heard a character in anime tell a tragic backstory without pulling the angst card/standing in the rain/dramatic violin music. He doesn't let the fact that he's an orphan bother him, although he does seem a little concerned that his friends will treat him differently because of it. The short scene where the other boys say that it doesn't change how they think of Otoya at all and then prove it at the end of the episode to help with the bazzar (in bear suits, because this is UtaPri) was probably one of my favorite moments in the episode.
Of course, the best part was how cute a couple Otoya and Haruka make:
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| LOOK AT THEM |
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| SO ADORABLE |
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| EVEN THE ORPHANS SHIP IT |
...Where was I? Right, two other things. First, I refuse to belive that the distraction provided by Cecil at that moment wasn't deliberate, given how open he is about his feelings for Haruka. Since he's made significant appearances in every episode since he's shown up, I'm unsure whether the people adapting this show are trying to make up for his lack of screentime last season or if they're setting him up as the "main guy." I wonder how Tokiya will feel about that, since it's arguable that he was the "main guy" of the first season.
Second, Shining's instruction to Haruka to write more songs is pretty interesting. I can see his reasoning (the more darts you throw, the more likely you'll hit the center, or something like that), and it also gives a surprisingly good plot excuse for the character songs. I also wonder if they'll take it any further than that and have Haruka suffer from burnout or something, like in the first season.
Is it next Wednesday yet?
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| 10/10 Shining impersonation, would laugh again |
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