While Junjou Romantica was hailed by the covert army of yaoi-loving females as the epitome of love and smex, I didn't really like the main couple (seriously, an 18 yr-old boy living with a 28 yr-old man who has a thing for teddy bears is just weird) though I adored the second couple, Hiroki and Nowaki. Hoping for a pairing like that again, I settled in to watch the episode.
The anime opens to a scene where we see two high school boys in a library, and the shorter one confessing his love to the older boy, Saga. Fast forward to 10 yrs later, the main character was contemplating on how he was so innocent and naive then and he deadpans "I have completely become a jaded adult" (LOL)
Here, we are introduced to the main character, a 25 yr old man by the name of Ritsu Onodera, about to start his first day of work. To his utter dismay, even though he had wanted to work as an editor in the literature department, he was assigned to shoujo manga (girl comics). Miffed, he comments that guys working in the shoujo genre is just a dead end job, the admin told him that under this new boss they found, the department is now one of the best in the publishing company.
(and really gay)
Contrary to the picture of a harem full of handsome young men that the admin painted, this was what Onodera saw:
And his boss, editor-in-chief Masamune Takano is like this:
Of course, Ritsu got pissed:
Boss Takano drags newbie Ritsu to meet up with an artist due to hand in her manuscript for printing:
But....
Artist: *doodles* Something like this?
Boss Takano: No, more like from this angle. ....no, not like that, here. You have kissed someone before right?
Artist: *blushes* Yes, but even if you do it, you can't see it. A ha ha ha....
Boss Takano: That's true. All right, I'll show you an example, so please draw it real quick.
And then....
Ritsu: O-M-F-G!!!!!
Manuscript completed, everyone handed in their work to the printers and Ritsu (the poor dumbo) heads home. (Of course, his first impression of his new boss and colleagues went down into the drain). Next day at work, fresh from the end of the deadlines, his colleagues and workplace transformed into this:
Apparently Boss Takano, in an attempt to tap into the 'maiden mindset', has made it mandatory to girl-ify the workplace into an overflow of pink.
Ritsu: (in regards to why shoujo manga's romance scenes are so plain) I get what you are trying to say, but what I don't get with such scenes, is why everything gets so white and randomly sparkly. And the abundant use of toner, and why the hair and clothing flow even though there is no wind! (Lulz!!)
The episode ends with Takano commenting that Ritsu looks familiar, like he has met him somewhere else before. Ritsu grudgingly replied that since they both work in publishing, Takano might have seen him at the printer's. Takano agrees and walks off. When asked what Ritsu was doing with the company catalogue, Ritsu mentions that he was going to memorize it for work and explained that as a kid, he used to read all the books in his school library. Takano overhears and looks at Ritsu in shock.
No prizes for guessing why. LOL.
Overall, it was an enjoyable episode with plenty of laughs and Ritsu is a much more likeable character then Junjou's Misaki. My thumbs up for Ritsu's voice actor (Hitman Reborn- Hibari Kyouya's seiyuu!) who did an excellent job. Plot wise, it was pretty predictable, but I am looking forward to watching the relationship between the other couples.
Cheerios!
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