Before it disappears again, let us enjoy another outing by a show that is just a sweet time. Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 8 gets a lot right in what it was trying to do. Let’s get right into it with this review!
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 8 Overview
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie, or Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori-san in original Japanese is a comedy, romance, and slice of life anime based on a manga written by Keigo Maki and serialized in Magazine Pocket. It is being brought to the medium of anime by Studio Doga Kobo, whose previous shows have included similar themes and appealed to a similar demographic as Shikimori-san. Plastic Memories and Monthly Girls’ Nozaki Kun are a part of Doga Kobo’s catalogue.
The series is being directed by Ryouta Itou, who has previously directed shows like My Senpai is Annoying and has done animation work in several others. This episode is also known as Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori-san Episode 8. You can read our review of the previous episode of the show right here!
– Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori san Episode 8 Review does not contain spoilers –
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 8 Review- Forbidden Love
This was an incredibly sweet episode that went back to the series’ roots and struck the same nerve as the tremendous early episodes. It nailed all that it was trying to accomplish and much more, as the story that was left incomplete in the previous episode was brought to its conclusion. It was also the studio’s way of confirming that despite the unfortunate breaks mandated by COVID-19, the quality of this show wasn’t going to waiver and would only continue to get better from this point. There is so much to talk about in this outing, so let’s entangle everything one at a time.
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Kamiya was the centre point of this episode, as her feelings for a specific person were brought to the forefront. Kamiya was this show’s interpretation of the lonely popular girl archetype, and she was executed very well. Her struggles with not finding love because of her personality, while not relatable, were extremely effective in establishing her desperation and longing as a character. It also helps that she is extremely kind and reasonable about everything, selling the factor that she doesn’t deserve this loneliness.
Thus, the confrontation between her and Shikimori in this episode hits a little harder when you realize that neither one of them is in the wrong. It does contain some off-putting and roundabout dialogue, but that can easily be forgiven because of the sheer emotion the show was able to bring out of the characters with them. The cinderella motif was also unexpected, but it made some thematic sense, and the animators were able to have a lot of fun with that. The dialogue might not have been the best, but the feelings displayed were powerful and real.
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Speaking of animators. Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 8 was among the best-animated episodes of the series so far. There were a lot of intricate details and small movements present in the episode that are notoriously hard to animate, surrounded by the usual tricks this show uses to bring down animation costs. None of it ever makes the show look anywhere close to “bad”, though, and as such, all the good bits that took time to animate stood out just as easily because of them.
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 8 did a good job of avoiding the pitfalls of a love triangle storyline and instead told a much more nuanced story. While doing it, it was able to emphasize the great qualities of Shikimori, Kamiya, and Izumi. The studio was able to do this arc the work it deserved. There is no episode next week because of the same emergency, but if this is what we have to go by, the show will be just fine, even with the break.
Verdict
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 8 was a tremendous episode that had some great themes and even better character development. Hell, any character that made you root against Shikimori, of all people, had to have been incredible.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!