Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10 Review: Victory Not Guaranteed

Our trek through friendship lane continues in this episode of Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10. Let’s see what this absolute dream of a show has in store for us this time around in this review!

Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10 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 10. You can read our review of the previous episode of the show right here!

– Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori san Episode 10 Review does not contain spoilers –

Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10 Review- Sports Time!

Even the most ardent of Shikimori defenders will admit that the show had lost a lot of its lustre from back when it started. The certain novelty that it possessed and the charm that it dissipated faded away with time or as we became used to the plot and characters. The COVID necessitated breaks that the show took also played its part in removing the show from the public conscience a little faster than it would have without it. Maybe the magic was only supposed to last for a good time and not a long time?

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Apparently not. This was one of the best episodes in the show and certainly possessive of the magic that captivated the audience upon an initial look at this. The difference this time around was that the episode wasn’t focused on Shikimori and Izumi and instead on a character who has always been here from the start on the sidelines. The main characters weren’t needed to make this episode as good as the initial ones, although they did still play their parts.

Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10 was Hachimitsu’s episode through and through. She has always been a confounding character in the show, present in the frame and not reacting to anything beyond her singular expression. She was always the zany and funny character, only kept around for comic relief and not much else. However, as the Fonz has proved in the past, comic relief characters can sometimes be the most interesting characters of the show and popular enough to carry the show as well. Hachimitsu might not be the most popular, but she is interesting.

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Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10 was also the sports festival episode, meaning there was a lot of friendship and team spirit around. All five of the main friend group also happened to be participating in the same race, making things a little more competitive. Hachimitsu and Izumi were always going to be the odd ones out in a sports event such as this, and what the show did with them was fantastic. You could feel for even the most sullen characters, and friendship can overcome even the hardest obstacles. Isn’t that what we’ve always learnt from anime?

Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10 was also a pretty emotional episode that came out of absolutely nowhere and hit like a truck. The episode also featured a lot more still frames than previously used in this series, which is a trick used when the animators couldn’t fill up the time because of budgetary or other reasons. That is unfortunate but expected in this case, and if the episode happened to be this good, even with that liability, that isn’t that big of a deal. The soundtrack was also great in this episode, a huge plus.

Verdict

Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 10 was one of the best episodes of the show and an emotional ride that was better than anyone could imagine an episode like this could be.

Click here to read the review of the next episode!