Another day, another lovebomb by the sweetest show of this season. Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 7 promises to be another in its great lineup of comfort watches, so let’s get right to the review!
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 7 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 serialised 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 7. You can read our review of the previous episode of the show right here!
– Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori san Episode 7 Review does not contain spoilers –
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 7 Review- Festival Time!
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. We were aware of the studio’s COVID related issues from the start of the series, and it took until episode 7 for the first effects to appear. This episode was delayed for a week, which established the role that Shikimori-san plays in the current anime season. It is the stopgap between weeks, a rest stop that separates the last week from the new one. You can take care of all the inhibitions and disappointments of this week by sitting down, putting an episode of Shikimori on, and letting the calming presence wash over you.
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It seems like the school festival season is beginning in Japan, with both Shikimori and Kaguya-san beginning their school festival arcs at around the same time. Being slice of life shows, they are expected to have these particular episodes in their runtime, but it is interesting to compare the two in their handling of the concept. While Kaguya-sama spent its time trying to make its festival as unique as possible and trying to show it from the organisers’ side for once, Shikimori picked the road often travelled and chose a much more common and casual representation of the festival.
However, being casual doesn’t mean it was bad in any way. It was heartwarming to see Izumi and Shikimori work hard for their whole class to succeed, and the festival overall was very pretty and realistic. The animal motif that their class picked made a lot of sense, and the show was able to get a lot of mileage out of it. Shikimori isn’t particularly known for being subtle, and it wasn’t going to start now. The matching numbers event was also a really great concept for a show such as this.
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However, that wasn’t the primary focal point of this episode, as most of the episode was focused on Kamiya, the volleyball girl from the second episode, and her interactions with Izumi. It is through her curiosity that we find out how Izumi and Shikimori first came together, and the sequence of events was very much in character for both of them. Both of them, along with their relationship, have been amazingly cute from the start. It is just nice to see a couple who actually have the courage to express their feelings to one another (looking at you, Miyuki and Kaguya).
There is another aspect to Kamiya that Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 7 hinted towards, but I’m of the opinion that it is a red herring for something completely different altogether. Since this episode was named “Festival: Part 1”, we will get a chance to discuss this more in next week’s review, where we aren’t bound by the spoiler rule. I’ll just end this review by saying how glad this return makes me, as it is a lovable show despite not being high art.
Verdict
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 7 upheld the status quo by being a highly watchable and calming presence that delivered a lot of great comedy and intimate scenes.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!