Lovely Complex 3

Haruka who?

Synopsis

The start of episode 3 “A Guy you Like, or A guy from the Past?” [1] backtracks to Otani and Risa gushing about the Umibozu concert. Risa is ambushed by a passerby. After the initial shock passes, the fashionable teen introduces himself as Fukugawa Haruka, who was a childhood friend. Risa's memory unzips the data as shown on the progress bar at the lower right of the screen.

Risa OS Loading....

Haruka moved overseas as a kid. As she enthusiastically greets Haruka, Otani gets morose and leaves. Risa wants to stop him, but vacillates as Haruka continues chatting. Haruka ignores Otani's presence.

Otani Blues

Though Xmas ended on a down note for Risa and Otani, they don't seem phased by it when they meet with their friends for a New Years shrine visit. Otani asks if Risa has grown taller. She isn't thrilled by the jibe, but they fall into pace after the couples pair off. Risa asks Otani about his non-existant progress with Kanzuki. Otani responds by asking about Haruka. Risa replies that Haruka is just a childhood friend. She wants know if he cares. Otani responds that she started the thread by bugging him about his ex.

Risa chants. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

Risa prays to the Great Old Ones for a boyfriend, and spies Kanzaki perusing shrine amulets. She pushes the unsuspecting Hanshin at his ex. He runs the last few steps to greet Kanzaki. His ex mistakens Risa as his girlfriend. They explode into a storm of NOs.

Risa declares that she will support Kanzaki getting back together with Otani. Despite the comedy team's half-assed assumptions and full contact argument, Kanzaki manages to spit out what she wanted to say to Otani: that she didn't choose Baba the Giant for his height. Koizumi is mortally embarrassed.

Risa begs Otani for forgiveness, but Otani waves off her apology. He thanks her for helping him hear Kanzaki's message. More about this in the commentary.

Kanzaki confesses, but to what?

A month or so later, Valentine’s day rears its ugly head. Nobu and Chiharu are planning chocolates, when Risa shows her ugly-face. Not that she is inherently ugly, but that girl's face has muscles that Jim Carey would envy. Nobu tells Risa that she should make apology chocos for Otani, because she made an embarrassing mistake over Kanzaki. Otani saunters into class listening to a vintage Umibozu album. He and Risa go to Umibozu-land and the peanut gallery comments on what a fine couple they would make.

As they head home, Nobu tries to draw Risa into their group bake again. Otani jibes that no one would want chocolates from an amazon like her. Risa unexpectedly takes his comment to heart and bugs out. Otani offers to take her chocolate. Koizumi doesn't want his pity. Otani responds that he just likes sweets. The mood lightens a bit as Otani puts in a request for chocolate cake.

Don't pity the Deep One

A little while later, Koizumi is watching Otani’s practice. His fangirls ask Risa if they are an item. Risa denies it. The three girls cruelly agree that Otani would never date such an amazon. Risa concludes that Otani will probably get sweets from the fangirl trio and won't need hers. Nobu is split between sadness and exasperation, when Haruka springs a surprise attack on Koizumi. Otani is distracted by the sight of Koizumi getting glomped again and in pummeled by a stray pass.

Haruka-shojo-secret-bishonen-koi-attack-O!

The next day, Otani asks about Koizumi again about her relationship with Haruka. Koizumi describes Haruka as a crybaby, and wonders why Otani is asking. Otani again denies any real interest about her background. Otani invites her along to look for Umibozu CDs. Nobu interrupts them with a chocolate cake recipe. Otani quips that he should prepare stomach medicine, and Koizumi denies that she'll bake a cake for him.

Things seem to be going well between Hanshin and Kyojin, until Haruka springs another ambush. Otani is finally introduced to Haruka. Haruka declare that Risa is a beauty, which she laps up this praise. Otani is called a midget, and Nakao holds him back. Haruka proceeds to declare that Risa is his personal hero. Risa & Co. are dumbfounded. Haruka drags off Risa in the ensuing confusion. Otani belatedly protests.

Haruka vs Otani Round 1

Otani is still smarting about Haruka’s comments the next day, when the model-esque Haruka shows up to school with Risa’s lunch and a fresh barrage of low blows at Otani. Risa drags off Haruka, who isn’t even a student yet, to prevent bloodshed.

Their classmates comment that Risa’s attractiveness comes out next to Haruka, while Otani merely makes her look like a sideshow attraction. He takes umbrage that they would reinforce Haruka’s opinion and snaps at Risa when she gets back, which is a nasty surprise for Koizumi.

Haruka vs Otani Round 2
"Your words scratch the back of my eyeballs."

Risa carries her ill feeling to the girls’ group bake. The girls interrogate her about Haruka. Risa responds that isn’t thrilled about being considered a “hero”. Risa finishes the cake with mixed feelings.

Sugar, spice, and human sacrifice.

Another quick cut brings Risa to Valentine’s day. She presents Otani with a cake. He adopts a bratty attitude and refuses it. Their argument draws a crowd. First, they deny to the rubberneckers that it’s chocolate. When that ploy fails, Otani claims that the chocolate is for Haruka. Risa agrees out of exasperation and stalks away with the cake. Otani glares at her back and then turns away. Unlike their usual tussles, this leaves an ill feeling in the air.

After school, a dejected Risa meets Haruka on the way home. Haruka declares that he will treasure the cake like all the other Valentines chocolates that he received from Risa in the past. His strange hero worship irritates her, but she asks Haruka to keep her company. She's still blue over Otani’s refusal.

Hot Osaka Nights.

They hang at the arcade until nightfall. Haruka calls Koizumi “cool”, which she denies. Risa counters that she’s just All Hanshin-Kyojin, which her admirer blames on Otani. Haruka sadly concludes that Koizumi likes Otani, which she still denies. The outing ends with Haruka telling Risa that he likes her.

Otani apologizes to Risa the next day. Risa accepts and tells him that the chocolate wasn’t a romantic one (intended for friends or co-workers: giri-choco). We are left with the image of Haruka being crushed by the discovery of the choco-giri.

Finish Him!

Commentary

By the end of episode 2, Koizumi's feelings toward Otani edge toward romance. Otani's fits of jealously are small, but are present. The shojo romance trajectories seem to be set. However, if Haruka's presence is any indicator, it promises to be a bumpy ride. Since I read the manga and seen the future episodes it is one.

Haruka's presence is interesting for a romance story. He puts himself forth as a contender for Risa, but he is not truly a rival. Otani isn't romantically inclined toward Koizumi (yet). Haruka's modelesque and rude presence adds to the height hurdle. This hurdle looms large to Koizumi mind.

Another interesting point is Koizumi's insecurity. She feels insecure about the cake and about what the girls think about her and Otani. Risa reflexively denies Haruka's admiration, and it doesn't seem like false modesty. Lovely Complex continues to build one of the best rounded set of characters since M. I. or Adachi's Katsu!

Nobu's role improves in the anime. In the manga, I got the sense that she didn't exist unless Risa needed her or for an anti-Otani gag. While the anime plays her small motions up, and she comes across as a caring friend, but also one with her own needs (for Nakao) and preferences.

As for the Kanzaki scene, the manga built up this scene more. Otani's misgivings about hearing Kanzaki out are more pronounced and his thanks to Koizumi and her mortal embarrassment are fleshed out more in the manga.

Episode 1 covered about two months through the summer to the next semester. Episode 2 skipped fall to get to the romantic winter holidays and covered about 4 months. Ep 3 went from Xmas to Valentine's day, a jump of 1.5 months. The anime chugs along at its own consistent momentum and continues the set-up that was begun in the previous episodes. Fortunately, it does so with the continuing wit and quality.

[1] KissSub fansub version.