Continuing from episode 7,Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutieslowly turns up the heat, using Kamiya as the catalyst of several major events and reveals. There is a steady tension building around the character, and episode 8 confirms suspicions created in the previous episode.
Episode 8 ofShikimori’s Not Just a Cutieelevated the kind of story that the anime is trying to convey, and afterthe somewhat shaky beginning the series had, this episode is an extremely pleasant, masterful surprise.
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The Cinderella Allegory
There is an allegorical device presented in the first few minutes, but used throughout the episode, in which a scene set at an elegant ball inspired by fairy tales plays out. The surreality of the sequence is heightened by the moving-picture and motion comic-esque animation. Kamiya, dressed in a beautiful but somewhat ominous black dress, is shown at the ball, first longingly gazing at a princely Izumi before being dejected at his happy interactions with a princess Shikimori. Kamiya is greeted by several enthusiastic, faceless people, but her longing gaze remains fixated on Izumi. Once Shikimori and Izumi steal the dance floor, Kamiya is shown standing by herself during the event,an aura of loneliness permeating the scene.
The dreamlike sequence reflects inspiration from Cinderella, particularly regarding Shikimori’s turquoise dress, as well as Kamiya’s shimmering glass slippers. The brilliance of this particular motif throughout the episode is that Shikimori is also seen in the same pair of glass slippers at the same time. This reflects Kamiya’s conflict: she doesn’t necessarily see Shikimori as only competition, but rather respects Izumi’s decision and believes that Shikimori is also a worthy partner in the same way that she could be. However, the black dress is symbolic of mourning, as Kamiya lacks the resolve to come clean about her feelings, and continuing on with a friendship with Izumi has caused her to feel guilty about deceiving him. She must kill those emotions; the emotions that cause her to view Shikimori with guilty envy, while putting on a brave face and keeping up with the massive expectations the world places on her, but this brings her great pain on top of the severe sense of loneliness she feels.
Love Triangles and Rivalry
Kamiya’s interest in Izumi and Shikimori’s relationship is incredibly intense, and surprises Izumi to some extent, but given his easygoing naïveté, Izumi has a brief but fleeting curiosity about her intentions. Kamiya was introducedin the second episode during the sports festivaland presented as Shikimori’s rival; however, the anime at that point had not quite arrived at the kind of depth that it has in more recent episodes, and the comparison was incredibly shallow. Given how pivotal Kamiya was in revealing the unknowns regarding how Shikimori and Izumi became a couple, and the intensity of her interrogation, it was becoming evident that she has some deeply hidden emotions about some aspect of their relationship.
This episode is very emotional in comparison to some of the light, comedic material the series has presented thus far, and was brilliant in conveying the likeability of not only Shikimori, but Izumi and Kamiya as well, particularly in how the episode resolves the mystery surrounding Kamiya. Having been working library duty together the previous year, Kamiya had gotten closer to Izumi and fell in love with his kindness, and ability to see through the surface-level aspects people often attribute to her.
The Unrequited Fairy Tale
The episode’s objective becomes clearer during the initial parts, right after the opening theme, when Kamiya asks Izumi if he’s watched a film that is taking their school by storm. Apparently based on a fairy tale, Kamiya reveals very little about the film, but she tells Izumi that the costumes were beautiful, but the film’s heroinebeing passive isn’t something that people find attractiveanymore. Her words sound like they’re hinting at something deeper, and when Kamiya references a line from the film spoken by a character whose love was not realised, her feelings for Izumi are effectively confirmed.
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Blissfully unaware, Izumi relishes in getting to know other parts of Kamiya, like her “girlish” appreciation of the dresses in the movie, and how she feels about the romantic aspects thereof. Nekozaki then arrives at the library with Shikimori in order to ask Kamiya to swap numbers with her. Kamiya promptly agrees. To recap, the student council runs a game where number pairs are distributed amongst the student body, and those who find their counterpart with the same number are coupled up to take a photograph together with them. This process is fabled to unite the couple forever, and it is how Izumi and Shikimori’s romantic relationship was initiated. The theme throughout the festival arc has been that this year is different from last year, but despite that difference, Izumi and Kamiya working together in the library during the same shift time is a strange but welcome constant for the both of them.
Prince Izumi
At first, Nekozaki suggests that Shikimori and Izumi immediately head off to get their picture taken, and Kamiya is quick to be accommodating of this; however, Izumi does not feel that it would be right to let Kamiya tackle the last 20 minutes of library duty on her own. This leaves Shikimori and Nekozaki no choice but to wait for him, and while waiting, Shikimori gets a glimpse of how Izumi and Kamiya interact. As someone who is in love with Izumi herself, during their short period of time in proximity, Shikimori picks up on the fact that Kamiya is a kindred spirit. As the shift ends, shots of Kamiya and of a ticking clock are seen, obviously invoking the same ticking clock in the episode’s Cinderella-inspired intro sequence.This episode is immensely artistic, as Kamiya’s dreamlike Cinderella sequence is juxtaposed with the dreamlike period of time she gets to spend just casually chatting with Izumi, her prince.
It’s a Numbers Game
Kamiya has been the most emotionally charged side character inShikimori’s Not Just a Cutiefor the thematic approach to her development, and the revelation regarding her feelings for Izumi. She was initially presented as a rival for Shikimori, but only now in the 7th and 8th episodes of the series does Kamiya truly appear to be an alternate, almost palette-swapped version of Shikimori; someone who has almost the exact set of skills, physical circumstances and even the “cool” reputation – and therefore, the only other person who could have seen Izumi for who he is and appreciated it. There is a lot more supporting Kamiya’s position as a Shikimori rival after the events of the past two episodes.
As a result, Kamiya exists as almost an alternate reality for Shikimori, and Shikimori sees through Kamiya because she can experience empathy for someone who is actually very similar to herself. The mostbeautiful moment in the episode is its conclusion, with Shikimori approaching Kamiya to return the number she took from her, because she no longer feels worried about what may happen as a result – someone who likes Izumi can’t really be all that bad. The true strength of Shikimori’s character becomes evident when she explains that she feels bad for taking away the opportunity that she once had, and that it wasn’t fair for her to invoke her status as Izumi’s girlfriend to help her case regarding getting Kamiya to agree to the numbers swap. Kamiya is so moved by Shikimori’s words that she opens up about her experiences with people, and how warm Izumi’s kindness was for her. Kamiya cries, but it is when Shikimori tells her how kind she is for trying to keep her feelings for Izumi to herself, and experiencing so much pain on her behalf, that she really begins to unload and heal.
The Special Date
With the school festival complete, and the resolution with Kamiya behind her,Shikimori goes out with Izumi and her friends. She and Izumi later separate from the group, and go off to a park together, where Izumi presents Shikimori with an unexpected present. The heart-shaped pendant, and Izumi’s kind words directed at a Shikimori who is feeling a bit sad after realising the kind of pain she had inadvertently put Kamiya through. Izumi really shines in this episode, but never once takes the spotlight, and this conclusion puts the ribbon on a truly pivotal episode for the series. Izumi’s girlfriend is really cute, but this time, she was cooler than she’s ever been.
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