The fifth episode of Love Stage!! aired earlier today, August 6, 2014. The title of the episode is “Just A Little” and focuses on Izumi and Ryōma spending time together.
WARNING: The following information includes major plot points from the episode. Continue to read at your own risk.
MAJOR PLOT POINTS
- Ryōma visits Izumi at his university.
*It seems that Ryōma can’t get enough of Izumi, considering he decides to come all the way to his university in order to spend time with him. This could be considered really sweet or really stalker-ish depending on your mood. Still, Ryōma looks fantastic in his “glasses” disguise. It was mean of Izumi to call him a nuisance and “in the way” though, considering it’s just Ryōma’s harmless emotions that are causing him to act the way he does. Ryōma’s way of apologizing is still too awkward and old-fashioned to witness however. It’s funny that Izumi doesn’t really come up with a new name for Ryōma when introducing him to the rest of the manga club at his university. Ryō? Seriously? The best part of this entire scene, however, is when Ryōma tells Izumi that he does an excellent job with drawing manga. Love is delusional, after all. Still, it was a cute and easygoing scene for the episode and it was nice to see Izumi inspired to work harder. After all, he does have a new fan to think about. - Izumi asks Ryōma to help him with his manuscript.
*Izumi realizes that he won’t be able to finish his manuscript in time if he continues to work by himself. He tries to contact his manga club friends, but they are no help to him. Who could he count on during a time like this? Once a text comes in from Ryōma, Izumi has found the solution to all of his problems. It feels like Izumi is exploiting Ryōma’s kindness and interest in him though, does it? Anyway, Ryōma shows up to help Izumi however he can with his manuscript. Although he makes a few innocent mistakes that Izumi helps him correct along the way, the two of them are successful in completing the manuscript in time. What was enjoyable about this entire scene is that it was a decent representation of what it is like to have to meet deadlines and work on projects as a mangaka. When all’s said and done, Izumi passes out from exhaustion in Ryōma’s arms. What better way to get back at Izumi’s exploitation of Ryōma’s kindness than Ryōma exploiting Izumi’s exhausted physical state? Sounds creepy. Ryōma steals a few kisses from Izumi’s sleeping form before he is called away on business, which was amusing to see in its own right. However, it would have been interesting to see Izumi wake up and there is a lot of anticipation in the viewer for him to do so. Still, this scene did an excellent job of revealing Ryōma’s innocent and love-struck side, which was cute. - It appears that a (possible) scandal is afoot.
*This last scene is guaranteed to keep the viewer interested in what will happen next. Remember in last week’s episode when Ryōma wanted to apologize to Izumi and confessed his feelings to him as well? Well then, you should also remember that there was a creepy van just hanging around while that little ordeal played out. Well, now the truth of the mysterious van is revealed to the viewer at this episode’s conclusion. When Ryōma is called away on business while at Izumi’s house, it is said that the president wants to meet with him. Why? Well, it seems that some worrisome photos have been released to Ryōma’s agency. The photos include pictures of Ryōma talking in the park with Izumi from the day he confessed to him. Now, the viewer should have been expecting this to come up eventually, given how sketchy the van was in the previous episode. However, this scene leaves the viewer wondering how things will unfold next week which is both frustrating and exciting in its own right. How will Ryōma react to seeing the photos? You’ll just have to wait until next week to find out!
EPISODE RATING: 5/5 – The amount of cuteness and comedy in this episode was fantastically high. There was never a dull moment when watching Ryōma gush over being around Izumi. Seeing Ryōma in glasses was also an adorable extra to the episode. All of Ryōma’s scenes were adorable and amusing. Everything that occurred in the manga club room was also amusing, especially when Ryōma was praising Izumi’s horrible drawings. The faces his fellow club members made when hearing his praise was fantastic. It also seems that Izumi and Ryōma are growing closer, which is nice, considering the first few encounters have been emotionally scarring for each of them. The episode did an excellent job of tying in the comedy and romance elements, while also pushing the plot and relationship developments forward. The episode also ended on a cliffhanger that will keep the viewer wanting more. Overall, this week’s episode did an excellent job on all points and set a standard of the potential the show is capable of achieving.
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~K