Goose Bumps! I Am a Goose Now
Episode 8 of Romantic Killer begins with Anzu being excited to look at her new cat photo book. However, she realizes it’s been about a month since Tsukasa moved in. She wonders if he has a new place to stay yet. She reflects on the message he received on his phone from the mysterious woman. Anzu gets into an argument with a pedestrian. A woman with white hair intervenes and tells the pedestrian to back off. The pedestrian leaves as the woman asks Anzu if she’s okay. Tsukasa stumbles upon them, and we find out the white woman’s name is Arisa. Arisa introduces herself as Anzu and declares that she’s Tsukasa’s older sister. At Anzu’s, Arisa thanks Anzu for allowing Tsukasa to stay with her for an entire month. While Anzu prepares some drinks for them, Tsukasa asks Anzu if anything terrible happened at the station. Anzu explains what happened between her and the pedestrian, and Tsukasa’s glad she’s safe. Anzu asks Tsukasa why he lives alone and attends her school. Arisa explains that their father is responsible for his situation and isn’t the most pleasant caregiver. Tsukasa receives a phone call from Makoto and exits the room. Anzu informs Arisa about Tsukasa’s popularity and reassures her that she and Tsukasa are just friends. Arisa discusses Tsukasa’s past with Anzu. Arisa says Tsukasa used to like smiling and interacting with others. However, an incident from his junior high days changed him. Arisa thanks Anzu for helping Tsukasa. Tsukasa returns and reports that Makoto wants to watch a movie with him. Tsukasa and Arisa go for a stroll, and Arisa compliments how strange it is for Tsukasa to be around girls. Tsukasa says he tried avoiding the situation but found out that Anzu’s different from other females. We flashback to their conversation with Anzu, and Arisa tells Tsukasa he should stay with Anzu longer. While he’s unsure, Anzu says he can if he wants to. In reality, she’s afraid Riri will set up a trap for her if she’s alone with Junta. In the present, Arisa realizes why Tsukasa didn’t want her to discover his affiliation with Anzu because he didn’t want her to see him smiling. Before Arisa could ask him if he likes Anzu, Tsukasa says he and Anzu are friends, and he’s comfortable with it staying that way. Tsukasa arrives, and Anzu can’t stop thinking about how kind his sister was to her. Anzu admits that she takes her appearance more seriously since they went shopping together. Before Tsukasa can tell her why he lives alone, he backs out but promises to tell her another day. When Tsukasa exits the room, Riri arrives and says Anzu’s starting to adopt feelings for Tsukasa. However, Riri acknowledges her failed attempts at getting Anzu involved in romantic developments. Riri asks Anzu to go on a mock date with her, so she can find out what love is like. Riri transforms into a boy, shocking Anzu. In spite of Anzu’s refusal, Riri offers to buy her the stellar cat pyjama outfit she wanted from Tsukasa’s mall date. Anzu accepts the offer. On their date, Riri grabs Anzu’s hand, and Anzu’s disgusted by the scenario. Anzu tries fleeing the date, but Riri persuades her by offering her more cat items. Riri suggests going to a movie theater to kick things off. They go with a romance film to help Riri understand romance better. Tsukasa and Makoto exit the theater and spot Anzu holding Riri’s hand (in boy form). Riri informs them that he’s Anzu’s cousin, Rio Fushigi. Anzu drags Rio to a nearby corner while Tsukasa finds their closeness strange. Anzu questions if Rio’s planning anything shady and prepares herself for the worse. Rio notices other couples aren’t doing anything romantic as he criticizes the film in his head. He notices Anzu crying from the film and laughs. As they leave, he taunts Anzu for her crying, and Anzu’s shocked by his harsh words about illnesses. The two decide to get some boba drinks. While waiting at a traffic stop, Rio can’t stop making poop jokes. The two get into an argument over sharing and manners. Anzu and Rio bump into Tsuchiya and Hijiri and Anzu’s shocked that he’s not working. Hijiri claims he doesn’t work until the evening. He’s spending his time observing convenience store workers for tips. Anzu’s surprised that he hasn’t quit working yet. Rio starts drama between himself and Hijiri by claiming Anzu is his girl. Anzu punches Rio and tells Hijiri that Rio’s her cousin. Hijiri doesn’t mind either way. Rio scolds Hijiri for his poor dating skills. However, Hijiri declares he’s attained better knowledge of common folk since then and can entertain Anzu better than Rio. Anzu grabs Rio and tells Hijiri he’s trying to play one on him. Anzu tells Hijiri not to take Rio seriously or ask her on a date. Anzu and Rio depart from them. Anzu asks Rio why he tried egging Hijiri on, and Rio says, with a rival, her Ikemen will be more serious about pursuing her. They continue their date, and we get a montage of them doing things together. They sit at a nearby park and discuss their fun experience. Rio prattles on about romance, and Anzu notices he lacks knowledge about other things. As they’re walking home, Rio thanks Anzu for helping him out. He tells Anzu to prepare for his onslaught of plans, and Anzu responds by saying she’ll crush them all. Rio gives Anzu a peck on the cheek, disgusting Anzu. At the same time, Junta crashes into a bike rack. Anzu checks to see if he’s okay and asks Junta if he saw Rio kiss her. Junta shakes his head while Anzu informs him that Rio is her cousin and that he was joking around. The episode ends with Anzu comforting Anzu as Rio laughs.
The Episode Review
This episode of Romantic Killer had some intriguing elements. However, it’s the weakest of the bunch. Not much happens in this episode, and the concepts it introduces should’ve applied to other characters. In addition, the episode focuses on a romantic outing between Riri and Anzu, which many will find puzzling. It goes against some great character arcs established in previous episodes and damages Riri’s characterization. It just feels off for Riri to ask Anzu for help in romance. While some may argue he only did it to start drama between her and the others, Anzu thwarts his attempts with zero issues. The potty humor was a bit repetitive and annoying in this episode. Many may have had a similar desire to knock Riri out just as much as Anzu did. While Arisa was tolerable, she didn’t add much to the narrative. Granted, she drops some bombshells about Tsukasa’s life and eggs him on about his possible feelings toward Anzu. However, it feels like that was her only purpose. If so, it would’ve been better if the date centered around Tsukasa and Anzu again. It would make this reveal about his father feel more dramatic. Character issues aside, this episode had some fun content. While some of Riri’s jokes weren’t funny, there were a few ounces of slapstick and hilarious facial expressions that got a chuckle from me. Furthermore, it’s great for the story to reveal more titbits about Tsukasa’s trauma, as this can be a great way to build tension between him and Anzu. With five episodes left, let’s hope Romantic Killer will end decently.
