I know what some of y’all may be thinking, either by watching the series yourself or reading my write-ups: “If they have this much food so often, shouldn’t they be gaining weight?” This episode confronts that question head-on, and in my personal opinion, that makes it all the more fun!
The episode begins with the girls eating out, and it’s evident that Mako has already eaten a lot of food before this meetup because of the dialogue…and she’s eating more here, even getting something with “Max” in the name! Honestly, I ship Mako with food—just food in general. The rest of y’all have fun arguing about what ship(s) would be best in the group, we all know the superior ship is Mako x food.
Anyway, during their time at the mall, they go to a clothing store where Nana’s sister works, where the group finds clothes and tries them on. Tsutuji tries on something sheep-related (of course), and Mako is in the back trying on a skirt with a zipper…only to see that the zipper isn’t fully zipping up. At first, she thought that she had the wrong size…only to find that, nope, she was buying her usual size, at least according to the hanger. This is where I want to argue, “Well, what if a previous customer put the wrong size on the hanger?”, but I think there’d be measures in Japan that would prevent that from happening. Sincerely, someone who has never been to Japan.
But that causes Mako to realize that she’s gained weight. Of course, before she dwells on this too long, she gets asked if she needs help, Mako panics and says that she doesn’t…and still buys it, even though it doesn’t fit, probably because she didn’t want to be the only person walking out of the store without a purchase. So, when she gets home, her first order of business is to weigh herself to see how bad it is…and after seeing the result, she decides to go on a diet.
Meanwhile, Shinon and Kurea go to the clerk, who tells them that they need to write an introduction and get some pictures to be put on a page of the university, and because Shinon spoke up about wanting to do summer activities, they also need to fill out all the necessary paperwork for that. The two then end up going to the club room because Nana noticed that Mako isn’t having any snacks.
During the time in the club room, we learn that the reason Shinon and Kurea are commonly getting this shit thrown at them is because Tsutuji signed the two of them up as the president and vice president respectively for the club. All without consulting them. Yup.
It is at this point that the plot splits into two: what I will refer to as the A plot (following Mako, Tsutuji, and Nana) and the B plot (following Shinon and Kurea).
In the A plot, Mako, Tsutuji, and Nana go to the gym, as Mako decided to exercise to help her lose weight. The three try machines (or in Tsutuji’s case, a balance ball), but they’re not good at first. Honestly, my favorite part of the first visit was Mako falling off of the treadmill, and there being a reminder to the viewer to put on the safety clip if they use the treadmill. However, they get better over time.
Meanwhile, in the B plot, Shinon and Kurea go to Kurea’s very pink room, where the two work on the various things they have to for the homepage thing and being able to do summer activities. Shinon is about to give the true story for why the club was formed, but Kurea vetoes it, and they come up with something eventually, even using pictures they already took to be used for the homepage. Presumably, they complete the summer activity paperwork as well.
And then, the two plots collide. While everything looks okay, the clerk requests a picture of the five girls sharing a meal together. At first, I was going to object and point out that there is a picture of the club sharing a meal together, but then I realized that it probably wouldn’t be a good choice, especially since that picture was pre-Nana joining the club.
You see, before the plots collided, Shinon showed Kurea a coupon for hamburgers she got from her landlord…and that’s really the best thing they can think of to be able to have as a meal for the picture. Back to after the two plots collide, Mako laments about not being able to have it, to which Tsutuji introduces her to the concept of “cheat day”! Basically, a day where you just ignore your diet.
They enjoy the food, get the picture, Mako fits into her skirt again, and learns about the importance of moderation in both food and exercise. A good lesson to be taught, regardless of age. Honestly, I like that this show is passing on this kind of message, as while it’s good to appreciate good food, it’s also good to stay healthy. So if you’re reading this, make sure to do some exercise. Translation of the lesson of the episode for those who only understand online speak: To “looksmax” (as I think would be the most relevant, despite the origin of the word), you need to both touch some grass and get those #1 Victory Royales in proper moderation.
…dear god, I feel like I aged 30 years writing that. Please never have me translate anything into online speak ever again, because I don’t wanna feel like I’m as old as my mom. (And Mom, if you’re reading this, no offense intended.)
But, yeah! This episode is keeping up the good work with the series! Personally, I’m excited to see where this show will end up going. Due to this being an anime original, I’m thinking this is going to be a one cour deal with a nice, rounded ending. After all, I’m not getting the vibes that this’ll get a second season, despite my enjoyment of the series.
ADDITIONAL POSTS ABOUT FOOD FOR THE SOUL:
Sara Talks Anime 
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