Nisekoi Episode 18 Review

Our Nisekoi gang heads to the beach for a funfilled episode of summer sparkles and blatant fan service.

Did someone say harem girl swimsuit transformation? I think so.

The fan service intensifies with Marika’s shameless groping hahahaha. And no. for all the guys wondering, girls don’t actually grope other girls for fun at the beach… Maiko continues to creepily stalk innocent girls at the beach. Luckily Ruri is there to kick has ass again.

Rating: 4/5 curiously excited clouds

WOW I wonder if Marika is actually Japanese, she’s so not reserved about her body. She actually nudges his arm into her chest… seriously girl, control yourself -_- It’s nice to see Chitoge get a little jealous at Raku’s closeness with Marika but she also wonders about her real feelings towards him… Everyone draws strips of paper to delegate tasks for the group and Chitoge and Raku are stuck together again. Tsundere Chitoge is vastly amusing and SHAFT makes her overreaction animations all the more comedic. I thought Raku’s response to Chitoge’s little cooking injury pretty adorable.

That night, Onodera sits next to Raku by the ocean and they talk. They reflect on junior high times again. Although Onodera cannot swim, she’s a master sandcastle builder. Once again, Onodera is struck by how much she likes Raku. Just as Chitoge is approaching the two, Onodera asks Raku if it’s okay for her to kiss him. WHOA. Ichijo, on the receiving end, has been dozing off and sleeping for the past few minutes. OHMIGOSH. TALK ABOUT YOUR CLOSE CALL. But no, Onodera really needs to make a move on her feelings if she wants something real with him. I feel like a lot of TeamOnodera fans are jumping ship because of her indecision. Chitoge starts to question Onodera’s feelings, or perhaps she misheard? Chitoge ends up confiding in Onodera of her “friend’s” awkward reactions while they’re constructing a giant sand castle kingdom. Onodera concludes that Chitoge’s “friend” is probably crushing on someone. Ahh, the moment that tsundere girls realize their feelings for a guy. Blush reaction to the max.

Chitoge wanders down to the shore and thinks about her newly discovered crush on Raku… AND DENIAL HITS but I guess it doesn’t last long when she gets all doki-doki around him. At night, they light up firecrackers. Chitoge’s gone missing and Raku goes to look for her. He finds her lighting some fireworks on her own. I guess feelings between two people can naturally develop if there’s general physical attraction to begin with and they’re forced to be with each other almost every day. I wonder if Chitoge and Raku would ever have ended up as a real couple without this false love arrangement or whether Raku would just be blindly pining after Onodera. Chitoge also asks Raku if he thinks they would work out as an actual couple… Raku’s also starting to feel some of the doki doki stuff too but he’s also too awkward and reserved to admit it. OUCH. THIS MOMENT HURT!! A LOT!! Chitoge reacts rather emotionally and runs off. WOW RAKU YOU JERK.

Summer vacation pretty much ended with this conclusion. Seriously, as confident and tough Chitoge can seem on the outside, she’s still a girl. I guess Raku forgets that sometimes cause he’s so use to arguing with Chitoge. Overall, I really did enjoy this episode because we got a bit deeper into Raku X Chitoge past the shallow bantering and sweet moments.

We also got a new ending song featuring Marika 🙂

After the roll of credits, we see the gang return to school. Raku’s got his thoughts in knots trying to figure out why and how he upset Chitoge. He reflects on their conversation… and her sorry. Chitoge’s all indifferent and polite to him. Raku continues to micro-analyze while Maiko gets up at the front of the class to organize the Culture School Festival. The class will be doing a play – specifically Romeo and Juliet and YES THIS WAS THE ARC MINI STORY THAT I WAS WAITING FOR!!! FINALLY! And if you’re following the manga, you’re probably as excited as I am…