Irina and Matt Review ‘To Love-Ru’ Episode 2, 3 and 4

And we are back with our collaborative review where Irina and I are looking at ‘To Love-Ru’–but we’re doing things a bit differently from here out, we’ll be reviewing the show in 3 episode batches, just to make things easier for everyone!

Anyway let’s get stuck into it with Episode 2 first, which is more or less a direct continuation of the previous episode with Rito now engaged to alien princess Lala while trying to clear up the situation with his unrequited crush Haruna… but more importantly, Irina, did you pay attention to the OP this time? You had three more opportunities to do so! I did and…i like the ed better… I’m sorry , the OP is not dad but the ED is basically the same thing as far as visuals go but with the peep holes which I think is just a little more fun and I like the song better. But music tends to grow on me big time, so that could change.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, how did you find this episode–at least compared to the previous one? This one was a lot more of a traditional romcom which really isn’t my particular jam,and the jokes were the same as in episode 1. It wasn’t bad by any means but I wouldn’t say it stood out. I’m not likely to remember episode 2 specifically when I think back on the show. (In fact since I binged 3 episodes, I don’t quite remember episode 2.

I found this episode to be less enjoyable than the 1st episode, it felt a bit drawn out–like it was over explaining things, but then again maybe I’m just impatient to get to the more ~interesting~ episodes, I still enjoyed it a lot. Oh good, I guess we felt the same way. I was a little nervous there.

My favourite moments where how readily accepting Mikan (Rito’s sister) was of this new change and the fact that Rito was engaged to an alien. What were some of your favourite moments? Mikan is actually quickly growing into my favourite character. (OK I just rewatched bits to remember it. Think it was the banter between Rito and the Devilluke general dude. The comic relief best friend is a character type that I tend to like. I think their banter was a switch up in the comedy that brought in a bit of variety.)

She says it like its the most normal thing in the universe.

Did you buy into Lala’s explanation about why she was “in love” with Rito despite having just met him? I get it. Girls running off with the first guy they can find as a way of escaping an oppressive situation is sort of a classic. Makes perfect sense to me. And Rito does seem like a nice enough and fairly harmless dude. Good pick. I don’t know if we see it in this episode or the later ons but Rito’s in pretty good shape too so Lala got lucky there.

I’ve seen girls fall for worse over less…

Anything else you wanted to add? This is extremely random but Rito’s old school alarm clock, with the glow in the dark paint of the hands, was super nostalgic to me. I’ve never owned one of these but for some reason it just screams my childhood… I know, weird… The days before smartphones.

Now the Episode 3 review! We’re not wasting any time here! I remember when I first watched this series Episode 3 was sort of a turning point where I went from enjoying the show to absolutely loving it–my opinions might not be as positive as the first impressions but it’s still an excellent episode.

I forgot how angry Rito was in this first half of the episode–not the best look for a harem lead, but you at least have to understand his frustration in the situation… I actually find Rito quite understanding and patient in general. I would have called the cops episode 1….

After some street shenanigans involving multiple costume changes and a disintegrating dress we get to the second half and my favourite part of the episode–the aquarium! Which means we get to see Lala go ‘full Lala’ as she makes the animals go berserk in an effort to make them more interesting and then flood the aquarium. Lala is such a free spirit its an absolute joy to watch her manic energy take command of the episode. I hate to say it but I wasn’t crazy about Lala this time around She just struck me as that mildly annoying mix of oblivious and selfish in a super hot body that we use to see everywhere. The basic manic pixie dream girl. I have a feeling there’s more to the character but this episode really didn’t do much to flesh out her character or explain the motivations behind her actions at all. For me Lala is less “manic pixie dream girl” (which is a trope I honestly dislike in most cases) and is more like Professor Farnsworth from ‘Futurama’ with potentially useful inventions that end up causing more trouble than their worth! I’m looking forward to seeing that side of her. Low energy, grumpy Lala is going to be a fun contrast and a great trope subversion! I didn’t mean literally…

I think the plural for “fish” is “fish” but I’ll let this one slide…

More than anything I felt sorry for Haruna who is well and truly out of the loop in this whole situation. And even in the face of seeing a new girl go after Rito, Haruna is still gracious enough to say nice things about Lala and worrying about “getting in the way” of him and Lala. Plus we get to see her feelings about Rito too. Once again, this episode screamed romcom to me. It reminded me of movies I leave on in the background while doing chores cause there’s nothing else on. Reese Witherspoon could have starred in it. I really like that Rito is steadfast in his feelings for Haruna (despite her being a rather boring character, let’s be honest). It does make him seem a bit more consistent and lends weight to his character. Not that high school students are known for their consistency.

I mean yeah, but that’s okay you get better later on.

Also we get the first in many trademark clumsy Rito moments as he trips and ends up face to crotch with Haruna’s panties. ‘To Love-Ru’ is kind of infamous for this particular type of fan-service (it happens almost every episode in ‘To Love-Ru Darkness’) what’s your opinion on this type of fan-service? It’s sort of a standard anime trope. I guess I’m so used to this “joke” that I don’t really see it anymore.

Anything else you wanted to add? Did this episode make as much of an impact on you as it did me? The episode was fine. It was a lot more of the “oops where did my clothes go” joke but it was cute enough to keep you interested. This is the episode where I thought, wow, this show would be really easy to turn into a drinking game. You may be dead by the end of it though…

And now Episode 4, the last of this batch. We get a bit more of Zastin in this episode, I’ve been meaning to ask what you thought of this character? I find his sudden appearances (and just as sudden disappearances) very amusing! Zatsin! That was his name!!!!

More importantly we learn that Rito being engaged to Lala means a whole lot more than just not being able to be with Haruna but that he’ll be a frontline commander in interplanetary wars. Talk about a lot for a high schooler to take in! I actually think this running gag is one of the funniest so far. I love how he calls out to the dead Rito in tears every two minutes.

I love how close Mikan and Lala have gotten, but I guess that’s understandable given Mikan’s been mostly living alone with Rito this whole time and would enjoy having another woman to talk to. Did I miss this, cause I was wondering all along, where are their parents? I don’t remember them being mentioned but I could have missed it. It’s a bit worrisome. Did Lala kill them? Their father was mentioned once in Episode 1 where Mikan tells Rito “Dad says he’s going to be coming home late again”–I don’t have a photographic memory I just happened to have taken a screenshot of this moment! Lala hasn’t killed anyone (yet). Still worried about those parents though…

I kinda forgot how funny this episode was, it was even better than the previous one (which I didn’t expect to happen)! So many good reaction faces! The whole dinner table scene with Rito having a near-death experience after trying Lala’s food was commitment to a comedic bit! I agree, this episode was a lot of fun and by far my favourite (maybe tied with the first). Zatsin is a nice foil and creates a different dynamic when he’s around, which is nice. That’s true, now that you mention it, not many ecchi/harem anime have male side characters beyond a ‘best friend’, so yeah Zastin is kind of like an unsung hero of these early episodes. I think I also like to see them in school. Maybe all these years a school based anime have just conditioned me to be comfortable in that setting but it’s fun to see them all as students.

And of course it wouldn’t be an ecchi comedy anime without a ~random tentacle attack~. Albeit a 3D CGI version, and then there’s a giant Squid and then there’s a giant lobster and the silliness knows no bounds as it turns into a ridiculous slapstick filled extravaganza! The 3d was a bit..very..obvious here. I like it but I have a feeling it will be hit or miss with viewers. Some people might be put off. It certainly is the part of the show that has aged the most in my opinion. Then again, given how goofy the scene is, it kind of fits better than a slicker animation would have. I hope the show continues on like episode 3! I guess I’ll find out soon.