After the heart-warming events from the previous episode, we can only hope nothing but the best for the Quintuplets and Futaro. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case in this episode as they face another challenging dynamic in their already complicated setup but there were also some notable highlights as well.
“Good Work Today” covered Chapters 51-54 of the manga. Things escalated quickly on this one! Be warned, spoilers ahead!
Quick Recap
Here’s what you’ve missed in the previous episode:
Miku managed to convince Nino that they all needed to experience a lot of things individually to grow into the person they were meant to be.
The Quints and Futaro stepped up to help Yotsuba in prioritizing her studies over helping the track team
On the day of the exam, Futaro decides to quit from being the tutor of the Nakano sisters during a heated exchange he had with their father which has caused him to be banned from their home
The Nakano sisters devised a plan to convince Futaro not to quit the job and go against their father’s wishes by moving out of their apartment and renting a place of their own
The full review of the previous episode can be found here.
Deviations From the Manga
This seems to be an on-going approach for this anime. We’re not entirely sure why the production studios decide to omit/alter portions of the source material especially since the manga is already done. Apart from omissions, scenes were also depicted a bit differently compared to its manga counterpart.
While changes were not that significant compared to the previous episode, the mood and narrative was definitely affected. The episode was still good though, but as a personal opinion, completely adopting the manga would have been the better choice for this particular episode.
We won’t dwell too much on the differences and we’ll let the audience decide on which was the better version whether it was the manga or the anime.
Responsibilities of a Father and the Eldest Daughter
This episode gave great highlights on the growth of the Nakano sisters especially having taken responsibility for their actions brought about by the last episode. But no one exemplified this best other than Ichika.
Being the eldest of the Nakano Quintuplets, she has taken full responsibility as the provider for her sisters. With her part time job as an actress, she earns on the side to shoulder their cost of living. This brought about a different light for Ichika as she demonstrates how much of an adult she already is compared to her younger siblings.
It’s very moving for a viewer to see people move out of their comfort zones and prove to everyone that they’re willing to put in the work for the people most important to them. Even if it already takes a toll on them physically and mentally.
On the other hand, the audience also saw a father’s perspective when it comes to raising his children. While the episode showed him in an antagonistic light, what was said in the conversation he had with his daughters is both logically and technically true. The manga depicted this more clearly compared to the anime as more details were said during their exchange.
Budding Romance
We can all agree that holistic character development is important but let’s face it, a budding romance is definitely more interesting especially if we already know that Futaro is bound to marry one of the Nakano sisters.
Being in the Harem genre, it’s already expected that there would be a romantic storyline component to the narrative. This particular episode finally took it to another level as the characters have finally started to show some form of emotional investment towards one another instead of the teaser scenes we got in the previous episodes or past season. What made it all the more intriguing is the fact that all of them started to be more vocal about it even if it’s only spoken to themselves.
Futaro is turning out to be quite the ladies’ man. It’d be nice to see how his perception of the Nakano sisters changes over time especially with how the girls are reacting to every too-close-for-comfort encounter.
We’re finally seeing some traction from a romantic standpoint but it’s also nice to see that the characters, especially the Nakano quintuplets, are also showing signs of growth and maturity. On another note, however, there’s a big hindrance to that highly anticipated love story - their father’s approval.
Given the circumstances at the end of the episode, we can only root for the Nakano sisters to prove their father wrong. Would they be able to satisfy his conditions or will they fail and see that love story crumble?
Let’s all tune in and find out in Episode 6 of The Quintessential Quintuplets Season 2, “The Last Exam”, on February 12, 2021 at 1:25AM (JST).
PS.
Who won this round: Team Yotsuba or Team Ichika?!
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Deviating from the manga seems to be a common theme for the anime which is quite confusing especially since the source material is already done
The episode highlighted the similarities and differences when taking on responsibilities as a parent and as the eldest sibling
The romantic narrative finally sees some traction as the Nakano sisters become more vocal about their feelings with each close encounter they have with Futaro
While the love story starts to develop, it’s also great to see how the characters show growth and maturity with every episode
Official Anime Website: The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬
Official Twitter: @5Hanayome_anime
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