Animehouse

Many viewers will have gained the following picture from the first episode: Yanami Anna behind the wheel of a car, pedal to the ground and a dangerous grin on her face as she flies down the street. As an addendum, MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 2 provides the following: her break lines are cut. This is the humor of a runaway vehicle that cannot stop safely, and the start of the episode absolutely hammers that home. It strongly sets the tone for the series, but can’t quite drown out some of the concerns that grow louder with this second episode.

For example, the concern that the series will (quickly) careen towards a genuine Nukumizu harem. After all, this is MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 2, and we are now two for two on our girls taking devastating losses on the romantic battlefield. At what point are viewers allowed to find an attachment to these girls, an affinity towards their long-fought clashes upon the battlefield of love in the world of high school? It makes their struggles feel like a secondary aspect that ‘prepares’ them for being added to Nukumizu’s harem gauntlet, and I’m not quite a fan of it. Watching a failed confession in real time, or being exposed to the “too late” moment of a childhood friend- they’re great moments that are executed on well… but the fact that they’re already over? It feels like wasted potential, like the author is speedrunning towards Nukumizu wrapping his arm around far too many girls that missed out on their first chance.

And I believe that to be a shame, because Takibi Amamori is showing off their ability as a writer with this work. Though the characters might occupy strong archetypes (as is almost necessity with light novels of this genre), their dynamics and interactions remain solid, and the conversations have a nice edge of humor and parody to them. It’s far from lazy dialogue and interactions, so I’m a little perplexed by the decision to not stand on their own two feet with that ability. Well, I shouldn’t necessarily say that as a Nukumizu harem isn’t set in stone- it’s just a massive dark cloud that hangs more and more over MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! with every episode.

Either way, the one area that Amamori can succeed in across the board is its supporting case. We already know of the spacey and wild Amanatsu sensei, but nurse Kunoki is an addition in MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 2. An old…. “friend” (if you can call it that) of Amanatsu’s, they obviously must occupy an equally wild and weird niche- which they do. As a sort of antagonist that can’t get enough of love (and some of the other pieces that come with it), she’s a great counterbalance for the parody aspect of the series so far. Something of a magnet that can attempt to pull together our cast into a melting pot of emotions, if you will. She’ll certainly do great work as an opposing force in Nukumizu’s life, but only if they steer clear of properly attempting a harem formation.

Now, with the story out of the way, we can talk the visual execution of MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 2. Seriously though, what is with all these directors stepping up to the plate for more than the first episode of their series? I feel like I’m looking into a blast from the past where productions weren’t as wild and individual as they’ve been as of late. Either way, Kitamura’s back to storyboard for the episode, and much like today’s ED, it’s something that’s decidedly different from the first episode.

In all honesty, I don’t think it does as good a job as the first episode in selling the work. It’s perfectly fine; equally aware of space as the previous episode, it just goes about it in a different way. Those foreground obstructions are still there- but in the form of objects rather than people, for example. The depiction of space via dynamic means isn’t really there, and instead a focus on using Dutch Angles is. Personally, I’m really not a fan of frequent use with them…. but Kitamura employs them how they’re actually meant to be used. With MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 2, Kitamura employs the Dutch Angle for Lemon-chan when talking about childhood friend Ayano. Considering the rug pull of him hiding a girlfriend from Lemon-chan, the sense of unease provided by the angles works quite well to convey to viewers that something bad is coming. It’s good work… but it feels undermined by the fact that you could see it coming from a mile away. Because of that, I feel like Kitamura really should have laid on the angles thick and heavy to better play into the comical nature of the inevitable fate that awaited Lemon-chan this episode.

Either way, Kitamura continues to do good work that provides a great sense of style alongside Murakami’s color design and even Miyawaki’s composition in this episode. I’ve spoken volumes about Murakami’s colors in the first episode, as well as Miyawaki’s shortcomings when outdoors, but MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 2 gives me a bit more to talk about with this pair. Surprisingly, when handed a shot that happens later in the day, Miyawaki is able to help bring out the best in it. Whether that’s the more sterile feel that happens when under white light indoors at night, or the more dominant oranges and yellows of an evening color palette, the two can succeed in the more unique edge cases of appearance in the episode.

The only thing is that neither can quite bring out the most in the characters in those sequences. The environments express the textures of those moments quite well, but neither Nurse Kunoki nor our little athlete Lemon-chan can reflect it quite as well. It’s a shame as their indoor and shaded presences truly excel, but when faced with highlights or brighter scenes, it feels like the staff shy away from really adding a refined edge to their appeal.

Bottling up and handing out a successful episode in a different package, MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 2 does well to explain the potential and ability of its staff, but little effort goes into assuaging concerns of a narrative derailment that might potentially take the story in a direction different from where it stands now. It’s very much a series that will keep viewers on their toes because of that, but in a sense it almost ends up working in its favor. “How far will they go? Will Nukumizu actually cross that line with one of the girls? Will a joke take things too far and have it turn serious”. They’re valid concerns to have appear, and with scenes like Lemon and Nukumizu’s brush with heat stroke, they certainly add to the tension of the moment. Time will tell if Nukumizu takes the plunge, but until that moment we’re left watching the series walk a tightrope with hands covering our faces- much like Nukumizu earlier in the episode.