Recap: MISUNDERSTANDINGS! That’s the name of the game this week, and unfortunately where I would expect a show like SNAFU to lampoon such a tired romcom trope, it simply seems to want nothing more than to pay homage to it. Also, if your leash cannot contain a 20 pound dachshund, I think it’s time to consider getting a new one.

Not gonna lie. I really didn’t enjoy this episode. For a show that has done so much to successfully lampoon romcom tropes and so accurately describe the relationships and struggles of your average teen, seeing it sink into the old hat of mutual misunderstandings. What’s even more frustrating is that they string misunderstanding upon misunderstanding for the entire episode, only to have it neatly resolved, basically making the entire episode unnecessary.The only reason I can possibly see for doing this is to finally inject some romantic tension between the love triangle… at least I assume it’s a love triangle.

I guess it was nice to finally see Yukino in a normal setting. The Not-Date is a staple of the genre, so I guess we needed one eventually. They even managed to make her really endearing. Despite disappointing me in most other ways, I did like how they handled Yukino’s sister. Instead of being a beacon of sunshine and happiness the way a lot of other big sis characters can be, Hachiman realizes the feint, and that no one really does act like that. Her being cordial is so unnatural he actually finds it creepy. Side note: Is a fear of dogs like a symptom of tsundereism or what?

I know a big part of the misunderstanding bit is having people talk vaguely and somehow having their conversations match up in a way that makes sense to both of them. The problem is, that style of conversation is complete bullshit. No one talks like that. Not on purpose, anyway. It is my experience with friends that when you want to talk about something, you go over it in specifics. There’s no room for error. That just makes Yui’s date misunderstanding that much more painful as we have to go through the motions until Hachiman steps in to clear the air.

Brain’s Budget strikes again this episode. I said once that it as long as the story stays fresh, the bad animation could be negligible. That didn’t happen this week and I definitely felt the difference. I’m sure this could just be an isolated incidence, since the show has been pretty stellar so far. Still, when it’s not up to snuff, every flaw becomes magnified and harder to excuse. Hopefully we’ll bounce back next week and I’ll forget I was ever mad with this show in the first place.