The Blue Fox Alley

Ah, summer arrives and many men would now travel to the beach to oogle at scantily dressed babes. Me on the other hand decides to be loyal to my girlfriend and stay at home to watch To Love Ru instead. Since its summer, guess what? Its the middle of the 26 episodes and its time to give a review. The reason why I did not drop this anime is because I actually like it. Things are getting better after episode 5, where my previous review had ended.

Note: There won’t be a summary, just a review, but it will still be long.

Episode 6-15 Overall thoughts

Right now, I am delighted at the pace the anime is going. Whilst being filled with humour and eye candies, the episodes never cease to stir up more questions in my heart. For a holiday anime, I like this. It is relaxing. The introduction of more female characters such as Yami didn’t screw the story. Anyway, I thought she was the best looking of the girls. I’m going to buy her pvc model. Back to the topic, what happens is that more characters are available to support what is actually going on. If one can see past the fanservice and pantsu and boobies, one can tell the true essence of the story. But first, we must start with the fanservice, pantsu and boobies.

Humour and etc.

To Love Ru has gotten from funny to funnier. I thought that the previous few episodes were really funny, besides the Yami episode(ep.11) which gave a totally different but good feeling too. Anyway, the most recent episode was really cute as Haruna managed to win the cup by controlling King Kong! It was simply hilarious. Also, in these episodes, we can start to see a gradual change of Haruna starting to take the main female lead’s place. Lala’s screentime was still there but the attention she got was reduced somewhat. Especially her being unable to defend Rito. I thought with Haruna on screen more, the episodes were funnier and more enjoyable. Besides that, the fanservice, pantsu and boobies were still there but one doesn’t need to be a total anime fan to enjoy TLR. Now, lets move past these small issues and head into the deeper parts of the storyline.

The essence of the story IMHO

Note: This is only the way I see it. Things may not actually turn out this way.

Yuuki Rito, a pretty carefree kid has developed feelings for Haruna. Yet for so long, their relationship cannot develop. If you think its because of Lala, then you’re wrong. Even without the interference of Lala, his relationship with Haruna will still remain stagnant due to the two character personalities. Instead, of being further apart due to obstacles, the two feelings for each other never changed and they are starting to reveal their true colours. The anime does so in a pace that adds pressure to both Rito and Haruna.

On the other hand, whilst Lala may appear ignorant and innocent, I’m sure she’s has already noticed Yuuki’s true feelings. Yet she carries on showing him as much care as possible without doubt. Even if he were to reject marrying her, I know she won’t be the type to be angry. True love? Perhaps. Lala seems to be more mature in her thinking despite her looks and the way she talks. Whilst many people would say Haruna is the victim, I would say poor Lala is instead.

Rito, the irresponsible kid

Anyway, lets look at this in Rito’s POV. The reason why he is still stuck with Lala is because he can’t voice out his opinion. He is a loser that can’t step out of his comfort zone. Take the beginning words of episode 13 for instance:

 ”I thought that days like these would continue… I always thought how great it was to continue like this…”

He knows that his heart yearns for Haruna. Whilst Lala can say Rito is her most important person, Rito can’t do the same even under the pressure of his future father in law.

Anyway, the story still can go both ways. He says then that he was going to change, but instead of sorting things out and talking to both Lala and Haruna, he decided to go after Haruna directly. When I was a teenager, i also made such mistakes but that is already history. However, I couldn’t stand the fact that he could ignore Lala’s concern even when she was right in front of his eyes. Apparently, he has taken her for granted because he has her, yet he desires for Haruna because he has yet to get her. Since episode 13th, he has not fully grasp the true meaning of being a man.

To finish it off, I think Haruna is starting to win too early into the game. This can only spell trouble for her.

What is the author trying to say?

The author has created an awkward situation even more awkward, obviously he already has plans to get them out of it. Somehow it is not revealed what he REALLY wants to say. Would true love be portrayed the way we see it with Lala or with Haruna? Or is he trying to suggest the way we should handle love honestly and not hurting either side with lies?

However, a mind alone is not enough to comprehend. I have to admit that I am not fully matured and many of us are not. Keeping our eyes and hearts open is what is important at this moment. I’m sure we have something we can learn from this at the end of the day =).

The Biggest Clue 

Anyway, I believe the biggest clue lies at the start of the episode. Remember what Rito said when he tried to defend himself so as not to marry Lala.

“Marriage is impossible unless it is with the person you love.”

Subconsciously, he said something that made Lala fall in love with him. Lala will not want to marry another person because the one she is in love with is Rito. It is his responsibility to be honest with her. The best way is to have two wives… WAHAHAHA, i’m just joking. Anyway, I’m going to stop my pen and I’ll leave the readers to think about what I’ve said instead of just watching the episodes for pantsu and boobies. 

Conclusion

Finally, thanks for reading my rambling. For those who decided to drop this series because of bad comments, I recommend to pick it up again because the pace has changed and you can expect something better. Beyond the surface, there is much more to be seen. I think the good part is going to happen in the next 11 episodes… I think.