Heat Riser
We have a decent episode on our hands this week. It occurred to me that not every episode is going to be spectacular for this series, but with no true dedicated ecchi series for this season, I must work with what is available.
This first part of the episode has Hayato demand each of the girls help out with chores around the house. When each girl provides some kind of excuse as to why they can’t do it, Hayato angrily rebukes them, and is eventually able to make them help.
To engage so early in standard ecchi hijinks is always a good sign. Sights like these are enough to turn some people away immediately, and that’s for the better. Keep the uninterested away, and retain the attention of those that know why they’re here.
Hayato stumbles himself into yet another faux pas, as he encounters another pair of underwear (this time not actively being worn). Hayato actually doesn’t give the typical embarrassed blushing protagonist reaction, but that works against him this time. The girls call him creepy when he acts so nonchalantly around the girls underwear.
This brief encounter Hayato shares with Shiragiku reveals more of the (for now unexplained) relationship the two share. It also reveals a bit more on how close the girls were to Hayato’s grandmother.
For exactly one frame, you can see this very fast zoom-in of Ouka. The most notable aspect of this frame is how thin the light beams are, providing a great opportunity for some edits. The beam can’t be eliminated in its entirety, but from what I can see, there seems to be nothing behind them. I would not raise the alarm yet, as it could be just the nature of this image that this is so, but it is (for me) cause for suspicion.
Hayato decides to be the coffee maker of the soon-to-be newly owned and opened cafe. The girls finally get their some measure of revenge on Hayato, as they harshly criticize his coffee making skills after he brews them a few cups as practice.
Akane gets some alone time with Hayato, much like in episode 1. After having a taste of Akane’s coffee, Hayato admits it is superior, but his pride nearly compromises him as he struggles to ask Akane to teach him how to brew effectively. Akane has had the upper hand in each of their one-on-one interactions so far, and is definitely turning out to be the teasing type.
Ami gets the same treatment as Ouka did earlier in the episode. She also has a zoom-in shot with some potential, but again, I see nothing.
This last part of the episode has Hayato travel around town to contact each of the former suppliers to his grandmother’s cafe, informing them of its reopening and the desire to do business once again. The problem is Hayato’s pathetic lack of social etiquette when doing so. Riho does her best to salvage each situation by making light of Hayato in front of each of the merchants. Hayato is upset at the end of the day, but Riho responds by pointing out how inept Hayato was at interacting with business partners, highlighting the importance of good social etiquette.
Vertical stitches (that I will bother to make stitches of) continue to be rare enough for me to mention them whenever they come up. If there comes a time when there is one I don’t mention, it’s probably because the series has more than their fair share of them. As for the story, Riho gives Hayato a flash of her panties as an apology for being so harsh earlier on.
With the end of episode 2, we are through to the end of Chapter 4. It seems very obvious at this point that the girls will in some way cause Hayato to grow as a person, and that the frame above of Ami grabbing her sizeable breasts will cause something else of his to grow. You’d hope that something may come of that, but that would turn this series into a hentai, and having socially stunted protagonists makes it convenient for manga writers to continue a plot well beyond a reasonable stopping point. I’m not sure what lies ahead, as these slow burning type of manga don’t always provide much more than some manufactured drama, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
