A Galaxy Next Door

Episode 5

I can't believe I'm about to write this, but I think A Galaxy Next Door may be too sweet. I enjoy a soppy romance just as much as the next person, but the near-total lack of actual conflict is making this feel more soggy than sappy, and I frankly feel mean even thinking that. It may also be 100% on purpose, though, which stands to make a difference going forward – both Goshiki and Ichiro have gotten all of their ideas of romance and how relationships ought to progress from shoujo manga, and Goshiki's are rooted in early shoujo romance at that. This could be meant to imply that their romance can't be anything other than cloyingly sweet because they have no idea how anything would work out otherwise. Yes, they're already holding hands on their (gasp) first date, but that's because it's the first step after agreeing to a date that most shoujo romances (especially in days of yore) indicate. Sweet is all that they know how to do.

And that could definitely change because Goshiki's mom is less than pleased that she hasn't heard from her daughter since she went off-island. Watching her angrily pelt koi with fish food while attempting to maintain an appearance of calm is one of the strongest scenes in this episode, and it doesn't bode well for our happy couple. The entire island is unhealthily attached to their princess, and finding out that she's essentially married to a random off-islander isn't likely to go over well, especially since he touched her without her consent. The way that Goshiki frets over touching the back of Ichiro's neck or touching him at all to wake him up can be read two ways, and while I'm largely in favor of “consent is sexy” as the reading, I think it's perhaps intended to show how reluctant islanders are to touch others without warning. Given the stinger situation, that makes sense as a hard and fast social rule, and Goshiki's elevated status in her community makes it even more important.

All of that is only the periphery of the bulk of the episode, though. Most of the plot is centered on the much-anticipated zoo trip, and if there's something seriously amok with the gorilla (are we sure it's not a guy in a gorilla suit?), Fumio and Machi largely make up for everything else. Ichiro's worries about telling his siblings he's dating Goshiki show a touching, and very real, concern for how they'll take it; they could easily have been upset and afraid that it meant that they were losing yet another parental figure. Fortunately, the kids are very supportive, although I could see Machi trying to take on more so as to not “get in their way” as the story progresses. For now, though, she and Fumio are perfectly content, with Fumio as always being an easy-going, soft-spoken little bundle of sunshine. (His face as he packs his gigantic encyclopedia is a highlight of the episode.) His attempts to pet a guinea pig or three are also particularly well done; he's just enough younger than his sister and he doesn't have the skill or bravery to go for it, and that gives Goshiki a chance to help him, proving her investment in the family as a whole. Of course, she's the kind of person who goes for the most badass guinea pig she can find in the petting area, so maybe she just enjoys a challenge. Maybe we should hope so because I think her mom's going to give her one when she eventually finds out what her daughter has been up to.

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A Galaxy Next Door is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.