Comic Girls

Episode 7

The pink-haired would-be mangaka's journey to serialization continues in this week's Kaos-focused Comic Girls. With Koyume recently scoring a serialized miniseries, Kaos is now the only member of the core group whose work hasn't been published. Feeling dejected and inadequate, she offers to act as an assistant to Fuura, who helps her regain some of her lost confidence. The episode's loosely connected second half finds Kaos making her first solo pilgrimage to Akihabara and buying her first pair of glasses. Although her new specs help her see the world more clearly, they also make little mistakes in her art more noticeable, causing her to quickly rethink the purchase.

This is probably the most manga-focused installment of Comic Girls since Ruki stole the show a few episodes back, and episode 7 is much stronger for it. Despite all the silliness about Fuura scaring the beejeebus out of Kaos and Kaos enjoying an extended shopping trip, Kaos makes progress on a number of artistic fronts, such as drawing backgrounds and mastering perspectives. In fact, she progresses so quickly that even Ruki, one of her most adamant supporters, has a hard time believing she can improve at such a rapid pace. Fuura providing Kaos with more inspiration than any of the other characters is a fun story beat, although she's back to doubting her abilities by the end of the episode—even lamenting the fact that she can see her drawings too well now that her vision has improved. To a point, this is understandable, since many comedies thrive on keeping their respective status quos intact.

Fuura thriving on Kaos' fear is already getting a little stale, but Kaoruko's terror is mercifully downplayed this week, and she's quickly able to make her herself comfortable in Fuura's creepy attic room. Similarly, Kaos being mistaken for a young child is starting to feel repetitive—and is completely run into the ground during her shopping excursion, when she's approached by a police officer who's convinced that she's a lost little girl. Although her subsequent reaction (running into an alley and hiding in a box like a stray animal) isn't a terribly off-key depiction of anxiety and panic attacks, there are only so many jokes the show can make about her youthful appearance before the bit gets old. Koyume becoming serialized seems like too important a development for the show to gloss over, especially since the audience has seen little of Koyume's creative output. That said, her sudden serialization nicely ties into the overarching theme of Kaos losing confidence in her abilities.

Kaos undergoes some important character growth this week, even though the episode's final joke largely serves to deflect this. Even if total confidence continues to elude her, she fights her natural instincts and tries new things, gaining valuable skills as a result. By adeptly intertwining the main character's personal growth with her growth as a mangaka, Comic Girls once again proves that it's a cut above the standard CGDCT show.

Rating: B+

Comic Girls is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.