Skip and Loafer

Episode 11

In my dream isekai series, an accomplished psychotherapist would somehow end up in the anime multiverse to give characters like Ririka the therapy she desperately needs. I'm, of course, tempted to write her off as a terrible human being, and Shima's mother's horrified face upon seeing her could be interpreted as indicating just that. But it's more than Ririka seems dedicated to punishing Shima for perceived injuries in their mutual past – she knows he didn't want her to know about his school festival, much less come to it, but she's still low-key cyberstalking him via his school's website anyway. It feels telling that only she appears to have shown up too; Chris respects Shima's preference for keeping school and former work friends separate.

Ririka is likely to be a problem in next week's final episode, but this week seems to work on preparing Shima to cope with that. Back during their zoo trip, Mitsumi tried to tell him that his little brother undoubtedly loved him, and this episode brings the proof: when little Keiri gets separated from their mom, he wisely asks the way to his brother's classroom, figuring that's where at least one member of his family will be. Shima is visibly shocked when Mukai tells him that Keiri is holding court with his classmates, and he's even more stunned when the little boy bursts into messy tears and flings himself at his big brother's legs. This isn't a child who resents, hates, or otherwise doesn't care about his brother; it's a little boy who adores his brother and feels safe with him.

This is a pivotal moment for Shima. It's a direct refutation of every hurt and misconception he has carried around inside of him, positive proof that just because he believed things were one way doesn't mean that's the truth. He's been slowly coming to this conclusion for a few weeks now: agreeing to be in the musical, learning that Mitsumi is a lot stronger than he gave her credit for, and going to see Kanechika's performance all showed him moving towards a path out of his trauma. Keiri's affection may be the final blow that breaks down the wall blocking his way forward, not only because the little boy's tears are so shocking to Shima, but also because they make him think about everything else in his life in a different light.

It's not going to be easy or instant. Nothing is, but this episode shows a lot of people taking tentative steps forward. Egashira asking if Nao is coming to the festival shows that Mitsumi's aunt has become the type of support she needed, while Makoto recognizing that Yuzuki feels like she's making Makoto's middle school friends feel uncomfortable and taking steps to remedy that indicates that she has gained a new level of awareness that she lacked six months ago. Mitsumi is the only person left feeling on the outside as the only member of her friend group without Tokyo pals, but the moment she sees the zoo keychain on Keiri's bag, we witness her rally again. It's a reminder, along with her friends' noting that they don't feel like they've known each other for only six months, that she does belong.

I can't quite fathom that this is ending next week, and I admit to desperately hoping for an announcement of a season two. But even if the next episode is the last, we have the manga and plenty of things to think about when the story ends.

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Skip and Loafer is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.