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Truth be told, I had some serious issues with this episode.
I admire the fact that Kokoro Connect is setting its sights higher than its competition in many respects. This is a show that’s really trying to tell a serious story, and to craft something that’s both plot and character-driven into a cohesive whole. It isn’t just trying to be fun, or funny, or create a whimsical and relaxing atmosphere of innocent times at school. But the downside to that is that there are times when the show’s reach exceeds its grasp, and this week was definitely rife with examples.
I found the "confessions" to be totally false and artificial - for the most part the situation with Yui last week felt natural and dramatic, but this never moved past the actors reading their lines. They were also way, way too self-aware for most adults, never mind teenagers. The format was also a problem - it had a very "Now, it's Inaba's turn!" feel to it.
I'm also quite dismayed at the gender stereotyping that this episode seems to be setting up. That kind of stuff is one thing for a silly harem comedy, but for a show that has aspirations to be a serious character drama it's totally unacceptable. So the girls are all tortured souls dealing with deep personal traumas. And we have one guy in Aoki who's a straight-up buffoon, and the other who's been set up as a father-confessor who's go-to approach to dealing with deep emotional issues is his junk. Seriously?
I really, really liked episodes 2-3 here - but this one had some serious warts. It's not likely the show is going to step back from the serious issues, so the only hope is that it regains its footing in dealing with them. And getting past the insulting gender stereotypes would be a good start.
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