Plastic Memories

Episode 3

After a few harried days on the job, Tsukasa shows up to work one morning to learn that he and Isla are expected to live with each other. They have to live at her place in the company dormitory, and he has to move in today. Tsukasa proceeds to do this with more grace than any other human being imaginable, lugging his one knapsack full of personal belongings into Ilsa's home without a word of frustration. However, the situation breaks down when Isla refuses to speak to Tsukasa. Instead, she sits around in her Giftia couch-bed all evening, staring at the wall. The next ten minutes consist of a comedy sequence in which Tsukasa repeatedly tries (and fails) to grab her attention.

It wasn't the least funny thing ever. I was amused by some of Tsukasa's failures to connect with Isla, mostly the one where he wears a maid dress and somehow smashes his knee against a table. There's already a fair degree of indication that Tsukasa has the hots for her, but the show has started to get more explicit about it. Tsukasa's coworkers keep suggesting that he drag Isla out of her shell through straight-up sexual harassment.

The biggest problem was that the joke ran on too long. It wasn't all that amusing in the first place, and the five or six variations just seemed like padding to fill out the episode. C'mon bro, it's not that big of a deal for a man and a woman to live together. (Although a more considerate roommate might have worn pants.)

At this point, I'm not sure how to feel about the romance in this show. I'm not opposed to the idea of a romantic/sexual relationship between these two, but it feels too soon to be playing this up. I just don't know enough about Giftias and the roles they inhabit in the world. Are romantic relationships accepted between humans and Giftia? Are there any ethical issues involved in dating a creature whose lifespan maxes out at ten years? The show needs to flesh out these sorts of things in order for me to feel entirely comfortable with it.

After the first 15 minutes of interminable comedy, the episode's writing improves significantly. Tsukasa and Isla go out on a date, which amounts to them hanging out at the mall for a few hours. Isla doesn't realize that the outing (and the gift of tea that Tsukasa purchased) is for her until the very end, when she storms off with a loud DOES NOT COMPUTE. Tsukasa finds her outside of their apartment, where they reconcile. The two of them seem to have crossed the bridge of silence and found an equilibrium in their home environment. Now the question is – how did Tsukasa trigger Isla's panic? He said something about forming new memories with other people. Maybe Isla is mourning somebody?

So far, this episode succeeds mainly through how the two leads are written. Isla's spaciness is more a source of fear and confusion than endearment. Tsukasa isn't trying to "get with her," but rather form a connection with a person who seems to be suffering. His attraction is secondary and so far respectful, even if his coworkers aren't helping on that front. (Busty mechanic girl is already gunning for least favorite character status.) Although Plastic Memories hasn't yet regained the first episode's heights, it's still on the right track. Let's just drop the preoccupation with Isla's plastic mammaries.

Grade: C+

Plastic Memories is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.