Skip and Loafer

Episode 6

My most consistent pet peeve in a story is when everything could be solved by the characters just sitting down and talking about whatever misunderstanding is gumming up the works. Skip and Loafer deserves all the praise for not falling into that very deep rut. It's been very good about that all along, of course, but this episode significantly ups the importance of conversation when Shima and Mitsumi have their first major misunderstanding.

It's significant that it really is just a misunderstanding/miscommunication rather than an actual fight. When Shima skips school and Mitsumi overhears some old middle school rumors about him, she begins to panic that maybe he's a bad boy after all (why she thinks he'd wear purple is beyond me), and her concern for him ends up sounding very judgmental. Shima snaps back in a passive-aggressive way, and both of them go home feeling like they've had an actual screaming match: hurt, reeling, and scared.

That they were so shaken and upset by such a mild incident shows us how much they mean to each other, even if they themselves haven't figured it out quite yet. It seems like it particularly bothered Shima; Mitsumi staying up most of the night while her brain runs on its hamster wheel is one thing, but Shima deliberately going to an old friend for help is quite another. Mitsumi is the only person we've ever truly seen him open up to, and his fear of losing her is very real.

Just in case we didn't pick up on that, Shima's pal Chris is visibly shocked when Shima asks him for advice. That tells us that his behavior around Mitsumi is likely even more unusual than it appears, something he reinforces at the end when he tells her that he doesn't care what rumors other people spread about him—he cares what she thinks. He can't stand it that she even considered there to be any truth in what she's heard, and that's what really hurt him. Similarly, it's not that he snapped at her that hurt Mitsumi, it's the thought that he might vanish from her life that's painful.

Both of them dance around the issue in a way that feels very real, until Egashira unwittingly pushes Mitsumi to realize what she's really upset about. Her honesty, in turn, brings out Shima's as he implements Chris' slim advice about knocking off the passive-aggressive stuff. They both probably knew the answer all along. It was just too hard to look it in the face.

For Mitsumi, that's because Fumi has a crush, which she never considered as a possibility. Mitsumi's got goals, and romance isn't a factor in them. Fumi's confession forces her to notice that it exists, and that plays havoc with her mind as she tries to sort out the Shima situation. Shima also doesn't appear to have thought that romance could be a thing that happens to him, although likely for different reasons. He admits this week that he doesn't have a good relationship with his family, which explains his body language a few episodes ago. Between that, the rumors, and the acting, he likely sees it as too much trouble or simply not worth it.

When Chris is visibly shocked that Shima's worried about his relationship with a girl, Shima gets annoyed and leaves, but his friend's surprise sticks with him; when Mitsumi asks to speak to him, he's scared and uncomfortable, because the conversation could force him to face something he doesn't want to: the fact that Mitsumi is important to him. The sun breaking through the rain at the end of their conversation is a mirror for their emotions.

Shima's voice actor does a spectacular job here, getting across his discomfort with his delivery, and the animation is likewise subtle when it comes to his body language. Mitsumi always puts everything out there, but Shima's more reticent, and the distinction between them is part of what makes their relationship so interesting to follow. Just watch their faces during their dance in the opening theme—he's always watching her, and she's stumbling along, doing her best. It's a near-perfect microcosm of their relationship. They don't realize it. But they don't have to yet, and we can keep watching them come closer and closer to that moment.

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Skip and Loafer is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.