Welcome back to Tomoko’s Speed Dating Arc! In today’s episode, Tomoko takes not one, but two girls on the date of a lifetime. We have Hina Nemoto, a fellow otaku with a mischievous streak, and her BFF Akane Okada, a good-hearted normie with an affinity for fruit-based hairstyles. The agenda for the day is another college excursion, followed by a trip to Japan’s nerd central, Akihabara. Will Tomoko make a double play, or has she bitten off more than she can chew?

Chapter 139: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Think About Why I’m Going to College



Is it just me, but isn’t Tomoko somewhat more fashionable on this date than she was with Yuri? Must be practicing for when she blows Katou’s mind.

Naturally, the moment Tomoko calls her “Forehead Girl” is the moment Okada actually has her forehead concealed.



But seriously, folks. I love Okada’s outfit here so damn much. It plays up to her sporty side with the denim shorts and cap, while the cold shoulder top and little backpack offer more of her girlish nature. Okada’s style is a functional yet bold ensemble that looks effortless for her character. Nemo on the other hand, looks as if there was more active thought put into it. It’s fashionable, don’t get me wrong, but the plaid skirt and pseudo-sailor uniform suggests that Nemo is purposely adopting a geekier look to highlight her now publicized otaku-ness.



We’ve been getting a lot of moments lately where Tomoko finds herself getting a sense of déjà vu, haven’t we? Sometimes I wonder if the Tomoko we know now is from an alternate reality where she became relatively popular after the Kyoto trip and the old Tomoko still exists somewhere, spending her third year wallowing in isolation.

I see you Tomoko, keeping your distance from the two popular girls. Good luck with that.

Perhaps Nemo didn’t mean too much by it, but it seems plausible for her to think that Tomoko and Yuri visited the Chiba West campus and called it a day, what with their introverted personalities and all. Hanging out without a goal in mind just for the sake of socializing is definitely not their style. But given that they did hang out without much awkwardness is a testament to their growing relationship, one that Nemoto secretly desires herself.

You know, for a whole page that was basically just an establishing shot, it did a pretty good job emphasizing the immense scale of the campus, both physically and symbolically, in the eyes of the little shrimp, Tomoko.

These establishing shots are usually reserved for when Tomoko enters unfamiliar territory, as a means to bring the uninitiated reader along for the ride. Could it be that the colleges we’re seeing are, in a way, reflections of our cast? The reserveness of Chiba West standing in for Yuri, while the more imposing Morinaga is how Tomoko sees Nemo? Now I can’t wait to see how the school Katou wants to go to is like.



“Look, Kuro! It’s a female anatomy course with naked models!”

“What, where?”

“Made you look!”

Given that the writer wanted to be a comedian, I’d imagine he knows a bit about the types of people that are in theater clubs and the sorts of shenanigans that arise there. Can’t really comment on how much f****** goes on, but something tells me that today’s theater kids are the most passionate people on campus, next to naïve mangakas. Also, props to the translators for killing themselves doing the signs in this chapter. Rock on.

Heh, reminds me of that time Tomoko pretended to be a hardcore smoker and got busted by Ogino.

Odd as it sounds, Tomoko fantasizing about lighting it up with Yuri and Yoshida brings a smile to my face. The latter two have no connection whatsoever (that we know of) to smoking or this university in general, yet Yuri and Yoshida are the first two people that come to Tomoko’s mind when thinking about chilling out on a normal day at university. I honestly don’t think Tomoko has the nerve to start smoking, but it’s fun to see her delusions are not a one-woman party anymore.

I’d appreciate that overview of the city landscape if I wasn’t so distracted by the hair-let-down Okada.

It’s been a long while since we’ve seen Tomoko get super excited about something she discovered on her own, and not just from events that happened to her. You can’t really blame her, though. This is probably one of the few times where she’s realized that a hobby of hers actually holds some merit towards building an actual career. At this point, I think it’s almost a given that Tomoko will give writing a shot, even if she doesn’t take media/literature as her major.



…Where do I sign up?

Spoken like a true author. If this series itself is any indication of Tomoko’s abilities as a writer, I think she has a bright future ahead of her.



Oh, the perils of being a creative arts student in a STEM world. Between tuition fees and a saturated market, Tomoko is understandably hesitant about studying literature. Of course, Tomoko simply doesn’t have the passion to take on a more “normal” major, so one way or another, I think she’ll end up taking writing as a profession, or at least as a side project.



RUTHLESS.

Nemo dishing out that tough love, eh?

Harsh as it sounds, Nemo’s got a point. I mentioned this in my previous review, but Tomoko doesn’t really have the discipline to go through all the ass-kissing networking that is needed to find a job. Half the battle is convincing people that you’re the right fit for the job, and with self-deprecation being in Tomoko’s nature, she’ll have a difficult time in a job that involves defending your own creative process.

Oh boy, where to start with this? Nemo may be a tease who gives Tomoko a hard time, but she identifies with the girl in more ways than she lets on. It’s very clear that she’s speaking from experience here, relating back to how she hid her otaku side for so long before being honest with herself. Her passive-aggressive ways have always been executed out of a twisted sense of empathy for Tomoko. She talks to Tomoko in the same way one psychs him/herself up in front of a mirror, mocking them for their weaknesses, but encouraging them to be earnest.

Tomoko is a reflection of Nemo’s past self, regrets and all.

“Gurl, is there something you want to talk about?”

Nemo, your tsundere is showing.



Friend ship Flag raised.

Nemo being sincerely flattered is about as rare as Tomoko’s heterosexuality, and it says a lot about how much Nemo values the girl’s opinion of her. She usually gets peeved whenever Tomoko brushes off her retorts, but the few times Tomoko replies back with a supportive comment, that’s when Nemo feels the most humbled.

How ironic, the instigator is actually kind of at the mercy of the instigated.

Getting a head start on that networking, huh? Savor it, Tomoko, cause it’ll only be an uphill battle from here on out.

Akihabara: Home of the Otaku and Convenient Settings for Hilarious Situations in Manga.

Joking aside, I do enjoy how these chapters aren’t solely dedicated to the colleges their visiting. You can only do so much character insight in those kinds of environments before it overstays their welcome. Once the universities have served their purpose, Nico Tanigawa wastes no time in taking us someplace new, and the passage of time feels more natural as a result.

Character expectations defied once again. Okada’s innocence has been largely debatable lately, but I’ll get to my thoughts on that later. For now, I’ll just say that I really admire her open-mindedness here.

Popular “normie” she may be, shallow bitch she be not.

The guys at Studio SHAFT go wild seeing Okada turn like that.



Don’t know if this is a reference to some fan-servicey game, but the point gets across regardless. Anime girls in sexually-charged situations are a dime a dozen in Akiba, and it’s easy to catch these implications when you’re expecting them, even if the character itself happens to be upside down.



Poor Pineapple-chan. These are small potatoes compared to what they have OUTSIDE of the public eye. While it’s clear that Okada knows about the “pleasures” of Akihabara, she was obviously not ready to see them with her very own virgin eyes.



C’mon, Tomoko. Don’t act like that’s so inappropriate when you were sexually harassing Yuri the other day.



Nemo, your sadodere is showing.



It’s no secret by now that Nemo gets a twisted pleasure out of pushing people’s buttons. And the thing is, the closer Nemo is to you, the more likely she is to screw with you. Not even her BFF Okada is off the table (though, I wonder how Nemo knew about the face she made, considering they were on a ride at the time and assumedly didn’t have a clear view of her).



It’s crazy to think that Tomoko’s perversion has reached a level where casually showing animated pornography to an acquaintance is no big deal. Heaven knows what she considers to be “too far”.



Ignorance is bliss, Miss Okada.



How much of an otaku are you if you see the words “For Girls”, and you instantly think of Yaoi?



So do you all remember that time I once said how nerdiness in the West was once a stigmatized culture that eventually made its way into the mainstream world? Looks like the same thing has begun to happen in Japan, even lewd works like BL. I attribute movies like your name. for kickstarting this trend.

Also, blushing Pineapple-Chan slays me.

Gratuitous leg shot.

Okada’s one seriously cool chick, just gotta say. Despite being put off by the albeit low-level perversion of Akiba, she’s not overly judgmental of its offerings. She just takes it in stride. Respect, girl. Respect.



You know the series is good when it has moments that make you go “Oooooh”, like the audience in a cheap-ass sitcom.

Be careful about what you wish for, Nemo. That kind of talk will ALWAYS come back to bite you in the butt.

Geez, I wonder what that could be? Maybe a wholesome video game store? Or perhaps a famous recording studio? The possibilities are endle–

Oh.

Alright, let’s try to think about this logically. For one, why in the world did Nemo pick an S&M shop of all things? Yes, it’s definitely a lot more risque than Tomoko’s choice, but that’s not really the shocker here. The way this punchline is set up, it suggests that Nemo has been here before, or at the very least, has looked into the place enough to know where it is.

You know, I was mostly exaggerating when I said that Nemo was a sadist, but scenes like this make me think otherwise.

Is that so? Could it be because brick-and-mortar kink shops are not as openly publicized in the overseas market, so those with an interest in S&M come to the shop in Japan where they can browse with relative ease? Would love to hear what others have to say about that.

I know there’s a small, but disturbingly vocal portion of the fanbase that perked up at the reveal that Nemo is now eighteen years old. I’m outie.

Okay, okay, so Nemo hasn’t actually been here before. But hey, she wouldn’t pick this place if she herself was uncomfortable with it, right? That’s gotta count for something.

Also, those signs next to Tomoko are master-class branding right there.

Classic, classic Tomoko.

Nemo, you poor fool. Challenging Tomoko to a battle of perversion was a grievous mistake. You like to think that you can read Tomoko like a book, that you’re seeing her true self, but you have yet to see Tomoko completely and utterly unhinged. And when you do, that black hole will suck you into the deepest depths of degeneracy. There is no going back.

Nope, scapegoating won’t help you now. You reap what you sow, girl.

As I was saying before, the innocent Okada strikes me as the type who is knowledgeable about the real world, but is woefully inexperienced. She’s street smart, but she’s never actually lived on the streets. Okada may know about adult-oriented concepts like BL, fetish shops, and hentai, but that’s like throwing someone who’s only read a biology textbook into a hospital to perform open-heart surgery. No amount of reading can prepare you for that.

Although, considering how this is the same girl who once brushed off a train groping, it’s kind of hard to imagine that something like an S&M shop would freak her out.

I was waiting to see where Nemo’s limit was at. Based on what we’ve seen, it’s pretty similar to Okada where she knows the idea about sexual acts, but is blown back when she actually comes face to face with something explicit. She probably hasn’t seen anything that wasn’t covered with a black censor bar.

Damn, Tomoko is just casually dragging the poor girl.

For the record, I have never played an eroge. But I have heard that some games get released onto a handheld version after the PC release. I’d imagine that the ones on the Vista console get the sexual content removed because a: more youngsters are likely to play with consoles, and b: the smaller screen is not ideal for when the player wants to, well…you know.

Figures that Nemo would be into a moe-styled series like Little Busters. Correct me if I’m wrong, but my two-minute research says that an eroge version of the series does exist, but it’s not the original. So…did Nemo play the eroge version, or did she play an oxymoronic pervy all-ages original?

Ahem, Tomoko. If you’re gonna ask, you gotta tell. What hardcore fetish eroge have you been playing? Yandere Boys.

Nemo a softcore junkie confirmed.

Not that it’s anything groundbreaking, I love when manga likes to juxtapose a character ready to say/do something nasty with a background full of innocent sparkles and sunshine. The wholesome atmosphere is what the character thinks they’re projecting, but we the audience know that it’s going to lead to anything but.

Fare thy well, Nemo. It was nice knowing you.

This is one of those scenes that would benefit GREATLY if it were adapted in anime form. The voice acting would make this one of the most awkward, yet riveting moments in the series.

Side note: I never understood why “corruption” is such a popular theme in hentai/porn in general, even if it is a fetish.

FUCKING DECIMATED.

And yet that smile will just not break.

One has to wonder why Okada didn’t get traumatized by that. Perhaps the trip to the S&M shop desensitized her a little.

Taimanin Akisame presents: Princess Corruption 2, with special guest voicework by Hina Nemoto. Cumming 2019.

Hmm, those disappointed eyes. Where have I seen those before?

Oh…right.

Nemo, no! Don’t give in! Once you go down the eroge path, there is no turning back.

Tomoko just mentally destroyed two girls without even meaning to. Please nerf, the girl is too OP.

It probably goes without saying, but that eroge Nemo bought will absolutely become a plot element later on. End of discussion.

You got baited, girl. Being around Tomoko tends to do that to people.

Poor Pineapple-chan has had a rough day, hasn’t she?

And still, Tomoko hasn’t a clue. Come to think of it, Tomoko usually leaves the biggest impact on others when she’s not even trying to. We’re long past Tomoko’s ultra-cringe days, but those failures were usually brushed aside by anyone who was involved. But when Tomoko just acts like her casual self, suddenly she’s enrapturing emojis, twin-tailed girls, and class moms. Back when Tomoko would overcompensate by acting like a normie, she was repressing the very thing that made her unique. Now that she’s learned to mostly cut loose, her adorable ugliness leaves everyone in awe.

Naturally, this conversation wouldn’t even happen if Okada was awake. Which is probably for the best, because this may be one of the most genuine exchanges between Tomoko and Nemo that we’ve seen. For once, Nemo is showing her authentic self, not clouding anything in passive aggression jabs. Just an honest talk between two girls and their plans for the future.

Atta girl, Tomoko. It’s the halfway point in the Speed Dating Arc and you’re already feeling a bit more positive about your future. And in all honesty, she’ll probably end up being an excellent writer, if we’re to believe that Tomoko’s future will be a reflection of the mangaka’s.

But Nemo…so all this time, she hasn’t been messing with Tomoko? Please don’t give me more reasons to yearn for a post-high school Watamote series.

This may not have had the emotional impact of the previous chapter, but it did have a clearer balance of the series’ classic gag-based humor, with the newer focus on character evolution. How fitting, since Nemo has been with the series since the beginning. The tone of these recent chapters seems to correlate with the “spotlight” character. The last chapter was more introspective a la Yuri, and this chapter was more playful like Nemo.

If this continues, then you better brace yourselves for a date with Katou full of yuri subtext and a side order of Ucchi.