Dr. Ramune: Mysterious Disease Specialist Ep. 4 and the almost-Boy's-Love-but-wasn't
Things get spicy in the 4th episode of Dr. Ramune: Mysterious Disease Specialist as Ramune and Kuro face a patient that’s dealing with something more than just nail problems.
Minor spoilers ahead!
“Your fingers turned into chili peppers?”
What do you do when faced with the possibility of living the rest of your life with chilis as your nails. Like imagine getting the weirdest set of press-on nails but permanent and more painful. The latest patient of the doctor finally answers that very much out-of-this world question, and he isn’t happy. Shy and introverted Takaharu is the newest person to enter Ramune’s door. With the glasses and long sleeves, he’s undeniably the caricature of the shy guy (and very much soft baby boi vibes). When he asks for help, Ramune offers him a mysterious tool that he has to earn. And we get to see how, in the rest of the episode, how what becoming worthy in the eyes of the mysterious tool really means. The episode could be summed up eloquently by the words of none other than Ramune.
“The skilled hawk hides its talons.”
Now for those of you who love the typical shounen rivalry with lots of feelings trope, then get ready for a good time. This episode plays out like Naruto x Sasuke rivalry fanfiction, though not as indulgent. Imagine Bakudeku rivalry friendship but healthier. Tension abounding! It’s filled with fun, if cliché, tropes of the sports comedy-drama, slice of life anime that anyone can easily enjoy it. It might feel a bit overdramatic to some, but at this point Dr. Ramune: Mysterious Disease Specialist has always chosen melodramatic comedy to send its simple message.
If you like some accidental (since it’s doubtful that it was the intent but it very much came off that way) shounen-ai, then this episode is absolutely perfect. Remember, this is not Boy’s Love in any way or form (sadly enough), and it’s a shame that they didn’t take the chance because there's a lot of good enough, if cliche, chemistry between the main character's of the episode that could have made for a more interesting dynamic. Not that the two aren't fun to watch, but it doesn't go for anything new.
“They say human relationships are the cause of most stress.”