The 9th Episode of The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬ opened up a new horizon for the audience as the Nakano Sisters have finally moved past their academic woes and boarded the Futaro love train. Well, for three of them at least. But knowing that all three are interested in the same person, how will that affect the entire group’s dynamic? Read on as we dissect last week’s episode, “Welcome to Class 3-1”, which also covered Chapters 69-71 and 74. Chapters 72 and 73 were skipped at least for this episode.
Minor spoilers ahead!
Quick Recap
Here’s what you’ve missed from the previous episode:
Futaro and Miku ended up winning a promo in the supermarket that allowed them to go on vacation in the mountains and the hot springs which was being ran by the Nakano Sisters’ grandfather
Nino and her sisters decided to test Futaro again via the quintuplet game wherein he had to guess the true identity of each person that dressed up like Itsuki
Unable to tell the difference, Futaro sought help from the quints’ grandfather who had no trouble telling them apart
As a last resort, Futaro wanted to identify who the Fake Itsuki was. Through her mannerisms, he was able to identify that it was Miku.
Rena, the girl that Futaro spoke to in Episode 2, was finally revealed by their grandfather to be the quints' late mother
You can read the full review of the previous episode here.
Anime vs. Manga
As Chapters 72 and 73 from the manga have not been included in this episode, it’s safe to predict that those will be covered in the succeeding ones.
To be completely transparent though, the habit of skipping chapters, and at times complete omissions, has been clearly evident all throughout this season. This may very well be related to the creative direction of the animation studios when it comes to the sequencing of events but we feel that there must have been some form of conversation between the author and the studio in order for the show to be delivered the way it has been and will be.
That being said, unlike omissions of minor events from the previous episode, this one skipped two whole chapters and the likelihood of those being covered in the succeeding episodes is very likely. For people who have not read the manga, events in those chapters are definitely something to watch out for.
Evolving Dynamic
As it currently stands, we have three Nakano sisters who have openly shared to the audience that they have feelings for Futaro: Ichika, Nino and Miku.
What makes this unique though is the fact that they may be physically identical but they have already grown to develop their own personalities that carried over to how they show affection or work towards the goal of making Futaro fall for them.
The episode was able to relay how each quint intended to act on those feelings and it allowed the audience to visualize how different approaches to love can be perceived from a third person standpoint. One confidently and consciously works to make Futaro fall for her, another works to become the best version of herself that he can fall in love with, and the other simply tries to figure out how to make herself the only girl that the guy focuses on.
The storyline was able to smoothly transition from solely focusing on studies, exploring the development of the characters’ personalities, and now, to allow those developed personalities to flourish in a romantic sense.
As amazing as all that is, the ending of the episode was quite a jaw-dropping moment as something happened so out of character that shocked the audience. But thinking about it now, it’s mainly because of how the whole dynamic is evolving that unchartered territory must now be explored in order for anyone to gain the upper hand.
“Welcome to Class 3-1” was definitely a great episode as the landscape returns to its original academic setting but with a much more different focus. The episode allowed the audience to visualize the continuous growth and maturity of the cast while navigating through the evolving dynamic. An overall great episode with a surprising ending that’s sure to make viewers anticipate the next episode.
The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬ Episode 10, “Five Cranes in Return”, airs on March 12, 2021 at 1:25AM (JST).
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Chapters 72-73 were skipped which would most likely be another episode in itself.
Ichika, Nino, Miku, with their unique individual personalities take different approaches to act on their feelings towards Futaro
Smooth transition from establishing the setting, exploring character development and personalities, and evolving the dynamic in a more romantic sense
A jaw-dropping, out of character moment at the end of the episode left everyone in shock as we impatiently anticipate the next episode
PS. Nino appreciation photo!
Official Anime Website: The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬
Official Twitter: @5Hanayome_anime
