灰原くんの強くて青春ニューゲーム

This episode touched on a point that was implied but now became a key issue for Natsuki. When he returns to school and thinks about Hikari, he's reliving a feeling he had before, but is that feeling love? And most importantly, is she the only girl he's interested in? Whether he likes it or not, Uta had her moments with him, and she's being more direct about her interest. I mean, who makes a video call at night to supposedly see your face and even shows "a little more" lol? And Miori manages to be even more tense; it seems her interest in Reita is just another way to avoid what she feels for Natsuki, and logically, feelings affect our daily activities. I wouldn't be surprised if another girl showed interest in him (Yuino?)

Also it doesn't seem like he can really put into words why he has feelings for Hikari other than feeling this longing feeling towards her that he's had since his past life. Because he barely knows her yet he's still insistent on this crush. Are we heading to a full Haibara Harem? It seems like the big thing impacting Miori right now is she's close to Natsuki again and how that effects her relationship with Reita.

I mean to be fair, Hikari hasn’t been rejective or mean towards Natsuki, and has actually been very sweet to him for the most part (don’t forget their interactions in the first two episodes that made them seem like they are on friendly terms). Like if it seems possible, why would he shift course? (Miori has told him she only likes him as a childhood friend and has consistently asked him to be a wingman for her and Reita. While in Uta’s case, he knows Tatsuya likes her and was so jealous of Natsuki to the point of causing a rift in their friendship, and likely feels like it wouldn’t be for Tatsuya even though Uta turned him down).

I think you're looking too much into it. Given how she reacted all flustered to Natsuki in E1 she probably was just shocked that Natsuki's so upfront to ask her out on a date. Natsuki is not a reliable narrator. He probably misinterpreted her as being hesitant due to his carried over social ineptness I was screaming the entire time for Natsuki to say "no" when she asked if they should invite anyone else (reformulating the double date to be more spontaneous), but my guy's just too naïve 😭 Now guy presents the double date idea with Miori and Reita, Hikari just goes into wingman mode. He's fumbled his chances this time at least

"Actually that's not all I've noticed about Miori" yeah let me guess she actually has a crush on the mc and was just using Reita, seen enough roms that I think it will go that way and I wouldn't mind since I find Miori miles better than Hikari (though I'm not getting too hopeful for thinking she will end up with mc). Hopefully mc can be the one who helps her this time and resolving the issue. Also Uta going strong on the offense, but man I feel bad for her, big chance it'll end sad for her.

You might have a point. But I really don't know. If I were Miori I'd go the extra mile to scheme with my wingman to getting a boy I like. I'd also go out of my way to figure what on Earth is wrong with wingman because him being sad throws a wrench in my plans. Makes perfect sense to me. Even if Miori does end up developing feelings for MC, I don't really buy that she has them at this point in time.

We’re just getting 0 plot with Hikari whatsoever. I’m genuinely starting to root for the other girls, cuz I don’t even know or care for Hikari with how little she’s been on screen. Also, seems like Miori is realizing she likes Natsuki (mind boggling Ik) but it seems like she’s feeling guilty/avoiding those feelings for some reason (and I don’t think it’s as simple as “he already has a crush”, tho I could be wrong) we’ll see ig. Kinda starting to hope Hikari isn’t the main heroine (cope). Also, one other gripe with the writing is how Natsuki still has his 25 year old mind in his HS body yet he acts and rationalizes exactly as you’d expect a high schooler too. I was initially intrigued by this show cuz I thought we were gonna see him being wise and think through things with his knowledge from his “previous life”, but just feels like both time and his maturity got rewound. I’d really enjoy some more subtle maturity from him, being that he is technically older than he appears. But overall, still enjoying the show.

He said that in episode 1 He basically haven't talked to anyone in his previous life and even in universoty he barely made friends, so interacting with friends and girl it's relatively new. That's why he's good at studying, cooking, playing basketball ( so he use skills of his previous life ) but bad with relationships. I think it's kinda interesting. Screwing up his adolescence really left an huge mark on him so he's literally trying to learn social skills gradually

Even regular 25 year olds can be too introverted/inexperience with romance/being popular if you lived a life like that, so I’m not surprised by how he is acting. And I wouldn’t say haven’t 0 Hikari moments, in case you forgot about the first two episodes. She just doesn’t seem persistent when it comes to romance and clearly has something going on with her based on how she left that double date. I think there is more for her to see before we dismiss her as an option.

I know about those moments. And I don’t disagree that she seems to have something else going on. Just as it stands (Ik it’s early when we’re only 5 episodes in) it feels like we haven’t gotten nearly enough time with her if she’s going to be the main heroine compared to Uta, who basically feels like the main heroine (even those she’s clearly a secondary). I guess id just like more building of relation with Hikari, we’re almost halfway through and we’ve only gotten small little moments in the first couple episodes, which I wouldn’t count for much (even if it is something).

They've been laying it on thick huh? She expressed interest in a different guy in his friend group, but feels like that could just be a tsun-ish excuse while hanging out with him. I wonder if he'll really end up with his high school crush or if the idea of the show will be like realizing that 'failure' isn't actually failure and that letting life take you down whatever path is the best. Like not tunnel visioning on the one thing you think needs to happen to be happy/successful. Wonder what's going on with Hikari.

This episode was pretty solid I dare say! I do wish we got to see a bit more of hikari but I atleast we go to see a tiny sliver of progress But since it was focus on miroi that’s kinda to be expected Though I can’t help but think that hikari is also time leap like natsuki cause she kinda feels like she putting on a act to me in the same way natsuki was As miori I can’t say for certain if she has feelings for natsuki it’s definitely possible but at the same time they seem sibling coded But that could be a wall to hide her feelings however she kinda feels like Rio futaba as well They tease and pick on each other and there weakness But when things get rough for the other one they want to help and support each other Miroi is definitely rushing or has her guard up so much and because of that it’s making her a easy target for animosity

That’s fair but considering what they had to address it couldn’t really be help Cause they had to tackle natsuki confidence issue which than lead to tackling tatsuya being jealous and natsuki dealing with the fall out of use his memory to his advantage And because tatsuya loves with uta its it obvious why she had more of a chance to shine Now there going with miori since not only was she a big help in the tatsuya arc She now the in the opposite position with natsuki Everything is kinda repeating chaining wouldn’t be surprising if they went with uta next Plus as I said I can’t help but think hikari is hiding something or she also time leap so they seem to building that arc

This is just pure messy relationship drama. I'm not even sure which girl is supposed to win. Hikari is the cover art girl so surely she'd be the one, but Uta is the only one pursuing Haibara at this point and he's blushing plenty around her too. Plus there's the childhood friend Miori who has been having no luck pursuing Reita, and in turn Reita seems to be suggesting Haibara and Miori are a potential pairing. Absolute mess, and that's before the basketball team drama comes into play.

Natsuki is getting pretty popular with the ladies! He and Miori have arguably gotten fonder of each other and he's even getting to know Yuino better at their cafe job...though Yuino thinks he and Miori are dating which, honestly, hard not to suspect the way they get along. But despite the vibes and closeness between them, Miori only sees herself as Natsuki's partner-in-crime whose objective is to help him get used to girls while he gets her closer to Reita. And with the group drama behind them, it's time go full force in their pursuit of their crushes! Time for the Double Date Plan! Well, asking Hikari out wasn't THAT hard (even if Natsuki still can't figure out how she really feels about him), though I was almost worried for a second that she thought NatsukixReita was a thing. Don't worry, she's happy to wingwoman ReitaxMiori too! Poor Uta. Even if it's a movie she's not into, she just wants to hang out with Natsuki...and he knows she's obviously crushing on him, but has no idea what to do about it. Even though a single word from him can either make Uta sad or happy. Maybe Miori's right, instead of being so fixated on Hikari, he should keep his options open. Hey, Hikari in a skirt outside school! That's rare (though I think that's a men's shirt she's wearing)! And she's with Natsuki in hoping some good developments happen with between Miori and Reita! Nothing ruins the vibe of a date quite like your basketball Senpai showing up and complaining about you dating instead of focusing on the team. There's definitely some bad blood between Miori and Wakamura-senpai, and it basically kills her mood for the rest of the date. She would probably appreciate that Reita is observant of her problems...but not that he sees Natsuki as the only one she can open up to and help her. Miori is stellar at basketball, but she's not being a team player and that's killing the mood of the team, least of all that Wakamura resents her for being a starter as a first-year. Uta is trying to do her best to mediate but Miori won't open up to anyone and there's only so much she can do. But it's nice to know Tatsuya will throw hands at anyone who makes Uta sad. What happened to Miori that made her stop working with the team? Seems like Natsuki remembered her being a complete team player. Does this have something to do with how he's influenced things in his New Game+? Aw, Uta video calling Natsuki! And giving him a glimpse of her boobs! That perks HIM up just like seeing his face perks her up! She just needed and emotional pick-me-up after striking out mending fences between the team and Miori...and Natsuki is the best medicine! Especially when he's prepared to help resolve Miori's problem whether she wants him to or not!

Poor Uta. Even if it's a movie she's not into, she just wants to hang out with Natsuki...and he knows she's obviously crushing on him, but has no idea what to do about it. Even though a single word from him can either make Uta sad or happy. Maybe Miori's right, instead of being so fixated on Hikari, he should keep his options open. The other problem is that he knows Tatsuya likes her and was jealous of him because of it (causing friction between the two). Even though Ura turned Tatsuya down, Natsuki probably feels like it wouldn’t be right to pursue her as he doesn’t want to intentionally make Tatsuya. It like him again (even though it’s not his fault).

Welp, Natsuki really in difficult position now. Uta proactively approaches him but he dead set on conquering Hikari . Miori overly skinship with him on their double date doesn't help her case of making Keita falls for her. Thank god Hikari already knew half of their plan beforehand and no misunderstanding happened on her side. Now, even his pillar of support a bit malfunction . The ship of Keita and Miori a bit shaky even more when Keita as being observant as he is, entrusting Natsuki to settle Miori's problem. The worst outcome for Natsuki will happen if he continue doing this ngl. Miori will start to like him if he becomes her hero....The best outcome will probably be Miori treats it as 'mabudachi' just supports each other though, nothing more nothing less... Wing girl Hikari so cute! So, Tatsuya even dare to do Touma bring out his gender equality self since they're making his precious Uta sad, eh. What a simp! If he knows what Wakamura did to Uta after that, that will the last time we see her though... Bold of her to say none of his business to Natsuki when she's even trespassed his room, always meddles in his affair while doing life counseling on him...

Uta seems better for Natsuki than Hikari to me. I'm not just saying that because for now at least Uta seems like best girl. Uta and Natsuki when they talk it seems more of a natural conversation to me. When he talks to Hikari it's like he has to try harder. I know his friend likes her but they seem like the best couple out of all the group. Maybe when we see more we can see others that may look well as a couple.

So, she's said that to him. Strategy meeting? Technically lol. Huh. Ok then. That's a plan. And so he's invited her out. Well so much for that... So, that's the plan. Yep so she overheard that. Ok... That would certainly be a twist. And so they've each got some couple time. And so she be ballin' Awkward? Isolated? Jealous? Ah. Ok... What's he realised? Uta's calling him? They're both blushing! So, he's asking her about Miori. What's the plan? What's he asking her?

Even the brown haired boy knew Miori actually likes Haibara even though she tried to dial it back. I really don't think Haibara is any better at knowing when girls like him than when he actually was a teen. I do wonder if Miori and/or Uta crushed on him in his original life. It seems like he and Uta barely knew each other before. They also really didn't explain why Miori doesn't attend supplemental practice and I think Wakamura might be kind of short with people, I don't think it is good if Miori thinks shes too good at basketball that she only has to practice the very bare minimum. I was surprised they all seemed to like the Hero Detective movie, it looked like it must've really bombed since they were the only people in the theatre on opening day 🤣

Thanks for the info. If he’s mentally in his early 20s, that’s probably a dealbreaker for me. I’ve realized I don’t really enjoy stories where an adult is put back into a high school (or otherwise younger) setting and then gets into romantic relationships with people who are mentally much younger, it just takes me out of it. I don’t mind age gaps in general when both characters are adults, but this kind of setup just isn’t for me. I think I’ll pass. I know people make all sorts of excuses for it, but it just doesn’t work for me personally, and I’m glad I checked first. Edit: to all the downvoters: I have worked in the justice system in relation to crimes related to underage victims so yes, some people do view such content critically like that.

Calling it a “misconception” is just another way to dress up the same excuse—trying to justify why an adult guy gets put into romantic situations with much younger girls- If he lived into his 20s and keeps those memories, that’s an adult perspective. You don’t get to handwave that away because it’s inconvenient. And your take isn’t even consistent across the genre. In Kill Blue, the MC straight up says he’s mentally in his 30s while in a high school body. So yeah, this whole “not really an adult mentally” thing is just selective coping. You’re not correcting anything, you’re just picking the version that makes it easier to defend. So good luck with your bs spreading,

I'm gonna explain it again in simpler terms so maybe you'll understand. The protagonist time leaped. A time leap is when your memories are sent to your body in the past. Haibara's 15 year old brain received those memories. Haibara's brain is the exact same one he had at 15, but with memories of an adult life he would've had. Having memories of an older version of yourself won't make you stop liking people your age. Kill Blue is about a guy's body regressing back to when he was younger, he still has his adult brain. Completely different situation.

To be fair I think the fact that he's put into his younger body does change things quite a bit. We like to think in Cartesian terms that our mind (soul?) is separated from our physical being but I believe that's just not the case. Our present physical being and the environment has a huge impact on our internal identity. That's why I'm personally ok with this fictional premise, I think it's naive to think that suddenly waking up in your body 7 years in the past and having to relive your life would not have an effect on your identity. That's why I view that MC as more of a hybrid of his past and future self and I understand why in that situation he would just accept the circumstances and go about re living his high school life. In the end matters of taste are matters of taste and there's no pint in arguing about that. I just thought I would offer a different philosophical perspective on how one's identity is an extension of their physical body and environment vs the view that we are a solely a bundle of our memories and experiences.

It’s my personal preference, so there’s nothing to debate here, and I’m pretty sick of people online constantly trying to justify this setup. Being awkward doesn’t make someone “mentally a teen,” it makes them an awkward adult. He’s still lived through his early 20s, so that gap doesn’t just disappear because the story (or fans) pretends it does. And the “mental age” argument is honestly ridiculous: if that logic actually held up, people could use it to excuse all kinds of messed-up behavior in real life (like sexual predators saying that they were mentally the same as their underaged victim). That alone is enough for me to not buy it. So yeah, not for me.

The way I rationalize it is by disconnecting the old and new completely. So when I watch this he's not an old pervert parading as a teenager boy, but a teenage boy who happens to have learned outside skills from a past life. So the way I can justify it is by thinking that knowing things doesn't necessarily mean you process things. Like a teenage boy reading a Albert Camus book and think it's a generic detailing of events. The reality is we don't know how reincarnating or being sent back in a previous body works. The way you interpret it is completely up to the you. However it's not really at all a bulletproof argument and I can totally see it being impossible to see it that way and it ruining a show. And in that case, yeah it would be creepy and I would flush it too.

Yeah, that’s exactly the kind of explanation I’ve been talking about. “Just disconnect it” basically means ignoring the part of the premise that makes it uncomfortable, and that’s not some small detail, it’s literally the whole point of the setup. The guy lived into his 20s, keeps those memories, and then gets into romantic situations with 15-year-olds. You don’t just get to switch that off because it kills the vibe. Calling him “just a teenage boy with extra skills” is just a nicer rebrand, not a different reality. And if the only way the premise works is by actively not thinking about the main idea too hard, that kind of says everything. That’s exactly why I’m not interested. And honestly, this whole discussion is starting to feel like Mushoku Tensei discourse all over again, same arguments, same mental gymnastics. What’s even more annoying is I clearly said this is just my personal preference, and people still react like I’ve personally offended them. It’s criticism of a fictional trope, if that hits that hard, maybe people are a bit too invested and need to separate fiction from reality a bit.

Look, I can see how you see it that way. I'm not trying to dismiss your thoughts on the show. But a different perspective is not any less valid. I just thought I'd share my perspective. You actually do not know how being transported to a younger body is like. Unless you've literally been through that process with all the magic out of this world stuff I don't think your view has more value than any other. So yes. I do get to "switch that off". I have my own rationalization that I explained. Saying it's a "nicer rebrand, not a different reality." is not an argument. What reality? The reality of an unrealistic event? It makes no sense. It's just you trying to push your perspective. I don't know why you are so defensive. I know it's your "preference". You stated it previously. I didn't dismiss it. If anything I validated your perspective. But to try to invalidate others when you don't have any argument of your own is just a pointless endeavor. You also didn't offend me at all. I just wanted to share my perspective. Not anyone else's. Not the Mushoku Tensei's fanbase's. I posted an innocent comment supporting both sides.

Yeah, I am defensive at this point—because I’m getting pushback just for saying I don’t like a specific fictional setup. My original comment was literally just about my preference: I don’t enjoy stories where an adult (mentally) is put into a younger setting and then gets into romantic relationships. That’s it. It’s honestly weird how pressed people get over that. Why are you writing essays trying to convince me to like something I’ve already said I don’t? And obviously no, I haven’t seen an adult get magically transported into a younger body, that’s not the point. What I have seen, from working in a justice system context involving minors, is how adult/minor dynamics actually play out in real life. So when a story keeps an adult’s memories and then puts them in romantic situations with minors, that’s not something I can just “switch off” or pretend is harmless. That’s why the “just disconnect it” argument doesn’t land for me. You can interpret it however you want, but my reaction comes from a real place, and I’m not going to force myself to be okay with it just because other people like you are.

Cool dude I respect your perspective. Always have. You shouldn't listen to anyone who says otherwise. Perspectives can also be incredibly hard to change sometimes. I'm not trying to convince you. I was just offering my perspective. The reason I did so is if it allows someone out there to have fun then I think it's a good thing. I like fun. But then again there's plenty of other things in the world so missing out on trash tier anime is not the end of the world. I agree that normalizing "adult/minor" relationships can be bad. I can see an argument against this show using that line of logic. However, it's still not an argument against the perspective I hold with the character while viewing the show. To me, he is just not an adult in any sense of the term. Not mentally or physically. He isn't an adult in a child's body. He is a child in a child's body with basically a premonition of his future and stolen skills. I can also see an argument about how being sent to a younger body is misogynistic by valuing younger girls over early 20s girls. Realistically it would probably be better if he just went back to college. The "ideal teen girl" trope is pretty bad. But the premise of the show is still not bad enough to make me completely disengage with it. Also the downvotes are just a reddit thing no need to pay any attention to it.

The mental age thing is not an excuse. It's just a matter of perspective. The way I see it, adults are supposed to make wise / rational / more calculated decisions as a show of their maturity. What you bring up is right and sadly nowadays what we see are many "children in adult bodies" for whatever reasons or circumstances they have been through. Then justice dictates that said children in adult bodies are old enough to "find out" if they still insist on fucking around

“Children in adult bodies” are still adults. Unless someone is actually declared mentally unfit, they’re a fully responsible adult, being awkward or socially inexperienced doesn’t downgrade that. They’ve still lived through their 20s, full stop. At this point it just reads as mental gymnastics to make the premise easier to swallow. If you’re fine with it, that’s your call, but that framing doesn’t make it any less off-putting to me. And it’s honestly wild how often people in anime communities twist themselves to justify adult characters being put into romantic setups with underage girls, like social awkwardness is somehow a free pass. It isn’t. That logic falls apart the second you try applying it to real life. If anything, the way some people defend it just makes it sound like they’ve never had to confront what those dynamics actually look like outside of fiction, because it’s not quirky, cute, sexy or wholesome, it’s straight-up disturbing. Which is exactly why I don’t find it entertaining, let alone something worth defending.