The Childhood Friend is Easy Mode

Episode 4 of Romantic Killer begins with Junta Hayami introducing himself to Anzu as her childhood friend. Anzu tries explaining why Tsukasa’s at her house, but Tsukasa departs. Anzu takes Riri inside while Junta and Tsukasa stare at each other in malice. ..

Anzu is in her room, beating up and scolding Riri for his actions. She asks him who Junta is, and Riri explains it to her with game logic. Anzu denies knowing Junta, while Riri says he became her friend in grade school. He gives Anzu a breakdown of Junta’s past life, saying he attended a different middle school, hasn’t seen her in three years, and developed a crush on her since elementary school. ..

Riri tells Anzu that the Junta regime’s “easy” mode, which angers her, shows how much he cares for her. Anzu feels terrible for leaving Junta at his front door and Riri assures her that he cast a spell on him so that Junta believes they are chatting casually. As they catch up, Junta brings up Tsukasa and wonders why he couldn’t stay at a different location. Junta worries if it is safe for Tsukasa to be around Anzu. ..

Anzu tells Junta that he’s kind and doesn’t like hanging around girls because of his popularity. A gust of wind blows past them, placing Anzu in a romantic position with Junta. However, he wanted to remove a Hercules beetle that landed on her head. Junta allows the beetle go after saying it’s worth 10,000 yen. Anzu changes her view of the creature and wants it back.

Riri interrupts the moment, claiming that she’s been chasing after Junta all this time. Anzu is taken aback and asks why Riri would do that. Riri insists that she only wants to help her friends, but Anzu doesn’t believe her. Junta steps in and tells Anzu that he’s been waiting for her too. Anzu is surprised and happy to see him, but Saki looks on with a mix of emotions. ..

Saki offers to fix Anzu’s hair, and Anzu accepts. Saki asks Junta if he likes Anzu’s new look, and he responds she looks splendid in an embarrassing fashion. Anzu’s happy that Junta turned out to be a pleasant fellow. Rena approaches Tsukasaat at the subway station and asks him why he abandoned her and Yukika. She brings up him leaving the café with another girl, sparking his friend’s confusion.

Tsukasa tells his friend that he and the girl are only friends. Rena notices Tsukasa whip out his new phone and asks him to exchange numbers. He tells Rena to stop following him and that he won’t exchange numbers. As he leaves, he asks his friend for his number to spite Rena. At school, Tsukasa and his friend bump into Junta and his friends. They exchange brief greetings and go about their days.

Tsukasa’s friend informs Tsukasa about Junta’s life, from his splendid baseball skills to his kind-hearted persona. Tsukasa glances at Junta and worries that Anzu may have feelings for Junta despite what she told him. At the same time, Junta asks his friends about Tsukasa, and they inform him about his different traits and specialties. ..

Two schoolgirls approach Junta and his friends and ask for their opinion on Tsukasa. They tell Junta and his friends that it would be a dream for them to be around Tsukasa for a full day. Junta feels ashamed, but his friends build him up. One of them remarks about Junta meeting Anzu, his childhood friend. Junta confirms that he wasn’t flirting with Anzu despite thinking she’s a beautiful girl. ..

Saki is in class and she tells her friend Anzu that she can’t join her for lunch. Tsukasa enters the class and asks Anzu to come with him. Saki notices from afar and wonders what’s happening between Anzu and Tsukasa. Anzu and Tsukasa meet somewhere behind the school. He tells her that she packed the wrong lunch. Tsukasa’s friend stumbles upon them and wonders why they’re giving each other lunch boxes.

Makoto Oda tells Anzu that Rena’s been talking about her because of her ties with Tsukasa. Anzu, Makoto, and Tsukasa decide to eat their lunch boxes together. Tsukasa tells Anzu that he let everyone know he’s staying with a relative.

Makoto reveals that he lives in a household where the majority of the members are women. He admits that his sisters have ruined his dreams about females because of their lackadaisical attitudes. Anzu notices Makoto has chocolate lying around, but Riri appears and blocks her attempt at getting some. Everyone finds the situation strange, but Anzu informs them that she’s on a diet.

Rena and Yukika spot Anzu conversing with Tsukasa and Rena’s not happy. Some time passes, and Anzu’s shown leaving one of her classes. She admits it’d be best to start job-hunting, but Rena and Yukiko call for her to follow them. Sometime later, Junta encounters Saki and asks her where Anzu went. She tells him that she left class earlier and suggests he call her. ..

Junta and Tsukasa eavesdrop on their conversation, which reveals that Rena is not convinced that she has a chance with Tsukasa. They decide to end the conversation before it becomes too complicated.

Rena asks Anzu to set up a date with her and Tsukasa. Rena gives Anzu her messenger ID, so they can stay in touch and bombards her with questions about Tsukasa. Remembering Tsukasa’s qualms with girls flocking over him, Anzu denies Rena’s offer, shocking Tsukasa. Anzu tells Rena that she isn’t interested in dating anyone and that she won’t force a friend into something she doesn’t want.

Anzu is approached by a random schoolgirl who asks her if she wants to walk home with her. The schoolgirl tells Anzu that Junta, the girl she’s been looking for, has been looking for her and notices that Anzu has been talking with Rena and Yukika, the school’s most popular girls. The random girl compliments them on their looks and status. Rena gets embarrassed because the random girl keeps talking about her appearance. ..

Anzu is shocked to learn that Riri is a female. She tells Rena to back off, and the two leave together.

The Episode Review

The romantic killer continues to surprise and delight. This episode featured a great mix of tension, twists, and moments between the whole cast. While some jokes didn’t land well as others, and some bits overstayed their welcome, this episode features a variety of stellar content, including establishing Junta’s character.

This episode gives us some juicy bits about his love for baseball and gaming-themed hobbies. His kind-heartedness will also appeal to fans, making it difficult for them to choose which boy is best suited for Anzu. At the same time, there could’ve been more intimate scenes between Anzu and Junta. The series seems to be leaning toward Anzu ending up with Tsukasa, which is fine.

Despite the lack of information about Junta and Tsukasa, it was great to see Anzu stand up for Tsukasa and see Riri’s involvement as a little too much.

Anzu is being set up for a big hit by Rena, who doesn’t like her character. It’ll be fun to see what Rena does to sabotage Anzu’s move forward. Overall, this episode had a nice mix of comedy and drama among our cast. Now that Riri has taken human form, he can manipulate the situation from a more personal standpoint.

Anime fans are eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series, and with good reason. The first two episodes have been well-received by viewers and critics alike. ..