Hatsukoi Limited - Episode 3

Another episode of Hatsukoi Limited means another girl gets the spotlight shone upon her for an instalment, and this time around (again closely shadowing the manga) Kei Enomoto is the focus - A girl who may only be fourteen, but who is generally thought of as being mature beyond her years, to the point of receiving marriage proposals from older men. The trouble is, she's also rather shallow, worrying entirely too much about looks and finances aside from a guy's personality.

Kei's other trouble (and one which I can sympathise with entirely) is that she's a bit of a perfectionist, and these various facets of her personality all come to the fore as she's forced to work with Kusuda (the perverted guy we were introduced to last episode) on arranging some cheerleading as part of the forthcoming school festival.


Naturally, the relationship between Kei and Kusuda is a largely fractious one, as the pair clash over... well, pretty much everything really - However, beyond all of that, and particularly as the episode progresses, a certain grudging respect and even admiration builds up wordlessly between them, as Kusuda proves to be more reliable than first meets the eye while Kei's hard work and determination accompanies her attractive looks quite nicely.

This kind of love/hate relationship has been done umpteen times before in anime, and particularly in high school anime, but I actually quite liked the way it was portrayed here. At least we finally got a more rounded view of Kusuda beyond the entirely negative portrayal last episode, while Kei arguably gets a less favourable airing as her stubborn streak bludgeons through any brief positive thoughts she has towards Kusuda. It isn't hugely funny and it certainly isn't ground-breaking, but as an episode of a slice of life series goes it wasn't too bad, keeping Hatsukoi Limited on its even if unspectacularly watchable keel.