Nisekoi - Episode 3

Never mind the perils of having to pretend to date Kirisaki, the real issue for Raku at this point is the fact that Onodera also believes that the two of them are going out.  Still, correcting one person's misunderstanding shouldn't be such a big problem, right?

Certainly, that would be the case if it weren't for the fact that the whole of Ichijou's class now seems to know about the whole thing, and with Claude watching and waiting in the wings Kirisaki and Raku have no other option than to run with it and continue to play the lovey-dovey couple even at school.  If Raku was hoping that there'd still be an opportunity to set Onodera straight after all of this, his plans are constantly scuppered, either by his own issues - namely realising that only telling her the truth couuld be tantamount to a confession - or by Onodera herself, not least her accidentally revealing a key that looks suspiciously familiar...

To add to these problems, Chitoge blows up at him when he suggests that letting a close friend in on the secret wouldn't be such a bad idea.  Although he's blind to why this might be a sore point with Kirisaki, it eventually becomes clear to him - that she'd doubtless happily tell a friend her secret if she actually had a friend to tell it to.  Lo and behold, he finds Kirisaki making notes on her classmates in the hope of finding a way to befriend them; something which Ichijou can empathise with completely.  Thus, the two have become a little closer once again, and unbeknownst to them they've also revealed a major hint as to the reality of their relationship to Onodera.

It continues to tread a well-worn path, but that still isn't enough to stop me rather liking Nisekoi - it's a series of simple charms that takes its concept and runs with it in an energectic, well-paced and broadly fun way whilst making no bones about its originality or otherwise.  The result here is another episode that blends simple comedy that can at least raise a smile with some rather sweet moments, all the while progressing its story far more quickly than your average romantic comedy arguably does.  Top it off with that traditional dose of SHAFT quirkiness (which still doesn't always fit the mood but gets it right more often than not), and you have yourself a simple but charming slice of entertainment.