We got a new adorable Hokkaido gal in episode 3 of Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable this week. We are well enough established with Minami Fuyuki, and now we are introduced to another gal – Sayuri Akino. In her debut, she sets the stage for a possible love triangle that is sure to start future drama in the series. For now, we join Minami and Tsubasa on their school trip to a ski resort.
Akino-san is Super Unfriendly
Tsubasa’s class has filled a bus bound for the ski resort. Due to seating arrangements, he finds himself sitting next to Sayuri Akino. Minami, assigned to the seat in front of him, is gushing endlessly about the joys of skiing. Being from Tokyo, Tsubasa has no experience in skiing, but has to spend the day with people who have most likely been skiing since they were young children (something very common with Hokkaido locals).
Minami energetically asks Sayuri about her feelings on the ski trip, only to be completely ignored. Minami whispers to Tsubasa about how she wishes to be Sayuri’s “gal” friend, but her efforts are to no avail. Although the initial introduction to Sayuri seems negative, the episode thankfully delves into her reclusive attitude in a sincere manner later on.
Leaving the difficult slopes to the veteran skiers, Tsubasa and Sayuri stay behind and practice using ski equipment as beginners. Sayuri continues to have a negative attitude, ending any conversation with Tsubasa and returning to the bus. After needing to retrieve something from the seemingly empty bus, Tsubasa walks in on Sayuri changing clothes. Fortunately, Tsubasa is somehow an easy-to-talk to character, and he seems to do his best to be respectful towards his female classmates, even when put in an awkward situation. In Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable episode 3, he’s a boy that this distant girl feels like she can trust, and this leads to Sayuri explaining herself.
Sayuri admits to having a sweating problem. She sweats so much that she normally sits out of gym class and often feels the need to change clothes – which explains her lack of skiing skills and her using the bus to change. I immediately wondered why Sayuri felt safe dumping all this information on Tsubasa, a person she barely knew. Tsubasa directly asks her about this, and I found her response interesting. Sayuri says that it is because they are strangers that she is able to vent to him about such a private and embarrassing problem. Now we understand the reason behind her reluctance to socialize with others; even Minami, a charismatic and universally liked social butterfly.
It is also revealed that Sayuri has a heavy interest in gaming and shares some tips to Tsubasa, who surprisingly knows very little about video games. I love that Sayuri uses gaming as a coping mechanism for her problem. Perhaps she believes that by engaging in video games, which typically involve minimal movement, she will be able to manage her issue with excessive sweating. During the long scene with the two, it is obvious that Sayuri will be a part of an inevitable love triangle later in the series.
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable episode 3 wraps up with Minami helping Sayuri safely navigate the ski slope and finally gets her chance to talk. Sayuri, although seemingly rude in the beginning of the episode, starts to earn her welcomed place in the cast by the end. It’s obvious she’s infatuated with Tsubasa, and it’ll be interesting to see how Minami’s feelings play into that.
This is only the very beginning of Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable. As a manga reader of the series, I can tell you there’s a lot more to this series than school trips and puppy dog feelings. Now that we have three main characters, what do you hope happens in episode 4?
Images via Crunchyroll
© Kai Ikada, Shueisha / Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable Production Committee
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