Girlfriend, Girlfriend Season 2 episode 8 premiered on November 25th with our characters having more desperation than ever before, plus an unexpected partnership. Whenever a new episode of Girlfriend, Girlfriend airs, I am always left contemplating how to write about the cringe events in the storyline. With episode 8 being the 20th episode of the series overall, you’d think that by now, I have grown accustomed to its absurdity. This episode gives us the greatest “bra war” of 2023 and then leads to a summer getaway in Okinawa.
Unyielding Feelings
The bra war starts when Mirika hangs her laundry out to dry, prominently displaying her bra so she can tease Naoya. This leads to the girls wanting to test Naoya’s excitement levels with an exercise watch to measure his heart rate when he sees their sexiest bras. Just when we think there’s no reason for Shino to show her bra to Naoya because she is trying to hide her feelings, an absurd (but on par) scenario happens. Shino trips … again. She falls on Naoya… again. In the most on-brand, ecchi way possible, her shirt is lifted, and her bra is shoved into Naoya’s face.
At this point, I’m just super impressed with how the writer of this series never seizes to let us down regarding Shino content, as ridiculous as it is. The “bra war” of 2023 was a short scene, but it’s probably one of my favorites in Girlfriend, Girlfriend so far, given how many laughs it got out of me. I enjoy how different the girls’ personalities are, as well as how that personality shows through their perseverance to win Naoya’s heart.
In this episode, the group decides to start planning for a summer getaway in Okinawa. Due to Naoya’s strict budget, Shino offers up her family’s vacation home to stay in, revealing to the cast that her parents are loaded on cash. This, of course, leads to a swimsuit shopping trip where Naoya ends up picking out a suit for each girl, including Shino. The swimsuits chosen mostly match the ones on the official key art for Season 2 with one exception of Mirika. Naoya hilariously picks out a boring one-piece suit for her, but actually, she does not wear it in the key art. This makes me wonder if she alters the suit into a revealing bikini later. The most important scene in the episode comes when Shino and Mirika step aside into the bathroom to have a discussion.
Mirika, revealing that she knows Shino has romantic feelings for Naoya, offers Shino a partnership, albeit a fairly one-sided partnership. As long as Shino promises to help Mirika get some alone time with Naoya during the Okinawa trip, she’ll keep her mouth shut about Shino’s feelings. We know it’s obvious at this point that Mirika is really selfish, but this seems like a new low, even for her. At the very least, Mirika offers the help Shino get some alone time with Naoya. This new partnership will surely make the trip even more complicated, but I think the development of this allyship is just what the series needed after last week’s slower episode. Shino and Mirika are complete opposites and wouldn’t normally work together, so I’m interested in seeing how Shino will put up with Mirika’s demands. This is exactly the kind of drama I was waiting for after Mirika started living in the house.
In the next episode, we’ll see the cast on their two-night stay in Okinawa. With only four episodes left this season, it’s sure to get spicy. Girlfriend Girlfriend Season 2 episode 8, one of the better-paced episodes, ended with such a perfect setup for the Okinawa arc, which I think will be the peak of this season. Until then, check out my recent write-up on The Apothecary Diaries, also airing this fall.
Girlfriend, Girlfriend Season 2 Episode 8 Score: 8/10
Images via Crunchyroll
© Hiroyuki, Kodansha / “Girlfriend, Girlfriend” Production Committee 2023