Chinatsu is mortified that her manager ran into her in cosplay. Shiori can’t handle cognac-infused Halloween candy.
Episode 4 — “When It Comes to Him, I’m Not Sure Yet…”
Hmm.
My Tiny Senpai followed two rules to make an entertaining story. The first rule is “Know your audience.” Its setting is an office romance, but the characters’ attributes and plot fit the attention of a demographic of manga readers and Comiket fans. There are even bonus points for Azur Lane references. Chinatsu is a digital production artist and designer at the company, so it makes sense that her hobbies would use those software packages in her spare time. Her character attributes fit into the second rule for crafting an attention-grabbing story.
Make your plot and characters believable and relatable. In anime, with its sci-fi and fantasy shounen stories, the credible part of that rule relies on skyscraper heights of suspension of disbelief. But the audience can like the characters. For episodic comedies, relatable characters are the key to success. Viewers have to want to come back and visit their favorite people every week. The references to cosplay photoshoots and BL doujins in My Tiny Senpai blare how the side characters act as the audience inserts into the featured love story between Shinozaki and Shiori. As much as we root for the tiny senpai and her kouhai to get together, we’ll also start rooting for Chinatsu and Mr. Manager. Watching Chinatsu’s tsundere blush is exquisite.
The danger of including an otaku in My Tiny Senpai’s cast is when knowing your audience starts to look like pandering. Will Chinatsu’s hobbies go too far? We’ll need to pay attention to what comes next. Let’s hope it’s fun figurines and posters!
Heh.
My Tiny Senpai is back after a week, thanks to the British Open preempting its scheduled time. Azur Lane cosplay festival! Mikasa, Javelin, and Belfast walk by. Who is Chinatsu playing? Oh no. Mr. Manager ran into her as a sexy Kaga! Is being a 22-year-old otaku still such a stigma? Chinatsu is a terrible liar. How would a stranger call a strange man on the street “Mr. Manager?” Oh, come on. Chinatsu thinks Mr. Manager is a “normie,” but she already knows he has a “weird hobby.” Normies don’t pull strings to arrange dates and then stalk the pair. He’s an office romance otaku, okay? See? He called her “cool.” The side character romance progresses nicely. Oh, stop. Mr. Manager claims he has no hobbies. Yes. Chinatsu’s Kaga cosplay looks more “cute” than “cool.” Ooh. They share a secret now!
Wow. Chinatsu is a full-blown otaku. Cosplay and drawing doujinshi for Comiket. But she can’t concentrate because she worries about Mr. Manager blabbing about her secret otaku hobby. Chinatsu is a mess at work too. Shiori advises her to get plenty of sleep by counting kittens. Wouldn’t that keep the tiny senpai awake? Aw. Chinatsu is super jumpy around Mr. Manager. Whoa. Mr. Manager straight out asked her to dinner! I’m sure it’s related to business mentoring. But! This is a comedy, so let’s drag out all the suspicions! Prince Charming still comes to Chinatsu’s rescue. Odd. How often does Mr. Manager glue women’s heels back on their shoes? Shouldn’t he remember Chinatsu from touching her feet and interviewing her later? Chinatsu needs more self-esteem. So. Dinner was just work-mentor stuff. I’m waiting for the punchline, though. Here it comes! Mr. Manager wants to go to Chinatsu’s next cosplay event!
Choose Your Own My Tiny Senpai Office Romance!
Ah. There is Mr. Manager’s stalking nature. He doesn’t want to cosplay but wants to take pictures instead! Adults with money are scary! In the last episode, Shinozaki made the same declaration about Shiori for her 300-dollar crane game budget. I hope the Crunchyroll translator finds more phrases for “purchasing power” because that will get old fast. Oho. Cosplay date for next month! But in exchange, Mr. Manager has to look up the anime and manga characters she’ll be cosplaying. This is how otakus procreate — evangelism. She’s so cute! It’s not fair how easily he can say those things!
Shiori is a mischievous tiny senpai! She tries to start jealousy rumors about Mr. Manager because Chinatsu and Shinozaki are childhood friends. Mr. Manager can’t decide between the reunited childhood friends’ office romance route and the age-gap senpai-kouhai love story. That’s right! Shiori tells Mr. Manager he missed the third office romance story — the manager and new hire power harassment affair! But Mr. Manager sees more angles. What about the yuri age-gap junior-corrupting-a-senior-colleague love story? Mr. Manager loves teasing his coworkers.
Ah. Chinatsu needed to unload her frustrations on Shinozaki about how Mr. Manager discovered her otaku hobbies. Aha! Even her childhood friend doesn’t know about her cosplay side. Chinatsu is a pro digital designer, so it makes sense that Shinozaki knew about her manga drawing. Of course, she draws BL doujinshi. Filthy fujoshi! I kid. But now Mr. Manager knows about that too! He’s so nosy. Aw. Chinatsu got a cat in her lap! I love these callback jokes.
The eye-catchers predict Mr. Manager and Chinatsu at the Big Sight. Will Shiori join them cosplaying as a cat-eared maid?
Smol Tricks, Bigger Treats!
Hey, My Tiny Senpai says, Happy Halloween! Trick or treat! You have to say the magic words, Shinozaki, or you don’t get candy. Everybody gets cat ears. Uh oh. I see fancy chocolate. Someone will get drunk off liqueur-infused bonbons. The smallest one is usually the biggest lightweight. Have fun taking care of tipsy Shiori, Shinozaki! Har! Handfeeding chocolate denial! Shiori brought her smog (smol + smug) face in this episode. Eep. There goes a lovey-dovey drunk. Oh, man. So much giggling. The liquor lifted her inhibitions, so Shiori’s feelings for her colleagues were fully exposed. Smooches for Chinatsu, dogeza (土下座, どげざ — kneeling down on the ground) gratitude for Mr. Manager, and tears of joy for Shinozaki! Oho. There’s the episode title. Shiori isn’t sure how she feels about Shinozaki as a person yet. But does that blush only come from the liquor?
My Tiny Senpai (Uchi no Kaisha no Chiisai Senpai no Hanashi) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and multiple language subtitles.
Did you enjoy looking at Chinatsu in her Kaga cosplay outfit? The J-List store has a wide selection of ship girls in the Azur Lane section, but check out Kaga in this lovely art book of ship girls in various states of undress. Oppai Paradise Side A is for sale in the store now!
Chinatsu made her Kaga costume, but would she make one for Shiori? What character and dress would fit the tiny senpai best? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
