Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 12 [END] — Cinderella a Foot Fetish Fairy Tale?

Koushi steps into Takane’s Prince Charming role, but can he handle a surprise twist?

Episode 12 [END] — “Only Look at Me”

Hmm.

Is every main and supporting character in Takamine-san a pervert? I don’t ask that lightly. We know how rich and horny Koushi’s imagination can be as he fantasizes about Takane in sexual situations. His inner thoughts have supplied the bulk of the nudity this season rather than real-life situations. And Takane’s familiarity with the Japanese porn industry’s content and marketing techniques leaves me wondering how she chose “Eternal Virgin Road” as her time loop ability’s name. Even Ellie, a lesbian with a girlfriend (Rurika), has a molester fetish. She always finds opportunities to “accidentally” grope boobs and butts. So, after the sparkly dude from the second episode arrived, Seiya Ouji, the plot surprised me by writing him out of the story without revealing his kink.

But Takamine-san redeemed itself! At the last moment, Ouji crashed his class’s Cinderella stage play to declare himself, in public, a foot fetishist! The short scene of comedic chaos efficiently revealed how much he has been worshipping Takane’s perfect feet. Ouji prepared his hands with moisturizing cream for the brief moment he would handle Takane’s foot as he slipped Cinderella’s glass slipper onto it. What a weirdo! Such was Ouji’s ardor that he refused to let life-threatening injuries deny him from touching Takane’s toes.

Takamine-san employed character fetishes as plot devices all season, so I must applaud its inspired plot twist involving Ouji to deliver a brave moment for Koushi’s usually skittish reactions to stressful public situations. We saw him do something similar to hide Takane’s bare ass on a bike during the gym class marathon, but she forced him to act. Here, Koushi stood up for himself and her without any prompting. That was an enjoyable moment for the season finale.

Takamine-san Makes Me Go Heh.

Flash-forward to Koushi and Takane’s first scene together in Cinderella. Is it a beautiful disaster or an ugly success? Let’s find out! We rejoin Takamine-san’s official timeline after the opening credits. Ellie and Rurika are in the auditorium, and Ellie has her distraction oshi fan (“Takane-chan, Look over here”). Here’s Takane in her Cinderella costume. Rurika tries to shush Ellie’s inappropriate cheering. How are Koushi’s nerves doing? The Prince Charming role doesn’t have many lines, but he has to stand on stage for most of the second half.

Oho. Did the kids in Takane’s class discover how to provide ecchi fanservice in a Cinderella play? Throw the tea! Oh? Takane’s Cinderella is a musical. It’s a barebones production. We never see the fairy godmother.

Tunnel Vision as a Stage Fright Solution in Takamine-san

You’re up, Koushi. Don’t mess up! None of Koushi’s classmates knows his name. They call him “Shiraki” instead of Shirota. Can Koushi overcome his stage fright, low self-confidence, and performance anxiety? Not the first time! Takane whips up an Eternal Virgin Road entrée and a side dish of wall slam. How does she snap Koushi out of his anxious doom-spiraling feedback loop? With jealousy! Why did Koushi look at the crowd and worry about what it thought? He should look only at her! Hey, that’s the title of Takamine-san, episode 12. And we caught up to the flash-forward at the start of the episode. Koushi nailed the line.

Takamine-san’s last intermission interstitials show her in a red-hot sweater and pig tails. The lingerie underneath is the fanciest of the season.

Koushi handled the dancing scene well enough, but Takane insisted he dress her in new panties during her singing scene! Har. Takane snuck one of her panties into the pockets of Koushi’s costume. She made him work to tie those panty straps.

Growing a Spine in Takamine-san by Inches and Feet!

Good job, Koushi! He made it to the final scene. And Cinderella and Prince Charming lived happily ever after… Not yet! Ouji stole the backup Prince costume! Hahaha! He was desperate to play the Prince, so he could touch Takane’s feet! Ouji has a foot fetish! Ad lib time. Takane decided to let the plot twist stand! Koushi stood up for himself, and Cinderella ran away with the “impostor.” Takane liked what Koushi said about making her happy. Ellie prepared a fan for this moment. Onstage kiss! But did Takane really? Koushi’s reaction leans toward yes. What a crazy ending for Takamine-san’s version of the fairy tale. “Cinderella found true love.”

Whoops. Ouji has to repeat his interruption scene in the play’s second showing. Takane and Koushi’s classmates wonder if she really kissed him. Takane would prefer Koushi keep their public kiss a secret.

President Takamine put on a successful cultural festival. Ack. Koushi still can’t bring himself to believe Takane likes him. At most, he can accept that her interactions are transactional. She throws out so many hints! Well, Koushi the blockhead will figure it out eventually, but not during this anime season. Until then, Takane’s flicks to the forehead! One more rewind loop for Takamine-san’s season finale. Here’s the glass slipper moment Koushi missed during Cinderella. The End.

Final Thoughts on Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san.

How much narrative excellence should we expect from an ecchi sit-com? Everything in Takamine-san served as a vehicle to deliver the title character in debauched nudity. The anime had slow-as-molasses emotional development for Koushi Shirota and Takane Takamine. Still, its well-developed characterization allowed space and time for ecchi comedy, such as comedic dialogue and sexy fanservice. However, the show struggled to fill the half-hour time, often relying on the Eterna Virgin Road sequence.

Streaming ecchi anime in today’s media environment is usually an exercise in frustration because “uncensored anime” means different things in Japan and America. Crunchyroll delayed streaming episodes several times during the season to hide Takane’s puffy vulva. As if we can’t handle looking at the implied cleft of a hairless crotch. At least the Sony-owned streaming service has embraced the free-the-nipple movement.

Would You Repeat or Fast-Forward?

Should you watch Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san? I’ve complained about Koushi’s lack of self-confidence during this season. The show slowly built up his self-esteem for the pivotal moment during Ouji’s plot twist. But we never saw an explanation for Koushi’s character flaw when we saw him as a healthy, happy boy in flashbacks with Ellie and Takane. The mystery of why he doesn’t remember Takane as the owner of the kitten they rescued together will find resolution in another place. Takamine-san is a relaxing ecchi comedy if you don’t mind watching a dull teenager squirm in sweaty, contrived situations. Takane’s body and torpedo tits are worth the secondhand anxiety.

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san (Please Put Them On, Takamine-san) streams the “least-censored web version” on Crunchyroll in English audio and subtitles in multiple languages. These recaps and reviews featured the most “cultured” broadcast version. J-List also carries the Blu-ray volumes as they become available.

No nudity in the last episode! Why? Did that disappoint you guys? Takane could have removed her bra instead of her panties in the final classroom scene. Other than that missed opportunity, did you enjoy Takamine-san? Tell us about your favorite parts in the comments below!

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