Rikei ga Koi, Episode 3: Science Tries Planning a Date

Kotonoha suggests Ayame and Shinya collect better data by going on an actual date.

Proof 3 – “Science-types Fell in Love, So They Try Planning a Date.”

Hmm.

Rikei ga Koi introduced the last of the students in the research lab, Kosuke Inukai, this week, and he is going to be a great character for anime fans. He’s our otaku touchstone and he’s going to be Ena-senpai’s most used comedy foil. Their interactions let slip a detail about their history that foreshadows another probable love connection to compare what’s going on with Ayame and Shinya — they are childhood friends. Since we saw that Ayame and Shinya had met already as children, there’s already a similarity between the two couples.

This invokes in Rikei ga Koi the love story theme of fated loves. Shinya and Ayame tripped that flag because they met in childhood. In fact, it was Shinya who inspired Ayame to be more confident and to consider how her appearance affects her presence and authority. Thank you very much, young Shinya! Without his advice during that fated meeting, Ayame wouldn’t be the miniskirt wearing, statuesque beauty we see now.

Likewise, Ena and Kosuke are childhood friends, which is another kind of fated love. This isn’t a harem romcom, so the childhood friend rules of always losing in love don’t apply. I’ll be paying attention to the inevitable side plot between those two as the Rikei ga Koi season progresses. Now, we need to see Kotonoha have her chance at fated love. All the flashbacks to her math teacher can’t be just to contrast her normality compared to the socially awkward math geeks in her lab. I want to believe it!

Heh.

Ayame and Shina say, “let’s summarize current research results,” but I hear them say, “how are we doing as a couple?”

Ah. There’s the blonde dude from the Rikei ga Koi opening and closing credits. He dresses like a player, but I’m waiting for the twist that dashes expectations. His name is Kosuke Injukai. I sense many dog jokes happening in the future. Hee. Make that soccer player instead of just player.

Uh oh. Kosuke says he lives on love, but it’s going to be about anime girls, isn’t it? The game developer stuff in his bio means dating sims, doesn’t it?!

Oh no. Ayame thinks she and Kosuke have something in common, but they don’t! Kosuke spent money on his “girlfriend.” How much has Ayame or Shinya spent on each other? There’s confirmation that Ayame sleeps naked and expects Shinya to do the same.

Hahaha! That flashback to Shinya’s birthday is too much. “You always say one thing too much.” It’s not like anyone else is going to give Shinya a birthday present… Too much!

Yeah! Ena called Kosuke out! His “Aika-chan” is from a video game! Ena knows Kosuke loves his tsundere characters but is she talking about herself too? Ha! Aika-chan looks almost exactly like Ena. Even the tights! I’m concerned that the blue-haired girl on the cover looks like Kotonoha…

Kosuke’s voice actor in Rikei ga Koi is playing with my head. Jun Fukushima also plays Kazuma from Konosuba, so he’s active in Isekai Quartet right now, but the way he’s acting here feels more like Naruko from Yowamushi Pedal. Sigh. I miss my cycling anime…

Shinya tells it like it is — otaku types are common in their department. Kotonoha continues to be the normie straight man in these comedic moments.

Now Shinya has gone too far with his exegesis on 2D 4 LIFE. Ayame isn’t sure she’s in love with him anymore. Take it back, Shinya! Take it all back! And, so he did! Kosuke is strange! Ayame’s love is pure! These are the moments that show how much Shinya wants Ayame’s love even if he can’t admit his feelings for her yet.

Aw. Flashback to bullied Ayame and how a stranger boy helped her gain confidence. Of course, it was Shinya, so the audience knows their love is fated, but Ayame doesn’t. I really wanted Shinya’s character to have remembered that scene and knew it was Ayame all along. He was harsh even back then. He called her “gloomy!”

Har. Shinya overheard the story and pronounced the boy an “unlovable brat.” Even Kotonoha knows Shinya was the boy Ayame met. Just get married, already! Kotonoha is all of us watching Rikei ga Koi. She commands them to go on a normal date!

I don’t get this reference in the eye-catch for Kotonoha, except that both 41 and 43 are prime numbers.

Kotonoha likes dramatic pointing. I don’t have a problem with this. Dude, Shinya. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you pick up your car keys. What is love? What is a date? Come on, man.

Kotonoha is always paired up with her math teacher in these flashbacks. That’s endearing. With all the shoujo-manga art styling, I have to believe Takahashi-sensei looks nothing like this ikemen. I can’t wait for Rikei ga Koi to show us stories from Kotonoha’s “dark past.”

Kosuke is the dating “expert” since he’s spent all that money on galge… Wow. Aika-chan really does look like Ena.

Oh man. Haha! Ena’s date example is pure BL! Ena is just as bad as Kosuke in her interests. Ayami-kun is the “top” in her fantasy. Ayame likes it!

Here we go. Planning an amusement park date, but they have to find the most efficient path to visit all the rides. This is Kotonoha’s thesis! The Traveling Salesman Problem is about finding a generalized equation to find the shortest distance between any number of points without revisiting any point. Because there is no “best” way to compute every possible route, avenues of research are about mathematically defining sets of answers and solving the shortest route from among those smaller sets. Yeah, this is why I went into physics instead of mathematics…

These two want to be more efficient so they can, according to Ayame, go to more date spots, and according to Shinya, conduct more experiments. In their minds, they said the exact same thing. Ena-senpai still has the best solution, though.

Here comes the hard part — making Shinya actually ask Ayame out on a date. It’s an important social ritual, Shinya! He did it! She said yes! It was so worth it. Next time, Rikei ga Koi tries going on a date.