Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we are apparently continuing our journey through a production of obvious goals and limited means, as we explore the second episode of Please Put Them On, Takamine-san. The show’s premiere laid out its priorities pretty clearly: we’re in for a moderately lewd ecchi with a side of master-slave dynamics, as our protagonist Shirota is forced to become the “closet” of school idol Takamine, supplying her with plentiful panties as ammunition for her stripping-powered time reversal ability.
Honestly, that premise is strained and strange enough to potentially fuel something pretty funny, but the show has so far demonstrated no interest in leaning into the preposterousness of its central device, nor in reflecting on how perpetually reversing any potential “mistakes” in life might actually be a self-defeating philosophy. Nonetheless, optimism is free, so I’m hoping episode two will offer something more than “look at this half-naked girl.” Onward!
Episode 2
“Let Me Redo It Until I’m Satisfied.” Again, the obvious thematic direction to take this premise is clear: Takamine learning that what we might consider “mistakes” or deviations from the “correct path” through life are actually vital experiences, humbling us, helping us grow, and often leading us towards unexpected yet ultimately fulfilling new directions in life. If you’re always comparing yourself to some theoretical scorecard of perfection, you’ll feel isolated and unfulfilled; with the ability to actually retry until you match that scorecard, you’ll be stuck in limbo, forever rehearsing to perform a version of yourself that isn’t actually authentic, and having to maintain that performance in all your personal interactions. It’s a fantastical variation on the general theme of coming to embrace your imperfections, and given this is an adolescent coming-of-age drama, that sort of message seems perfect for the show’s intended audience. All that said, we have yet to receive any indication the show is interested in interrogating its own thematic implications
We begin with an extended recap of the first episode, which at least affirms this production’s continued dedication to stretching its resources as thinly as possible. Long recaps, bank footage, frequent pans over still images, a tendency to avoid faces in order to lessen the need for lip flaps, overreliance on premade CG backdrops – Takamine’s certainly demonstrating the fundamentals of animating on a budget
I do like the playful use of strings and castanets as they make their agreement, lending the tone of a high-society dance to this panty pledge
Our lead Shirota is now having nightmares about being sent to horny jail, which seems pretty sensible given the attempted entrapment of the previous day, but which could also theoretically point towards his general repression regarding sexual matters – what Takamine describes as his “gentlemanly side” could as easily be described as simple adolescent anxiety about embracing his sexual urges
Meanwhile, Takamine is already sending him candid photos. It’s clear she’s loudly into him, which he will undoubtedly interpret as her just “teasing him” – a dynamic that has spurred will they-won’t they pairings and comedies of errors throughout history
Our OP reveals a young Shirota in the rain, petting a cat and then greeting someone off-screen. Presumably this is the precious memory he shared with Takamine that she subsequently erased
I like this colorful panty-adorned title card. Basically in favor of anything that has some silly, self-aware fun with the premise
The soundtrack in general is quite nice so far. This jazzy interplay of keys and horns as he walks to school creates a nice upbeat, playful atmosphere, as if the music is laughing at Shirota’s predicament
Takamine greets him outside and tells him to meet her in the student council room. The expected dynamic – her reveling in getting closer, him freaking out about whatever horrors await
“Don’t be so stiff. We’re partners, right?” It seems like this preposterous system might actually be the best way Takamine could think of to get closer to Shirota
Oh my god, this slow pan back from Takamine is so ridiculous. They’re trying to use pans to create a sense of motion in spite of the total lack of animation, but with this pan, her dynamic yet still pose being held for so long only emphasizes her paralysis
Clearly getting into a bit of an exhibitionism fantasy here too, with Takamine demanding he re-panty her even mid-class
“Please stop joking around!” As expected, her provocations are interpreted as torture rather than flirtation. Not only is this convenient for prolonging the drama and facilitating sexually charged situations, it also amplifies the audience-insert fantasy represented by Shirota: the hottest girl in school is head-over-heels for him because he’s a “nice guy,” and he never has to pursue the relationship in any way. To those who feel anxious actually approaching people they’re attracted to, a fantasy where that’s unnecessary obviously offers some comfort. In contrast, if Shirota were as confident in sexual matters as Takamine, he would be unrelatable to this show’s intended audience
“This is uncomfortable for me too, but I told myself maybe it’s okay if it’s you.” It’s a delicate tightrope act – the heroine must simultaneously be chaste and sexually available, nonthreatening yet horny, with all of this energy directed specifically towards the protagonist
This situation also facilitates another fantasy, one that’s frankly more true of romance in general: “only I know your faults.” It’s a sort of shortcut to the unvarnished intimacy one treasures with their partner
Takamine’s plan is already succeeding on one metric: it’s forcing Shirota to constantly acknowledge her presence
In spite of a perfect recital, she demands a redo, saying “it might have been perfect, but it wasn’t the best.” An incredibly self-defeating attitude
The Bank Footage Butterfly arrives to save us another minute of new animation
Oh hey, we actually got a nice fantasy sequence as the class is transported by her second try at the recitation. Solid color design for this moonlit reverie
“She adjusted her timing to match the wind?” The person she is attempting to represent herself as is an impossible fantasy; it is a prison, narrowing her course of action in every possible circumstance. There’s potentially some thematic meat to dig into there, regarding how our ideal self-image can be a self-defeating albatross
“Why are you looking at me so triumphantly?” Takamine is getting something else out of this – the satisfaction of having someone else appreciate how much work she’s doing, how good she is at polishing her own performances
Takamine conceives the fool-proof plan of having Shirota pretend to pick up his eraser while he’s actually putting her panties on. Really, it seems like these panty re-application schemes are far more likely to cause trouble for the both of them, and she can’t actually use her power until the panties are back on, so… nope, again, foolish of me to consider the practical implications of this premise more deeply than its own creator
More fun musical cues as Shirota begins his panty march, with a sultry saxophone (the horniest of the instruments) accompanying his musings. And oh my god, the perspective of this shot – Takamine’s legs must be ten times her torso’s length
And of course, Takamine’s getting the secondary benefit of teaching Shirota to be more comfortable being intimate with her
Inspired by Takamine’s “only you” speech, Shirota resolves to put on Takamine’s panties even more enthusiastically
“Why did you get up and save me?” After class, Takamine once again urges Shirota to express his actual feelings. This is quite the method for getting a boy to admit he likes you
“There you go again, making fun of me.” Even the most direct of proposals must be deflected, or else we just don’t have a show
And Done
Well, that sure was more Takamine-san! It actually looks like we’re focusing more on the will they-won’t they romance aspect than the ecchi stuff, as this episode was mostly about clarifying the conversational dynamic and comfort levels of our two leads. All of that was nonetheless pretty standard stuff, with the force of Takamine’s obvious infatuation only being held back by the enormity of Shirota’s obliviousness. If the show wants to go in a romantic direction, it’ll have to give these two some actual chemistry, some reason to care about and enjoy each other’s company beyond their mere proximity to each other. Barring that, this episode earns the “your play sure had great costuming” non-review of “I did like the soundtrack!”
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