Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3: Favorites

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Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3 – Quick Summary

In Engaged to the Unidentified episode 3, “I Can Feel the Love Comedy Waves,” Benio goes all out to lure Mashiro to the student council room. There’s no real dramatic tension there – as soon as Benio mentioned cookies, Mashrio’s resistance collapsed. But how long did Mashiro remain? Kobeni earned yet more of Hakuya’s when he tried to help her with shopping – during a timed sale. How many bandages did he need afterward? Finally, Kobeni did the unthinkable – she asked Benio for help. What topic drove Kobeni to such lengths? And what will she do with the answer?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3

For a second, Mashiro thought Hakuya was being supportive. But only for a second! Capture from the Blu Ray.

Hakuya doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s often worth hearing. Of course, he praises Kobeni’s every chance he gets. He also offered to go into a grocery store combat situation. Those timed sales are no joke! That store might not have the intensity of Ben-To, but it’s still no joke.

Hakuya is often supportive of his sister Mashiro, too. In this episode, he showed that while he’s willing to stand up for her, he’s not blind to who she is.

Benio insisted on telling Mashiro about her dream, and Mashiro did not want to hear it. We know this because she complained loudly. Hakuya picked her up and raised her hopes when he said (03:08), “Please don’t. Mashiro doesn’t like it.”

In the pause that followed, Mashiro was about to thank Hakuya for his help. Then he added, “Mashiro is selfish and used to running things at home, so she can’t handle being near someone she can’t control.”

So, the guy’s quiet, but he pays attention. I can support that!

Favorite Moment from Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3

Kobeni’s a kind person, but she’s not gentle on herself. Capture from the Blu Ray.

Setup: More Than a “Mere” Rom-Com

This isn’t just a rom-com. I don’t say it that way to demean rom-coms – I rated ToraDora a perfect 10 on MAL. I say it that way because rom-coms, as enjoyable as they are, seldom come with an engaging mystery. Engaged to the Unidentified as such a mystery.

It’s not a Sherlock Holmes-level thing. Consistent with the show’s tone, it’s a gentle mystery, tinged with a little melancholy. It fits the show perfectly! And in this episode, we learned something important: Hakuya saved Kobeni after a serious injury. Not only that, but however he did that, he, too, was injured, yet went for help.

Kobeni knew there would be a price to pay for asking Benio. Fortunately, she was used to it! Capture from the Blu Ray.

My favorite moment is when Kobeni found this out.

Her inability to remember Hakuya bothered her. It bothered her more when she realized that whatever happened was non-trivial. Else, why would Hakuya prevent Mashiro from telling her? So, Kobeni worked up her courage to go ask her sister.

That could not have been an easy choice! But no one’s more capable of enduring Benio that Kobeni. So she sat down next to her sister and asked. After a moment of teasing, Benio laid it out. 

Delivery: Kobeni is Hard on Herself

Kobeni tried hard to remember. She recalled a couple more details: how she and Hakuya used to play together, and herself rolling alarmingly down a steep incline. But nothing else.

We know enough about Kobeni that we knew this would hit her hard. I could see it going two ways: she would want to immediately go and apologize to Hakuya, or she would internalize it. 

Sitting beside her sister, Kobeni thought (21:46), “How could I not remember?”

Kobeni could remember some details. Capture from the Blu Ray.

Ah! So she’s taking the self-recrimination path! If there was any doubt, she added, “Doesn’t that make me… a horrible person?”

This is a gentle little rom-com about some pleasant, well-meaning folks. Because of that, this moment hit me harder than it might have otherwise. Kobeni was in real distress, sitting there, reflecting on something she could not remember – yet wanting to remember. I swear, I think there are some emotional beats that comedies are just better at delivering. 

What did you think of Nadeshiko Kashima continued efforts to keep Benio in check? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

• Reddit: [SPOILERS] Mikakunin de Shinkouhei: Episode 3
• The GlorioBlog: Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 1: It’s Important to Start Off on the Right Foot
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 2: It’s Not Bad Having a Loli Sister in Law
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3: I Can Feel the Love Comedy Waves
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 4: That’s Just Her Being a Pervert
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 5: This Woman Has Given Birth?
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 6: I Know! I’ll Fill It with a Sister-in-Law
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 7: That’s One Thing, This is Another
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 8: Only a Little Sister Can Soothe Sadness Over a Little Sister
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 9: How Humiliating, I’m So Embarrassed
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 10: I Looked Up the Term ‘Lovey-Dovey Phase’
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 11: Enjoying the Handkerchief
• Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 12: Do You Understand? I Understand