Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Shuffle! Episode 04 – Quick Summary
In Shuffle! Episode 4, “Egg Omelet of Happiness,” Nerine overheard some jealous young men bad-mouthing Rin. She did what any young woman in love would do: she called down lighting from the sky and fried them. Then she blew up the gym. But, despite that astonishing power, Nerine had a secret. A secret she wanted to keep from Rin. And only Asa would help her with it. What was this secret? Did it involve blowing up other buildings? And will Rin ever experience a walk outside without being attack by some fan club or another?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Shuffle! Episode 04
One should not make Nerine angry. She packs a punch! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
We know that Rin encounters challenges every time he walks outside with any of the women-folk in his circle. It’s getting to be a running joke. Running jokes are quite a bit of fun, unless they go stale. Shuffle!’s too well-written to let that happen!
Rin and Nerine were taking out the trash after school. As an aside, I think it’s an interesting idea to have students clean their own classrooms. I think it instills a sense of responsibility. Not only that, but if you have to clean it up, I think you’re less likely to make a mess! But I digress.
The two chatted until they came upon two jealous young men. The two said some rather unkind things about Rin. Rin, of course, could not possibly have cared less. I mean, think about it: he hangs around some awesome folks, so why would the opinion of two random kids matter?
It mattered to Nerine. Lighting gathering around her, she said no way she would accept them talking like that about “Rin-sama.” Then she zapped them. But she wasn’t done. They asked if she was trying to kill them, and she told them to relax. No way would she let them suffer in a hospital.
“You have a duty to remain silent for all eternity!” she proclaimed (04:21), giving the impression that she was going to turn them to literal ash.
Fortunately, she channeled her rage into the gym. I’ll talk about that in my favorite moment.
Favorite Moment from Shuffle! Episode 04
Eustoma and Forbesii saw things differently than Nadeshiko did. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Primula and Social Norms
Did you notice, around 10:43, as our main characters were eating lunch on the school rooftop, you could see the wrecked gym in the background? Details like that make me smile.
Before I get to my favorite moment, I want to think out loud about something in this episode. Specifically, Nerine’s desire to be a good cook for Rin. She wanted to make him happy, which is a good thing, right?
For the record: I agree her wanting to see the man she loved smile is a wholesome thing. But there was an attitude in this episode that made me think. Rin found Kaede teaching Primula how to cook. At first, Rin seemed surprised. Then he said (14:01), ”I guess Primula is a girl, after all.”
Gender roles have been on my mind a lot recently. There’s nothing wrong with Rin saying something that reflect his culture. The eroge version of Shuffle! came out in 2004. Were hard-and-fast gender roles a thing then? Should they be?
I’m sure Primula’s holding the knife that way because she’s still learning. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
My reason for bringing them up is that I want to make a point. I don’t want to criticize Rin for saying cooking was a woman’s job. I don’t want to bemoan Kaede accepting that role. If they’re all cool with it, then I neither have, nor want to have, anything to say about it.
My point is this: it should be an individual choice. You know – an artifact of freedom. I have a sense that’s kinda under attack right now, at least in the USA. A woman’s role should be whatever that individual woman wants to take on – regardless of what anyone else thinks. Isn’t that something freedom should cover?
Or does freedom mean something else now? How long have we been at war with Eastasia?
Delivery: It’s a Dad Thing
On to my favorite moment. The dads in this series crack me up. Forbesii, Nerine’s father, seems more laid back, while Eustoma, Sia’s dad, is more over-the-top. But we got to see a similarly bombastic moment from Forbesii.
Nerine had just wrecked the gym. That, on the surface, seems like a bad thing. Nadeshiko Benibara called Nerine and Rin to the office, and Forbesii showed up to support his daughter. Of course, Nadeshiko was furious about the damage. But Forbesii had a reaction she didn’t expect.
He told his daughter she’d done nothing wrong. “In fact,” he said (04:57), “I’m delighted beyond words that you were able to control your magic.”
Of course, Nadeshiko did not appreciate that cavalier attitude. But things got worse for her when Eustoma showed up and received a quick overview of what Nerine had done from Forbesii.
Eustoma said (05:20), “Oh-ho! In that case, they can’t complain if they got blasted all the way to the River Styx.”
Nadeshiko had rather less tolerance for pyrotechnics on school grounds. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
What I enjoyed most about this scene was how the two wildly different perspectives played out. From Forbesii and Eustoma’s perspectives, this was a minor thing, easily fixed, that was utterly understandable given Nerine’s feelings for Rin. From Nadeshikko’s perspective, it was a near-disaster that nearly cost two students their lives! That, and it was fun to see the two dad joking around. I could see myself feeling the same way, had Nerine been my daughter.
I wonder if I would have felt differently about this scene before I had a daughter?
What did you think of Asa teaching Nerine to cook? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Shuffle! Episode 04: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- My Anime List (must be logged in): Shuffle! Episode 4 Discussion
- Random Curiosity: SHUFFLE! – 04
- Umai Yomu Anime Blog: Shuffle! (Episode 4) – Friendly Picnic
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Shuffle! Episode 01: The Man Who Could Become a God or a Demon!
- Shuffle! Episode 02: I Wanted to See You!
- Shuffle! Episode 03: Do You Remember?
- Shuffle! Episode 04: Egg Omelet of Happiness
- Shuffle! Episode 05: Where I Belong
- Shuffle! Episode 06: Smile!
- Shuffle! Episode 07: Romantic Scramble
- Shuffle! Episode 08: Panty Date
- Shuffle! Episode 09: Survival Swimming at the Beach
- Shuffle! Episode 10: Moonlit Confession
- Shuffle! Episode 11: Girls of Summer
- Shuffle! Episode 12: Frozen Summer
- Shuffle! Episode 13: House of Twilight
- Shuffle! Episode 14: Lycoris
- Shuffle! Episode 15: What Was Regained
- Shuffle! Episode 16: Kikyou
- Shuffle! Episode 17: Honest Feelings
- Shuffle! Episode 18: The One Rin Loves
- Shuffle! Episode 19: Unforgettable Sentiments
- Shuffle! Episode 20: Indelible Sin
- Shuffle! Episode 21: Where Feelings Go
- Shuffle! Episode 22: Towards a New Tomorrow
- Shuffle! Episode 23: The True Revealed
