Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Shuffle! Episode 16 – Quick Summary
In Shuffle! Episode 16, “Kikyou,” life has begun to return to normal, now that Primula has come home. Well, almost normal. There are subtle differences. Nerine, for example, struggles to come to terms with the loss of Lycoris. Asa was slow coming back to school, which caused Rin to become concerned. So much so that Sia could not help but notice how Rin fawned over Asa – and how much she seemed to enjoy it. Sia tried to tell herself she just wished for Rin to be happy, but was that true? Did Sia believe it? Did the Sia in the mirror believe it?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Shuffle! Episode 16
Nerine’s getting curious! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Things are subtly different now that Primula’s back. We’re seeing Sia seeming to take a more hands-off approach (literally) with Rin. That’s quite a contrast to episode 9, when it looked like Sia had already won. More on that in a minute.
Nerine probably has the best excuse for undergoing a change – she lost Lycoris, who had lived within her. No longer feeling the need to support Lycoris’ affections and tastes, Nerine wants to explore who she is in relation to the world. That includes Rin.
More generically, though, that includes something related but different.
Sia was talking about how her dad had chosen red “classic men’s underwear.” I was wondering what that meant. Was that like boxers versus briefs?
Turns out I wasn’t the only one. Nerine asked what that meant. When Itsuki Midoriba started to describe them, I expected him to get weird about it. But he didn’t. Instead, he surprised me by explaining it well, then getting self conscious when Nerine looked embarrassed. He apologized.
Nerine thought about it for a second, then said (03:28), “”But that is sort of interesting.”
Istuki was as shocked as I was!
Favorite Moment from Shuffle! Episode 16
Sia seemed uncharacteristically unsure of herself, or her relationship with Rin. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: We Saw a Sia vs Sia Match Coming
The show has given us a clear indication that there’s more than one Sia packed into the single body. I have a lot of questions – where’s two Sias come from? Is the more assertive Sia becoming dominant because Asa’s winning? But what about episode 9, where Sia was in the lead?
I think these questions are intentional. They’re the narrative giving us a mystery to either solve or to enjoy sitting back and watching get solved. There’s another question that feeds into my favorite moment, and it’s this: why did the dominant Sia, the less assertive version, suddenly falter when it comes to Rin?
Sia didn’t go up to Rin and Asa in the grocery store. What was up with that? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Is it really because she sees Asa taking the lead? That doesn’t seem like the Sia I thought I knew. I don’t think I’m alone, either. I think the more assertive Sia wants to know the same thing.
That’s clear from my favorite moment. Sia had seen Rin and Asa shopping for groceries. She could have walked up to say hey, and both Asa and Rin would likely have enjoyed seeing her. But she didn’t. She froze and let them walk away.
Delivery: Aggressive Sia Takes Control
The act was so uncharacteristic that the inner aggressive Sia finally spoke up through the mirror.
“I can’t believe you left there without even saying hi,” she snapped (19:10). “It’s unthinkable under normal circumstances.”
They argued, with the Sia in charge becoming more and more passive. This seemed to really piss off the aggressive Sia, who took herself to task for being so silly as to embrace “unrequited love.”
“If that’ll make Rin-kun truly happy,” meek Sia said (20:15).
That was enough for aggressive Sia. “Liar!” she said (20:19).
“It’s not a lie!”
“It is a lie. I’m the other Sia! I know what’s in your heart!”
Apparently, it’s hard for outside Sia to lie to inside Sia! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Whatever’s going on with Sia, she’s clearly (and literally) at odds with herself. The aggressive side of her assumed control, and by the end of the episode, we see her flashing her purple racy panties to Rin and forcing him to take her on a date. I hope we get some answers to the questions I asked above (and yes, since I’ve already seen the series several times, I know we do). But while I wait, I’m going to enjoy the back-and-forth between the two Sias.
I’m also curious how Asa is going to react to Sia stealing her grocery transportation!
What did you think of Asa and Rin flirting in front of everyone at lunch? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to share in the comments!
Shuffle! Episode 16: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
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
