Clara For The Win
It’s a very rare thing when the goof-ball comic-relief character is one I actually like, rather than simply tolerate in a show. Rarer still when I acknowledge that the comic-relief character is a necessity to the overall enjoyment of an anime. Yet Clara manages admirably to make her presence a necessity to Mairimashita! Iruma-Kun as the over the top tone of the anime falls pretty flat when she’s sidelined. Not to mention, she brings out the best in the other characters. Actually, let’s be honest, she’s just fun.
Asmodeus may have been Iruma’s first follower, and is a fairly solid necessity as Iruma needs a friend to talk to and discuss things like subject choices with, but by himself he’s a pretty ordinary character. It is only when you pair him with Clara, and essentially make him responsible for keeping her craziness under-control, something he took upon himself to ‘help’ Iruma, that you get to see him at his finest. The dynamic between the two really sells the early phase of this episode.
Though nothing is going to beat meeting the Clara-clan and listening to them sing about kisses. Sorry, that cracked me up and that doesn’t happen all that often.
However, the episode does have a slightly more serious side with Clara taking seduction lessons and making the decision to ‘win’ Iruma’s attention back from the student council president. She’s kind of miss-reading the whole situation there, but her attempts at seduction are pretty laughable even if they have fairly predictable results and Iruma’s nice-guy attitude means the conclusion is more or less inevitable. That said, you have to give credit to the teacher for one of the best reaction shots in an episode full of over the top reactions.
As for Iruma, he also makes an important decision this episode. It will be interesting to see what happens next as it feels like episode 8 breathed some much needed energy back into the mix.
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Karandi James
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Images from: Mairimashita! Iruma-kun. Dir. M Moriwaki. Bandai Namco Pictures. 2019.
Clara is awesome, and it’s not only the energy. I mean she just shot down an entire comedy staple when offered a love potion with a simple “I don’t need that.” That’s the thing here: she’s the wackiest, most over the top character, but at the same time she also feels like the most grounded character in the show (well, Opera is hard to read). That’s… a rare combo in a character. (Well, she seems to have a pretty great support structure at home [that song!].)
She is a very interesting character and a type I don’t normally find interesting or appealing and yet I love Clara. They’ve really balanced her nicely and she’s a lot of fun.
I have to agree – Clara is probably my fave character in this show too.
She really brings energy to an episode.
I just think she’s funny! I actually laughed out loud when she showed up in the last episode with that pig mask! 😀