sigh

I really like this manga, but might have to drop this show. They have made the MC so painfully awkward and embarrassed compared to how he is in the source. That wiping scene was rough to get through for me. Let's compare...

In the anime, we see repeated, zoomed-in shots of the MC as he stammers out the question about if he can wipe off Mina's body, sweat (or maybe rain?) dripping down his face as he struggles to get the words out. We also have some other directorial choices including panning shots across Mina's body and even speed lines on Takuma's face as he struggles to speak.

Compare all that to the manga. We see Takuma blushing, but he doesn't stumble over his words, he simply asks Mina directly:

Having a beloved manga or LN receive an anime adaptation can definitely be a double-edged sword. Sometimes you end up with greatness; a work that meets or even exceeds the source material it is adapting. Other times, you end up with something that...doesn't.

Last time I was a bit worried that they were going to keep it pretty ambiguous if Mina is genuinely feeling things or if she's just following some bit of programming that tells her to make Takuma happy, and it definitely seems like the show is making it clear that their feelings are mutual, which is good. Unfortunately, I am just not finding the story terribly interesting, so I think this is where I depart.