Gimai Seikatsu • Days with My Stepsister – Episode 2 discussion

[Our girl almost got isekaied but our boy saved her!!!](https://imgur.com/SjBEsB5)

And why is that?

Huh, I wonder why she wants people to have that impression of her.

Yeah I wonder who that could be.

Swing and a miss.

Why’d she go to his room?

If you want to become perfect maybe start by dispelling that rumour about you first.

Is she going to actually move out? Or is this just a start?

He’s helping family.

Yep, there it is.

Why does it look like the tips of the front of her hair are red?

Tea doesn’t get made that fast.

Oh I’m sure about that, there’s a whole show about it this season.

And so back to dinner with her.

All that and that’s all she’s interested in?

Uh oh, she’s got earphones in!

And so nothing came of that.

Almost making one of your characters get Isekai’d in 2 episodes is wild especially when there was no flag or anything. Really does help hammer Saki’s development seeing how she’s much more opened afterwards.

i was just thinking that the line she dropped at the dinner table was pretty dark and ominous, then she goes and almost dies the next day..

And next week could be fun, seems this Maaya might have an important role to play in this story so having her interact with the both of them should be interesting

First morning with my step-sister! It’s pretty surreal waking up and seeing some new person in your home, let alone a cutie like Saki, even if she’s gone as soon as you see her.

I’m used to best friend characters in romances telling the MC they don’t have a chance with the female lead, but in Maru’s case it’s less because of Yuta’s lack of attractiveness and more because of the rumors about Saki. Which, yeah, knowing the way she looks and dresses, no surprise there’s unsavory rumors about her, particularly of prostituting herself for money. Though knowing they live together now Yuta can’t really ignore her.

I’m glad Saki at least has a friend in Maaya, and her bubbly and colorful personality contrasts well with Saki’s cool and stoic nature. And it turns out not only do she and Yuta share a tennis elective, but they went into it for the same reason…they’re not really the team player type and prefer to rely on themselves rather than anyone else (and vice-versa). Something to bond over.

Akiko earning step-mom points by getting dinner ready! And Yuta earning step-son points by being considerate towards her! I actually feel kind of bad I thought she was some kind of bar hostess instead of the bartender…but now I want to see her mixing drinks!

Saki needs a job, no, not THAT kind of job…though Yuta definitely thinks that was the case. Classic step-sibling/romance miscommunication.

Why does Saki dress the way she does? As armor in a world that constantly judges women for their appearance and education level or even by their relationships, just like they unfairly judged her mom for her profession and never going to college. She wants to prove them all wrong by succeeding and living on her own terms, even if it means never relying on anyone.

First comes trying to get her a job, then comes her cooking for him, then comes marriage…

I’d become bookstore senpai’s sugar daddy if she let me…but she also probably has a point that sometimes you need to rely on others, particularly family. Though that’s not easy for Saki to accept, especially when it’s harder for her that Yuta and his dad are so kind.

But just when she’s about to get Truck-kun’d…Yuta is there to show he cares. And give her an umbrella. They’re not at the point where they can share an umbrella, but Saki bringing Maaya to the apartment and letting her know the situation with Yuta is probably a big step for her.

So when she said, ‘this would be easier if you guys were assholes/not dependable’, she is referring to her own desires (to become independent)

IE:

Its alot harder to be completely independent when you have good family or friends you can lean on (a backup)

Vs

If your family are a bunch of assholes, you have a good reason to get a job and move out asap (no backup)

At least thats my take on it.

What I like about this anime is how it makes you reflect on our lifestyles. Both Yuuta and Saki want to be self-reliant and independent of each other and everyone else.

They went to so far as to even make agreements to stay out of each other’s business and make deals to help each other better pursue their goals: Yuuta helps Saki find a job to repay the ‘debt’ of having gotten good food and Saki makes breakfast for Yuuta because she wants to not feel indebted on him due to the job search.

Both find it very important to not be indebted to anybody else or be a burden, yet ironically this leads to them relying and depending on each other more and more. This slowly erodes that distance they promised to keep from each other.

In other words, they determined attempts at keeping distance and not rely upon each other leads to them doing things that brings them closer and depend more on each other. It is really sweet and shows how no matter how much we wish to be self-reliant and independent, you still need to rely upon other people to actually achieve that.

It makes me think that they might as well just ditch the idea of being independent and just get married to each other already! They are a really good match! But first they need to learn that it is okay to depend on other people, that it doesn’t make you a burden, but rather it makes both their lives easier!

Question:

I see this trope a lot in anime, the new step-siblings hide their family relationship at school. Is it actually that common in Japan or is it just a story tool for tension?

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