Highlights
- The sixth episode of Girlfriend, Girlfriend delves into Milika's desperation and stubbornness in her pursuit of Naoya, showcasing her willingness to go to extreme lengths to spend time with him.
- Milika's true character and her perseverance are revealed as she refuses to give up on Naoya, even if it means subjecting her own sister to drugs, showing her determination to make him fall for her.
- Naoya agrees to give Milika a chance and sets a deadline for her to make him fall for her, raising the stakes for his relationships with his two girlfriends and generating fresh tension in the series. However, the episode's humor and treatment of Milika's actions might be questionable.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Girlfriend, Girlfriend Season 2, Episode 6, "The Girlfriends' Resignations", now streaming on Crunchyroll.
In the sixth episode of season 2 of Girlfriend, Girlfriend, things pick up from the last episode's concerning state of affairs and end up becoming one of the better episodes of the series overall, but not without its problems. With Milika's plan to get some alone time with Naoya driving her to heinous means, the episode starts off in an uncomfortable place but does a great job of exploring Milika's true character – revealing aspects that have caught Naoya's attention.
Understanding just how serious Milika is about him, Naoya decides to meet her halfway and give her a genuine chance to make him fall for her, driving up the stakes not just for his girlfriends, or just for Milika, but for Shino as well.
No Other Choice
Naoya awakens to find himself seated in a camp chair next to a fire. He asks why she knocked them out, and Milika explains that she realized the reason why he had been cold to her in their recent interactions: it's because he's starting to take notice of her. With Naoya noticing that he's starting to develop some kind of attraction to Milika, he created distance to deter her from pursuing him any further. She tries to prove this attraction through a moment of fan-service as she reveals a swimsuit under her clothes, proudly reveling in the fact that Naoya's avoidance of her began after their conversation at the hot springs in the latter stages of Girlfriend, Girlfriend season 1.
When Naoya questions whether it's really okay for her to be so excited that his interest was piqued by her body, Milika tells him that her body is a "crystallization of herself" because it is the result of her effort; thus, falling in love with her because of its influence is fully acceptable to her. However, it isn't actually the real reason for Naoya's coldness, as Milika stumbles upon the fact that it was the hot springs conversation with her that made Naoya notice her. She hurriedly puts her clothes back on, since it was hardly the time for a swimsuit, and the decision to have her do that in this scene is rather perplexing. That interaction at the hot springs was only five minutes of their lives, but it meant a lot to Milika.
Desperation
Milika's actions are evidently the result of desperation, a lack of respect for boundaries, but also a high level of stubbornness, as she refuses to be rejected by Naoya. Naoya quite sternly tells Milika that he has no intention of hurting his girlfriends, reiterating that he'll continue to reject her if she continues doing things like that. He asks her to promise that she'll give up on him, but instead, Naoya's straightforwardness prompts Milika to do yet another in a seemingly endless stream of crazy actions. She tethers herself to the other link in the handcuffs she used to restrain Naoya, telling him that she loves it when he's serious.
Milika is adamant on spending as much time as possible with Naoya, and to her, the end justifies the means, even if it's as insane as subjecting your own little sister to drugs. Another fan service moment as she hides the key to their freedom in her bosom, but Naoya is not in any mood to respect boundaries if it'll keep him away from Saki and Nagisa. He keeps trying to tell her to stop for her own good, but Milika tells him that she's always been ready for heartbreak, and has considered the possibility that her true love won't come true. Regardless of that, she is in love with him, even more so because of the ways that he vehemently resisted temptation and put his girlfriends first. It becomes clear what her defining factor is: perseverance.
At All Costs
Milika shows self-awareness when she notes that Naoya seems to think of her as a perverted girl, and when she recalls the early days of her streaming career, before she started using the sexualization she experiences to generate views. For Milika, it's something she thinks is shameful, but it would be even more shameful for her to give up without even trying something embarrassing. The way Milika acknowledges and approaches the difficulties of her situation, and refuses to give up until she is victorious shines through as she tells him that she'll never give up on him. As their exchange reaches a climax, Milika's phone alarm rings, and she takes note of the date and time: 00:01, August 1st – her birthday. Having spent a lot of time shooting videos, Milika located a special site where the starry sky is especially beautiful, and took him there so that they could stargaze for her birthday.
After hearing all the things she wants to do with him, Naoya grants Milika a chance: she can live with him and the others, take him on dates and the whole nine yards, but if she fails to make him fall for her by year's end – five months from then – then she is to give up on him completely. He will take her pursuit of him seriously, as part of an effort to show Saki and Nagisa how serious he is about them. Having hashed it out, Naoya is now able to sit and enjoy Milika's cooking, and wholly participate in his interactions with her. He returns to explain the situation to his girlfriends who have already surmised that Milika's pursuit is finally having an effect.
Yes and No
When Naoya tells them about the new situation between him and Milika, Saki gets violent, and the comedic choices in this scene are reflective of the same problem that has plagued the humour in this and previous episodes of Girlfriend, Girlfriend – it undercuts the serious plot-related work being done for the sake of crude humour, which isn't new for this show but has been executed far better in the past. After Naoya fully explains the stakes for both himself and Milika, the others become aware of Milika's resolve and even seem to respect it, but of all the ones emotionally afflicted by Milika's actions and Naoya's choices, Shino is by far the most bothered. The wacky events lasted until morning, and the entire group had a relaxing day at the river, before leaving at sunset.
Everyone but Shino is exhausted and napping on the train back from the camping trip, as she mulls over the Milika situation. She's been questioning if Saki is truly serious about Naoya, but this time, it's clear that her endurance is wearing thin as she wonders if she's more in love with him than Saki is. With interesting developments in the Mukai household and the formal acknowledgment of Milika as a potential romantic interest for Naoya, this episode of Girlfriend, Girlfriend also raises the stakes for Shino's state of limbo concerning her feelings for Naoya, and generates fresh vigour for the next part of the series; however, the episode also suffered from the series' characteristic fear of allowing the emotional aspects to be as serious as they need to be at times, and Milika's choices are treated with a frivolity that should genuinely be questioned.