Highlights
- Major plot developments and an unexpected alliance form between Milika and Shino in Girlfriend, Girlfriend Season 2, Episode 8.
- Shino's resolve to suppress her feelings for Naoya crumbles with Milika's arrival, leading to an interesting setup for future episodes.
- Chaos ensues when the group plans a beach trip, and suspicions about Shino's feelings for Naoya are confirmed, leading to a blackmail-based alliance with Milika.
The following contains spoilers for Girlfriend, Girlfriend, Season 2, Episode 8, "Unyielding Feelings", available on Crunchyroll.
In the eighth episode of season 2 of Girlfriend, Girlfriend, there are major plot developments and the formation of a significant combination of unlikely allies in Milika and Shino, who have been positioned as kindred spirits over the course of the past few episodes. With Milika moved in, Shino is in a more precarious situation regarding her feelings for Naoya, particularly as he continues to develop some kind of attraction to Milika.
The resolve Shino has had for several years to stifle the feelings she has for Naoya has crumbled in the face of yet another girl successfully gaining his attention while being in a relationship with Saki, and after this episode, Milika's presence has finally catalyzed Shino's own pursuit of Naoya, making this an interesting set-up for episodes to come.
Doki-Doki Girlfriend Club
Chaos ensues in the very beginning of the episode after Milika hangs up a piece of underwear after doing her laundry. Hung up on whether Naoya finds something like that exciting, the girls wind up comparing Naoya's reactions to seeing their own bras, leading to a strange battle of arousal in which Naoya's heart rate was compared to his initial reading of 186 beats per minute, which was in reaction to Milika's. This bit takes a very long time and is a strange way to go about ranking the girls in order of Naoya's fondness for or attraction to them, but the idea is that Saki and Nagisa cause the biggest reactions in him, physiologically speaking, at least.
Just as Shino ponders if seeing her own underwear would garner any reaction at all, she trips and falls chest first into Naoya's face, honouring what has become an annoying facet of Shino's characterization: her position as the site of the majority of the fan service, and the "accidental pervert" trope that plagues her. The fall causes Naoya's heart rate to go up so fast it threatened Saki and Nagisa's joint-record of 220 beats per minute. To prevent that, Naoya punches himself in the gut, effectively killing what would have been seen as confirmation of his attraction to Shino. All that chaos was set up to reaffirm Shino's current state of mind, as she wonders if she might have a chance with Naoya if things carried on as they have been, which is, again, a questionable way to concretize some kind of hierarchy of Naoya's romantic interests.
Beach-Bound
Before the brassiere brouhaha that ensued in the beginning, Saki had the idea to visit the beach since they are in the middle of their summer break. When asked what beach, Saki initially proposes out-of-reach Hawaii, before settling for a trip to Okinawa that might just barely be possible with his current budget if they stayed only one night. Since Saki wants a longer trip, Naoya can't afford it, but Shino saves the day by calling up her parents to ask for permission to use their vacation villa in Okinawa for their trip.
Once their trip is confirmed, Saki asks the group what they'd all like to do at the beach, and they all discuss their desired activities. When Saki starts fantasizing about being alone with Naoya in the right mood at the beach, she confuses the group when she completes her vision with them barbecuing instead of sharing a passionate kiss in front of a beautiful sunset.
Once reminded, she boldly claims that she will kiss Naoya during their trip, but having heard this farce before, Shino is not so convinced. She accidentally lets slip a fragment of her true feelings when she tells Saki that she doesn't have to try so hard to move forward with Naoya, but Saki is not quite smart enough to sniff out the underlying frustration.
Nagisa and Milika also proclaim their intention to deepen their relationships with Naoya through a heartfelt kiss, and each time Saki gets any closer to unraveling Shino's hidden feelings, she is easily rebuffed by Shino's rejection of whatever claim to Naoya's affection she makes for her. That being said; however, one person in the house has been suspicious of Shino's intentions for a very long time.
Deadly Alliance
The next day, Naoya and the girls go shopping for their swimsuits, and while they're there, the girls ask Naoya to choose swimsuits for each of them, and he even chooses one for Shino, who struggles to choose between her own selection and Naoya's choice. When Milika notices that Shino chose the one Naoya picked out for her, her suspicions about Shino's feelings are essentially confirmed, bringing in the most interesting part of the episode. While Shino mulls over what excuse she'll make for going with Naoya's choice, Milika ambushes her with a simple question: "You like Naoya, don't you?" Shino's big mistake is desperately trying to deflect by making it about her choice in swimsuit; however, Milika tells her that she suspected something after Shino's night with Naoya in the previous episode.
Milika checkmates Shino by making a series of observations about that night and his behaviour on her own night together with her, coming to the conclusion that the only reason why Shino would act the way she has been is if she had feelings for Naoya. Once cornered, Shino has no choice but to admit her feelings to Milika, who uses her newfound knowledge to blackmail Shino into an alliance, bribing her with a promise of getting Shino some time alone with Naoya too. Shino agrees to cooperate, but she struggles with the contradiction of saying she's doing things for Saki's sake but also trying to steal her boyfriend away from her.
When Shino asks why Milika would be okay with granting her a chance to be with Naoya knowing that he might fall in love with her too, but Milika embarrassingly shuts down that thought by telling her she won't lose to someone who couldn't even come to terms with their own feelings. With the alliance complete, the Okinawa Conspiracy is set for the next episode of Girlfriend, Girlfriend.