On Quintessential Quintuplets (Season 1), A Review Based On Waifus
WAIFU RANKINGS:
1.Ichika
Contrary to popular belief, I believe Ichika well-deserves her first place ranking due to being one of the more complexly written characters compared to the rest of the quintuplets. Our first impressions of her are not admirable at all, coming off as a lazy and undeserving slob with her room being unkempt, often appearing fatigued, and being openly careless to the pursuit of academic success.
In Five Fifths, however, she is arguably the exact opposite, following her dreams and working to pursue a career in acting, all the while keeping things under wraps to later
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surprise her sisters. It provides a valid explanation for her fatigue, disorganization, and lack of commitment. It completely reverses the pitiful image we’ve built up for her and paints her as a more admirable person. She’s fatigued from balancing school and work, she’s disorganized possibly because she doesn’t have enough time for that, she doesn’t lack commitment her commitments are just elsewhere. And in addition to all that, her intentions to surprise expose another side to her, loving her sisters so much as to desire giving them something to celebrate, that is, to incite joy from her successes.
This episode is also where Ichika is forced to open up to him and explain her career-related disappearance from the fireworks festival. His compliance in the act and assistance, even going as far as to compensate for it afterwards, allows her to grow more appreciative of him, leading to the development of their relationship.
In later episodes, most significantly in What’s Been Built Up, we see her sacrifice focus on acting to assist Uesugi during his tutoring periods. She does it in a clever way too, not necessarily directly, but assessing situations to point Uesugi in the right direction. Sometimes, she is direct and pulls him aside to give advice based on what she’s observed about his emotions and her sisters, as displayed in both this episode and in Legend Of Fate Day 2. These moments culminate to add to her admirable image, hinting at her wisdom and intelligence as the eldest sister.
Unfortunately, this romance isn’t known for being well written and that shows in how her attraction to Uesugi doesn’t really build up. It’s hinted at a couple times but she isn’t really involved all too much again until during the Legend Of Fate arc.
In fact, it was Legend Of Fate Day 1 that got the ball rolling again. It’s when her attraction toward Uesugi really started to express itself as shown when she became enamored by sleeping next to him. It’s the point where, in my opinion, she began to, “notice… (her) own feelings”.
The catalyst for this was, of course, the problem of the campfire dance and how she dealt with it. It not only reinforced her attractiveness but also reinforced why she’d be the ideal partner. In spite of her own romantic interests, she decides to sacrifice her opportunity to dance for the sake of her sister, Miku, who is also evidently attracted to him. She even, unexpectedly, begins to tear up when Uesugi suggests breaking off the dance himself, indicating how much she truly cared for him as well as how weighty this sacrifice was for her. During an unofficial campfire session, when they are accidentally locked up in Legend Of Fate Day 3, she takes the opportunity to dance with Uesugi in private, but again, calls it off after learning about the ‘legend of fate’. She makes this voluntary sacrifice for Miku once again, even though they could’ve just kept it a secret, expressing her willingness to go the extra mile for those she cares about. It’s these traits of high commitment and humility that I believe are extremely important in a relationship and ultimately prove Ichika to be the ideal partner.
Over the season, I believe Ichika has been one of the most well-written and nuanced characters, encouraging me to appreciate her entire development from start to finish. She’s also been the most attractive of the quintuplets with her passion for acting, playfully fun nature, words of wisdom, and emotional intelligence. The final arc solidified this by emphasizing her sacrificial love, showing off her viability as a partner. Thus, she overshadows the rest of the quintuplets as best girl. However, as some suggest, season two proves a high threat to this ranking.
2. Miku
Miku defines the action of “falling off”. She initially began as best girl, but as the season progressed, her character had less moments to really engage the viewer and eventually left me disappointed in the end.
In the first episode, The Quintessential Quintuplets, she’s introduced as the archetypal Dandere: quiet, closed off, and lacking much emotional expression. In the following episode, Rooftop Confession, this is further elaborated on by exploring her historical interest and sense of inferiority. Struggling with insecurities and holding niche interests myself, I was captured by how these traits were a partial reflection of my own character, and so accordingly, I found no difficulty in connecting with her.
Her highly docile attitude and receptiveness to Uesugi’s teachings, also added a layer of attractiveness as it revealed her ability to appreciate things, a trait you’d expect from most yet which I believe is lacking in today’s contemporary society. What makes this trait more attractive is how it contrasts the hostile aversion of the others toward Uesugi’s tutoring, likening her to an angel. In fact, she’s the first to be caught voluntarily studying for the mid-term exams in What’s Been Built Up.
From the moment Miku and Uesugi’s relationship began, Miku was nothing but kind and willing to learn. At times she would even give him some advice on her sisters, lending a helping hand when things got rough before and during the fireworks festival arc. She doesn’t make a big deal out of things she may be offended either, such as when Uesugi declines her claim that they’re friends in A Day Off, where she ends up only laughing it off.
The biggest problem that I have with Miku is that she doesn’t really develop well as a character beyond her initial introduction. She’s consistent in her kindness but kindness alone is not enough to warrant attraction. She’s a bit nerdy, but that aspect is slowly forgotten as the series progresses, she’s insecure but that’s a character weakness not a character strength. One could say she developed in how she began questioning her feelings toward Uesugi, discovering what love is for the first time. It’s adorable and relatable, but it again, it expresses her weakness of naivety, which is not romantically enticing.
In short, I appreciate Miku’s character, but ultimately it was her writing that made her fall short.
Her headphones are actually a good metaphor for this, it’s always there but we never really get to know why it’s always there. The same could be said about her traits. They’re there, but we don’t really get to know why they’re there, one of things that would’ve been extremely beneficial to getting to know her better.
3.Nino
I don’t believe season one was Nino’s time to shine, rather it appears that season one is only a set-up for her character, of which more is to be revealed.
She was introduced as more of a villain in this season than a romantic interest, being the most vehemently opposed to allowing Uesugi to tutor them and even plotting and scheming to kick him out. She even spikes his drink as soon as the first episode, The Quintessential Quintuplets, barely knowing anything about him at all. It’s the description of a psychopath; an absolute monster. Yet we soon learn that she isn’t just some jerk out to get Uesugi, but rather a confused and overly-cautious girl who would do anything to protect her sisters.
It’s the revelation of the third episode, A Mountain Of Problems, and it suggests an incredible sense of commitment towards those she cares about. She isn’t on the offense to hate, but rather to love, and the extent of her actions exposes how great that love is. It’s both an honorable and attractive pursuit, but one she fails to execute well, especially given she assaulted someone for it as aforementioned. However, it does hint at the idea that Nino only appears hard on the outside, but is secretly hiding a softer inner core. This is, of course, later confirmed.
Her antagonizing ways are abruptly stopped around episode seven, Liar McLieface, after noticing that Uesugi has been a positive force among the quintuplets rather than a threat to be dismantled. Instead of trying to kick him out in this episode, she actually deceives her father into allowing him to tutor when he’s faced with definite dismissal. It shows that she’s open to change and is willing to do so when she knows she’s wrong, increasing her attractiveness.
In Legend Of Fate Day 2 , Nino runs into Uesugi dressed in a blonde wig while lost in the forest. Here, she mistakes him for another person, which he confirms to avoid blackmail due to an earlier incident. In taking up the persona of Kintaro, Nino, who is infatuated by him, is exposed as a completely different person as we had initially seen her. All her hostility had disappeared and she’d even become a lot more vulnerable and cheery at times, humbling herself to receive help from him when lost and afraid. She was a more helpful person herself too, not hesitating to bandage a wound when she spotted it. She completely transformed when faced with someone she found non-threatening, confirming the theory of her softer core. However, as it is only really revealed in a single episode and briefly touched on later on, as much as this side of her is more romantically viable, it has not been developed enough for much consideration.
It is for this reason that I believe season one was a set up for Nino’s character and that there is still more to be explored about her before I could really give a valid ranking. Certainly, it does not discredit how interesting her character was and I believe her change in attitude was definitely one of the highlights of the series’ writing. I have confidence that she will become a lot more competitive in season two.
4.Itsuki
Itsuki was developing decently at first, but that outright stopped post Liar McLieface and picked up slightly during Legend Of Fate Day 2000.
She’s the first of the quintuplets we meet in The Quintessential Quintuplets, being defined mostly by her tough attitude. She’s comparable to Nino, not welcoming Uesugi as her tutor, yet allowing him to continue his services out of empathy after personally seeing his financial situation. Her nurturing attitude toward Raiha in this episode and in A Day Off, where we briefly see her visit the arcade with Uesugi upon her request, also adds to her character an aspect of motherly love which points to her being an ideal bride. Unfortunately, this aspect isn’t revisited later on.
Her tough attitude is explored more in What’s Been Built Up, where she gets into a conflict with Uesugi regarding her stubbornness to being tutored by him after he’s threatened with dismissal. After insulting her performance in a desperate attempt to convince her to listen to him, Itsuki becomes a lot less friendly and decides to study in isolation from the rest of the group. Later on, however, it is suggested by a shot of Itsuki sobbing over her notes that she’s really struggling to keep up, which perhaps lead her to believe Uesugi’s mean criticisms and doubt herself. It suggests that she knows that she’s in a terrible position academically, yet has set some high level of expectations for herself that she believes asking him for help would prevent her from achieving. Possibly being perceived as a threat to her independent success. It’s a common and relatable problem among students and workers alike, making her more relatable and complex as a character.
It’s what follows in Liar McLieface that is more important, however, as after learning about Uesugi’s side of things, she seeks to apologize to him for her actions and learn from them. As stated with Nino, it shows that she’s willing to accept her mistakes and move on, which she does in allowing him to tutor her once and for all. And after trying it once, she becomes more thankful of his efforts and a lot more supportive of his program.
After this, her character isn’t really involved in the season anymore, only having one more significant moment in Legend Of Fate Day 2000, where she reveals she’d taken the place of Ichika while she was sick to be sure he was a ‘good man’ for her. Of course, brushing aside how terrible the consequences of her impersonation could’ve been, she still didn’t really do much as Ichika when the possibilities were there.
By the end of the season she’s pretty much stripped of what made her unique in the first place, something Yotsuba still preserves. The tough-girl we once knew had turned into nothing but a nice girl and nothing more. To be fair, however, there is still season two, and I sure hope they don’t waste the character development of past episodes as they did here.
5. Yotsuba
I think the main detriment to Yotsuba’s character is her outstanding lack of character development throughout the entire season. For the most part, her contribution to the story can be chalked up to nothing more than comedic relief, such as in Liar McLieface, where she’s gullible to believe she scored perfectly in her mid-terms despite seeing her failing marks not too long ago.
If not laughing at her stupidity, Yotsuba is known for her childlike energy being the most energetic of the quintuplets regardless of the situation. It’s a double-edged sword that on one hand can be desirable in lightening the mood, yet on the other hand can make her appear too immature for consideration. Apart from this her character isn’t really fleshed out for a begrudging six episodes, as if she was nothing more than a side character.
It’s only really in The Photo That Started It All where we really get to learn more about Yotsuba. Specifically, there are two moments of note. One where she’s alone with Uesugi, and one when she’s offered a spot on the Basketball team. When she’s alone with Uesugi, she opens up about her concerns of not developing as much as her sisters, which although Uesugi disagrees with, I support completely. This self-awareness and concern hint at a sense of maturity hidden beneath her childish outer-shell, which I’d like to see more of. However, the moment isn’t expanded on further and remains as only a couple lines of dialogue. When she’s offered a spot on the Basketball team, unaware of Uesugi’s presence, she respectfully declines and explains that she already has a program to attend to after school (his tutoring program). She sacrifices an opportunity at being a valued athlete for Uesugi, reminiscent to a smaller degree of Ichika’s sacrifices. Again, though this aspect of her isn’t really expanded on that much, disappointing me in the end.
You could say in the Legend Of Fate arc that they tried to develop her character more such as in Legend Of Fate Day 2, where she tells Uesugi she desires they don’t leave camp without any regrets, a desire she expresses throughout the arc. Yet still, it falls flat on its face as her involvement is quite insignificant compared to the rest of the quintuplets.
Unless the writers do something about this in season two, Yotsuba undoubtedly will remain in fifth place. However, they’ve already done quite a good job at encouraging me to not expect much from her at all.
Extra Notes:
I think that the Legend Of Fate arc probably ended off the series well having the most excitingly engaging moments of the entire series. It wraps things up well and leaves us yearning for and expecting good things from season two. Uesugi, however, remains as a terribly developed main character, consisting of nothing but being a study freak and a nice guy and literally nothing else. On an unrelated note, it was nice to see how the entire series was structured. An entertaining show that slowly built itself to be more engaging.
As of the 16th of January, 2023, I finished this show with a ranking of 6/10 but don’t really recommend it to those looking for quality anime.
Jan 16, 2023
5-toubun no Hanayome
(Anime)
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On Quintessential Quintuplets (Season 1), A Review Based On Waifus
WAIFU RANKINGS: 1.Ichika Contrary to popular belief, I believe Ichika well-deserves her first place ranking due to being one of the more complexly written characters compared to the rest of the quintuplets. Our first impressions of her are not admirable at all, coming off as a lazy and undeserving slob with her room being unkempt, often appearing fatigued, and being openly careless to the pursuit of academic success. In Five Fifths, however, she is arguably the exact opposite, following her dreams and working to pursue a career in acting, all the while keeping things under wraps to later ... |
