Also Read: Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Episode 7 Review
Guys, what the hell, so sorry, but I am going to start with a spoiler…. because what do you mean Sasaki started smoking because a girlfriend in college pressured him into it?! It’s so hilarious! Because you usually hear stories of girls pestering their boyfriends to quit nicotine. Obviously Yamada as Tayama gets this story out of him, and is very amused too. It’s these little things that keep ‘Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You’ fun.
Episode 8 opens with Yamada looking for the blue ashtray Sasaki had gifted her earlier. She’s genuinely upset about losing the thoughtful gift and keeps looking everywhere for it. It’s another nice little subplot showing just how much she treasures something given to her by the older man, and how fond she has grown of him.
Daigoro, the dog who made his appearance in the last episode of the anime, once again makes a cute cameo in this chapter, and Yamada turns to him for help. Well, she mostly just tells him about how much the ashtray means to her. And I forgot to mention in my last review how ridiculously funny it is that Daigoro is probably voiced by a human who makes absolutely no effort to sound like a canine. In fact, Daigoro sounds so much like a human that I half-expected him to stand on two feet and reveal that he really is just a dude in a dog suit. Hehe.
Anyway, the second half of this episode of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is surprisingly romantic. It’s set on a stormy day, with Sasaki getting drenched in the rain only to discover that the supermarket has closed earlier than usual because of the rough weather. Luckily, Yamada/Tayama is still around, so the two head off for a smoke together.
The animation is mostly business as usual, but one particular scene gets a noticeably brighter, warmer touch, almost as if the animators are briefly putting a glow of love on their faces. Sasaki looks unusually disheveled, his hair still wet from the rain, giving the moment a more personal, casual intimacy than their usual smoke breaks.
As the wind runs through their hair and the two talk about something personal, there’s an unmistakable little spark between them. Nothing really comes of it, but with the rain pounding around them, the wind blowing, and the two simply smoking together as always, the whole scene feels unexpectedly romantic.
Overall, this was an entertaining edition.
Watch ‘Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You’ on Netflix/ Crunchyroll.
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