In the first major segment of the episode, we have Shinon wrapping up a study session with Nana and Tsutsuji. I know, Shinon studying? Color me surprised. While the girls apparently make good progress with their studies, they end up staying in the campus building past its closing time. The girls are reluctant to ask Ota-sensei or any of the other clerks for help as there’s a rumor going around that clubs get disqualified if they’re caught roaming around campus after its hours of operation. They therefore settle on trying to escape the building without getting seen. Pretty silly of the girls to believe the rumor but then again, they have risked getting the club shut down a couple of times before.
I’m guessing the Food Culture Research Club took stealth lessons from the main characters of Love Live! because it doesn’t take long for Ota-sensei to catch them. My money was on Shinon blurting out her presence but it’s ultimately Tsutsuji and her poor stamina that leads to the clerk finding out that the girls stayed longer than they should’ve. There’s a fun gag where the girls bring up another rumor about the ghost of a hooded woman roaming around the building. When Ota-sensei catches Tsutsuji, the two of them actually catches a glimpse of this person. Ota-sensei understandably assumes it’s either Shinon or Nana but when everyone confirms this is not the case, everyone starts to panic. You do find out the identity of the hooded lady and it’s none other than Sakura. I feel Food for the Soul has used Sakura in really random ways but for what it’s worth, it has been pretty amusing so far. It is also funny that Sakura wears the hood because she too worries about the Agriculture Club getting disbanded. And yet, she seems to have no problem throwing the Food Culture Research Club under the bus.
The second half of the episode takes place right before Christmas. The club decides to hold a party on the big holiday, with Mako offering to host it at her place. Seeing as this is the first time her friends are visiting her apartment, Mako decides to go all in with the preparation. She buys and sets up a myriad of decorations, prepares a lot of Christmas themed food, and orders a bath bomb to give for a gift exchange with the others. I had a good chuckle with the part where Mako runs off to a nearby store to buy the decorations, expressing the same passionate glare she gives when she’s craving for some good food. My only wish is that Mako went back and forth between the store and her apartment to grab more decorations. I suppose that’d break the rather grounded tone of the show but it would’ve been fun at least.
Because Mako puts so much time and effort in setting up for the party, she ends up oversleeping the next day and this unfortunately causes her to miss the morning delivery of her bath bomb. Mako’s pain is really relatable here. Like, in the grand scheme of things, the present arriving late isn’t the end of the world but considering how invested Mako is in making sure the party will be a success, it’s understandable that she’d feel that way. Fortunately, the others convince Mako not to fret over it and they’re able to enjoy the hangout and the holiday food just fine. Funnily enough, a package does arrive at Mako’s doorstep at the end of the gift exchange. Mako assumes it’s the present but when Shinon opens the box, she instead finds a bunch of compost. This is actually part of a bookend where Sakura offers to send Mako some compost to help her grow a vegetable garden. I was pretty puzzled with this development as it’s brought up at the very beginning of the episode, only to be immediately shoved to the wayside. I kept wondering throughout the episode when it would bring this up again. Getting to the end of the episode, where Sakura’s compost is mistaken as Mako’s Christmas present for the exchange, holding off on a follow-up makes a lot more sense and it adds to the comedic effect of that scene.
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