REVIEW: episode 3 - tabikurage tantei nikki

NOTE: I'm not fluent/proficient in Japanese, and I was watching this show without English subtitles. a lot of my personal remarks and observations about the show may or may not be accurate to the actual plot.

TW: mentions of kidnapping and forms of violence.

REVIEW #4: Episode 3 

Content Type: TV Series 

Media/Franchise: Tabikurage Tantei Nikki (Handyman Fellow Jellyfish) 

• in my opinion the two-second scene of Kenta sighing happily while he was relaxing in an onsen was absolutely UNNECESSARY like it was such an in-your-face moment why am I not with him in it- *gets dragged off of the stage* (this scene literally also just happened in the first minute of the episode. someone in the production team really, really thought this was essential) 
• the little girl Miyabi-chan was so cute!! I love how she went out of her way to seek out Mackey and Kenta's help to search for her sister's matching pin aww 🥺 also it was so endearing when she dumped all of her pocket savings on the table because she really needed their help waaahh
• side note but Mackey's trailer + outdoor camp area looks so cozy like no wonder why random people go up to their place and feel comfortable spilling their hearts out 😭💖 I too would like to vibe with Mackey and Kenta in their makeshift camp hehe 
• Mackey and Kenta are fr the strangest detectives ever because here they are scouring for a missing pin on the seashore (affectionately) 
• Kenta is too fucking cute because he really was there calling out for the pin like "hellooo are you there~?" while he ducks down between the rocks lmaoo (also the pure giddiness in his face! he loves this treasure hunt! meanwhile Mackey's all exasperated whenever he finds random pieces of trash instead of the pin loll) 
• KENJIRO TSUDA JUMPSCARE WTF . ARIANA WHAT ARE YOU DOIN HERE
• I don't think I'll ever get over how much golden retriever vibes Kenta is exuding here. he really started yapping to the fisherman about their hunt for the missing pin (all while there's a silly grin on his face) 
• but holy shit I got so scared when the fisherman began to look all shady and he reached for something in his pocket while Kenta's back was turned, thank goodness Mackey stepped in in time 😨
• Miyabi-chan's relationship with her sister Yui is so heartwarming!! ik I don't understand Japanese but it sounded like Yui was telling Miyabi-chan how much she cherished her and how lucky she is to be her older sister 🥺
• but it was also kinda angsty because Mackey was witnessing their interaction with a wistful gaze in his eyes as he remembers how much he misses being with his younger brother 💔
• I'm not too sure why the two office guys have been tailing Mackey and Kenta for the past few episodes, but based on the flashbacks it turns out that they were the last people who saw Kenji (Mackey's brother) before he was killed, so Mackey holds some sort of grudge towards them (probably because of the bad memories associated with them regarding his brother?)
• also YAYY LORE FOR KENJI!! from what I understood is that he really wanted to accomplish a certain job but the two office guys were telling him not to? and he was eventually tailed at night for what he's done and he gets killed 😨
• Kenji looks so much like a sweetheart too!! he has the same wide, bright eyes as Kenta (no wonder why Mackey sees Kenta as his younger brother too) 💖 
• also I love the parallel between Mackey and Kenji eating grilled cheese sandwiches together / Mackey offering Kenta the same kind of sandwich when they first met 😭 also Kenji's and Kenta's reactions being the same cute way...!! 
• NOOOO KENTA MY BABY WHY WAS HE KIDNAPPED 
• the gasp that I gasped when the shady fisherman brought out the same syringe that was used by Kenji's killer holy shit 
• the episode 4 preview looks so intense... so it was also that shady "fisherman" who killed Kenji?? why did he kidnap Kenta as well?? is he fr just out for Mackey like bro does not have to keep harming Mackey's younger brothers 😭💔
• ok y'all I'm terrified for the next episode; Mackey looks terribly battered down and Kenta looks so so scared, I hope that they will be okay!! 🥹