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Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8 begins the Kyoto School Trip arc. The group division is revealed in this episode, which promises to be a source of further hilarity in the future. This episode was more focused towards Shouko enjoying her time during the trip and slowly getting over her past trauma.
The animation of several beautiful Kyoto sites were a treat for the eyes in this episode. Shouko and Tadano continued to grow closer, while viewers got to see their relationship through the eyes of an outsider.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8.
Shouko and Tadano grow close in Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8: Day one of the Kyoto Trip comes to an end
Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8 (episode 20 overall) is a single segment release titled “It's Just the School Trip.” It adapts chapters 104-107 of the manga alongside chapter 110.
The group divisions
Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8 begins with Shouko’s mother wishing her a good trip. Shouko meets up with Tadano and Najimi at the train station. After they deposit their luggage and find their seats, Tadano and Najimi fulfill their duties as Class Reps by making rounds to see if everyone is on board.
Yamai and Nakanaka are in a group with Agari, and have already started to fight between themselves. Inaka is in a group with Onemine and Otori, who have found out about her country origin. The Normie trio are in a group of their own, as are the Samurais.
Tadano’s own group consists of Naruse, who is already enamoured by his own reflection in the train window, and Katai, who is far too excited to be in the same group as Tadano. The only group that worries Tadano more than his own is the group of Shouko Komi, Mikuni Katou, and Ayami Sasaki.
They have never spoken to each other, so the atmosphere is very rigid. Sasaki tries to break the ice by offering up some poky sticks, but it does not seem to help much.
However, Katou and Sasaki reach a telepathic agreement to make this trip as memorable for Shouko as possible. This solidarity, however, only serves to make Shouko feel more alienated.
The tour guide
After they reach Kyoto, Class 1-1 board a bus for their first day of sightseeing. Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8 introduces a tour guide, Ryouko Tenjouin, who is quite earnest and inexperienced. She has memorised the 2500 page Kyoto Guidebook and proceeds to bestow her knowledge on the class.
Of course, the class is not interested in learning as much as they are in admiring Shouko’s perfect sitting pose. Nakanaka manages to find a Shinsengumi outfit, while Katai tries and fails to ask for the direction of the washroom.
Naruse is requested to take a picture by two girls, but he mistakes it as their request to take a picture with him. Kometani continues to provide dry commentary on the chaos.
Ryouko feels disheartened at first, but while telling a story about Kyamo river, she notices that Shouko and Tadano are listening with rapt attention. Encouraged, Ryouko continues to observe her duties as a tour guide.
After a while, Shouko and Tadano break away from the group to look at some architecture, and their interaction makes Ryouko think that they should just get married.
Fun at the hotel
Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8 then moves to the traditional Japanese Inn where the students are staying. Najimi bunks with the girls despite Yamai's protests.
Onemine reassures Shouko and Agari, who feel shy about getting into the communal bath. As usual, Yamai has several lewd designs for Shouko, none of which come to fruition.
Tadano and his group are sharing a room with three other students, who are afraid of Katai. However, they are left in awe of his muscles, as is Naruse. He ropes in Katai and later their roommates into posing for some artistic pictures with Tadano behind the lens. While the boys start to have fun, Shouko stumbles upon the scene and quietly walks away.
Back at the girls’ room, Najimi proposed a pillow fight, with the winner getting to sleep next to Shouko. As everyone proceeds to fight each other, Shouko sits out until Najimi notices and throws a pillow at her, dragging her into the fray.
Shouko’s small smile shows that she is starting to feel like a part of the group, even though her excitement makes her unable to sleep at night.
Final thoughts
An interesting thing to note in Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 episode 8 is that Najimi does not have a group of their own, nor do they have a fixed room. While it makes for some hilarious moments and allows Najimi to seamlessly blend in with any group they wish to, it is also quite sad that they are sometimes alienated just because of their gender.
It’s a subtle nod towards a larger issue faced by many gender-fluid and non-binary people.
Shouko also felt alienated throughout Komi Can’t Communicate, but this episode shows that her friends always draw her into their activities. The next episode will focus on day two of the trip, where Shouko will be forced to interact with Katou and Sasaki without any help from Najimi or Tadano.
