When last we left the vampire and the college student, they had done everything needed to make the restaurant a success. Now it’s opening day!
But first, an unusual digression
Have I mentioned how I love this show’s music? Like the visuals, it is light and bright and fun and a bit retro. It matches the overall tone perfectly.
Episode 5 starts with a song about “Superman”, fitting for a show obsessed with extraordinary beings. Our intrepid crew waits for the first customer.
I was wrong, I was oh so wrong
Nope, it’s not Somchai. It’s a woman there to do some sweeping! And she doesn’t want any pork blood soup. Alas, this is a sign of things to come. There are almost no customers.
Shin wants to create a song and dance to attract customers. Kamsai is doubtful until inspired by Pun and Yoh being adorable. As they record their song and dance, Pun keeps adjusting Yoh. Kamsai is not wrong. So. Cute.
But no one watches the group’s adorable video. No one. No one comes to the restaurant either.
Pun is dark and gloomy and depressed again. Everyone else is still trying their best.
Look, I’ll never say this show is fast-moving or plot-centric
And that’s fine. Pun’s cat is hungry so he’s off to get cat food and Yoh joins him.
In what might be the second time I’ve seen product placement for Thailand’s public transportation, Yoh takes Pun on the Skytrain. Pun thinks the ticket is another gift from Yoh. So. Cute.
Pun calls it a date. Yoh is flustered. So. Cute.
(Totally a cat-food-buying-date.)
Okay, HERE’S Somchai, I was just a bit early
Somchai shows up for pork blood soup looking dark and creepy. He’s nasty about their lack of customers and tries to leave without paying. Kamsai doesn’t let him.
Pun gets aggressive to get him to go away. I like seeing this serious side of our weird vampire. Somchai isn’t as appreciative. He whispers something in Pun’s ear we don’t get to hear and laughs in his face. There’s pushing, neck grabbing, and punching.
Somchai threatens to come back. But we don’t see him again for the next episode and a half.
Afterward, Yoh comforts Pun and tries to find out what’s happening. Pun won’t say anything and Yoh offers to protect him. So. Cute.
Pun feels he should protect Yoh. He strokes his hair, says that Yoh is his, stares into his eyes, and goes in for a sniff. Yoh is left in a daze. For at least a day.
Is being kissed while asleep or sniffed while asleep worse?
Yoh suggests recording a new promo that sells Pun’s weirdness!
I love how Pun’s long-lived vampire-ness is expressed in how he’s strange and poorly socialized. And he’s so drawn in by Yoh’s encouragement and support. So much so that as Yoh gets him ready for his close-up, Pun wants to live longer to spend more time with Yoh.
Be still my heart.
Turns out, Pun can’t act. Kamsai wields a boom mic while wearing an inflated pig outfit for take after take. Pun is blissfully unaware of his lack of talent. And Yoh doesn’t tell him the hard truth.
While Pun is in his room (keeping him safe?) Yoh falls asleep in his chair. Naturally, Pun picks him and the chair up and deposits them on the bed. He seems like he’s going in for a dramatic drama kiss and then — the episode ends.
But not this recap. He sniffs him. Again. He won’t kiss him until the relationship develops further. Which means he wants the relationship to develop further. I’m okay with this.
The relationship develops further
Our team takes the more practical approach of giving soup samples to the building residents. Pun watches Yoh rather than help. There’s flirting over marketing costs. Pun is pursuing Yoh romantically, right? It’s hard to tell with Pun, but I think so.
Shin urges Yoh to post the video despite Pun’s acting. Yoh posts the video. Pun wants to know if anyone has complimented his acting. In my fantasies, I’m this confident.
Pun harrases Yoh all night about his acting. He’s also probably protecting him from Somchai. In the morning Yoh sees that the video is insanely popular. Pun believes he’s famous now. He’s not wrong.
But the real reward is the friends we made along the way
Everyone is so happy they are faking slow-mo. Customers show up. Pun protests against having his picture taken. Dude, your video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times online. You wanted to be famous. Maybe Pun doesn’t get the internet? Shin forces it anyway.
Yoh is happy that Pun is less lonely. Which was Yoh’s real goal. Pun seems happy, though I wonder if it’s really because he’s growing closer to Yoh. And Yoh’s smiles.
Not to discount Shin and Kamsai and the others. It feels like a net positive for Pun to have people in his life.
That date where Pun pretends he’s a cat
Pun gets Yoh to go on a date with him and talks about sniffing Yoh in front of the waiter.
Then our totally normal vampire decides to pretend to be his cat. He lays his head in Yoh’s lap, meows, and gets belly scratches. It’s so wonderfully weird and also cute and also weird. That Yoh humors him says a lot about their relationship.
Back at the restaurant, Pun is the happiest he’s ever been. But we know what that means.
Enough happiness! Drama time!
Yoh’s college friend shows up along with the strange silent girl. Yay!
College friend wants to know if Yoh is interested in aliens anymore. It’s a fair question. And Yoh awkwardly protests that he’s all about aliens and not at all about vampires. While Pun watches. My heart, now it is breaking.
Pun goes missing. Yoh feels bad about what he said without even knowing Pun overheard. He’s so young, and aliens have been so important to him, I get why the question threw him. He’s afraid of his new feelings for the new person. He wanted to re-affirm to an old friend that he was still himself. It’s the classic “lady doth protest too much” trap. Maybe it works on his friend, but it doesn’t work on me. Or himself.
Pun apparently decides he’s not watching over Yoh for the night (bad Pun!), and there’s no answer when Yoh knocks on his door. Then there are knocks on Yoh’s door, but no one on the other side. It’s nicely creepy.
Yoh freaks out that it’s the ghost. The Revenant ghost? No. Some other ghost girl with long hair standing in the bathroom doorway. He can’t see her, but we can. I can’t tell if she’s anyone we’ve met.
Yoh grabs his stuff and goes to Pun’s. Thankfully, Pun opens the door. Yoh lies down next to his coffin and tries to get Pun to tell him why he’s upset. Pun’s quiet attitude upsets Yoh, and he almost touches him when — his phone rings.
There’s been another vampire murder on campus. Yoh realizes it was while Pun was missing.
THIS time it’s Somchai, right?
