Summer anime Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru Season 2 aired Episode 20, “The Only Way I Can Think of Expressing My Gratitude is Through Gacha Payments,” starting from 24:00 on August 23rd. As soon as the title was announced, it resonated with many online, with comments like “I get it~” and “(That’s me!)”.

Fukuda Shinichi’s manga, Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru, was serialized in “Young Gangan.” The original manga regrettably concluded in March 2025, prior to the Season 2 anime broadcast, but the anime has returned even more powerful than its first season.

The story follows Gojou Wakana, a high school boy aspiring to be a “kashirashi,” a craftsman who makes the faces of Hina dolls, and Kitagawa Marin, a popular girl who is always the center of attention in her class. Their paths cross one day, and they deepen their bond through the world of cosplay.

Episode 20 Premiere Event & Location

On the day Episode 20 aired, a special cheering screening event titled “Marin is the Best! Let’s Enjoy Our Oshi-katsu with Cheering Screenings” was held at Movix Saitama, a cinema in Saitama City.

Naeda Hina-san, the voice of Kitagawa-san, Ishige Shouya-san, the voice of Gojou-kun, Takeda Rarisa Tagu-san, the voice of Sugaya Nowa, and Uchida Shuuichi-san, the voice of Morita Kensuke, all attended the event. The real-life oshi-katsu was a huge success, with activities like champagne calls taking place.

Before the broadcast, the original author Fukuda-san posted a photo of “Higashi Ikebukuro Chuo Park” on his social media. This park, a familiar venue for cosplay events in Tokyo, became the setting for Episode 20!

Marin as a Photographer and Gojou-kun’s New Encounter

In the previous Episode 19, Kitagawa-san purchased a camera, an “EOS Kiss M.” This time, she brought her new camera to a weekend cosplay event, participating as a “photographer.” Gojou-kun, who came with her, had plans to meet a male prop-maker cosplayer named Akira, so they initially went their separate ways.

Gojou-kun was thrilled and nervous about meeting Akira for the first time, having seen his work online and wanting to ask him about prop-making. Akira was said to be wearing a “dragon sukajan” jacket…

Meanwhile, Kitagawa-san met up with Itou Suzuka, whom she had consulted about her camera purchase. They were also supposed to meet Himeno Amane, a university student cross-dressing cosplayer, but Amane was nowhere to be seen. On her way to the meeting spot, Amane, in full cosplay, was approached by a photographer. What was supposed to be a brief shoot turned into a long line of other photographers eager to take her picture. That’s when “Photographer Kitagawa-san” arrived, calling out, “Please take my picture!”

Upon seeing Amane in her idol Hokuto-chan cosplay, Suzuka’s inner thoughts screamed, “(He’s… a boy!? This is outrageous~~~! …I’m worried he might get arrested for being too lewd…)”

She then fretted, “I’m so grateful to be able to consume such high-quality cross-dressing; the only way I can think of expressing my gratitude is through gacha payments… Where should I make my payment…?”

Netizens resonated with Suzuka’s words, commenting, “I burst out laughing at ‘the only way I can think of expressing my gratitude is through gacha payments,’” “Too wild lol,” “The only way I can think of expressing my gratitude is through gacha payments lol, right~ lol,” and “That’s so true.”

By the way, the portrait photo of Kitagawa-san taken by Gojou-kun, which became a hot topic last week, is already available as new merchandise! Perhaps this is where you can make your “gacha payments” when the only way you can think of expressing gratitude for Kisekoi is through them!?

Akira’s Grand Entrance and Fan Reactions

And so, Gojou-kun finally met Akira. Many voices online expressed their anticipation for his appearance.

“Akira-san is finally here. I’ve been looking forward to it,” “My top oshi, Akira-san, has finally appeared…!!” “His voice is cool and gentle, simply wonderful.”

Ogata Akira’s voice is performed by Kawase Maki-san. Fans who have read the original manga praised Kawase-san’s portrayal, saying, “Perfect fit for the image!” “Kawase Maki’s casting is too spot on~” “I was stunned by how perfectly Kawase Maki-san’s voice fit Akira-san w” “Kawase Maki-san’s voice was perfect for Akira-san, it was really good.”

Informative Interludes and Behind-the-Scenes Fun

Episode 20 unfolds with alternating segments focusing on Gojou-kun and Kitagawa-san. Occasionally, explanations from Suzuka’s friend, Aoi, titled “Aoi’s Cosplay Chit-Chat,” are included. Amemiya Yuuka-san, the voice of Kitagawa-san and Gojou-kun’s classmate Yahiro Dia, reacted to Aoi, who gently explains terms like “copyrighted cosplay,” “original cosplay,” and “after-party,” by calling it an “occasional educational program.”

Mikihha-san, the vocalist of Spira Spica, who sings the opening theme “Ao to Kirameki,” also commented in admiration, “This is incredibly educational!!!!!””

Online, many expressed admiration with comments like “I love Kisekoi’s explanation scenes” and “Kisekoi is so educational…” There were also reactions specifically mentioning Aoi: “Aoi, a friend of Suzuka and the others, appeared. She was only mentioned by name in the original manga,” and “Aoi-chan, she wasn’t in the original story, but she was an adult friend only mentioned by name! They picked up on that, didn’t they?”

Suzuka’s cosplay photography tips were also quite helpful, such as “To make Amane-kun look cute, I used a high angle so he’d look up at the camera.”

Furthermore, the super-popular basketball manga DOUBLE CLUTCH, which appeared in the anime, had its poster visual from the release of its 9th volume revealed after the main broadcast!?

The level of perfection was so high that Naeda-san herself posted, “I thought a really cool anime was starting! Then I realized it was #Kisekoi.” Kisekoi always entertains us from different angles, including fictional works within the story and puppet shows.

An Unsettling Aura and a Highly Anticipated Return

Now, Gojou-kun and Akira, along with Kitagawa-san and Suzuka and their companions, reunited to go to an “after-party.” When Akira introduced himself to Kitagawa-san, his expression seemed somewhat somber. As everyone entered a karaoke box, an ominous aura emanated from Akira…

CG Director Ren Ketsu described it as “Akira-san’s brewing malevolent aura.” It seems Akira has something against Kitagawa-san, but what could it be?

Unaware of this ominous aura, Kitagawa-san decided to do a cosplay “awase” (group photoshoot) with Suzuka and the others. Her spirits lifted by the long-awaited awase, Kitagawa-san suggested, “Can I invite another cosplayer too?”

The person Kitagawa-san called after getting approval was none other than!

It’s the highly particular Juju-sama! Mikihha-san was also incredibly excited, exclaiming, “The particular one! Here she comes! Come, come, come!!!!!””

Online, the excitement for Juju-sama was palpable, leading to a huge buzz! Comments like “Juju-sama is hereeeeeeeeee,” “Next up is the long-awaited Juju-sama!!” “Eh, Juju-sama seriously?” “Finally, finally, Juju-sama is hereeeeee!!!” “Kisekoi Juju-sama is here! I thought she wouldn’t appear again,” “Kisekoi, Juju-sama’s reappearance, yes!” and “Finally, Juju-sama and the others are reappearing!” were widespread, and she even trended!

After the broadcast, Naeda-san posted, “Finally, finally, Akira-san and Miyako-san have appeared! I also got to meet Suzuka-san and Amane-san again! And, and, Juju-samaaaah! I can’t wait for the next episode!!!!!”” We can hardly wait for next week!

Additionally, a linked project for Kisekoi, “Sono Shujinkou Seiyuu wa Fuku wo Nuu Season 2” #8 [Bonus Episode], was released, featuring Naeda-san herself partially remaking the Kuroe Shizuku costume from Season 1 for a professional photoshoot.

Miyake Marie-san, the voice of Suzuka, commented, “The adult new characters are appearing one after another, making things lively! And Suzuka-san’s true self is starting to show a bit. I totally get it~~!! There were so many relatable moments that I could only nod!””

Fan Reactions to Episode 20

Episode 20 garnered various comments online:

“Watching today’s Kisekoi made me really want to go take pictures…”
“Watching Kisekoi, I found the discussions about camera techniques and angles very helpful.”
“As an original manga fan, I’m thrilled that more people are becoming aware of cameras and angles after watching Kisekoi.”
“Is Suzuka-san our representative…? Amane-san is too hot! (Too cute!)”
“Suzuka-san in Kisekoi acts a bit like a pervert, but it’s good that she properly acts as a guardian as an adult.”
“Last week’s and this week’s Kisekoi anime episodes were helpful for camera photography.”
“Is there some kind of connection or fate between Akira-san and Marin-chan…? I’m too curious about what happens next~”
“The arrival of distinctive adults! Chapter.”

And this time’s dubbing script illustration features Juju-sama! Kitagawa-san is celebrating with a party popper ♪

Behind the Scenes with the Production Staff

This time too, there were many posts from the production staff after the broadcast! (Partial list)

The image posted by Art Director Nemoto Hiroyuki-san is a background painting from when Kitagawa-san recalled, “Come to think of it, Shinju-chan also crouched down when we did the ‘Retsu!!’ awase!” during Suzuka’s explanation.

Editor Hiraki Daisuke-san’s post, “Actually, for this episode, my personal editing maintained a consistent tempo. Only the very end slightly changed tempo. I hope you’ll understand why I did various things if you watch the next episode~” makes us even more excited for next week.

Next Episode Preview

Next, Episode 21 is titled “Ore Konya Neru Tsumori Nai node” (I Don’t Plan on Sleeping Tonight).

“Huh?! What are you planning to do?!” “I’m too curious.” With Juju-sama’s grand appearance in Episode 21, you won’t be planning on sleeping on the night of its broadcast, will you?

Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru Season 2 airs sequentially every Saturday at 24:00 on TOKYO MX, BS11, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, Yomiuri TV, Me~Tele, and Hokkaido Broadcasting. AT-X airs every Sunday at 22:00, and Animax airs from August 23rd every Saturday at 22:00. Streaming will be available earliest in Japan on Prime Video at 24:30, immediately after the TV broadcast, and will gradually begin on various streaming sites every Tuesday at 12:00.

Staff

Cast

(C) Fukuda Shinichi/SQUARE ENIX•Anime “Kisekoi” Production Committee