`Kisekoi`: Marin is the Only Winner! “Gojou-kun Shone,” “I Wanted to See This Scene Animated,” Kawanishi Seira (CV. Wakayama Shion) is “Incredibly Cute” [Episode 18 Spoiler Reactions Summary]

The summer anime Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru Season 2 aired its 18th episode, titled “Ore ga Zettai ni Ore no Te de” (I Will Absolutely, With My Own Hands), starting August 9th at 24:00 JST. Before its broadcast, the internet was buzzing with anticipation, with comments like, “This is the episode I most wanted to see from the Cultural Festival Arc!” and “I have a feeling today’s episode will be god-tier.”

The manga Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru, serialized by Fukuda Shinichi in “Young Gangan,” concluded its run in March 2025, just before the anime’s Season 2 broadcast. However, the anime has returned even more powerful than before, much to the delight of fans.

The series beautifully depicts the deepening bond between Gojou Wakana, a high school boy aiming to become a kashirashi (a craftsman specializing in the heads of Hina dolls), and Kitagawa Marin, a popular girl who is always the center of attention in her class. Their journey of friendship and understanding begins after a chance encounter leads them to explore the world of cosplay together.

This episode was highly anticipated, as indicated by a YouTube promotional video released for it. The video highlights key moments and excitement leading up to the broadcast.

The Puppet Show That Captured Hearts

While the puppet show segment at the beginning of the previous 17th episode garnered significant attention, Saitou Keiichirou (Bocchi the Rock! director), who was responsible for the doll designs, released rough design sketches on his X (formerly Twitter) account before the 18th episode aired. His annotations clearly convey the immense dedication poured into them.

On his X (formerly Twitter) account (@kei_globster), Saitou Keiichirou posted an image of the puppet show design roughs, with detailed notes and arrows pointing to specific elements, showcasing his commitment to the craft.

Yamada Haruka (@zazie0809), in charge of doll manipulation, and Shirota Masako (@WawaWaka11), responsible for doll production, also posted comments after the 17th episode broadcast, both emphasizing their “meticulous attention to detail” in creating the puppet show.

Someno Shou (@hihuki21), the Animation Producer at CloverWorks, even shared a glimpse of the puppet show segment’s filming process, highlighting the unique effort that went into animating it.

Incidentally, in the scene where Gojou-kun borrows a key after the puppet show, there’s a hidden detail that showcases the “meticulousness” of Yogoinu-san (@yogoinuchan), the setting cooperation for the 17th episode. The key’s jagged edges, though only briefly shown in the main story, actually represent a specific… [The tweet implies a hidden detail about the key’s shape that fans noticed].

On the broadcast day of the 18th episode, the official Kisekoi anime X account (@kisekoi_anime) released a countdown PV for the cultural festival depicted in the story. This promotional video built excitement for the upcoming events in the episode.

A Helping Hand and Growing Pains

The main story for Episode 18 kicked off with Gojou-kun making props for a cosplay session as the cultural festival drew near. He was attempting to handcraft “Rainbow Roses” to adorn the chest of Kougami Uruha, the Student Council President from Seito Kaichou wa No.1 Host – the character Kitagawa Marin was cosplaying. However, his efforts to color them with spray paint weren’t going well, leaving him perplexed.

It was at this moment that his classmates, Kawanishi Seira (voiced by Wakayama Shion) and Ootsuka Karen (voiced by Yuasa Kaede), appeared.

“I can make rainbow roses, you know? Like, totally. I know how to do it~” With Seira’s unique, drawn-out way of speaking, Gojou-kun decided to learn the method from her.

And so began Seira’s rainbow rose tutorial: “You cut the stem, right? Dissolve the food coloring, right? Then you put the cut stems in…”

Despite her limited screen time, Seira caused a huge stir online, with fans exclaiming: “Seira’s way of speaking is just so good,” “Seira-chan is so incredibly cute, I love her,” “I love Seira’s way of talking so much…,” “Ahhhh, Seira-chan is so cute!!” and “Wakayama Shion-sama’s acting is absolutely superb!”

The Climax: Cultural Festival and Miss Contest

Finally, the day of the cultural festival and the Miss Contest arrived. Kitagawa-san declared to Gojou-kun, “I’m going to win first place, absolutely, wearing the costume you worked so hard on and did the makeup for.” Gojou-kun then moved to the sewing room to begin Kitagawa-san’s makeup, but he was bewildered: “Huh… I came to the sewing room because no one would be here, so why…?” What was supposed to be a quiet space for him to focus on the makeup without shaky hands became flooded with curious classmates coming to watch!

“Cosplay makeup is different from regular makeup, isn’t it? How do you do it, I wanted to see~” Hearing his classmates’ voices, Gojou-kun became flustered, feeling the pressure mount, and his hands trembled, causing him to drop things.

“Everyone worked so hard to aim for first place. If I mess up now, it’ll be my fault…” Just as he thought this, Kitagawa-san asked him, “Are you okay?”

And then, the internet erupted with excited comments:

• “Here it comes… the coolest Gojou-kun in Kisekoi history…”
• “Haa haa… it’s coming… my favorite scene in Kisekoi…”
• “Kisekoi, this is the scene I wanted to see animated!”
• “Gojou-kun is so cool.”
• “Gojou-kun, you’re the best!”
• “Gojou-kun’s deep breathing was so well done.”

Gojou-kun slapped his own cheeks to steel himself and began Kitagawa-san’s makeup. “If it’s to make Kitagawa-san first, I can be a supporting character. I, I will absolutely, with my own hands, make Kitagawa-san first.” And so, Kitagawa-san transformed into the magnificent Uruha-sama…

• “This week, Gojou-kun truly shone. I almost cried.”
• “The intense focus in Gojou-kun’s eyes as a craftsman concentrating on makeup, and the tension, were beautifully depicted.”
• “This kind of interjection can only be done in anime. It’s not in the Kisekoi manga. The anime original content is amazing!”
• “Kisekoi is going wild, lol. Yoisho!”
• “Today’s Kisekoi is super passionate!”

From the scene where Gojou-kun applied makeup to Kitagawa-san, through the Miss Contest finals, and the conclusion of a wonderful cultural festival, the internet was filled with cries of “This Kisekoi episode is a god-tier episode!”

Furthermore, regarding the song Sugaya Noa sang during karaoke with her classmates, reactions included: “Jitterbug played in Kisekoi,” “She sang ELLEGARDEN’s Jitterbug!” and “Was that Jitterbug just now lol? She was so bad I seriously couldn’t tell lol!”

Excited Reactions from the Cast and Crew

After the broadcast, Suguta Hina (@hina_suguta), who voices Kitagawa Marin, excitedly posted: “Oh my gosh!!! My heart is totally hyped up!!!!! Marin-chan is so cool, and Gojou-kun was really awesome too!! But in the end, both of them were so incredibly cute…” She followed up with another tweet expressing her continued excitement.

Ishige Shouya (@ishige_syoya), who plays the highly active Gojou-kun, simply posted: “So, everyone was the best…!!!”

Yuasa Kaede (@Ca_e_day), the voice of Ootsuka Karen, mentioned she participated in a viewing party with the production staff and original creator Fukuda Shinichi and CloverWorks. She was overjoyed, exclaiming: “It was such a happy time! It really felt like a cultural festival, like I got my youth back! Yoicho!!”

Mikihana (@mkh0614), the vocalist of Spira Spica, who performs the opening theme Ao to Kirameki, also attended a viewing party. She shared a photo with Ishige-san, commenting: “Being in the same space as everyone involved with Kisekoi, and everyone who loves Kisekoi… Oh, it was pure happiness… it truly felt like youth!”

Amemiya Yuuka (@amemiya_yuka), who plays Yahiro Dia, a classmate of Kitagawa-san and Gojou-kun, was also extremely satisfied, saying: “The direction, the animation, the acting, the music, everything, absolutely everything was just so good, so good, I wondered if I had just watched a movie… I’m so… satisfied…”

After the broadcast, the official Kisekoi anime X account posted a scene of Uruha-sama with the caption “Marin is the only winner!” (Original art by Yamazaki Jun-san).

Once again, there were many posts from the production staff after the broadcast! (A selection below)

• Saitou Keiichirou (@kei_globster) shared a beautiful illustration.
• Nishihara Erika (@erk_nshr) also shared an illustration related to the episode.
• Tomita Yoriko (@lsj_tomato) posted two separate tweets, likely sharing insights or appreciation for the episode.
• Kawakami Yuu (@kawakami_yu) contributed to the online discussion.
• Yaegashi Youhei (@yaehei) also shared their thoughts.
• Mori Chika (@promochimochi) expressed their reactions.
• Megatofu (@megatofu) shared a captivating scene.
• Hiraki Daisuke (@EditorMan_hira) also joined in the post-broadcast enthusiasm.

CloverWorks is also dedicated to nurturing new talent. Animators who joined the company in recent years have also contributed to the work, creating many impressive cuts. Their official Sakuga account (@CLW_Sakuga) shared multiple impactful scenes, highlighting the talent of their animators.

What’s Next for Wakana and Marin?

Also, pay close attention to the illustration on the script for Episode 18’s post-recording, shared by the official Kisekoi anime X account (@kisekoi_anime). Will the day come when Kitagawa-san and Gojou-kun can take a purikura (photo booth picture) together?

The title for the next episode, Episode 19, is “Omoide Kizamu Ze!” (Let’s Carve Out Memories!).

This title has even puzzled those who have read the original manga, with comments like: “Where is that in the original???” “I can’t remember that scene,” and “Omoide Kizamu Ze! Where is that…?” The CloverWorks X account (@CloverWorks) also posted about the upcoming episode, adding to the mystery.

Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru Season 2 is broadcast every Saturday at 24:00 JST on TOKYO MX, BS11, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, Yomiuri TV, Me~Tele, and Hokkaido Broadcasting. AT-X airs it every Sunday at 22:00 JST, and Animax will begin airing it every Saturday at 22:00 JST from August 23rd. For streaming, it is available for fastest domestic viewing on Prime Video immediately after TV broadcast at 24:30 JST, and will be sequentially available on other streaming sites every Tuesday from 12:00 JST.

Here are the full-size images from the original gallery:

Staff & Cast

Staff

Cast

(C) Fukuda Shinichi/SQUARE ENIX・Anime Kisekoi Production Committee