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Go For It, Nakamura!Episode 8 is filled with jealous rivalries, awkward comedy and one of the funniest episodes of the season so far.
As Summer Fades, Nakamura’s Love Fantasies Surface
If there’s one thing Go For It, Nakamura! does better than most romantic comedies, it’s how to turn secondhand embarrassment into actual comedy gold. Episode 8 quickly reminds viewers why Nakamura remains one of the most lovable train wrecks in anime.
The episode begins with what seems like a major breakthrough. Hirose casually asks Nakamura to walk home with her, and for a moment it seems like the series might actually reward its hopeless protagonist. The two laugh, tease each other and everything feels strangely perfect.
Of course. Too perfect.
Because, as is common in Nakamura fashion, the whole thing ends up being yet another fantasy, in which Hirose leans in for a kiss… only for reality to intrude. Nakamura awoke, not from a romantic dream but with Icchan, his pet octopus, stuck to his face.
It’s stupid, strangely cute, and just the kind of opening that frames what turns out to be one of the funniest episodes yet.
A New School Term, Same Old Panic
Finally the summer vacation ends and Nakamura is faced with an uncomfortable truth – he spent the whole vacation without getting any closer to Hirose.
But instead of giving up, he interprets this in his own melodramatic way. That’s not failure, said Nakamura.
This is ‘Season 2.’
The self-aware joke lands surprisingly well, partly because it reflects how the show is always messing with its own rom-com formula. Nakamura really believes this new semester is going to be the one where fantasy comes true.
But reality had other ideas.
In class, he musters up all his courage to talk to Hirose… only to blurt out an excruciatingly awkward “hey” and scurry back to his desk in defeat. It’s a small moment, but it sums up why Nakamura remains such an entertaining lead: his greatest enemy is usually himself.
Jealousy Spirals Out of Control
Here follows a masterclass in growing insecurity.
First, Nakamura notes Oomori casually giving his CD to Hirose in a chat. Then along comes another student, from another class, and casually borrows Hirose’s gym clothes.
Neither interaction is in any way romantic.
But to Nakamura, every conversation is a competition.
The genius of the episode is the way ordinary school moments are transmuted into life-or-death emotional battles inside Nakamura’s head. Every time Hirose smiles at another person it feels like a personal attack, and the show squeezes every drop of comedy from that paranoia.
And then it gets really strange.
The Gym Uniform Incident Is The Best Nakamura
One of the more ridiculous sequences in the episode has Nakamura unexpectedly being handed what he believes to be Hirose’s gym clothes and being told to return them.
For Nakamura this is almost sacred.
Naturally he does what only Nakamura would do: he sneaks a sniff.
The look on his face is immediate regret. There is no magical romantic moment when he is greeted but instead the reality of sweaty gym clothes.
But even then, his brain somehow twists it into admiration, telling himself that it only proves Hirose is more “manly” than he thought.
That fantasy is shattered a few seconds later when he realizes the uniform doesn’t actually belong to Hirose, it belongs to Todoroki.
The emotional whiplash is so bad Nakamura literally passes out.
It’s over the top, utterly ridiculous and somehow totally in character.
Enter Matsumura: Nakamura Meets His Match at Last
Just as it seems that Nakamura is finally going to get some one-on-one time with Hirose, who kindly offers to walk him home after his trip to the infirmary, fate throws a new obstacle in his path.
That hurdle is called Matsumura.
At first, Matsumura seems harmless enough, a middle school friend reconnecting with Hirose. But the episode becomes even better once Hirose gets called back to school, leaving Nakamura and Matsumura alone.
Awkward small talk quickly becomes a full-blown competition between two boys who might also be just as obsessed with Hirose.
And frankly?
Episode 8 really comes alive here.
The Battle of the Two Hirose Superfans
Matsumura shares stories of Hirose’s middle school days, and shows photos that immediately make Nakamura jealous.
But Nakamura is not going to take it lying down.
For the first time he retaliates in earnest.
He brags about going out with Hirose. He overstates their friendship. He attempts to frighten Matsumura with vague charges and emotional manipulation.
Matsumura gives it straight back.
Up next is one of the series’ funniest rivalries to date in a hilariously pathetic battle of two boys desperately trying to prove who knows Hirose better.
Best part?
Neither of them is really all that close to him.
They are arguing about second place in a race they are not even in!
That self-awareness makes all the more funnier every argument.
The Final Twist Is Comedy Perfection
But when it looks like Matsumura holds the trump card—Hirose’s old middle school gym uniform—the rivalry reaches peak absurdity.
Nakamura labels him a creep right away… …and then steals the uniform himself the moment he gets the chance.
That hypocrisy alone is pure comedy.
They literally fight over the uniform like children in a tug of war, only to find out that they’ve been tricked again.
That’s not Hirose’s costume.
It’s Todoroki’s.
Again.
At this point the gag becomes impossible not to laugh at.
Character Spotlight: Nakamura Won’t Grow… And That’s the Point
Episode 8 doesn’t advance Nakamura romantically, and honestly, it doesn’t have to.
Instead, it leans into what makes him such an interesting comedic protagonist: his knack for turning minor social screw-ups into major emotional catastrophes.
This episode also gives Nakamura something he desperately needed: competition.
Matsumura isn’t just some side character. He’s Nakamura looking in a mirror, basically. Awkward, obsessive, a little creepy, and totally unable to hide his admiration for Hirose.
Watching Nakamura interact with someone with his exact energy is some of the strongest comedy the series has delivered so far.
The visual direction continues to impress.
But Episode 8 also earns some credit for the visual creativity, not just the comedy.
The direction always adjusts to Nakamura’s mental state, taking mundane school interactions and elevating them to the level of emotional experiences. A particularly striking moment uses dramatic color changes and old-film-style framing as Nakamura realizes that Matsumura will be joining their walk home.
It is these little stylistic choices that make Go For It, Nakamura! feel fresh even when the story is about social awkwardness and misunderstandings.
Final Thoughts: Funniest Episode In Weeks?
Episode 8 might not move Nakamura any closer to admitting his feelings but it doesn’t need major romantic progress to be a success.
Instead, it gives viewers something arguably better: a rival who understands Nakamura’s madness, a string of perfectly timed misunderstandings, and enough cringe comedy to make you laugh long after the credits roll.
Matsumura’s addition feels like a huge turning point for the show’s comedic chemistry, and if he stays, Nakamura’s already chaotic love life might get even more entertaining.
The Bottom Line 9/10
A visually inventive, wildly funny episode, with some of the sharpest comedy in the series to date, and the introduction of the perfect rival for Nakamura. Episode 8 shows this show doesn’t need romance to succeed, it just needs Nakamura to be his wonderfully dramatic self.