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Go For It, Nakamura! Episode 9 is pure comedic chaos at the school festival with disguises, misunderstandings, and Nakamura’s best moment so far.
A Festival Episode Filled With Utter Madness
Anime school festival episodes have a timeless quality to them. Romance, awkward confessions, costumes and emotional turning points are typical. Go For It, Nakamura! Episode 9 doubles down on all those familiar ingredients — but instead of just dishing out romance, it weaponizes confusion for comedy.
One of the most enjoyable episodes of the season.
From the very first scene Nakamura is already in full disaster mode. On the day of the festival he is late for class, excited to finally see Hirose dressed as a butler for their cafe attraction. Of course the universe shatters that dream immediately. This sets the tone for the rest of the episode perfectly, as Hirose shows up in regular clothes while someone else gets the full costume treatment.
Nakamura is never going to get a break and frankly, that’s why the series works.
Nakamura spends the whole episode chasing a moment.
This episode is so funny because of how much it torments its protagonist. Nakamura is always on the verge of having a meaningful moment with Hirose, but then something ridiculous always happens.
He’s working in the class café, but he’s not really paying attention to serving drinks properly, his mind is completely preoccupied with Hirose. But before anything can happen Hirose vanishes again.
That’s the joke that runs through the episode.
Nakamura looks into the halls, eventually finds Hirose, and is promptly swept up by Aokiyama and her club for another weird supernatural stunt. The séance sequence has a deliciously random quality in the best possible way, not least because the show leans into the gag without trying to ground it in any sort of realism.
The prayer beads she later gives Nakamura are a hilarious symbolic thread throughout the episode. Every time he thinks luck is finally on his side, another ridiculous detour is around the corner.
And somehow the detours are more fun than the romance itself
The Supporting Cast Delivers a Quiet Performance
Episode 9’s greatest strength may be the way that it brings back almost all of the side characters, and does so in a way that doesn’t crowd the episode.
The school festival setting gives everyone a reason to pop back in for short moments of comedy. Todoroki returning to hand Nakamura free yakisoba is a small interaction, but it emphasizes how strangely adorable the entire cast has grown to be.
Kawamura’s short scene with a portrait leaves an impression. Nakamura’s request for a drawing of Hirose and pretending to have received some priceless treasure really captures his obsessive love without making it repetitive.
The episode recognizes that Nakamura’s crush is ridiculous, but it doesn’t mock him cruelly for it. Instead, he embraces his emotional spirals as a part of his charm.
Maintaining that balance is hard in comedy-heavy romance anime but this series continues to do it effortlessly.
Hirose Twist Is the Biggest Payoff of the Episode
But the real highlight is the drama club sequence.
The episode is smart enough to trick both Nakamura and the audience at first. Things get confusing right from the start, when Nakamura runs into a girl who looks exactly like Hirose. The resemblance is so close Nakamura starts to doubt himself internally.
The show plays this misunderstanding very well.
Things go wrong when Tamura, desperate to save the school play, asks Nakamura to fill in for one of the actresses who has dropped out. Suddenly Nakamura is put in a melodramatic role where he has to die dramatically in the arms of the leading lady.
And then the reveal.
The “girl” Nakamura keeps obsessing over during rehearsal is actually Hirose in his sister’s clothes, and the long-haired lookalike is his sister herself.
Old school comedy setup, but timing is spot on.
It’s likely the most full-on farce the show’s committed to all season, with Nakamura realizing the truth mid-performance and inadvertently blurting out Hirose’s name. The reactions of the audience in the auditorium only make the scene even better.
More importantly, the sequence finally gives Nakamura the romantic fantasy he’s been chasing all episode long. For him, even if it’s technically fake, getting to “die” in Hirose’s arms is pretty much a walk in emotional heaven.
That’s a life achievement for Nakamura,” »
Series Still Carries Comedy
If there is one criticism that still applies to Go For It, Nakamura!, it’s that the actual emotional development between Nakamura and Hirose is still very slow.
Episode 9 doesn’t really change that.
There are still very few genuinely tender moments between the two characters and viewers hoping for major romantic advancement might leave a little disappointed. But the series knows its most potent weapon is comedy, and this episode owns that identity with conviction.
The humor has an energetic feel, not repetitive because the episode is always changing locations, side characters and situations. Nakamura stumbles into a whole new form of embarrassment every few minutes.
That unpredictability keeps the pace sharp.
The school festival setting also helps the episode feel bigger and more alive than normal. Rather than focusing on a single storyline, the anime captures the chaotic spirit of festival day itself — random encounters, rushed performances, crowded hallways, and unexpected disasters all crashing together.
Final word
While Episode 9 may not be a lot of romantic development, it sure does give you your comedy showcase. The anime space uses the school festival setting to bring back its eccentric cast and throw Nakamura in to increasingly ridiculous situations.
It’s hard to think of a funnier payoff this season than the Hirose disguise twist, and the episode’s breakneck pace makes even the tiniest scenes fun to watch.
By this point, the series has perfected awkward romantic comedy chaos. The only thing missing is a bit more emotional payoff between its leads to really push the story beyond pure comedy.
But as a festival episode full of misunderstandings and lovable idiocy, this one absolutely delivers.