FX Senshi Kurumi-chan Ep.02 - Don't do it Kurumi! This is hard to watch...

Episode 2 of FX Senshi Kurumi-chan continues with the same type of content we got used to in the first episode, albeit while dialing back the tragedy tag a bit. Yes, Kurumi's reckless approach to FX trading continues to strike, and this time it's all about leverage, which is one of the things a beginner should never, ever touch.

Kurumi, egged on by a "friend" named Kogane Mochiko, decides to bet long on the AUD/JPY exchange rate, using leverage, of course. You can already guess where this is going: her bet backfires, and by the end of the episode she is on the verge of getting margin called, ready to throw even more money in to "fix it."

Judging from this small scene in the opening it would be a cute girls party, but then you see and...

Was this shot of Kurumi jumping necessary? No. Did I like it? Absolutely yes!

You know, I'm usually not bothered by stupid behavior in anime considering how common it is, but this time around I find Kurumi's actions genuinely painful to watch. I know things are going to end very badly for her, yet I can't simply laugh it off, not after what happened to her mother in the first episode.

First comes the bait dangled by Mochiko, then Kurumi's initial reluctance, followed by a small position, then growing reckless and going all-in, and finally the sheer panic when things don't go as expected. I honestly laughed when I saw the "psychological" tag on the details page for this anime; now I understand what it meant. Kurumi is downright pathological at this point.

Normally you'd expect this kind of story in a gritty drama, but then you look at the art style and it's filled with ultra-cute designs and bright pastel colors, which leaves me thoroughly disoriented. Remember, I went into this thinking it was just a slice-of-life show about "cute girls doing cute things" with an FX trading flavor.

Either way, I'm too invested to stop now, so let's see what happens in the next episode. The scene at the end of the episode showing Kurumi about to deposit more money is clearly a misdirection; they did something similar with the impending bankruptcy in the first episode. Something will probably disrupt her actions before things go completely off the rails, as the series wouldn't be able to continue otherwise.

Kurumi's face here. If you can't bear the situation, just quit. That's the best solution remember!

Stop right there, that's exactly what caused your mother end up in that circle. Kurumi, stop right there!

Another thing to look out for is the introduction of the remaining two main girls in the cast, Mebuki Yamashi and Yasuko Takane, who were only hinted at in the first episode. What kind of personalities will they have? So far, I like Kurumi quite a bit, but I'm pretty indifferent toward Mochiko.