Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review

Berliner Mystery

Episode 5 of Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary begins with Kobato stumbling upon Yuki at school. Yuki’s crying and Kobato wonders if she got summoned to the guidance counselor’s office again. Yuki tells Kobato she’s heading to Humpty Dumpty. Later, Kobato visits Kengo and his friends from the newspaper club. Kobato tells Kengo he brought the surveys he requested.

Kengo and the others bring up a dessert called Berliner Pfannkuchen. He shares details about the Berliner dessert, the game surrounding it, and the German bakery that sells it. Kengo says the bakery will let him and the others write an article on it. One of Kengo’s friends tells Kobato that the person who gets the mustard Berliner will write the article.

This “mustard Berliner” is a part of the dessert’s game. Then, Kobato learns they already played the game and no one admitted they got the mustard Berliner. Kobato understands and starts asking Kengo questions. He investigates the area and Kengo provides Kobato with photographic evidence. He also explains how each of the Berliners looked from his point of view.

Kengo says Seba, the newspaper club’s president, brought everyone the pastries and left before Kengo arrived. One of the club members says Seba had a concert to play at so he couldn’t stick around long. Kobato pulls Kengo aside to discuss the dilemma privately. Kengo explains why no one wants to write the article. Kobato says he should settle the matter with a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Kengo understands. However, Kengo wants to find a resolution because the club members aren’t getting along with each other. Kengo fears the club won’t last if these issues aren’t resolved. Kobato and Kengo return to the clubroom. Kobato lists four possibilities for why someone in the room refuses to speak up. Someone shares some intel with Kobato to help him get closer to solving the case.

Kobato asks Kengo if he got the fillings for the Berliners done at the bakery. Another club member tells Kobato Seba possibly got the home economics club to fill the specific Berliner with mustard. Kobato asks Kengo and his friends to write down their thoughts on their respective Berliner’s tastes. Meanwhile, Kobato visits the home economics club. The person inside asks Kobato if he enjoyed the pastries. 

Kobato returns and has everyone put their notecards in the middle of the table. He wonders if someone got the mustard Berliner without realizing it. Everyone argues that’s not the case. Kobato argues someone might be lying. Everyone starts pointing fingers and Kobato says that it’s possible Seba didn’t have the home economics student include any mustard in the Berliner. 

Then, we cut away to Kobato chatting with the home economics student. The home economics student tells Kobato Seba told him to include mustard or anything hot. The home economics student brought up the idea of including something spicy in the Berliners. Then, the home economics student states he went with habanero sauce. 

In the present, Kobato argues it’s possible someone didn’t taste the habanero sauce in their Berliner. Kobato insists they do a lick test experiment. Kengo and his friends try the habanero sauce. After that, we cut away to Kobato and the home economics student again. The home economics student tells Kobato Seba didn’t watch him put the sauce in the Berliner.

However, the home economics student is certain he put the habanero sauce in one of them. In the present, Kengo and his friends give Kobato more intel about Seba, his dislikes, and his relationship with everyone. Kobato interrogates several of Kengo and his friends about what they saw and did when they arrived in the clubroom. 

Kobato contemplates everything and finds Monchi’s (one of the club members) comments a bit conflicting. Monchi admits that he withheld certain comments about Seba’s arrival and happenings because he didn’t think they’d hold merit. Kobato tells Kengo and his friends that it’s possible there were five pastries instead of four. 

He argues the fifth one was for Urino but Seba didn’t know he wasn’t participating. Also, Kobato argues there’s a five-minute blank period that makes it difficult for him to find a solution. Kengo says Urino didn’t eat the pastry. Then, Kobato remembers the gift Kengo brought up earlier. He argues it’s possible someone who isn’t a part of the club arrived and ate it.

Kobato remembers Yuki’s strange reaction earlier. He speculates Yuki is the one who ate the habanero sauce Berliner during the five-minute blank period. Kobato laughs. The episode ends with Yuki eating some sweets at Humpty Dumpty.

The Episode Review

This episode captures the same aura as the hot cocoa chapter from weeks ago. It only gives fans a semi-interesting problem for Kobato to solve. Although some fans won’t be upset with that, others may feel like they were cheated out of a richer experience. Additionally, the chapter’s opening segment between Kobato and Yuki feels like a brutal tease.

While it subverts expectations, many may have hoped that story beat would lead to a set piece that’d be on par with the Sakagami case. Instead, it was used as a lead-in for a silly habanero sauce Berliner case. Nevertheless, some fans won’t mind this episode for going in the route it did. Some will adore seeing Kobato interrogate each club member and create theories surrounding the 5Ws of it all.

At the same time, some fans wouldn’t blame others for disliking this episode’s material. All in all, this episode will likely leave the anime fandom split. It has some neat mystery aspects and a slightly humorous resolution. However, some folks may find themselves going to “sleeptown” as soon as the early segment between Kobato and Yuki concludes.

Hopefully, the next episode gives fans a case worth praising.