A Couple of Cuckoos is an all-new rom-com anime series that stars the hardworking and humble Umino Nago and his new fiancee, the cheerful Amano. They were swapped at birth and raised by each other's parents, and to build bridges between their two families, they must get married. But Erika and Nagi are both pursuing other people entirely.
Erika and Nagi have learned to get along fairly well, but they aren't (yet) too preoccupied with each other. Recent episodes make it clear that they share a goal -- to impress an outside party and seek true happiness with them, no matter what it means for their own engagement. Perhaps Nagi and Erika might even support each other in this regard, as each understands what the other is feeling. They could make a good team at this rate.
Umino Nagi's Goal To Impress Segawa Hiro At School
Umino Nagi might be thought of as the new Shirogane Miyuki from Kaguya-Sama: Love is War. Both boys come from loving but humble households, and they must work hard to get absolutely everything that they have. This fostered a strong work ethic in both characters, especially where studying is concerned. Nagi and Miyuki throw themselves into studying to unlock future success, and they identify strongly with it to the point of annoying their little sisters or exasperating their parents. But it's for a good cause, and not just where test scores are concerned.
Miyuki and Nagi both feel validated by their good grades and exercising their good study habits, and in Nagi's case, it's all to impress a girl. Nagi has his eyes on the popular girl at school, Segawa Hiro, who also studies hard and ranks first in her class time and again. Nagi wants to beat Hiro at her own game and impress her, and he knows for sure that it'll work. After all, Hiro already stated that she only likes boys who are even smarter than she is, so that's the ticket to her heart. Nagi explained this to his fiancée Erika in recent episodes, and it's a sympathetic goal to have. Aside from being a bit too competitive, Hiro seems like a nice girl and a worthy study rival. If Nagi studies enough and aces the next exam, he will get her attention for real this time.
Amano Erika's Goal To Impress Someone Via Social Media
Nagi can summarize his mission as "I'm trying to get someone to notice me," and the same is true for Amano Erika. Even if she was raised by her wealthy foster parents in a luxurious household, she must still work hard to get what her heart truly desires. Designer clothes and a pack of pet dogs aren't enough -- she strives to get a mysterious "someone" to notice her, and she told Nagi as much in Episode 3. Only by showing off on social media as a beloved amateur model can Erika get that special someone to acknowledge her.
It's not yet clear whether Erika will accomplish this goal or why she wants to connect to this mysterious other person. But for now, A Couple of Cuckoos fans can give Erika the benefit of the doubt and presume that she has wholesome reasons for doing this, such as trying to impress her grade school crush or get a new role model in life. And no matter what, all this should make Erika plenty sympathetic to Nagi's own "I'm trying to get someone to notice me" endeavor.
Erika and Nagi might rub each other the wrong way sometimes, but they have plenty in common and have some basic respect for one another, making it more likely that Erika will at least cheer Nagi on, if not actively support him in his mission. Getting good grades is a familiar and worthwhile goal for any responsible teenager, and if Nagi can find true happiness with Hiro, all the more reason for Erika to back Nagi up.
This may not only push Nagi's quest to the next level but also reflect well on Erika and make her more likable -- and a grateful Nagi might repay that favor however he can with Erika's mission to impress that special someone, such as by taking perfect photos of her on Instagram. He can be her #1 photographer and manager, and it'll cost him nothing but time.