The Quintessential Quintuplets has since established itself as a fan-favorite entry in the harem genre, centering around Futaro Uesugi and his quest to tutor the five Nakano sisters -- who are terrible students -- and impress their father. However, there's more to it than reviewing notes: the five sisters are all falling for their generous tutor, and Itsuki Nakano seems to be falling behind.
Aside from fans who already know how the manga ends, no one knows which of the five sisters Futaro will end up marrying. In Season 2, each girl has an angle for winning over his heart, yet Itsuki's seems weak. She even ranks relatively low on AnimeTrending's shipping charts, far behind Miku and Nino. So, can she catch up?
Are Fans Taking Itsuki For Granted?
It's not that Itsuki Nakano is unlikeable, but the story of The Quintessential Quintuplets makes it tempting to take her character for granted. Why? After all, she was the first Nakano sister to appear and helped lead Futaro into the world of the Nakano family. However, Itsuki didn't stand out much aside from acting as the bridge between Futaro and her father, Maruo. Since her four sisters came into the picture, Itsuki became eclipsed by the time the plot got going.
Another possible reason for Itsuki's low ranking among the pairings could be that her angle for standing out among the sisters is fairly weak. She does like Futaro, and she has some charming tsundere traits to match Nino's -- and the characters know it. However, Nino has a fascinating crush on Futaro's "alter ego" Kintaro. Some juicy drama resulted from Nino's discovery that Futaro and his "cousin" Kintaro were the same. Nino even symbolically cut her hair shorter to show how she's moving on.
Meanwhile, Miku is the most popular girl for Futaro, given her quietly earnest personality and charming, shy behavior. Miku isn't a quitter, but she gets overwhelmed easily and is soft-spoken, endearing her to viewers. Yotsuba, by contrast, is wonderfully cheery, even if she is arguably the worst student among the five. She has a "cute little sister" complex, despite not being the youngest (Itsuki is).
Itsuki Is Still In The Game After All
For the time being, the Itsuki/Futaro pairing is ranking poorly online. However, the Quintuplets anime certainly isn't over yet, and there is still ample time for Futaro and fans to recognize her strengths with another big scene or two. Right now, Itsuki feels like a control group for the other four, lacking an extreme such as Yotsuba's energetic goofiness or Miku's compelling shyness. This may make the Itsuki/Futaro pairing feel bland, but a dedicated viewer may think back and realize that her strong sense of responsibility is admirable. Indeed, Ichika is the oldest sister (barely), but it's often Itsuki who acts like the typical "big sister" type, despite being youngest.
In a family as rowdy and dramatic as the Nakano's, having someone who takes responsibility -- that big sister role -- is vital. Itsuki is a serious and high-strung person and is teased for it, but she acts as the voice of reason among the five sisters. Itsuki was the one who helped Futaro land his position as the five girls' tutor, and in Season 2, she tried to help Futaro get Yotsuba away from the track team so her sister could get more studying done.
Itsuki also aspires to be a schoolteacher, like her mother was, a role that is all about selflessness and responsibility. Anytime something goes wrong, Itsuki will try to help. And the next time something goes awry for Futaro or the sisters, fans can be sure that Itsuki will step in as a mediator and get everything back on track, as she has done before.
Being responsible sometimes gets a bad rep as "boring," but that's not necessarily deserved. Much like Itsuki, it's just a matter of appreciating the things that often go unacknowledged.