Ep 7. Deciding the Night for Two

Tomoya Aki, is a high school student who loves dating simulation games and is passionate about creating one on his own someday. He is finally able to gather a team that consists of his childhood friend, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, who is a talented artist, and Utaha Kasumigaoka, a noted writer. Together, they work hard to create their own game, but as they progress, they eventually find themselves in a creative slump. In episode 7 of Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, entitled Deciding the Night for Two, Tomoya is stuck making a choice between spending time with Eriri or Utaha, his two teammates and potential love interests.

As the episode begins, Tomoya is talking with Megumi, the inspiration for the main character in their game. She asks him if he can spare any time for her, which throws him off guard. Saekano has definitely been an exploration of Tomoya's love life, with many potential love interests, and this episode focuses on just two of them. As the day progresses, both Eriri and Utaha contact Tomoya about spending the evening together. Being in a slump, Tomoya finds himself unable to make a decision in choosing between them, which leaves him frustrated.

Utaha suggests cancelling the meetings with one of the girls but Tomoya shows no interest. He is simply not willing to hurt either of them by cancelling the plans. Megumi then calls him and invites him for some study time, but he ends up falling asleep while they're studying. He wakes up to find himself cuddled with Megumi, which blindsides him and complicates his already difficult situation.

Tomoya starts to realize that his future game may be on the line, as he's struggling to deal with the stress of trying to balance his love life with his game creation. Eventually, he decides to spend time with Eriri in the evening, but while they're hanging out, he ends up running into Utaha. He feels guilty for abandoning Utaha since they already planned to spend time together. Things get especially tense when both girls realize that they've been tricked into spending time together.

With this development, the atmosphere becomes increasingly uncomfortable and awkward, causing the tension between the three to escalate. As the episode draws to a close, the situation becomes even more difficult for Tomoya to navigate. He ends up being completely overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, which is only exacerbated by his inability to make a decision between Eriri and Utaha.

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend season 1 episode 7, Deciding the Night for Two, is a great summary of the show to date. It's a combination of both romantic and dramatic elements, which blend together nicely to create a well-structured episode. It's an excellent addition to the series, as it explores not only Tomoya's love life but also the hardships of balancing real life relationships with creative ambitions. Hopefully, Tomoya will be able to figure out how to successfully balance his priorities and secure a successful future for himself and his friends.