Tasuku Uehara and New Game +

**Tasuku Uehara and New Game +** (上原祐と強くてニューゲーム, *Uehara Tasuku to Tsuyokute Nyū Gēmu*) is the second episode of the *Gamers!* anime series, first broadcast on July 20, 2017.

## Short Summary

As Keita's public rejection of Karen's offer causes a stir among his classmates, Tasuku Uehara comes across Keita at the arcade and ends up playing various games with him. Keita runs off when Tasuku's friends show up, feeling he shouldn't interfere with his "normal life", but Tasuku chases after him, revealing he had only been putting on a front as he was bullied for being a geek in middle school. After the two come to a mutual understanding and part ways, Tasuku notices Karen seems to have fallen in love with Keita before returning to his own girlfriend, Aguri. Having only been dating her without any particular reason, Tasuku is surprised to learn that Aguri fell in love with him when he was still a geek, changing his entire perspective of her.

## Detailed Summary

As Keita's public rejection of Karen's offer causes a stir among his classmates, Tasuku Uehara comes across Keita at the arcade and ends up playing various games with him. During this time, Karen is shown following Keita and tries to invite him again but is ignored as he runs past her when Tasuku's friends show up, feeling that he shouldn't interfere with his "normal life", but Tasuku chases after him, revealing he had only been putting on a front as he was bullied for being a geek in middle school.

When Tasuku insults the Game Club, Keita gets mad and angrily pushes Tasuku against the rails, holding the now scared Tasuku above traffic. As Tasuku begs him, Keita demands for him to take back what he said as he lists the good things he thinks about Karen and says Tasuku has no right to badmouth her. Tasuku takes back what he says as Amano calms down and realizes what he's doing and apologizes for his action. The two come to understanding and part ways with Tasuku saying Amano is nothing like his past self as he reflects before noticing a love-struck Karen.

He then wonders what she is staring at, before realizing she is looking at Keita who walks off and realizes she overheard Keita's words and seems to have fallen in love with Keita. He is surprised she fell for the lone gamer and her catches attention, which surprises her and he states he understands while wishing her luck as he tries to leave but she stops him by grabbing him. She frantically interrogates him on what he means, as he states he believes she and Amano will make a cute couple to her embarrassment as he leaves. Tasuku walks off looking forward to the future amusement he will get from egging the two on to be a couple.

Tasuku returns to Aguri who is angry at her for ditching her, he goes to get her a plushie as a way to make up for it. Having realized he has been dating her without a reason, he inquires as to why she was with him but is surprised to hear it was because she liked him since junior high. Aguri revealed that he once won her a plushie and she has been in love with him after that and changed her appearance to look appealing to him after he changed his own. Tasuku recalls their meeting and is surprised there was someone who liked him since his nerdy days, he blushes at this and decides to leave. Aguri tries to walk home with him but he frantically shakes her off and runs off, to her irritation.

Tasuku runs, unable to comprehend how his girlfriend worked so hard to be with him, despite knowing of his past and he now has a reason to be with her.

The next day, Tasuku and Keita talk about a new game as his friends question him on his association with Keita.

Elsewhere, Karen is still love struck about Keita as her classmates are put off by her behavior just as Eiichi Misumi talks with Keita who was outside causing an overhearing Karen to get excited. However, she collapses as it revealed he came to speak with another girl.

## Characters

By order of appearance:

* Tasuku Uehara
* Keita Amano
* Karen Tendō
* Aguri

## Major Events

* Tasuku meets and befriends Amano after a friendly game and developing a respect for him when he stand up to him.
* Karen has started following Amano around to invite him once more. However, she develops a crush on him after he defends her and her club.
* Aguri knew Tasuku in middle school and liked him, even though he was nerd since he gave her a stuffed animal. She even changed her appearance to be appealing to him which causes Tasuku to truly fall in love with her since she went that far, in spite of his dislike of his past.
* Amano goes to Karen's class to meet another girl.

## Trivia

* The arcade fighting game that Keita and Tasuku played is "Persona 4 Arena Ultimax", also known as "Persona 4 : The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold" in Japan, which is one of the few instances a game in its full actuality appeared in the series.

* When Tasuku decided to get rid of his nerdy personality, he kept all of his games inside a box. The two games seen in the box, Base Combat and Call Over Strike: Destruction Warfare, are based from Ace Combat (its cover partially resembles Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, also known as Ace Combat: Distant Thunder in Europe) and Call of Duty: Infinity Warfare, respectively.

* On the endcard, Karen is shown playing with a closely resembled PS Vita.