Subculture Anime Blog

Those forgotten memories…that sibling love…

Summary:

Masa expresses to Mama at the bar that he has been seeing dreams of the past lately, where a small crying girl was calling out to him. He does not know if they are really dreams of his past, but he feels as if it is familiar. Akeno rushes over to help a young boy and his sister from a group of bullies. The boy exclaims that he could have taken care of them on his own, so Akeno agrees that boys should be that way. As the siblings run home, Akeno reflects on the relationship. Akeno confronts Masa at the school later about the swordsmanship he taught San, but he tells her that he cannot remember where he learned it. When asked why she is interested, Akeno tells Nagasumi and San that the sword style was certainly her family’s. She tells them of her brother that taught her swordsmanship, and how he disappeared on a mission to test the Seto family. Masa denies that he knows where Akeno’s brother is, but he says that teaching San was half for himself. Practicing the sword gave him a reminiscent feeling. San suggests that they visit the dojo to find clues, but she finds that Nagasumi has disappeared. Gouzaburou who has been watching from afar has pulled Nagasumi over to him. Asking for Nagasumi’s cooperation, Gouzaburou explains what happened in the past. During a festival, Gouzaburou had invited the inspector for a drink. Gouzaburou began talking about his cute daughter, so Akeno’s brother unthinkingly mentioned that Gouzaburou’s attachment to San would be tough for his future son. Upon that mention, Gouzaburou declared that he would not hand over his daughter to anyone. Gouzaburou hit Akeno’s brother in his drunk state, causing him to lose his memory. This person is no other than Masa himself.

Nagasumi and Gouzaburou spy on Masa and the others from outside the dojo, believing that they must keep his identity hidden to protect his life. Masa requests to see Akeno’s sword, which makes him feel a nostalgic feeling. Nagasumi attempts to take the sword out of his hands, but Akeno quickly throws him against the wall. Masa expresses the feelings for Akeno that have appeared inside of him, which makes San believe that he has fallen in love with her. Gouzaburou and Nagasumi hope that they will continue to believe that, but Masa goes for the sword again. When Nagasumi tries to get between the two again, San believes that it is because of his attachment to the person of his “first kiss”. Iinchou approaches Gouzaburou from behind, to see Nagasumi dancing with Masa. San and Akeno also have a misunderstanding, and Gouzaburou tells Iinchou that Nagasumi is turned on by Masa’s traits. Masa is still determined to touch Akeno’s sword, but Gouzaburou rushes in to knock him down for his sake. This brings back his memories for a second, and San also knocks over Akeno in an attempt to protect her from danger. When Akeno gets up, her mentality is reverted to her child’s form. Nagasumi and San chase her as she runs out of the dojo.

Masa sees his other self in his conscience, and he apologizes to him about forgetting about his memories. Because the body belongs to his other self, Masa prepares to disappear. However, his family appears around him in a dazzling field. Masa’s other self tells him that the years he lived were real, and that he does not want the same thing that happened between himself and Akeno to be repeated. He tells Masa that he will continue living inside of him, and to take care of his sister. Masa wakes from his unconscious state, and shows himself to a crying Akeno on the school roof. Masa embraces Akeno and swears to protect her, but she denies that he is acting like her brother. Akeno continues to run away, so San throws her off the roof to revert her back. When Akeno wakes up in the nurse’s office, Ren explains to San that she does not remember anything that happened. As she gets up, Akeno expresses the nostalgic feeling she has. Gouzaburou asks Masa what he will do from now on above the river. To his and Nagasumi’s suprise, Masa decides to leave things the way they are. With this, everyone returns home. Nagasumi tries to convince San that he was acting earlier, but his words do not get through to her. Elsewhere, Iinchou visits Mama’s beauty salon, and requests a haircut like Masa’s to gain Nagasumi’s favor.

Preview: Kai centric story

Impression:

Loli San and San in a pink ribbon were moe!! This episode was so good. I would have never expected this turn of events from the last episode’s preview. Masa’s other self was just as cool as he is now, just in a very different way. Someone tell me the voice actor that voices him. Once again, I can recognize the voice very clearly, but I cannot match it to a name. I’m so bad with male seiyus. The conscious scene was also very cool, though strange to see in a love comedy. I’m still going to say that Gonzo working on this kind of show creates surprisingly good results. This episode was also good for Akeno’s character development. Her child form was so cute! I think I like her a lot more after this episode. Her brother complex was really fun to watch, but it’s a shame that she will remain ignorant to the truth. The majority of the humor in this episode was centered around the numerous misunderstandings, and the episode was much more entertaining than last weeks. San’s “Akeno-chi!” was also adorable. Next week’s episode puts Kai in the spotlight. There are only a few more episodes left, so I’m hoping for a joyride until the end.