Subculture Anime Blog

You might be a genius.

Summary:

When Hiro was younger, he would constantly draw. Kei and Chihiro had interacted with him, which affected both of their worlds. Renji gives Chihiro a chick plushie when he meets her at the train station, and suggests that they write a novel together after some small talk. Chihiro wonders why he would say such a thing, and expresses that something like that is impossible. Renji brings up that Chihiro had stated her dream of writing a story, but Chihiro claims that this was another her. However, Renji states that it was still Chihiro, and that a dream is a dream. With this, Chihiro runs away, leaving her plushie behind. Elsewhere, Kyosuke recalls his girlfriend’s words about being unsure about their relationship.

Kei recalls her previous encounter with Hiro in her room, until she gets a phone call from Mizuki. When Mizuki reveals what happened between Hiro and Miyako earlier, Kei is put at ease. In other places, Hiro notices how little money he has. On his way home, he runs into Miyako who wants to go somewhere with him. Kei is busy buying things in preparation to cook, and Kyosuke realizes who she is when he sees her running out of the store. When they arrive at home, Hiro expresses that Miyako is too easy going about entering another boy’s room. She states that it is ok because of Hiro’s kindness, before shuffling through his belongings. After a bit more talk, Miyako convinces Hiro to let her see some of his manga work. Kyosuke visits the clubroom to take his camera, while telling the president that there is a movie he wants to shoot no matter what.

Kei is working on preparing a meal for Hiro, as she has Mizuki test samples for her. Mizuki implies how bad it is to Kei, and asks why she is suddenly cooking. Kei thinks to herself that it is her fault that Hiro is working so hard, as she remembers a time in their childhood. Kei had shown Hiro her shoujo manga, which made Hiro start to draw them in the Shindo sisters’ interests. At the same time, Hiro recalls that he drew because of the sisters’ happiness. However, he is unsure of himself at the moment. Hiro’s thoughts are interrupted by Miyako, when she comes in to demand more manga. Miyako admits that she finds the manga extremely interesting, and praises Hiro with the same compliment that Kei used to give him as a child.

Mizuki gets a call from a panicking Kei, but she successfully advices her on how to fix her cooking disaster. Hiro’s money drains once again when he buys more food, and he finds that Miyako has gotten into his home very easily when he returns to his flat. Miyako prepares to cook a meal for Hiro, but he expresses the decision he has made about not eating a girl’s cooking. However, he is easily convinced when he sees her cooking compared to his cup ramen. Hiro enjoys the meal, but Miyako accidentally hurts his hand when trying to teach him how to use chop sticks properly. It is actually in an already bad state. Hiro wonders what Miyako thinks of the state of life he is in, but is surprised to find that she thinks it is admirable that he is doing his best. Miyako starts offering to feed Hiro, but she is interrupted by an entrance by Kei. Devastated at the scene, Kei quickly runs out.

Renji chases Chihiro along the beach, as she continues to wonder why Renji would suggest something so dramatic. Chihiro finally admits that Renji is right, but still expresses the things that are possible and impossible. As the waves hit the shore, Renji catches an almost falling Chihiro. In this moment, Chihiro requests that Renji save her. She admits that she really wants to write the story, but is afraid. Standing in front of her, Renji asks if he can kiss Chihiro. Chihiro denies because she does not like the teasing Renji of today, but her previous self would have thought otherwise. As Chihiro falls into his arms, Renji asks what kind of story she would like to write. Chihiro replies that she wants to write a story about a girl who is all alone in the world. Mizuki finds a crying Chihiro outside at night, but she refuses to admit what is wrong.

ED: “Kizamu Kisetsu” by Junko Okada – I like the animation with Kei running through various style changes, but I think the song itself is only decent.

Impression:

Oh. My. God. I cannot tell you how much I love this show. From the start to finish of this episode, I was blown away by the beautiful style and use of words. I am truly amazed by the writing, and it makes me glad that I can understand the Japanese clearly. Things like Chihiro’s “save me” and the revealing of her symbolic story at the end of the episode made my heart skip a beat. Shaft’s directing is spectacular, in story and in art. Did anyone else notice the art pieces that they hid in the background in this episode? That was awesome. I’m also going to have to say that Shaft is the only team that can pull off an extreme butt shot without distracting me. Haha. The only style change that I didn’t full appreciate in this episode was the Hiro “power up” during his conversation with Miyako. I see how it fit, but I guess I just have a thing against that kind of stuff.

The story itself is quickly picking up with both sides. I loved the parallels between Hiro’s past with the Shindo sisters and the present Miyako. Who would have thought that Kei was the one to convince Hiro to draw manga? Miyako’s use of the same familiar words to compliment Hiro was so awesome. Kei’s seeing the two together was pretty expected, but it still came off pretty strong. I do want to mention how silly I think the typical situations, like Miyako getting into Hiro’s house by finding his key, were though. I also don’t understand how girls can fail at cooking so badly. I guess I’ll just say that you can’t fight the source. I also found Miyako’s finding of Hiro’s magazines hilarious. It was “real”. Hahaha.

As far as Chihiro and Renji go, I am still loving their story the most. Oddly enough, this seems to be the relationship that most people find the least interesting. Many may see Chihiro’s memory loss as predictable, or a crutch, but I think it is being presented in an amazing way. Just take the end of this episode as an example. I was also pretty devastated about Chihiro’s leaving behind of Renji’s plushie, not even gonna lie. I have to mention Kyosuke’s story too, which no one even seems to be paying attention to. I’m still finding this as interesting as ever. I laughed at Kyosuke’s use of the “viewfinder”, because I could relate from photography. Has anyone discovered the name of Kyosuke’s girlfriend/the club president yet? I don’t think they’ve mentioned it, and it’s killing me while writing the summaries as usual. Anyways, I can’t wait for next week’s episode, “Outline”. I’m not even going to complain about having to watch this late anymore. I’m just glad that I can actually do so.