Subculture Anime Blog

IT WAS LIKE AN INDIRECT KISS THAT MADE ME HAPPY.

Summary:

Yuno wakes on the day of Tanabata, but is a bit disappointed to see that it looks like it will rain outside. When she and Miyako meet Sae outside, they ask her if she has seen Hiro. To their surprise, Sae pushes the question off in annoyance. In class, Yuno and Miyako wonder if Sae and Hiro have gotten into a fight. The two meet Hiro during lunch, finding that she has the same reaction that Sae did. Hiro actually reveals what had happened, but it was something seemingly trivial that Sae became angry with. When Sae enters the lunchroom, she avoids Hiro’s gaze. Natsume is surprised when Sae takes a seat next to her, and overjoyed when she gives her the leftovers to the lunch that she does not finish. Yuno and Miyako enter Sae’s room later to tell her the information they got from Hiro. Miyako is quick to state that Sae is actually the one wrong in this case, and although she admits that she could have went too far, Sae does not know how she should go about apologizing. When Sae finally apologizes to Hiro, she is put to tears.

Alone with each other later, Miyako and Yuno realize that they have never gotten into a fight before. Miyako wonders what Yuno is like when she is angry, but this results in a smack in the face. When Sae and Hiro meet the other girls again that night, they have returned to their normal selves. The girls all prepare for their Tanabata wishes afterwards, even encountering the Landlady’s wish already posted on the bamboo outside. After all of the girls show their wishes, they are reminded that this is the day that Orihime and Hikoboshi are able to meet. As the girls further prepare for festivities, the Headmaster and Yoshinoya pass by the apartments. The two take the chance to make a visit, having their chances to make wishes as well. When the girls look at all of the wishes afterwards, they eventually notice that they have all wished that they would get along at the Hidamari apartments from here on.

Preview: Finale.

Impression:

This episode made me happy. Very happy. Shaft decided to have a little fun with their animation this week, with beautiful results. Doing so did make this episode seem more like a Zetsubou Sensei or other Shafty show though. With even the ef references included, it almost seemed like the studio wanted to remind us of the potential they really hold in preparation for the upcoming season. There were so many stylish scenes in this episode that simply reminded me why I love this oh-so-underrated studio so much. Tanabata is a common theme to play on in many different anime series, but the way it was presented in this episode was so aesthetic that it made my artsy head explode for a second.

The fight that Sae and Hiro had was extremely fun to watch too, with both of them acting tsun towards each other. And to top it off, Natsume’s going in for the kill probably made my day (Man, when was I watching yuri anime?). Miyako’s straight up telling Sae that she was the wrong one was just as great, since she was probably the only one who could have done this so easily. Yuno’s pumping heart compared to her calm one was such an awesome comparison to play on. On a side note, hearing Sawashiro Miyuki use her Reika/Shinku voice in this episode was a bit surprising. It’s usually hard to believe that she plays the Landlady. With only one episode left, I can only wonder what the studio plans on throwing our way next.