Subculture Anime Blog

Yuuko, the super-cute loli!

Summary:

Yuu and Yuuko had met when they were children, as two out of several who had lived in a church after being abandoned by their parents. One day though, Yuu had lost sight of Yuuko. Before then, Yuu had lost his sister to a large fire. Yuu one day wakes from this memory, looking into one of his drawers to find a broken watch. At school later, Yuu finds Kuze trying to sell various pieces of clothing. Yuu obviously finds such things worthless, but when Yuuko appears, she agrees to Kuze’s suggestion that she may buy something for her boyfriend. Elsehwere, Nagi trashes the drawing she was previously working on to start a new one. Yuu reminds Yuuko that he told her not to get close to her when he sees that she is following him, but she simply implies that they can both choose to do what they want. Yuuko soon grabs Yuu’s hands, having him come to the rooftop with her by using a key that she had copied from a student who previously possessed it. On the rooftop, Yuuko asks what Yuu had done since they last saw each other in the past. Having wanted to not have to depend on anyone as fast as possible, Yuu was simply living in an area nearby. Yuu eventually tells Yuuko to leave him again, not wanting to remember the things of the past. Yuuko mutters that it would just be better to forget, correctly guessing that Yuu has continued to have a certain dream.

Looking at the broken watch again later, Yuu remembers when he met Yuuko. She had become interested in his drawing one day when they were children, referring to him as “onii-chan.” Because this made him recall his lost sister Akane, Yuu made Yuuko call him something else. In the end, she happily settled for “Yuu-kun.” Yuuko continued to follow Yuu, even suggesting that he draw her one day. Because he did not have much paper, and because Yuuko continued to remind him of Akane, Yuu eventually refused to do it. Yuuko decided that she was fine with this, but in exchange, he would have to show her all of the pictures he drew. Yuu one day drew Yuuko when she wasn’t looking, but was eventually found out by her. Yuuko began asking if Yuu needed a younger sister, but he denied because of the painful memories of his losing his true sister. When Yuuko ran away in agreement afterwards, this was the last time Yuu had seen her until the present. Because people seemingly always end up alone, Yuu decided to live without depending on others. Despite this, Yuuko stood before him on the rooftop. When Yuu wonders why, Yuuko reveals that Yuu was her first love. Stating that this love is not yet over, Yuuko falls into a shocked Yuu’s arms. She then claims that she will make him forget his painful memories.

After having a dream about his playing violin on stage, Kuze is waken by Mizuki at his door. After getting dressed in one of Kuze’s outfits, Mizuki suggests that they will be doing laundry that day. This even brings the two to Renji’s house, where they interrupt him during his studies to take his clothes. Mizuki gets into a conversation with Kuze about his first love when they return to his house, but after he describes it to her, she finds that he was only playing a joke on her. When Mizuki gets up to check on the laundry, she turns back to see that Kuze has collapsed. She gives up on calling the hospital when she sees that this isn’t as serious as she had thought, then only dragging him to a nearby sofa to rest on. Resting on Mizuki’s lap, Kuze describes the terrible dreams he has when he is alone. When Mizuki assures him that she is there, however, he is able to sleep in peace. Kuze bids farewell to Mizuki when he finally wakes that night, but takes note of the letters in his mailbox before doing so. When Yuu meets Kuze later that night, he finds that he is burning the letters he received from his past girlfriend among others. He also notices a letter from Nagi, wondering how she is doing, but only continuing to burn this as well. When Yuu wonders what Kuze plans on doing with the rest, he confirms his intention to simply burn all of the letters.

Kuze seems to speak with his other self during the night, wondering if his metronome is off and if his heart is really one of music. One element that seems to be missing is that of memories. Kuze is interrupted by Mizuki’s call from next door, who visits from her inability to sleep. When Mizuki sees Kuze’s violin next to him, Kuze again lies by saying that it still needs to be repaired. Mizuki then discusses the CD that Kuze had given her, describing her amazement at the emotions the instrumentals could convey. Especially fascinating, was a song that seemed to give a love confession. Mizuki suddenly suggests that this made her think of Kuze, and before parting with him, she reveals that she seems to have fallen in love with him. Kuze is flattered by this as he watches Mizuki leave, but when his two sides appear in his mind, he can only be troubled.

ED: “Egao no Chikara/笑顔のチカラ” by Gotou Mai - The animation for this one is much like those of the first season. I’m not really into the actual song, since I’m typically not a fan of seiyu tracks, but it is certainly fitting. Even more interesting is the animation dealing with Mizuki, and the suggestion that she will be getting closer to Kuze.

Impression:

Energetic loli gone slightly mentally unstable and clingy woman? …I’m sold. I guess this is the point in the series where fans start taking sides in deciding which arc they prefer. It looks like I’ll be doing a switch this season, because I am definitely more interested in the story dealing with Yuu, Yuuko, and Nagi this time around. It may be that I haven’t seen enough of what is really wrong with Kuze’s mind to be interested in it, but I’m far more attached to the themes of visual art in the love triangle than I am with the “energetic girl falls in love with violin player” story. Chihiro and Renji’s arc just seemed so much more tragic in the beginning. I’m very interested in learning more about Yuu’s past, especially after seeing how Yuuko reminded him of his lost sister. Nagi didn’t even make much of an appearance in this episode, only going back into the nude to draw again, and I’ve already stated how much I like her character.

There’s been some discussion about ef only being different from other similar stories in its different approach to presentation, which I will agree with. I even remember being worried, and even hesitant, about Shaft picking up this series when I saw the announcement last year. This is because after shows like sola, I had grown to hate the bishoujo genre that Japan seems to love to produce so much of. With these things in mind while watching this episode, I could only imagine how much I would like this series if a different studio had its hand at it. Mizuki’s interaction with Renji and Kuze would have probably been horribly generic to watch, let alone enjoy. And when the arguments about long shots being used when the characters have conversations show up, I can only question what we would be treated to if this wasn’t the case. Would the conversations seem as insightful as they do now? I’d imagine that symbols like the rooftop key, broken watch, paper airplane, candle, and metronome in this episode simply wouldn’t have been as interesting or appealing to look at. I suppose things happen for a reason though, and dramatic change makes ef continue to be one of my favorites.