Subculture Anime Blog

Totally kawaii lolis.

Summary:

While knitting in the church, Yuuko is met by who seems to be a young Mizuki. The girl runs out shortly after seeing Yuuko, however, forcing her to chase after her. Meanwhile at school, Yuu has started to draw again in the art room. When Nagi appears, she comments that Yuu still needs more work. In fact, her younger brother Hiro is doing better in grade school. After an awkward suggestion of subject matter, Yuu apologizes for having Nagi help him with this. In response, Nagi simply expresses her desire to help and how much fun she is having while doing so. When Yuu returns home, he is greeted by Yuuko who has prepared a meal for him as usual. This brings them to a discussion about the girls Yuuko met earlier, Chihiro and Kei, among other suggestions of the future. Back on the topic of Yuu’s future goals, Yuuko recalls that he is aiming for the top. However, Yuu replies by saying that he is now only after what is in front on him.

In the church with her, Yuu asks if Yuuko is happy. Bringing up all the things that Yuu has done for her, Yuuko confirms that she is. Saying that her past scars did not hurt would be a lie, but Yuu accepted these. Yuu almost asks something of Yuuko, but the two are interrupted by a sound not far away. When the two check on the source, they find the young girl who had appeared before Yuuko previously. Yuuko finally has the girl tell them her name, which she states is “Miki.” Yuu starts to leave to call a teacher, but Miki tells him not to with a bit of fear. While outside with Yuu afterwards, Yuuko brings up that Miki is unable to trust people because of losing her original parents. This causes her to bring up her belief that god does not exist again, as well as her wish for an ideal world.

While continuing to draw later, Yuu realizes that he has put himself into the job of creating ideal worlds. When Nagi appears to see his work, she expresses that it has become different in that there are no longer any doubts. When she states that there is still a lot to learn though, Yuu wonders if she would pose for him for practice. Nagi denies out of embarrassment, instead giving Yuu a mirror. When she suggests that he pose for himself instead, Yuu then expresses his own embarrassment. At the church, Yuuko asks of a favor from Miki who almost runs from her again. When Yuuko expresses that she is lonely, only being able to see her loved one when returning home at night, Miki calls her weak. Yuuko agrees, then wondering if Miki would become her friend. Despite Miki’s belief that she does not need friends, she accepts Yuuko’s as hers in order to heal her of her loneliness.

Yuu finds Yuuko at the church that night, with Miki in her lap. When Miki finally wakes, she expresses her fear of the dream she always seems to have. At home later, Yuuko takes the chance to enter Yuu’s futon. She wonders why he decides to put his back towards her, so he tells her that it is warm when two put their backs together. This was something that Yuu did with Akane when they were children. With xmas coming soon, Yuuko brings up the strange fact that the holiday happens during the summer in Australia. As she wishes to see this, Yuu jokingly suggests Yuuko make a wish on Tanabata. As he expresses that there are no such thing as miracles in the world, only coincidence and fate, Yuu simply tells Yuuko to sleep with her dreams.

When Miki meets Yuuko at the church, she tells her about the frightening dream she always has. As it didn’t appear on the day she met her, however, Yuuko suggests that this was because they held hands. The two do so again in response, and when Miki asks if Yuuko will do this once more the next day, she agrees to. Yuuko starts to sing a song, and when Miki asks about it, she tells her that it is a song that she heard during a hard time in her life. When she heard Kuze’s melody, it made her have hope in the world again. Miki asks to hear the song again, and as Yuuko sings it, she repeats it in hopes of learning it as well. Yuuko and Miki pass by Yuu while heading home, so Yuuko has him holds hands with her as well. While observing the nearby scenery, Yuu expresses his wish to create a beautiful world.

At home, Yuu opens a letter from Kuze. Inside, it states that he will be returning to Japan on xmas. As he would be with a woman, however, he would not have time to meet them. Yuuko soon wonders what Yuu will be doing for xmas, and though he initially disappoints her by saying that he has work early that day, he makes her happy by promising to get off early to meet her for a date. When Nagi sees Yuu buying flowers for Yuuko on a later day, she expresses how unfitting it is for him. Flowers would certainly fit Yuuko, however. At home, Yuuko waits with the scarf she has been knitting for quite some time.

While alone in the city, Miki starts running towards the sound of a violin playing. Meeting Kuze as a result, she expresses her interest in the song. Shortly after, Miki offers her hand to Kuze. After a strong wind blows, Kuze takes the ribbon out of his hair to give to Miki. With her hair styled to one side, Kuze expresses that she is cuter this way. Thanking him, Miki runs off in happiness. Yuuko meanwhile realizes that she is quite early in arriving at the meeting place. Upon going to pick up a ball that she sees on the street, she is hit by a car. Miki meets Yuu and Nagi elsewhere, and when Miki points to the colors in the sky, Nagi credits this as angels opening up a stairway for one’s soul. When Yuu and Miki find Yuuko, who had seemingly died in song with her wish to see Yuu again, they sorrowfully take her body elsewhere. In the past, when Yuuko met Yuu on the school rooftop, she had given him the key as a gift.

Impression:

………What? Convenient automotive accident there. I guess my assumptions were wrong, as Yuuko really has seemed to die in this episode. That only brings up several questions about how she has been able to meet all the characters in the series though, and how Yuu will be able to meet her again within two more episodes. It was interesting to see that Mizuki (Miki) had actually met everyone in the past though, and it’s pretty obvious that this is going to have a major impact on the ending as a whole (the promotional art always has Yuuko and Mizuki embracing). It looks like the symbolism behind the key is finally going to play a major role in this season as well.

Aesthetically, I absolutely loved this episode. Visually, the use of monochrome effectively played on the concept of time without being distracting. The shots that flashed while Kuze played his violin were also an effective way of representing experience, and it was easy to recall that the city has always been in ruins during Yuu and Yuuko’s dialogs. The most powerful lines in the episode for me definitely came from Yuu, who described art as the job of creating ideal worlds. I obviously connected with this because of having the same belief, as most all artists are idealists. (If a beautiful world is not before us, we will simply create one with the hand of god!) I also loved Nagi’s noticing how Yuu’s work had changed with this new realization, as technique does not become art until emotion is put into it. Yuu’s talk of coincidence and hitsuzen was also appealing (though I think a certain other Yuuko would disagree with him).

We’re almost to the end, and with the events in this episode by us, it looks like we really will be having the bittersweet ending that many have been predicting.

Notes:

• Cameos from Kei and Chihiro were fun, as was the mention of young artist Hiro.
• The hand in Mizuki’s dream is like the creepiest thing ever.
• Nude figure drawing! Who’s it going to be, Nagi or Yuu??
• Ahh! Save me!
• BE MY FRIEND.
• Sleeping in the same futon! No cockblocking!
• Nagi introduces the ahoge radar!
• Kuze is a lolicon.
• But Miki was really cute, so I forgive him.
• Believe in love!
• The ED played “ebullient future” while showing Yuu carrying Yuuko along side of a crying Miki.