And it ends. My final impression is included.

Summary:

The previous shrine managers wonder if they should check on their visitor, an acquaintance of the grandmother of the house. This turns out to be none other than Nagi, but when the mother of the house asks if she feels like she is ready to go home, Nagi can only express how shameful she is. Having heard the news about Nagi’s leaving at school, Tsugumi questions Jin about the details. Becoming quite angry, Jin only tells Tsugumi that she has nothing to do with the situation. When Shino and Takako meet Tsugumi after classes, they bring up Jin’s strangeness and Nagi’s absence. The two guess that Tsugumi would know more about it, but she only replies that the two would probably work things out like before. During a reading in class, a passage is read about love. The passage states one’s realization that their heart is already moving by love, which Tsugumi takes extra note of. However, the cruel words that Jin gave her earlier still linger in her mind as well.

Tsugumi meets Jin after school, then having him properly explain what happened. Jin tells her about the small argument he and Nagi had, then stating that she left on her own. When Jin expresses that he had no right to stop her, and that Nagi could have just found somewhere else to say, Tsugumi is put in shock. Tsugumi soon makes Jin realize that Nagi is his family, and that they both actually want to see each other again, causing Jin to finally opens his eyes. Rushing through the town on his bike, Jin recalls how much fun he had with Nagi in response to Suzushiro’s early talk. With the help of Tsugumi and the information network provided by Nagi’s fanclub, Jin is able to find Nagi by the riverside. With Nagi breaking into tears, Jin corrects what she had said earlier. Despite her belief that she tricked Jin, Nagi actually did not know the answers to her own questions. Jin comforts Nagi by saying that they will simply search for an answer together, claiming that he would watch over her until then.

The two are met by a woman named Shige soon after, who excitedly expresses his wish to teach Jin more things. Bringing them just a bit further away, Shige makes Nagi recall a location that was once full of flowers. Surprisingly, Nagi recalls several details about this. Jin is then surprised to hear that Shige was the one who tried to hang herself in the past, having ignored those around because of difficulty from the war. She was extremely happy to see Nagi again recently, as she had protected her in the past. Jin and Nagi soon attend a funeral, where Jin learns that the elderly shrine manager has died. Nagi again questions if she is qualified as a god, even despite Shige’s words, but Jin again reminds her that they will find a way together.

Jin and Nagi return home hand in hand, then listening to several messages on the phone from friends offering Nagi’s support. Of course, Jin makes Nagi realize that several people were worried about her. Nagi then decides to take a bath, and before leaving to do so, she gives Jin simple words of thanks. Jin becomes extremely embarrassed upon hearing this though, then having difficulty staying calm while alone. Nagi meanwhile realizes that she has forgotten her change of clothes, sneaking into the main quarters of the house to find them. She runs into Jin on the way though, and through an awkward turn of events, he ends up on top of her. Jin almost lets out thoughts that have been building up for quite some time, but Tsugumi then enters the house in shock of what she sees. Tsugumi quickly runs out of the house in tears, while Jin receives a beating from Nagi. In the end, things had more or less returned to normal.

ED: “motto☆Hade ni ne! (motto☆派手にね！)” by Haruka Tomatsu – The OP single played over shots of scenes from the overall series. Nothing new, but works great.

Impression:

Wow, what a perfect ending to the series. From Tsugumi’s support for Jin in the beginning to her shock at the end, I was completely absorbed in this episode. The problem with broadcast anime is that it’s limited to the timeframe that’s given to it. If this were paired together with the last episode, last week wouldn’t have been nearly as much of a downer. I did think that animation at points was slightly awkward though, especially with how the clouds were moving towards the end (this isn’t ef). Jin’s finding Nagi in a mourning dress and that scene all together ended up being hilariously cheesy as well, and I’m not sure if this was suppose to be intentional. My final impression is next, leaving only some fun cds to wait for in the not distant future. I can’t wait to hear Zange’s singing!

Notes:

• If he throws a shoe, you know he’s pissed.
• Jin and Tsugumi, BFF.
• DESHO.
• All of these problems would have been avoided if Jin just used the internet, thanks to google the Nagi fan club.
• Nagi in a mourning dress is cute.
• A crying Nagi is cute.
• Nagi blowing her nose is cute.
• A nekkid Nagi is….. *fapfapfap*
• Holding hands, F YEA.
• Boner~
• O.O
• cry
• run

Final Impression:

Oh, Kannagi, what am I to say? Kannagi was suppose to be the underdog that I would root for while everyone else was too busy with Clannad. It was suppose to be the gem of the season that hid in the shadows. But, it wasn’t. Kannagi ended up gaining all of its popularity by itself, and seemingly instantly. From the all-too familiar directing by Yutaka Yamamoto, to the lovable group of characters that fans could only go ga ga over, this show had no problems becoming one of the most popular selections of the season. Who am I to complain? From the start, Kannagi met all of my expectations and more. A-1’s adaption was nothing but solid, and the casting choices for characters was nothing short of perfect. Even when the dreaded anime original showed up…..well, it didn’t end up being dreadful at all. It was brilliant.

I can’t seem to find a lot of words for the series in the end though, especially since it technically isn’t even over yet. Most people know by now that the manga is currently on hold, but even by simply observing the events in the anime, it’s obvious that the story is far from complete. This ends up being a case of appreciating what we have now, then only waiting for the inevitable in the future. Looking at how successful this adaption was, I don’t think there’s anyone questioning if there will be a second season when possible. Nagi forever!

Oh, HELL no.

Summary:

Jin gets assistance from one of the school’s professors to learn where he can find the Kannagi shrine’s managers. Daitetsu meets him afterwards, presenting him with Nagi’s magic stick. Daitetsu had found it on the school rooftop earlier, though Nagi was nowhere to be found. Jin finds the shrine managers’ home later, and after listening to idle talk about the couple’s family, he finally asks for information about the shrine itself. The only information he gains, however, is that a fire had once destroyed evidence of what the goddess’s name was. It is suggested that the grandmother of the house may know more information, but she only hints that the shrine’s goddess had saved people from hangings in the past.

Jin meets Zange after she finishes a street fight, then realizing that she is actually so strong that he probably didn’t need to save her when they originally met. Jin gets to the point by asking about Nagi though, by inquiring if she is really a goddess. After a short pause, Zange refuses to answer by crediting this as a girl’s secret. Zange soon shows Jin a container full of impurities, then describing her duty to take care of them. When Jin sees that Zange does not know the reason for this either, he questions if she is not curious about the reason why she must. Zange claims that the reason doesn’t matter, however, as she only wishes to be herself. After Zange questions why Jin has become so curious about things such as proof about her and Nagi’s being a goddess, she becomes quite annoyed with his reply about Suzushiro’s theory that the two may be spirits. But with this, she assures Jin that he is mistaken.

When Jin returns home, all he finds is a note from Nagi and signs suggesting that she does not plan on returning. With not much at all to do at home, Jin simply continues to wait for Nagi’s return. On the way to school the next day, a strong gust of wind blows by Jin when he looks in the direction of the Kannagi shrine. Jin finds that no one at school has seen Nagi either, then ignoring Tsugumi’s concern for him. Jin continues to feel quite depressed when returning home that day, and after falling asleep, he has a dream about her earlier collapsing. Nagi is still nowhere to be found despite Jin’s expectations, and after seeing Tsugumi the next day, he finally guesses that Nagi may not return.

Impression:

Kujira, please leave. Wakamoto Norio, please leave. Get out of my Kannagi. Now.

In all honesty, today’s Kannagi ended up being very boring. Sure, they did a fairly good job of representing how Jin felt about Nagi’s separation from him, but a full episode of it was just overkill. It is notable that Zange was obviously hiding a lot from Jin though, just as Nagi seemed to do before, and there were also a lot of hints that something drastic had happened at the Kannagi shrine in the past. Watching Zange kick a lot of ass was pretty fun too, and Jin’s “There’s not even a reason to run away” line was quite good towards the end, but I feel for the most part that this episode suffered from the typical case of a comedy going dramatic before the finale. I’m going to assume that the series will end with Nagi’s return, but it still seems like we’ll just be waiting ever so long for a sequel after that.

Also, poor Tsugumi getting ignored.

Kannagi After Story.

Summary:

Jin wonders why Nagi takes so much such interest in the strange mahou shoujo anime she is watching, and as she imitates the heroine’s moves, this eventually leads Nagi to requesting that her magic stick be upgraded. This causes Jin to bring up the fact that Nagi has been doing nothing but playing recently, which the two argue about until being distracted by Zange on the TV as usual. As Nagi bathes later, Jin recalls how much time has passed since she first appeared to change his life. By the time Nagi gets out of the bath, she sees that Jin has repaired her magic stick. Jin even suggests that they can buy a new one when she meets him in the kitchen, but Nagi replies that the one she has now is just fine.

Jin assists Nagi with catching an impurity at school the next day, but this causes him to fall out of a window and gain slight injuries. Rumors continue to spread through the school about Jin as he passes in the halls, which Shino even comes up with a theory about once he reaches the art room. When Nagi appears, Jin finally drags her out to talk with privately. Seeing that he may even be killed eventually while putting up with her, he finally asks for Nagi to clearly tell him her reasons for staying with him. Nagi simply reaffirms that she is busy taking care of impurities, then restating the strange fact that there are several gathered in their town alone. As Nagi continually seems like she is hiding something, even implying that she does not know exactly why she is taking so much effort in clearing impurities, Jin finally asks for a clear explanation. He even fights through her usual angriness, but when he does, Nagi surprises him by running away in genuine tears.

Jin meets Suzushiro-sensei in the halls later, then clearing up the misunderstanding about himself and his daughter. Jin takes the chance to bring up Nagi’s position as a goddess, but Suzushiro only comes up with other explanations in reply. As there does not seem to be strong proof that Nagi is a goddess, he suggests that she and Zange may just be spirits claiming to be goddesses for their own purposes. Elsewhere, on the school rooftop, Nagi struggles with her thoughts and what Jin had talked with her about. Nagi loves the city that she protects as its goddess, but the impurities seem to interrupt this. Nagi eventually realizes that she does not know the reasons for her actions, however, saddening her and causing her to take action. Jin leaves Suzushiro in a rush after talking to him, then going to the library to look up lore. He cannot seem to find the information he is looking for, but when a check out card falls out of the book he is looking at, he realizes that Nagi had been looking through the same one not long ago.

Impression:

Great, now they’re trying to turn Kannagi into mindfuck anime. I’m sure the television static and related imagery would have been effective in its own right, but I guess I’ve just been so jaded by the likes of Eva and Lain that I can’t see all of this as an original feat. Luckily, this portion of the episode was really the only thing that bothered me. After a few episodes of playing around (yes, Nagi, you have been doing too much karaoke.), we’re finally back to the plot dealing with why exactly Nagi does the things she does. Being the third time that she has run from Jin after he has asked for her reasons, but actually taking action this time, I can only wonder if we will learn all of the facts before the first series ends in two episodes. I mean, with the manga on hold, doesn’t that mean we could possibly be waiting years for the sequel? Agh!

Notes:

• Mahou shoujo anime has really degraded in quality these days.
• Jin and Nagi have some “hands on” play.
• Poor Jin having to deal with Zange/Daitetsu psychos.
• Nagi sliding out!
• Aw~ masking tape. A true sign of love!
• Takako would play a Kannagi vn….

BUY OUR CDS. BUY OUR MERCHANDISE.

Summary:

The usual group finds themselves at a karaoke box, with Nagi’s typical curiosity and the recent rumors about Jin preoccupying their minds. Losing a game of rock, paper, scissors, Tsugumi is chosen to sing first. Although her song is decent, Takako takes particular interest in her effort. Tsugumi hopes that Jin has taken interest after she finishes, but his attention has been distracted by Zange who is still quite attached to him. Daitetsu goes second, surprising everyone with his good singing. Jin is further surprised to hear that this was his first time, then leaving the room temporarily to use the bathroom. Takako attempts to pick out an anime song for Akiba to sing next, but to her dismay, he refuses by instead singing a more normal sounding one. When Jin returns in time for his turn, he nervously expresses that this would be he first time singing. This shows in his singing, which everyone tries to be polite about.

Tsugumi meets Nagi in the bathroom afterwards, noticing that it would be her turn next. Tsugumi takes the chance to mention that Jin has changed quite a bit after Nagi has started to live with him, as he would have never thought of singing in front of several people in the past. Jin meanwhile remains quite conscious of himself in the men’s bathroom, though Daitetsu attempts to comfort him. In the end, Daitetsu makes Jin realize that everyone is different. It would be fine as long as he did things his way. When everyone returns to the karaoke room, Nagi finally takes her chance to sing. This turns out to be quite odd, as she only sings an awkward song from the commercials she has been watching recently, and Jin is further forced to explain her lack of common sense to the rest of the group.

By the time it comes to Takako’s turn to sing, and Akiba challenges her because of her earlier mocking, she amazes everyone with a very embarrassing otaku-like song. Zange even takes the chance to leave, as everyone else is left to discuss how good her singing was despite its nature. While outside the room, Zange believes her plan has been foiled by such an impacting song. She wonders if Hakua is good at singing at all, and when she replies otherwise, Zange decides to come up with a plan of her own. She then amazes the group with terrible, yet cute singing. As everyone leaves by the end of the day, Jin realizes that Shino was the only one who never sang. Takako tells the group that this wouldn’t have been possible, as she would have to open her eyes to do so. When Takako hints at what this would be like, however, the group is put in a deep state of shock.

Impression:

BUY KYOTO ANIMATION’S TOO.

Man, am I watching Kannagi or Lucky Star? From the closed door at the karaoke room to the whacky change in the ED, I felt like Yamamoto straight up ripped off a piece of Kyoani work to make this episode. Honestly, this week could be summarized as simply: “Everyone goes to a karaoke box and sings.” There’s not much else to say, besides the fact that the entire episode was absolutely hilarious. So, when will we be getting those character albums?

In other news, Kannagi’s manga has stopped publishing temporarily. Seeing that the anime would not have even gotten to the cut off point in this season though, I guess that just means a much longer wait for a sequel.

Notes:

• Why hello there, Konata…Kagami…Tsukasa…Miyuki….
• ……….
• Takako is a pervert.
• LET’S RUN AWAY.
• Tsugumi’s jealousy and disappointment is the cutest thing ever.
• Kurenai episode six.
• I am amazed that they actually acknowledged the fact that Shino does not open her eyes in the anime.
• Awesome ED art this week.

HOMO!?

Summary:

Reviewing what they had seen previously, Shino, Takako, Akiba, and Tsugumi attempt to guess what had caused the argument between Daitetsu and Nagi. In the end, the majority of them guess that Jin has homosexual interests. Tsugumi attempts to deny this, but when she recalls conversations she had had with Jin about Daitetsu in the past, even she wishes to confirm this for herself. Because of her absent mindedness in the hallways later, rumors start to spread around the school about Jin and Daitetsu. This disturbs Jin when he learns about this from the others, and even Daitetsu is caused trouble by the events. Tsugumi is taken by one of her friends to see Zange later, who gladly hears her troubles. When Zange finds that Tsugumi does not wish to confess her sins, but rather find a way to apologize to Jin and clear the misunderstandings, Zange suggests that Jin should simply date a girl. Zange offers to date Jin, but after seeing that Tsugumi has some objection against this, she challenges her to see if Jin would choose his childhood friend over her.

While reviewing Zange’s plan in her head while walking home, Tsugumi decides that she must do something herself to help Jin. Upon reaching his home, she seemingly sees that no one is present. However, a panic is caused when she accidentally sees him coming out of the shower. When Tsugumi questions why Jin did not lock the house’s door, he claims that it is because Nagi has not returned yet. This leads the two to remember similar events from the past, but before Jin can bring up something that happened between he and Tsugumi in middle school, Nagi returns excitedly to the house. When Tsugumi mentions what she just saw, even Zange suddenly appears wishing to hear embarrassing things about Jin. This leads Tsugumi to bring out an old album with pictures of herself and Jin inside, describing the fact that she knows almost everything about Jin.

After Tsugumi recalls several events from their childhood, Jin attempts to stop her from discussing what had happened in middle school. Tsugumi does go on to claim that Jin was something of a delinquent, but she assures Zange and Nagi that this does not have the same meaning that they are imagining. When Zange finally brings up her plan from earlier, Tsugumi also takes the chance to express that she has something to apologize for. While alone together in his room, Jin takes the chance to apologize to Tsugumi for what had happened in their middle school days. This dealt with the trouble he caused her whenever his father’s situation had bothered him. Tsugumi quickly states that she was not bothered by this at all, but she is touched when she realizes that Jin has always been worried about this.

When Tsugumi is forced to reveal what she is apologizing about as well, Jin is outraged to learn what had happened to cause him his current trouble. Jin almost calls out Tsugumi’s name when Zange brings up who he wishes to choose for her plan, but Nagi suggests a different idea before this can happen. At school in the following days, several of the school’s students are shocked at the fact that Zange and Tsugumi are both feeding Jin outside. Unfortunately, Nagi later shows that rumors about Jin have not stopped quite yet.

Impression:

How to prevent this show from becoming yaoi? Make it a harem anime! I really wasn’t expecting a whole episode to come out of the joke that was created at the end of the last episode, but the results were absolutely hilarious. From gay confessions for Daitetsu to Tsugumi’s dangerous encounter with Jin, I was laughing non stop throughout the episode (as usual). And although a much more simple situation than it first seemed to be, Jin also revealed what he needed to apologize to Tsugumi for. It’s funny, because despite being a big Nagi fan and a usual hater of childhood friend set ups, I was really rooting for Tsugumi in this episode. She’s easily one of the most enjoyable characters to watch in the series, and I’m glad she isn’t getting stuck playing a forgotten side role. Other than that though, the majority of this episode was kind of a break from the usual plot centered around Nagi. Seeing her without much screen time was a little weird!

I’m continuing to love the general atmosphere this show has, as it’s one of those that really makes me feel like I’m there with the cast. Simple things like a car’s sound to indicate silence while Jin and Tsugumi were together aided this (Sure beats cricket chirps). It’s interesting to see how the animators are taking note of what the fans think of the series too. Note the blue bars that show up while the fake anime plays on screen (something that even I was annoyed about when watching one of the earlier episodes on broadcast). There have been very few series to give such fanservice recently, especially one with such good production values.

Notes:

• Takako’s noticing how cute Tsugumi was while looking at those “books” was so win.
• She looks twice!!!
• You really shouldn’t be bringing those to school, Akiba.
• Jin wants Daitetsu’s body.
• Nagi looked genuinely afraid when Zange appeared out of nowhere!
• Jin’s thing looks like Goku’s.
• I bet Tsugumi wanted to pull down his pants!
• Zange wants so see more and more of Jin’s embarrassing things!!
• I like how Tsugumi blushes.
• T.T
• Tsugumi’s encounter with Jin was coincidentally very similar to Minori’s in this week’s Toradora.

FORBIDDEN LOVE.

Summary:

On a particularly rainy day, Jin answers his door to meet a soaked Daitetsu. Jin wonders why he did not go straight home as he suggested he would earlier, so Daitetsu explains the complications that were brought up when he did. After reaching his home, Daitetsu realized that he had forgotten his keys. He tried to find alternate ways into the house, but this drew attention the neighbors and local authorities. Jin allows Daitetsu to stay at his house, but while Daitetsu spends time with Jin and Nagi, he starts to question the two’s relationship as brother and sister. This puts some very imaginative images in his head, dealing with the two becoming involved in a relationship beyond just siblings. Worried about these possibilities, Daitetsu requests to speak with Jin alone. Daitetsu begins to ask about his relationship with Nagi, but when Jin is unable to keep his story straight when compared to his original, Nagi quickly appears to bring him away.

Daitetsu listens in on Nagi speaking with Jin afterwards, and after hearing hints about the truth about their situation, he imagines that Jin is in an even more dangerous situation than he first believed. While having a meal with the other two, Daitetsu angrily begins to see Nagi as a very deceptive woman. Nagi starts to suspect that Daitetsu has realized the real truth, so she has Jin act along with her as if they were really family members. Daitetsu almost asks about Nagi and Jin’s relationship again, but not wanting to cause trouble, he changes the subject to the nearby blueprint of the statue that Jin had made earlier. Because of this coincidence, Nagi and Jin start to believe even more that Daitetsu knows the real truth. When Daitetsu even suggests that the statue looks like her, Nagi is forced to admit to the assumptions.

Afterwards, however, Jin and Nagi both see that they overestimated Daitetsu’s predictions once again. Getting back to the topic of the wood carving, Daitetsu mentions his obtaining the piece of wood for Jin after hearing that he once saw a spirit as a child. After learning that it was Daitetsu who had taken the sacred tree’s part though, Nagi truly becomes angry at him. During the night, Daitetsu starts to have nightmares because of Nagi’s earlier threats. When he finds that all of the electricity is out in his wake, he runs towards the abandoned shrine in fear. Jin easily suspects that this was Nagi’s doing when Daitetsu passes him, but he is further surprised to see that Nagi is missing from her room as well.

Making it to the abandoned shrine, Daitetsu quickly apologizes to divinity. To his shock, Nagi appears to comfort him while denying his need to ask for forgiveness. Shortly after, she passes out in his arms. The next day, Jin finds that Nagi does not remember being brought back to the house by Daitetsu at all. Mentioning a similar event that had happened in the past, Jin again accuses Nagi of hiding something from him. With this, Nagi only gets in another argument with Jin. Nagi continues to express her distaste in Jin throughout the day at school, but this only makes Jin recall further that this type of thing happened in the past. Daitetsu also struggles with Nagi’s taking the figure of a goddess the previous night, but is unable to see what the exact truth in her actions were. To make matters worse, Tsugumi had overheard Daitetsu attempting to ask questions to Jin while alone with him earlier in the day. When she, Shino, and Takako meet Nagi and Daitetsu in the club room, the misunderstandings only continue.

Impression:

Mmmm….stepping. Although not quite as ridiculously hilarious as last week’s, this episode was enough to make me laugh out loud several times while still keeping to the overall plot. Daitetsu’s imagination dealing with an incestuous and SM Nagi had me rolling in my chair, as did the various play on misunderstandings that most of this episode had. Nagi’s appearance in a cat suit just seemed like random fanservice to me, but I do wonder about the cameo that appeared shortly after. By now, it’s pretty obvious that Nagi does want to keep something hidden from Jin. Although I have been slightly spoiled by recent chapters in the manga (I’m a curious guy), I’m still very interested as to what exactly Nagi has experienced as a goddess.

Notes:

• DFC???
• OMG he just went down on her!
• Ohohoho~ look at that speed mouth!
• I did just as I saw on the TV anime…
• Nagi VERSUUUSSSSS Daitetsu!
• Scary Nagi is scary!
• Nagi is such a child.
• Yaoi? NOOoooooOOOOOOoooo…
• God will never forgive someone like you!
• Was putting loli Nagi at the end of an episode like this really a good idea?

A lovcom, isn’t it?

Summary:

Because of something Jin did the previous night, Nagi shuts herself up in his closet. Nagi refuses to come out no matter how much Jin tries to apologize, insisting that she has plenty of resources inside to live with. Tsugumi learns of the news when she visits the house with Jin’s usual meal, then volunteering to speak to Nagi as well. After listening to Nagi’s troubles, however, even she starts to believe that Jin is the one who was mistaken. Jin makes a phone call to Akiba for help next, and in the meantime, Zange arrives at the house as well. She comes up with a plan to lure Nagi out, but as this involves an extreme situation with Jin, things quickly become out of hand for everyone in the room. Even after Takako, Shino, and Daitetsu arrive, their attempts to draw Nagi out end in failure. In fact, Takako seems to be more interested in other objectives anyways.

After Akiba finally arrives, Daitetsu takes the chance to ask why all of this has happened in the first place. Jin explains that during the previous night, a rather cute program with cats was airing on the television. Believing that Nagi would want to see this too, and seeing that she was in the bath, he recorded the program with a seemingly blank videotape. This tape had contained footage from the anime that Nagi particularly liked, however, and she had not watched highly anticipated episode that was recorded on it. As Akiba has brought several copies of the episode with him, the group seemingly solves Nagi’s problem. However, because of Akiba’s different technical preferences, this doesn’t seem to work exactly as expected.

Recalling that his father once denied him from watching a baseball game that he truly wished to watch in the past, Jin suggests that he really knows what Nagi’s feelings are. He expresses that he honestly thought she would be happy for what he did, but finally apologizes. When Nagi enters the room behind him though, revealing that she was no longer in the closet, Jin can only be extremely angry.

ED: Hit. By. A. Truck. LOL.

Impression:

IT’S A SONY! Oh man. I was feeling iffy about this being a filler during the first few scenes, but after laughing for five straight minutes at the end, I could do nothing but give praise for this episode. I could really feel the director’s influence in this episode, and it’s pretty obvious that A-1 was willing to let him go all out with this. There were punch lines every few minutes, and the subtlety of it all was what made it all so great. Since this is seemingly only a 13 episode series though, I can only wonder how much filler we will really be getting throughout. If I’m not mistaken, the manga is incomplete as well…

Notes:

• Nagi thinks she’s Ren (DearS)!
• Who says Nagi’s new power is useless?
• Steki na stick. Puns that only work in Japanese…great!
• This happens a lot in galge.
• You released so much~!
• Ah, cute….
• …………
• JONETSU.
• Akiba and Jin embracing each other in sparkling lights….classic.
• Isn’t this episode promoting piracy???
• Totally Nanoha quality mahou shoujo.

Bras and maid cafes.

Summary:

Tsugumi is surprised to get a call from Jin, and when he asks to meet her for some shopping, she delightfully agrees. When Tsugumi arrives at their meeting location, however, she is disappointed to meet Nagi instead. Nagi explains that Jin had actually left her up to Tsugumi, then describing all of the things she would like to buy. Nagi believes she has been given a lot of money from Jin, but after seeing how expensive things are in the nearby stores, she realizes that she was mistaken. Tsugumi soon takes Nagi to buy some underwear, and after seeing the many types that are in the store, Nagi quickly becomes excited. When she sees that the bra that she has chosen is far too big for her though, she asks Tsugumi what her cup size is. Having her usual internal struggle, Tsugumi pridefully describes what is the norm for Japanese women. This makes Nagi panic even more, but when the two see another girl having to get a larger bra than she expected, Nagi finally makes an irrational purchase. Stopping at a restaurant afterwards, Nagi wonders if she should get a job.

In the art room the next day, Takako brings up her interest in visiting a maid cafe to Jin and the others. Although Jin believes that this is a place that only guys usually go to, Takako obviously has her own interests in seeing the girls there. After asking Akiba for more detailed information on the subject, the usual group decides to make a visit to a cafe. Jin and the others meet at a nearby maid cafe a bit later, and although Takako learns that the girls inside are cosplaying rather than dressing as maids, she decides that this is just as good. While everyone makes their orders, Jin is shocked to see that Nagi is their waitress. Nagi tries to avoid Jin by running in the back, and Tsugumi panics just as much. Tsugumi worries about the coincidence that Nagi took the initiative to find a job at this location, and her incorrect belief that nobody that she knew would come, while Nagi worries about her taking of a job without Jin’s knowledge.

Tsugumi and Nagi are forced to get back to the front by their manager, and when Tsugumi brings out the art club’s order, she notices that Jin is continually looking at Nagi. Jin and the others see that Nagi is very popular with the customers at the cafe, and although with a bit of clumsiness, she is actually performing her job quite well. When Nagi is brought to the table by Takako, however, she and Jin both panic. As he tells her to stay away when she approaches, Nagi believes that Jin is mad at her for taking a job in secret. Jin admits that he does not want Nagi to come closer to him because she is too cute in her current outfit, however, letting out an embarrassing yell in the cafe. When Nagi catches up to Jin after getting off work, she continues to ask him if he is angry. Jin denies that he is, but he does admit that he is a bit uncomfortable with all of the people taking pictures of her. With this, Nagi decides to quit the job. Zange, having seen a message about Nagi working at the cafe, takes a job at the cafe as well. By the time she gets there, however, she learns that Nagi has quit. When she tries to leave as well, she finds that the manager will absolutely not allow her to do this.

Impression:

MOE! Oh god, I can’t believe how hard I laughed throughout this entire episode. I’m really going to have to applaud the director and production team for their perfectly timed shots and punch lines. Things like the rotating shots of Jin and Nagi’s expressions in the cafe were comedic genius, with Tsugumi’s usual internal struggle just added to the hilarity, and I think the expressions on the characters’ faces alone are enough to make me laugh out loud every time. There were a lot of otaku inside jokes in this episode, such as those dealing with fujoshi and obviously maid/cosplay cafes, making me feel almost awkward for understanding all of them. (Have I been watching too much anime!?) This could easily be considered the most plotless episode so far, but given the general feel of the series in general, it certainly wasn’t out of place. The peak of the episode for me definitely had to be Jin’s sort of confession to Nagi towards the end. Even I felt like I was going to explode while watching those two. I’m really not sure if this series is suppose to be going in the “goddess falls in love with human” direction, but I’m very interesting to see how everything develops by the end. LOVE POWER.

Notes:

• Nagi’s “desuwa” to “kawaii no~” switches are like a killer combination of internal head explosions.
• Do I see Haruhi?
• Girls and their frilly bras…..pah!
• Looking a little busty there, Nagi…
• I love how the stereotypical otaku is always represented in anime. Hilarious.
• I still want to know how Shino sees with her eyes shut like that all the time.
• SM FANTASY.
• Tsugumi is a fan of head banging! \o/
• I like how the hair floats up when they are flustered!
• Poor Zange.

I’d join the Nagi fanclub.

Summary:

Being introduced to Zange at Jin’s house, Tsugumi is amazed at the ability to meet someone famous. When Zange begins to advance on Jin, however, Tsugumi quickly changes her impression of her. After giving Jin an elegant meal, Zange wonders if he would stay with her instead of Nagi. When Tsugumi and Nagi oppose this, she simply suggests a challenge to decide everything. This involves each girl cooking a meal, with the best cook being the winner. When the three girls start, Tsugumi is surprised to see that Zange is struggling. Unknown to her, this is because it is actually Hakua who is good at cooking. Zange seems to talk to herself after leaving the kitchen for a bit, revealing that Hakua does not wish to play unfair games. Tsugumi then notices that Nagi, on the other hand, is performing amazingly. Afterwards, Nagi admits that she simply does not cook because it is a pain. When everyone samples the meals, they turn out to be a bit different than expected because of varying tastes.

At school on a later morning, Jin finds a wallet with a Nagi fan club card inside of it. This brings him to the art room in annoyance, only to find that the fan club has a very popular webpage up as well. Jin can only see this as an invasion of privacy, as the site reveals that he is Nagi’s brother and Zange is her sister, but Takako contradicts this with all of the club’s policies that imply otherwise. Further more, she notes the refreshing atmosphere that Nagi brings to the school. When Jin wonders how Takako knows so much about these things, she reveals that she is a member as well. When Nagi appears in the classroom with the wish to hide, she meets Jin in his annoyed state. Elsewhere, Zange worries about Nagi’s website when she is alerted of it. When Jin confronts Nagi about her fan club at home, Nagi reveals that she has actually started to regain some of her powers because of her growing popularity. Although Jin is still against her doing unnecessary things, Nagi can only express her excitement for being able to rid impurities without Jin’s help.

Nagi is overjoyed by the popularity she has at school the next day, but she is soon brought elsewhere to talk with Zange. Zange threatens to reveal Nagi’s identity for messing with her operation, and although this is what Nagi is the most worried about, she keeps Zange quiet by making her realize that she would be involved as well if she did this. Zange quickly leaves when she sees the teacher Suzushiro nearby, but Nagi is unable to avoid his questioning. The students around school panic when they find out that Nagi has been taken captive, then gathering around the office she is in. Although the teacher Hagashima reveals that they know that Nagi is not a real student at the school, then wondering where she got her uniform, he is soon troubled by the loud shouts of support from the students outside. Nagi starts to feel a power growing inside of her because of this support, then revealing a shining light from her magic stick.

When Jin returns to school on the day after these events, he learns from the other art club members that Nagi’s fan site has changed quite a bit. Further more, Nagi has become a fellow student. The group wonders how things could have gone so smoothly, but Nagi soon appears to reveal the help that she got from Suzushiro. Further more, as Suzushiro is a religious studies teacher, Nagi was actually granted a scholarship after the school saw her talent in the field. The students then realize that Suzushiro is Zange’s father, and that Nagi was probably connected with him this way. When Suzushiro first appeared before Nagi, he surprised her by revealing his knowledge of her supernatural abilities. Suzushiro questioned if Nagi was possessing a body, but she quickly denied the thought. Suzushiro then expressed his knowledge that she and Zange were not evil, but he also expressed his belief that his daughter should be free. After seeing that Nagi certainly had a good reason to be at school, and that she was willing to cooperate with setting his daughter free, Suzushiro made preparations to have Nagi become an official student at school.

Returning home later that night, Jin finally sees that there was a connection between Suzushiro and his daugther Hakua at school. After getting into their usual quarrel about food, Nagi jokingly wonders if she should get help from Hakua’s family instead. Jin panickly suggests all of the things she already has at his home, but afterwards, he can only wonder to himself why he is trying to keep Nagi there. The two walk out to go to the grocery store next, and Nagi insists on using her new power to light the way. The two run into Zange on their trip, who only has the two turn around so that she can cook a meal for Jin. Of course, this causes the usual antics between the three.

Impression:

IT’S SO BRIGHT! Maybe it was my lack of a rush from not having to go to work today or something, but I think I enjoyed myself a lot more while watching this week’s episode when compared to the last. This could also be credited to the comedy aspect all around this episode too though, since we’re past a lot of the major introductions by this point. Now, with director Yutaka Yamamoto behind this project, it is probably going to be impossible to avoid the Lucky Star similarities brought over to this show. I tend to try avoid brining such things up, not being the most avid fan of hype and things that have already been talked about multiple times over, but several things in this episode were far too noticeable to ignore. Nagi’s blank eyes and nekoguchi mouth just stood out so much, and the general transition feel in this episode felt very familiar to the popular slice of life comedy. That’s not a bad thing though. I did like Lucky Star by the end of the day, and I’m glad to see that A-1 Pictures can step up to the standards that Kyoani seems to have been setting recently.

Plot-wise, besides Nagi being officially made a student, the most important part of this episode was probably the introduction of Hakua’s father. His knowledge of the supernatural brings an interesting element to the series, especially since his daughter is directly involved with Zange and Nagi. This brings a lot of possibilities to the table, especially with Nagi seemingly making a deal with him at the end, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how this develops. I also found it interesting that Hakua actually still had some control over her body, thought this was played on in a more comedic way earlier in the episode.

Notes:

• The OP single and PV were released, and I’m loving them.
• Nagi! She enjoys food while everyone else panics!
• FUFUFUFUFU.
• Loving the creative Sony laptop and Youtube.
• Loli Nagi ED for the win!

Hot sister on goddess action.

Summary:

Drunk while walking through the streets at night, a man wonders why so much is wrong with his life. In his head, however, he knows that everything is truly his fault. After stumbling onto the ground, he is surprised to see a sister crouching above him. This is none other than Zange, offering confessions for 100 yen each. During the day, Nagi declares her will and determination for revenge while watching the sacred tree finally get taken completely out of the ground by construction workers. Seeing Jin at home afterwards, she explains that she will slowly start losing her powers now that the tree has completely disappeared. Nagi does not give up hope, however, declaring that she will become everyone’s idol in order to regain her strength. In the art room later, Shino and Takako overhear Jin wondering about idols. Though he denies the suggestion that he himself wishes to be an idol, Jin does admit that he is wondering what current idols are like. This brings the group to Meguru, who explains quite a bit about the types of idols there currently are. The group then comes to the topic of Zange, who has become quite popular lately for her taking of confessions.

Jin is sent to buy supplies for the art club, but while taking a shortcut on his way home that afternoon, he notices a group of men harassing Zange in an alley. Jin first looks for ways to avoid directly involving himself in this, but after fending off the surrounding men through sheer luck, he escapes with Zange by following her lead. After Jin learns that he is actually with Zange, and recognizing her as the person his classmates were talking about, he takes the chance to ask why she does what she does. Zange expresses that she may just want to be herself, or even want to be known to everyone as an idol. Zange decides to hear Jin’s confession in exchange for helping her, but although Jin almost says something about his childhood friend, he decides to pass because of the lack of meaning in telling what he has to say to anyone else but Tsugumi. The two decide to part ways afterwards, but before then, Zange notices a cut on Jin’s face. She licks it in order to disinfect it, leaving Jin in shock as Zange expresses her interest in him. Watching Zange leave in embarrassment, Jin finally wonders how she already knew his name.

When Jin returns home, he is forced to treat Nagi to a light dinner as usual. When the two see Zange on TV, Nagi finally explains to Jin that she is her little sister. As Zange expresses her wish to be everyone’s idol, Nagi fears that she has already taken her same plan and put it in motion. When Zange had met with Nagi in the church, she reminded her of the situation they were in. Not wanting to disappear as another god replaced them, she declared that she would become the only god. Jin is surprised that Nagi has a sister, having not heard of this before, but Nagi soon explains that there are two sacred trees in Kannagi. In the meantime, Zange talks to someone in the church about their different objectives dealing with Jin and Nagi. In the end, she declares herself the mistress over the person named Suzushiro Hakua.

Walking through the town with Nagi later, Jin suggests that she and Zange should just get along as siblings. Nagi explains that it wasn’t her that wanted to fight, however, but Zange who had started the quarrel. When Jin suggests that Zange is simply looking for herself, Nagi can only guess that Jin is confused because of Zange’s erotic influence on him. When the two come across Kannagi’s second tree, now next to a church, Jin recalls in wonder that each land was only supposed to have one god. Nagi explains in response that, in the past, there was not enough technology to create the bridge above the river in the town. Because of this, another tree was planted on one side to house her other self for worship. But because the each of them changed after awhile, she and Zange had split into two separate gods. Further recalling that Nagi had manifested herself through the carving that he had made, Jin wonders what Zange used to bring herself to the world.

This brings Nagi and Jin wandering around the city to find Zange, though they cannot find her anywhere. When Jin again contradicts Nagi’s thoughts about Zange, she can only leave him in annoyance to find her alone. When Nagi reaches the school grounds, she is shocked to find Zange there. She asks for an explanation as to why she is in the school’s uniform, so Zange has her follow her to a place where no other students are. Before leaving, one of the other students there refers to Zange as Hakua. In an empty storage room with her, Zange takes the chance to tease Nagi with an impurity she has with her. While this happens, Nagi finally guesses that Zange is inhabiting a human body as her medium of existence. Zange claims that she and Hakua have agreed to be one in the same body, but Nagi can only wonder how much of Hakua’s free will is intact. When Jin enters to see the scene between Nagi and Zange, he can only walk back out in shock.

Nagi believes Jin has finally seen Zange’s true nature after returning home with him that night, but Jin does not believe that this changes the fact that the two are siblings. Tsugumi eventually walks in on the two, wondering how they have been eating such poor meals for so long. With a look into the two’s refrigerator, she announces that she will help cook for them. Jin answers the door afterwards, shocked to see Zange waiting outside. Tsugumi is overjoyed when she sees the popular idol there, but Zange further surprises everyone by announcing that she will be staying over as a thanks for earlier.

Impression:

Ahhhhh!!!! Zange stepping on Nagi’s face! Ahhhhhh!!! *cough* So, even though Nagi still reigns superior, Zange was properly introduced in this episode. I had actually wondered about her connection with Hakua before watching this, because although I have read these parts in the manga, I guess I kind of skimmed over the details when it was explained (I was probably too distracted by the scene this happened in). Her inhabiting of a human body brings an interesting element to her character, and I can only wonder how this will be played on in the future. I also laugh at how Zange poses as a christian, when she is actually a goddess from a sacred tree. Her asking for money after confessions just makes me giggle more than I probably should.

I really liked Jin’s dialog about what he would like to do with his life too. Character development is always a plus, especially since this wonder is something so common with the younger individuals who would typically watch this show (Everyone just needs to watch Honey and Clover to figure this stuff out though, in my opinion…). It was also hinted in this episode that Jin owes something to Tsugumi, or something else along those lines. It has already been noted that Jin has some kind of responsibility for her, but I am very curious to learn exactly why. With all of the main characters finally set, it looks like it’s finally time for the battle of idols. Is it gonna be, “Everyone embrace me! Until the end of the Universe!” or, “Listen to my song!” *wappshhh!*?

Notes:

• Jin prefers larger boobs.
• Nagi truly eats elegant food. Ohoho~.
• Nagi has shamed Jin’s household.
• Under13.
• Poop.