Megumi fans rejoice!

Summary:

After recalling her status in his head, most importantly her currently being single, Akira approaches Megumi during her usual checks on campus. Megumi wonders why there are so many students breaking policies, but Akira easily states that this is because they are looking for love. Not having experienced this sensation before, Megumi denies the need for such a thing. When she hears about the movie that Akira is making, she further becomes angry with him. When Mitsuki shows up to speak with Megumi, however, Akira is able to escape. Megumi is surprised when Mitsuki agrees that people need love in their lives, and when even Mao suggests she should find love, Megumi is forced to ponder this later. Megumi attempts to reassure herself that she is not mistaken while meeting Asuka, the younger Nana and Narumi, and even Eriko, but she is shocked to find that even these people have interests in love. With these thoughts in her mind, Megumi struggles with her usual activities that afternoon.

Megumi changes her hairstyle a bit the next morning, but arrives slightly late to school because of it. She attempts to apologize to Tomoko when she sees her, but when even she begins to discuss her adventures of love, Megumi is forced to escape to the classroom. While watching the boys play soccer in the afternoon, Megumi wonders what kind of person she would like if she were to find love. After running into trouble with Kazuki during the practice, Megumi decides that a person like him wouldn’t work. She observes Eiji after following him through the halls, but when he starts to play the sax, she decides that this is impossible for her as well. Megumi finds movie tickets in the hall later, returning them to Kouichi when he appears to be looking for them. Megumi is delighted when she finds that Kouichi has similar interests in movies as her, but she leaves when Yumi appears to greet him. While listening to the two talk for a few minutes, however, she becomes very annoyed with their inability to get to the point in their conversation.

When the usual group discusses the differences Megumi has been displaying at the udon shop later that night, Akira easily guesses that Megumi is attempting to become a normal girl. Megumi wonders if she cannot find love when she arrives at school the next day, but after Mitsuki talks about the fiance and circumstances she has, Megumi becomes assured that she can find love in her own way. When Akira appears to ask about Megumi’s progress, he finds that she has quickly returned to being herself. Megumi declares that she will find love at her own pace, then getting back to her usual duties.

Impression:

Wait….there are Megumi fans? Needed more E-RI-KO screen time in my opinion. Okay, I’m kidding…kidding. I was waiting for this special in the back of my mind ever since it was announced shortly after the last episode of the original series, but I wasn’t expecting it to be an episode focused on such a minor character. It was a really great decision though, since it finally made Megumi’s random blushing towards Akira at the end of the series make sense. It also fleshed out her character quite a bit, since she didn’t have much of a role before. I really started to appreciate Megumi’s character after this, especially after watching her silly research dealing with love. I do wonder if girls are really always searching for love though. I wouldn’t know since I’m like….one of those meanie-head guys.

Seeing the rest of the cast return was pretty fun too, especially without having to deal with all of the angst. And since this was an after ending special, we didn’t even have to deal with a huge peak of action in the last five seconds of the episode! But ah, what else is there to say? Definitely a good watch for those who kept up with the original run, and totally worth 20 minutes of your time. You might want to skip past the frogs though…

The Asuka who leapt through time. (My final impression is included.)

Summary:

Unable to get ahold of Eriko, Kazuki hopes that she has not forgotten about their meeting. Finding that Narumi and Nana have not seen her either, Kazuki desperately searches for Eriko. On the school rooftop, he fears that Eriko may have seen him with Asuka. Kouichi and Yumi seemingly enjoy themselves during the festivities, but both of them have other things on their mind. When the two visit the maid cafe, Kouichi is only able to ask where Mao is. While advertising for her class, Mao runs into Kazuki who is wondering where Eriko is. She is surprised that he and Eriko have had a date planned, but Kazuki quickly rushes away before she can get more details. Kouichi realizes that he has forgotten his phone outside, leaving Yumi to retrieve it. Yumi meets Mao shortly after, who wonders if she is enjoying herself. Mao begins describing how Kouichi changed when he found out that Yumi was moving away, guessing that Kouichi would hold Yumi dear. Mao suggests that her big sister role may finally be ending with Kouichi and Kazuki finding love, then asking for Yumi’s hand. Embracing her, Mao leaves Kouichi to Yumi again. After Mao leaves, however, Yumi is only able to look at her own hand.

Tomoko finds Kouichi’s phone, and Eiji notices this from a distance. When Eiji passes by Kouichi in the hall, he correctly guesses that he has realized Mao’s feelings. Kouichi implies that he has Yumi, but Eiji recalls that Mao constantly had the same eyes that he does. He suggests that she would only lie to herself to prevent hurting him, but apologizes for doing something unnecessary before Kouichi can reply. When Mitsuki meets Kazuki, she suggests that it seems like he is always chasing after Eriko. She believes that love may not all be about happiness, but that it is also a very wonderful thing. Asuka is relieved after her meeting of Kazuki, but she passes by Eriko in the park. She wonders what she is doing there, when Eriko correctly guesses what Asuka has just done. Eriko expresses that although it was nice to have realized her feelings before, she is now afraid. This makes Asuka remember what Kazuki said earlier about Eriko’s loneliness, so she tells Eriko that everyone is also afraid. Making a jump from the swing set they are on, Asuka tells Eriko that nothing will start if she runs away.

As the festivities end, Akira thanks Megumi for her help. He wonders if she would attend the camp fire with him, and she agrees with a bit of hesitation. Finishing up duties in their class, Mao and Eiji wish each other luck with their dreams. Kazuki continues to search for Eriko with Asuka’s advice in his mind. When he passes by the park, however, Eriko is no longer there. When Kouichi sees Mao at the camp fire, he is unable to stop himself from jumping up. He sees that she is actually interacting with her classmates, but he then decides that he must talk to Yumi. Alone in a classroom with her, Kouichi can only apologize to Yumi for having to break their promise. He finally admits that he likes Mao, desperately bowing in front of Yumi. Already knowing Kouichi’s feelings from watching him, Yumi only thanks him for properly telling her. Yumi wishes that they can spend their last day together with smiles, suggesting that she will be alright because of the amount of courage that Kouichi gave her.

Kazuki finally finds Eriko on the school rooftop, but she can only wonder why he isn’t angry. Kazuki brings up what he heard from Mitsuki, but Eriko further wonders how Kazuki does not hate her who is only running. She describes the belief she once had about being able to save herself by finding that she could live alone, but recalls that her experiment failed because of Kazuki. Now grasping onto Eriko’s hand, Kazuki states that he will chase after Eriko no matter how much she runs. Eriko wonders if it is okay for her to fall in love with Kazuki, and now in tears, she shares a kiss with him. After a great amount of struggle and thought, Kouichi rushes through the city with memories of Mao in his mind. When Kouichi meets Mao on a bridge in the city, he tells her that he has broken up with Yumi. Mao is still insistent on Kouichi’s promise with Yumi, but he confesses his feelings to her. Promising to never hurt her again, Kouichi runs to Mao. The two both agree that they love each other, and share a kiss under the firework lit sky.

ED: We are shown everyone enjoying themselves under the fireworks in their own ways, and several of the most dramatic scenes of the series.

Impression:

Ahhhhhh! It was the School Days ending! They were on the bridge and everything!!! Sigh……kidding. Now, excuse me as I forgive Kimikiss for the past half season of pain and anguish. This episode was pretty much good all around. Even though I didn’t want it to happen for the longest time, I definitely started seeing the inevitability of Kouichi finally approaching Mao. With this episode, it didn’t come off bad at all. Yumi’s great role played a big part in it all though. Eriko’s end was everything I was hoping to see, with all the loose ends tied up perfectly. I really loved how it all came back to the swing set, and Asuka definitely helped to trigger the final events. What else is there to say? You deserve it Kazuki. I also giggled a bit at some of the minor characters’ roles. Since when was Mitsuki the all knowing prophet of love? It’s funny that she has been reduced to a character for giving off really weird fanservice. I still find Megumi’s sudden attraction to Akira hilarious too. It’s time for the final impression, but if you’ve been following along with me until now, you probably already know what to expect.

Final Impression:

When I decided to pick up Kimikiss early in the Fall season, it was the start of experimenting with writing about a more serious romantic show. I typically enjoy watching these types of series, so I was quickly hooked after watching the first episode. With a strong start and an interesting premises for most of the characters, Kimikiss was pretty well accepted by anyone who watched it. After a couple of twists and turns in the middle, however, things started to get frustrating. There were several episodes that had me wanting to pull my hair out, and at some points, the only thing I really wanted to say was some distasteful comments towards Mao. The last couple minutes of each episode might have been a saving grace for appreciation, but it did end up seeming a bit overdone and predictable towards the end.

Most fans quickly developed favorites in characters, and that probably created a bias for everyone. I myself only really cared for Eriko’s side of the story, but I know there were several who were more sympathetic towards Mao and Kouichi. The situations presented in each episode were very realistic, but they might have been too realistic. This again left too much to be frustrated about, rather than enjoyment of a typical love story. I think most would agree with me when I say this, but I believe that Kimikiss would have been much stronger as a 12 episode series. Going on for 24 episodes, it sometimes seemed like they were simply trying to make the story drag on. The difference between this show and H&C or Nodame (the two most comparable shows), is that those shows had many other themes besides romance. In the end, I am glad that i watched Kimikiss. It was one of the more enjoyable shows of the Fall, and I certainly didn’t despise watching it during the Winter. In all honesty though, I would probably have enjoyed it more in one sitting rather than having to write about it every week. I guess that wouldn’t have been as fun for you guys though, since that involved a ridiculous rant from me each time. At least the train ride is finally over, so we can now simply remember the enjoyable parts of the trip.

Who needs True Tears when you have um……….True Hearts?

Summary:

The dvds for Akira’s film are finally completed, so Kouichi and the others start to get to work. Akira stops Kouichi, however, having him and Yumi go out to enjoy themselves in the festival. Megumi eventually appears to take Kazuki away as well, so Akira is left alone to do the work for himself. Passing by Asuka while she practices in the morning, Eriko remains troubled. Mao arrives to school late, but she hides herself when she sees Kouichi enjoying himself with Yumi. Stuck with Megumi, Kazuki wishes to see Eriko as soon as he can. On the rooftop watching below, Eriko can only think about Asuka’s situation with Kazuki. Kouichi comforts Yumi when she fears in the haunted house, and they exit to find Mitsuki in full costume. Wondering where to go next, Yumi suggests that she would like to meet everyone.

Although they are making many sales, Narumi is troubled about selling udon without her grandfather’s approval. A large crowd appears when her grandfather does appear, however, and a cheer is let out when he finally approves of Narumi’s dish. As Narumi’s grandfather leaves, Yumi and Kouichi appear to congratulate her and Nana. Mao’s class is extremely successful with their maid cafe, as Eiji and Tomoko play big roles. Making her final goal outside, Asuka decides on something. Kazuki is finally let off when Kouichi and Yumi arrive to take he and Megumi’s places, so he teases the two about their happy relationship. Kazuki admits that he will be meeting Eriko as well, but not until after the competition. Kouichi and Yumi decide to cheer Kazuki on, despite having to arrive a bit late.

Kazuki finally meets Eriko, but she can only be troubled when she hears about the upcoming soccer match. Many people rush to the fields as the competition starts. In the meantime, Megumi appears to help Akira pass out flyers for his movie. Elsewhere, Eriko finally decides to move after sitting in contemplation. Kazuki passes Asuka the ball at a critical moment on the field, and she is amazingly able to make the deciding goal. Being scouted out after the match, Asuka is given the chance to play in a female league. Putting this aside, she requests to talk alone with Kazuki. Yumi expresses her gladness after the match, but notices that Kouichi is staring at Mao in the distance. Getting his attention again, Yumi wonders where they should go next.

Alone with Kazuki, Asuka finally confesses to him. Kazuki is only able to apologize, but he thanks Asuka for what she’s done for him. Asuka takes the chance to give Kazuki a kiss just before running off in tears. Before leaving, she orders Kazuki to go to Eriko’s side. With this, Kazuki thanks Asuka again. Watching over his audience during the film, Akira sees that Megumi has been brought to tears. Panicking at the time announced over the intercom, Kazuki rushes out to meet Eriko. However, she is not there.

Preview: Why is everyone alone?

Impression:

Sigh…..just when I thought we finally got a good end, they mess it all up again. Come on guys, there’s one episode left. Stop messing with my head. As usual, there was a lot to notice in this episode, but not much to actually talk about. Minor things included Mitsuki in a vampire outfit (which reminded me of a certain other Noto role) and some crazy frog aprons. I found it really funny that Megumi actually likes Akira, but it’s really a fitting combination for two who don’t play big roles in this show. Kouichi again annoyed the crap out of me, staring obviously at Mao in the distance. Yumi is actually starting to annoy me too. I’m guessing she just wants to enjoy her last days with Kouichi, without any actual hope of having it last when she moves. I just wish she would say something. After last week, I already started having doubts about her relationship with Kouichi.

Asuka finally confessed to Kazuki, resulting in her properly being shot down. This was what usagijen predicted would be the final trigger to end this tie, so all signs would point towards Kazuki and Eriko finally being together without any doubt. Too bad they had to throw something ridiculous at us in the last five seconds…..again. With only one episode left, I’m expecting a really melodramatic end. I hope you’re ready for my final impression…

Kouichi, you idiot.

Summary:

Mao wakes to the sound of her alarm in the morning, unable to reach her clock because of the different environment from moving. Kazuki surprises Eriko by meeting her outside of her house, then walking with her to school. Kazuki wishes to meet Eriko later, but he explains to her that he will need to take care of some things first. When the two meet Asuka at the school gates, she runs off flustered after greeting them. Kazuki wonders why she has been acting so strange lately, but Eriko knows all to well. While the usual film group prepares scripts for completion, they confirm from Kouichi that Mao has already moved. When Yumi goes to make copies, Kazuki is forced to remind Kouichi to follow her. When Kazuki wonders about this afterwards, Mitsuki suggests that it is because of Yumi’s moving soon. Megumi appears shortly, scolding Akira for not helping the rest of the class. To solve this problem, Akira sends Kazuki to help.

In Mao’s class, Eiji offers to help the girls with items from his workplace. Afterwards, Mao tells Eiji of her plans to attend college. Although she cannot so easily forget about Kouichi, she believes thinking of new goals will help. Eiji thinks this is good, but he reminds Mao not to force herself. Asuka has trouble with things in the classroom, making Kazuki approach her to ask what is wrong. Kazuki reminds Asuka that it was thanks to her that he was able to get out of his slump, before leaving her in the hallway to return to class. In the meantime, Eriko overhears this conversation without letting the two know. Mitsuki enters the udon shop to find the girls hard at work with their new udon. The girls will not let themselves down after one failure, but Mitsuki interrupts them with a request. Remembering Kazuki’s words while practicing outside by herself, Asuka agrees while looking out into the distance. At home, Mao has trouble keeping Kouichi out of her mind despite her studies.

Mao starts feeling a bit dizzy while making progress in her class later, so she heads to the infirmary. Inside she finds Eriko, who is doing her usual thing. Seeing that this is like the past, Mao almost wonders what it would be like if she could go back. Bringing up Eriko’s previous statement about an individual knowing herself the best, Mao suggests that she had no idea about her own feelings. Mao states that she has finally realized her own feelings, but it is too late. This makes Eriko remember Asuka, and her disappointed face while she passed in the halls. With preparations nearing completion, the film club decides to meet for a party. They set up Yumi and Kouichi to buy refreshments, surprising them at the udon shop with a farewell party for Yumi afterwards. The group believes that it may have been thanks to Yumi that the film even got started, but she thanks everyone else for allowing her to change. With this, the groups starts to celebrate.

On her veranda, Eriko can only think of Mao’s words from earlier. Kazuki calls to invite her to the party, but Eriko is only able to deny in her difficulty. Narumi expresses how wonderful it is that Yumi and Kouichi will continue seeing each other after Yumi moves, but Kouichi is the only one who is unable to smile. Mao decides that she has to leave early to continue moving, and Yumi notices how disappointed Kouichi seems when she does. While walking home together, Yumi and Kouichi agree to have good memories for the remaining days they have. When Kouichi returns home, he enters Mao’s room to find the book she left behind. Looking at this, Kouichi is only able to remember the childhood promise he made with Mao. Suddenly, he breaks into tears.

Preview: Tomoko in a maid outfit.

Impression:

Um….what the heck? Stop that, man!! STOP!!! I thought this was settled. Well, besides the last couple seconds (you’d think we’d get the pattern by now), this episode mostly just continued to tie up loose ends with everyone’s situation. Asuka in particular actually got a lot of attention this time around. It still amazes me how dense Kazuki is, even after hooking up with Eriko. It’s going to be interesting to see how Asuka deals with her problem, especially now that even Eriko feels guilty. It looks like Mao might really end up alone like people wanted, since she seems to be distancing herself from everyone even more than before. I’m feeling kind of sorry for Yumi right now too, since she obviously knows what Kouichi is thinking. I wonder what she is planning by not discussing anything with him. With only two episodes left, I guess we’lll just have to wait and find out. Next week looks like a wrap up for Asuka, along with some other interesting things. Oh yea, and the frogs showed up again in this episode. Haha, those funny frogs…

Talk to the hand book.

Summary:

Kouichi greets Mao when she wakes in the morning, but finds that she is planning on moving sooner than he expected. Kouichi wonders to her if this is his fault, but Mao assures him that this isn’t the case. While walking to school, Kazuki is surprised to find Eriko waiting for him along the way. The two happily get into a conversation about the school’s upcoming festival. Kazuki’s class is doing a game center using people as the machines, and Eriko’s is doing a haunted house. Eriko wonders if Kazuki will go to the haunted house, and he agrees to attend with her. While on the way to school, Asuka stops to check her appearance with a nearby car. She is interrupted by Nana and Narumi, then wondering why Kazuki isn’t with them. The two girls explain that they are busy with their udon creating activities, leaving for the said events soon after. When Asuka sees Kazuki walking with Eriko, she hides herself with a bit of a disappointing face.

When Asuka enters the classroom, Kazuki thanks her for helping him make up with Eriko. Kazuki also greets Akira when he enters the room, who is exhausted from his recent troubles. Kazuki makes cheerful suggestions as usual, but Kouichi is too distracted to play along with him effectively. Kazuki wonders if there is something wrong, but he is sent to his seat by Megumi as homeroom activities are starting. On the opposite side of the classroom, Yumi looks at Kouichi with concern. Nana and Narumi visit Eriko while the festival preparations are being made, hoping that she would try their udon in order to complete it. When some of Eriko’s classmates wonder why the girls are meeting, Mitsuki explains that they are all friends. Eriko states that the udon is good when she finally tries it, greatly pleasing Nana and Narumi.

While things are being made in Mao’s class, some girls praise Eiji for the surprising work he has created. Gazing at him from just a bit further away, Mao gives him a smile. Back in the other classroom, Kazuki finally finds out from Kouichi that Mao is moving. The two are interrupted when Nana and Narumi enter to announce their success, but Kouichi and Yumi remain troubled. Kazuki performs quite well at soccer practice later, but Asuka is distracted from what she has done for Eriko and Kazuki. Yumi approaches Kouichi at the school entrance, almost asking about his situation with Mao. The two are interrupted by Akira, however, who needs Kouichi’s help. Yumi coincidentally meets Mao in the city, who confirms that she is moving. Mao changes the subject to the school’s activities, being reminded that Yumi will be moving after this festival. Mao suggests that she will leave Kouichi up to Yumi even after she moves, slightly worrying Yumi.

Asuka is chosen to start at soccer practice as expected, but the team becomes surprised when Kazuki is chosen as well. This makes Kazuki quite happy, but he finds that Asuka is troubled when he looks in her direction. Kazuki announces his results to Eriko later, along with his observation of Asuka being down. Hearing about this, Eriko worries about Asuka’s situation. Yumi meets Kouichi in the afternoon, bringing up their plans for the next break. However, she surprises him by canceling their plans. On the free day, Kouichi is left to help Mao with her packing. Finding that Yumi has her own work to do, Mao agrees to let Kouichi help her. Looking through all of her things, Kouichi and Mao remember things like the day Mao returned to Kouichi’s house. Mao decides to keep the script she used for the film, but to return her childhood book to Kouichi. Kouichi only wishes that they could go back to the times they spent in their childhood, but Mao tells Kouichi that he has Yumi now. In her own home, Yumi gazes at the picture she had taken with all of her friends.

Preview: and life goes on

Impression:

Ah well, at this point it looks like the story is already over. There’s just a few loose ends to tie up, which the last three episodes will have to take care of. Although not much happened in this episode, it pretty much established the major themes of the show that were set up from the start. Some may believe that Asuka’s role is quite wasted after what has happened between Kazuki and Eriko in the previous episode, but that’s not true at all. Kimikiss has always presented a nice, true to life type story, and Asuka plays the role of a long time friend of Kazuki. Everyone struggles with love related problems at some point, and this is realistically shown through Asuka who if forced to give up on Kazuki because she knows what he truly desires. Even though she is struggling a bit, she is moving on in her own ways.

This brings up the typical “life goes on” theme that is also being presented, especially with Mao. It was easy to hate on her because I’m in the group that does not enjoy the stereotypical and overly convenient childhood friend set up, but I’m happy now that she has finally decided to lay off. Her moving away is similar to a true older sister’s leaving. That’s the feelings Kouichi is struggling with, since most of his feelings are still for Yumi. The symbolism with Mao’s use of the old book she and Kouichi used to read was excellent, especially since it showed that she has finally moved on. There were some obstacles along the way, but Kimikiss will again prove to be the predictable story we were all expecting from the beginning. Not that this is a bad thing at all, even with some light drama elements included. On a final note, Eriko smiling and blushing was awesome. So was hearing Kawasumi Ayako do her silly teacher role again.

No, Kazuki, I think what you really meant to say was, “Oh yes, please step on my face Eriko!”

Summary:

When Eiji brings Mao a drink and sits next to her, she wonders if he is fine not being at work. Eiji states that he has already called about a delay, and will be by Mao’s side until she calms down. Eiji tells Mao not to worry about his intentions, but she only believes that her actions were horrible. Eiji begins describing the feelings he had developed for Mao, but claims that he is now fine. He tells Mao to follow her own feelings, before looking into the sky with her. Connected by the same sky, Yumi can only think about her realization about Mao and Kouichi’s feelings. Kouichi struggles with his feelings towards Mao as well, remembering his childhood and his belief that he did not want to see her tears. He hears Mao enter the house, but is painfully unable to face her. Mao struggles with her own predicament, falling to her bed in stress soon after reaching her room. Kazuki meanwhile remembers Eriko’s words, and Kouichi’s claim that the way something started does not matter.

When Kouichi wakes in the morning, he finds Mao as cheerful as ever. Mao apologizes while walking to school with Kouichi, but admits that she was troubled with her feelings. She claims that she is now alright, however, before running ahead of him. Mao stops a few feet away from Kouichi, only observing how high the sky is and the soon ending season. Kazuki tries to start a conversation with Eriko when he sees her at the school entrance, but she only ignores him while walking ahead. Asuka looks over a few girls’ shoulders while they are looking at a fashion magazine, so they give her a hard time about it. Asuka attempts to deny her interest, but she becomes lost for words when Kazuki enters the classroom. Kouichi is still confused about Mao’s words while in class, and Yumi fails to read a passage when she is called because of her own distraction.

At lunch, Kazuki again confronts Eriko. Although he realizes that the experiment is now over, he tries to bring up their previous discussion. With many eyes on the two, Eriko only counters Kazuki by denying his conversation. When Kazuki demands answers, Kouichi and many of the other students can only watch in shock. Eriko simply gets up to leave after stating how much trouble Kazuki is, but he stands up as well. When Eriko turns around, she can only see Kazuki looking at her with a determined face. While Kouichi walks home with Yumi, he wonders if she is really okay. She confirms that she is, but in turn asks about Mao. After getting an expected answer, Yumi almost asks how Kouichi feels about her. She decides not to, however, before requesting to hold his hand while they continue walking.

After Nana gets off the phone at home that night, she overhears her brother practicing lines in his room. Struggling with this, Kazuki remembers the talk he had with Akira and Kouichi earlier in the day. Realizing his intentions with Eriko, Akira decided to aid Kazuki with what he was lacking. Kazuki continues practicing his lines, but loses his composure when Nana walks in on him. She wonders if he plans on acting in the play, then telling him that she will be visiting Narumi’s house the next day. Before she leaves, Nana praises Kazuki about the lines he has been reciting. While Eriko sits on her bed that night, she struggles with the words Kazuki told her during the day.

At school in the morning, Kazuki finds from Mitsuki that Eriko is absent from school. Eriko is at home watching cartoons, only troubled over the previous day’s incidents. When she takes a walk outside, she becomes flustered after seeing Kazuki walking below with a flowers. After hiding herself, Eriko only becomes focused on a message of Kazuki’s arrival. Becoming impatient, she turns on the monitor for the entrance of her home. Kazuki is busy practicing the lines he has worked hard to say to Eriko. Although his relationship with her began as an experiment, he describes all of the things he has discovered about Eriko’s personality. After claiming his love for her, he prepares to send the message for real. Eriko appears behind him, however, making him lose all of his composure. As he tries to read his lines over, he turns to find Eriko denying that she was laughing.

Eriko denies Kazuki’s flowers when he tries to present them, telling him to forget about her. When she claims again that people’s feelings would change, Kazuki agrees. However, he states that he would not be able to forget his feelings for Eriko. He wonders why it is that people’s feelings change, stating that he does not know because he isn’t very smart. He only finds Eriko in tears afterwards, even though she tries to deny the fact. Eriko can only wonder why she is crying, falling into Kazuki’s arms. In the city, Asuka picks up a fashion magazine. Mao suddenly decides to find her own flat, announcing it to Kouichi and her mother.

Preview: FINALLY.

Impression:

“You’re not even worth kissing the dirt off of my shoes!” Oh crap, wrong show. So, OH MY GOD, this episode was awesome. I mean, did you catch that last part? Hold on, do I need to watch that again? I think the last time I checked, Eriko’s deredere mode was impossible to resist. I think I almost died watching her run around her house in confusion. Kazuki finally did it! It’s been leading to his manning up since the beginning of this show, and I am now satisfied. FINALLY. They presented it so perfectly too, with Kazuki explaining and contradicting all of Eriko’s claims that previously kept them apart. It doesn’t matter how it started. Yes…now learn your lines, Kazuki.

I guess I need to talk about the other half of this show too. I’m probably going to have to agree with everyone and say that Eiji is way too good for Mao. Man, I am seriously sick of seeing her after these past few episodes. The last part of this episode had me shouting for joy. Get out of Kouichi’s life!!! Notice how trusting Yumi and Kouichi were to each other in this episode. Those who wanted Mao to end up with Kouichi are confused, and need to go away. You lose. Some other things to note about this episode would be Asuka’s continuing blush frenzy, and the nice connections with the sky between all of the characters. From here on, I am glad to finally be out of the confusion that has been dropped on all of us for the past month. I can now go back to enjoying and praising Kimikiss with love. Thank you. This was single the best episode of Kimikiss I have ever seen.

Ah, it feels like I was just watching this show yesterday…..wait.

Summary:

Nana does her best to wake her brother up, finally succeeding. Kazuki jokingly wonders if he should start living on his own, but Nana states that it is lonely being alone. Of course, this makes Kazuki remember the conversation he had previously with Eriko. When Kouichi wakes up in the morning, he is only able to think about Mao’s confession to him from the previous night. When he runs into Mao shortly afterwards, he does his best to greet her. Mao only confirms that her health is now fine, before walking down ahead of Kouichi. While walking to school with him, Mao tells Kouichi not to worry about what she told him. She states that it wasn’t a lie, however, when Yumi appears behind the two. When Yumi happily greets Kouichi, Mao is unable to help feeling uncomfortable. Yumi has trouble getting her attention, but Mao then takes the chance to take off ahead of the two.

During soccer practice, Asuka notices that Kazuki is actually doing quite well. This makes her put a smile on her face. Mao meets Eiji upon reaching the school, but he only greets her with a “good morning” before leaving. While everyone heads to class, Kazuki tries to find from Mitsuki if Eriko is at school. She states that she did not find her in the infirmary, making Kazuki remember Eriko’s statement about feeling more comfortable with people. Megumi finds that no one is volunteering when she announces jobs to the class, so she picks on Kazuki and Kouichi. This causes Yumi to volunteer next, which the class cheers to. Yumi is happy about this, but she looks back to see that Kouichi is completely out of it.

Tomoko enthusiastically tells her class about the upcoming festival, but no one seems to be as happy about it as she is. Mao is only able to lay her head on her arms, deep in thought. Nana and Narumi become extremely happy to meet two students in their class who wish to help them with their projects. Yumi talks with Kouichi after class, mentioning his spaced out appearance from earlier. Their conversation is interrupted by Akira who rushes Kouichi off, however. As Kouichi leaves her behind, Yumi smiles in relief that Kouichi is not doing as bad as she had thought. Asuka meets with Mao at the entrance of the school, getting into a conversation with her about the recent filming. Asuka wonders about her nervousness towards the kiss scene, but Mao pushes it off as nothing. As Asuka runs off for practice, Mao clenches her fist.

Kazuki meets Eriko in her usual room, expressing that he could not forget about her as he planned to. He states that he really likes her, but this makes Eriko wonder since when. When Kazuki tells her that it suddenly happened, she guesses that the day would come where his feelings may change. Eriko brings up Kazuki’s own statement about an experimental kiss being wrong, which Kazuki is unable to respond to as Eriko leaves out the door. Akira attempts to have their club accepted, but he is denied despite his efforts. While working on a poster with Yumi, Mitsuki expresses how much fun she has had after becoming involved with everyone. Yumi states that she is the same way, as they work throughout the afternoon to finish the poster. Yumi gets a phone call from Kouichi as she observes the finished work, finding that he will not be able to go home with her.

Yumi and Mitsuki run into Nana and Narumi while walking home, who express their happiness and progress in the udon club. When the girls suggest that it would be nice if the school festival would never end, Yumi puts on a disappointing face. With this, Yumi finally reveals to the girls about her soon transferring. She quickly receives support from those around her, making her recall how wonderful her experiences with everyone have been. She credits this to Kouichi, who allowed her to change little by little. During the next filming, Mao and Kouichi are finally set up to do the kiss scene. Both of their real emotions interfere, but the scene becomes more powerful and successful than Akira could have imagined because of this. Mao runs away in tears afterwards, however, and Yumi becomes shocked in realization. Eiji sees Mao as she runs through the city, meeting her to comfort her when he catches up to her.

Preview: Now it’s Eriko’s turn!

Impression:

So like…I love how they have me annoyed throughout the entire episode, but then totally throw something at me in the last two seconds. Seriously. It’s like this every time. Now all my confusion from last week yesterday seems totally worthless. The beginning of this episode reminded me of the first episode of Da Capo with all the “oniichan” and jumping on the bed stuff. Oh, and I should probably mention that I stopped watching Da Capo right after that. Yup…I kind of just turned it off right there. Speaking of bad cliches, Mao was trying to do the “let’s keep going on the way we have been” route, which was super annoying. She really needs to cut it out. I’ve had too much of her in the past few episodes. The ending of the episode suggests that things will be fixed right back to the way we want them though, so I can only keep my fingers crossed and wait.

Kazuki on the other hand is going to have to struggle to get Eriko back. The next episode preview looks like he will be stalking her until she changes her mind. I thought it was pretty funny how they had an Eriko shower scene in this episode for absolutely NO REASON during Yumi’s talk. Great placement, great placement. Asuka tried to trick me with all her blushing again too. She can’t fool me! Yumi’s story might be taking a dramatic turn soon too, since she’s finally realized what’s going on. Add that with her already moving away from everyone, and I think we’ll finally see the story we’ve seen coming for a couple of months now. But yea, I can’t wait for Eriko to say “Talk to the hand” in the next episode. She needs to make up for her lost screen time!

There’s no logic in love~

Summary:

After Mao states that she can no longer see him, Eiji requests for an explanation. Mao expresses the painful feelings she has developed while seeing Kouichi with Yumi, giving Eiji his answer as he is left alone in the rain. Kouichi tells his mother at home that Mao separated from the group earlier, which makes her worry about Mao’s not having an umbrella. Running in the rain, Mao is unable to stop her tears after passing a happy couple. Later, Mao has come down with a severe fever. While observing her, Kouichi remembers the previous night. Mao had come home soaking wet, and Kouichi was only able to worry about what she did on what was suppose to be her date.

Nana notices that the summer break is almost over, asking for her brother to take her somewhere to play. Kazuki denies, of course, when he gets a phone call from Asuka. Kazuki is happy to meet Asuka in the park, but he becomes surprised that she has arranged a meeting for him and Eriko. Unable to make any real conversation after Asuka leaves, Kazuki is distracted by nearby kids on a swing set. He recalls that he used to play on these a lot as a child, making Eriko remember her eager curiosity towards them in her own childhood. Eriko simply tells Kazuki to follow her, leading him to her home. Eriko treats Kazuki to a drink, which happens to be the coffee that he has not experienced in awhile.

Kazuki finally asks why Eriko ended their experiment. He does not receive a direct answer, but Eriko wonders why it is that people fall in love. Kazuki does not believe there is a real reason for this, and that it happens before people realize. This makes Eriko wonder then why people’s feelings change. After hearing Kazuki’s beliefs about becoming involved with other people, Eriko states that it would then be better to be alone from the start. Kazuki brings up Eriko’s earlier belief that being with others was not bad, but she states that people are always alone in the end. Because of this, the experiment has ended.

Nana learns from Akira at the udon shop that Mao has caught a cold. This isn’t the reason they have met, however, as Akira enjoys a spectacular new dish from Narumi’s grandfather. While talking on the phone with her, Kouichi finds that Yumi believes she may be at a fault for causing Mao to become sick. Kouichi assures her that this isn’t the case, before going to check on Mao. He begins caring for her while she is seemingly asleep, but Mao begins crying soon after Kouichi leaves the room.

Mitsuki and Kouichi become the actors for Akira as he films at the mansion, but everyone finds that Kouichi is extremely distracted. Of course, this is because of Mao. At home, Kouichi’s mother finds that Mao has the book she used to read with Kouichi by her side. Kazuki meanwhile does extremely well in soccer, gaining him praise from Asuka. Kazuki expresses that he has decided to forget, brining up Eriko’s properly ending her relationship with him. Thanking her for what she’s done, Kazuki suggests that he will treat Asuka to something.

Kouichi passes by Eiji in the city, taking the chance to ask if something happened between him and Mao. Eiji shocks Kouichi by telling him that they broke up, but he will not give him a proper explanation why. Kouichi visits Mao in her room afterwards, inquiring about her situation. He suggests that he will help in any way he can, but Mao tells him that it is troubling for her. Kouichi suggests that Mao still likes Eiji, but she gets out of her bed to tell Kouichi that he is the one she actually likes. Mao forces Kouichi out of her room shortly after, leaving him in confusion outside of her door.

Preview: The story takes a U-turn.

Impression:

So I was pretty much freaking throughout this entire episode, and I had to step away from it. Now that I came back, I’m pretty much all psyched out. I just don’t know what to think anymore. I’m done. I’m just gonna sit here, and watch as the writers of this show just completely throw my guesses out of the window. Yea, we had about 15+ episodes of development between these characters……but…..why don’t we forget all of that? Okay? Okay. I also kind of needed a break from this show last week, not to mention all the deadlines I had to meet. I finally have a chance this weekend to catch up on anime, and I’ll probably watching the next episode of Kimikiss in a day or two. Haha!

But rants aside, this episode was actually pretty good when I take my personal bias out of the picture. The plot is moving along for Kazuki after Asuka set him up to talk with Eriko. I really loved the flashbacks to the swing set, and the two’s different views of it. Eriko’s discussion with Kazuki was pretty powerful too, especially with her stating that people are always alone in the end. Of course, I refuse to believe that she is out of the picture just yet. A lot of things can happen from here to the end. For now though, it looks like Asuka will be getting more attention…

As far as the Mao side goes, I was actually already spoiled about what was going to happen by Hinano (stupid awesome bloggers making me read their blogs and get spoiled…hmph). It’s not like it didn’t make it any less annoying though. Right now it seems like Eiji is really out of the picture, especially with all the build up they’ve had between Mao and Kouichi. I don’t like the direction this is going. I guess Kouichi will have to stop calling Mao “neechan”….unless he’s into that kind of thing.

On a random cultural note…I smirked when I saw Mao eating moi (no, not Moy). I don’t know what you call it in er….not-Chinese. Rice porridge?

His and Her Circumstances

Summary:

Alone in his room in the morning, Kazuki cannot stop thinking about Eriko’s previous phone call about ending their experiments. At school, the soccer team’s coach sees that Kazuki is missing practice again. Asuka agrees with the coach’s observations, but she can’t help but feel concerned. When Kouichi greets his mother in the morning, he discovers that Mao has already left to go on a date. Mao meets Eiji in town, and happily clutches to his arm as they set off. When Kouichi tells Yumi about Mao’s actions as of late, she expresses her wish to get along better with Kouichi as well. Kouichi agrees with this, as he looks into the sky. While walking with her, Eiji can only remember Mao’s previous actions in the bar. Wondering what they should do that day, Eiji suggests that they play a racing game. Mao declines this, concerning Eiji as she suggests that they enter a nearby store.

Asuka visits Kazuki at his home, so the two head out. Guessing that he is troubled over Eriko, Asuka suggests to Kazuki that he stop his experiments with Eriko. She also expresses that Eriko thinks nothing of him, but is surprised to find that Kazuki depressingly agrees. When Kazuki reveals that Eriko had ended their experiments, Asuka can only remember the conflict she had with her previously. Kazuki expresses Eriko’s individualistic type nature, and thinks to himself that he really couldn’t live in the same world as her. Kazuki thanks Asuka for listening to him, promising to return to practice the next day. However, Asuka can only believe that it is her fault that this has happened.

As Eiji and Mao watch another sunset together, they reveal their matching phone straps to each other. Mao suddenly wonders if Eiji likes her, which he agrees to. Mao replies positively as well, but Eiji can only wonder if something has happened. Mao denies, but when she is at home that night, Kouichi’s kiss with Yumi continues to appear in her head. Meeting his mother, Kouichi finds that Mao is absent again in the living room. Mao sits troubled in the bath, remembering how she comforted a crying Kouichi in the past. While she eats with Kouichi in a restaurant, Yumi recalls that spring break is approaching soon. Yumi finds a book that she is interested in when the two visit the bookstore afterwards, so Kouichi promises to get it for her. Eiji notices that Mao has something on her mind when he sees her in a restaurant. He finds that she will not tell him anything about it, however, before quickly heading to work.

As Kazuki does his best at soccer practice, Asuka realizes that something is troubling him. At home, Eriko continues to sit silently alone. Finally deciding to do something that afternoon, Asuka makes a call to Mitsuki. Kouichi enters Mao’s room at night, finding the book that Yumi wants. Mao sits alone in the park, remembering discussing with her mother about studying in Japan. As her mother was slightly troubled about this, Mao suggested that she would stay with Kouichi. When Mao finally returns home, Kouichi takes the chance to greet her for the first time in awhile. Kouichi mentions that he saw the book they read as children, but Mao refuses to discuss this with him as she runs to her room. Mao gets a phone call from Eiji soon after, who is concerned about Mao’s well being. Mao assures Eiji that nothing is wrong, but this obviously isn’t the case as she buries her face.

The club believes that Mao is doing an astounding job when filming at school, but the truth is that Mao is not acting. Kouichi brings the book he found to Yumi after the shot, and Mao struggles with herself when she sees them. Kouichi comforts a crying Mao in the next scene, expressing that he has looked at her since they were children. However, this triggers real memories of Kouichi comforting a crying Mao when they were kids. The group expresses their excitement about another successful scene afterwards, but Mao continues to be troubled. While Kazuki fills a water bucket by himself, he wonders if he truly understood Eriko’s feelings. While the group prepares for fireworks on the roof, Kouichi discovers that Mao has already left. Mao sees Eiji at the bar, so he offers to take her inside for a drink. Mao lets go of his hand in the process, however, stating that she cannot continue seeing him in her current state.

Preview: Mao goes emo in the rain. Eriko hates everybody.

Impression:

Shut up Mao. Go away. Die in a fire. I dunno guys. I just don’t know anymore. I’ve really started to lose interest in this show now that it’s decided to drag on and go in circles. This episode was kind of eye opening though. As confident I was about the predicted pair ups from the beginning, this episode suggests that there really could be change. Asuka’s slow advancement towards Kazuki in particular has me remembering events from shows like KimiNozo. It’s impossible to say for sure though, since it seems like they’re really looking to confuse us all. Taking blame, Asuka might really be taking actions to fix Kazuki and Eriko’s relationship. It seems like the writers are more than ready to take any advancement we get and cast it aside too. Take Eriko’s lightening up for example. Where did that go? I also thought the animation took a slight dip in this episode. Ah, but no worries. Despite my antagonist feelings, I fully intend to keep covering this show after getting this far. I just hope to see something more than Mao’s emo facepalming in the episodes to come.

Oh by the way, the phone strap symbolism was pretty awesome etc. Get better Kimikiss.

Frogs = owned.

Summary:

Mao finally sees Eiji, but she is still distracted from what she saw at the train station. Mao compliments Eiji for his performance, before leaving him so that he can talk with the other band members. Kouichi expresses what a great time he had with Yumi to Mao when she gets home, but Mao avoids talking to him as she enters her room. She then gets a phone call from Eiji, who has noticed her strange behavior. Mao assures him that it is nothing, before hanging up. Mao plays her part successfully on the set with Yuuji the next day, so Akira and the others move on according to plan. Kazuki is still trying to contact Eriko, and Mao is troubled about her true feelings. It begins raining during the next scene, but Akira decides to go with it. Mao is to hold hands with Kouichi during the scene, but she lets go when she remembers the image of Kouichi walking with Yumi. Mao is unable to concentrate, forcing many retakes. Kazuki eventually trips and falls over the equipment, making the group finally decide to take a break.

In the cafe that Yumi chose because of a previous visit with Kouichi, the group enjoys themselves as always. Yumi orders a strawberry ice treat for Mao, recalling that she liked such things. On the train home, the group again notices that Kazuki is distracted. When Yumi expresses her feelings to Kouichi about moving again, he is unable to keep his glance away from Mao. Before leaving the house on another day, he finds Mao in a strange situation in bed. She assures him that she is fine, before waving him off. Kouichi goes to meet Yumi at the movie theater, where they enjoy themselves while holding hands.

When Asuka walks out to practice with Kazuki, she sees him on the phone again. Meanwhile, Eriko continues to contemplate turning her phone on. Asuka and Kazuki finally get to practice, but Kazuki is still distracted by his cellphone. When Asuka brings this up, she guesses correctly what Kazuki is worried about. Kazuki wonders to Asuka if he has become hated, so Asuka asks him if he has done something to become so. Kazuki remembers that he passed on Eriko’s experiment, but puts it off as nothing while continuing to practice. Asuka decides to quit for the day, running away from Kazuki. Kazuki finally gets a phone call, but it is only from Akira.

While Asuka walks away in worry, she sees an approaching Eriko. Eriko states that she is going to the library, but Asuka requests to talk to her. She wonders about her experiments with Kazuki, so Eriko wonders why she is concerned in return. Eriko finally reveals that she kissed Kazuki, and that she was just testing him in order to understand people’s liking of another. Asuka furiously wonders how Eriko can play with someone’s feelings so easily, calling her the worst. Eriko actually agrees, before simply walking away from Asuka. In her room, Mao is still thinking about Kouichi. Kouichi thinks about Mao while exiting the movie theater with Yumi as well. Yumi notices this, but she allows him to go when Kouichi expresses Mao’s actions at home. Mao sees Eiji in his workplace, and asks him to kiss her after falling into his arms. Eriko finally calls Kazuki, but she surprises him by telling him that they will be ending their experiment.

Preview: And they continued to spin in circles forever.

Impression:

Stop playing with my head! STOP!!! I’m so sick of these games….agh! I guess you could say we’re certainly getting places, but the entire cast is still as confused as ever. It just seems like we still haven’t gotten very far despite being half way through the season. Mao is still annoying me, Kouichi is still annoying me, I’m still trying to fight against Asuka’s tricks, and Eriko is irritating me as well. Yumi seems like the only one who is finally sure of herself, even allowing Kouichi to leave for Mao at the end of this episode. This relationship was the one that took the longest to develop too, though. I’m wondering if they’re making Eiji seem like an outsider lately on purpose. Sides are definitely pushing towards Asuka in Kazuki’s harem, but I refuse to believe they will push Eriko out of the picture. She’s the first girl that gave a kiss, after all. I still think they’re going to end this series exactly how we planned from the first episode, with just way too many bumps and turns until then. Anyways, other than the usual drama in this episode, I thought the shot composition and music was really nice. The ones towards the beginning between Mao and Eiji were really nice in particular. What else is there to say that hasn’t been already, really?