hontou ni sou omou?

Had been pretty disillusioned by the ambiguity where the series has left off but had been consoling myself by comparing it to the source material’s relative deterioration. Nonetheless, strong coherent endings are an important criteria in my overall enjoyment of anime series - thus I often enjoy SUNRISE series less than I otherwise would on this account.

As a Tomari x Hazumu supporter, this episode made me very happy. I don’t dislike Yasuna but her ‘unable to see males’ condition stuck badly in my craw because it seemed overly contrived. Would have been more interesting if she was a normal lesbian. How Hazumu had to ride to her rescue over Ep 11-12 felt like emotional blackmail; I didn’t like how it was something that Yasuna had no control over and Hazumu’s love and compassion became tainted by traces of pity.

All through the series, I found Tomari more interesting because of the old anime problematiqué of how a childhood friend should react when a challenger threatens to take away her sweetheart; more importantly, Tomari had much more difficulty in dealing with her own sexuality as a result of Hazumu’s Kasimasization [which I expect some would like to apply to OtoBoku's Mizuho and Jun from Happiness!].

Continue reading ‘Kashimashi 13′

Yasuna proposes the Love Alliance (cf Onegai Twins) to Tomari - maintain the status quo so as to not hurt Hazumu by forcing her to choose between them. On this basis, Tomari says that she trusts Yasuna to maintain the alliance when she gets to go a date with Hazumu to Sea World. True to her word, Yasuna restrains herself despite the romantic atmosphere of the undersea tunnel of luurve. Big misunderstanding arises when Tomari thought she saw Yasuna and Hazumu kissing (while waiting for her to come get her souvenir at the train station near Tomari’s training area). During a late night walk, Tomari tells Hazumu about her feelings and they kiss. However Yasuna sees them and activates her Valkyrie GEM to flatten Tomari with the Dance of Valhalla. Continue reading ‘Kashimashi 10′

Plenty of laughs as Sora-sensei forces Hazumu to undergo the kimodameshi so as to further her love relationships (for research purposes). It was quite lovely to see how Hazumu instinctively / habitually clings to Tomari for security.

Tomari-Yasuna rivalry was relatively subdued this episode though the way Yasuna’s dog is always hostile to Tomari reminds me a bit of There’s Something About Mary. But it was nice to see Yasuna tell Ayuki that she’s found a kindred soul in Tomari, someone who understands what it is like to love Hazumu. Later on the rooftop, Tomari tells Yasuna to call her by her given name and to also drop the honorific, signifying that she sees Yasuna as someone who is close to her.

The title’s focus is on Ayuki and her fascination with the metamorphosis of caterpillar into butterflies. She sees Hazumu’s metaphorical transformation and spreading of wings as something beautiful to watch. Something about that faraway bittersweet look, alloyed of contentness yet sadness, struck a chord with me. She’s content to be a spectator and not step onto the stage - thus: “見ているだけが…” (Only Watching…) Her previous caution to Hazumu before his confession to Yasuna, her generally cool attitude, the revelation to her rejected suitor that she has someone she likes all points to a previous experience of heartbreak. I wonder who that person is/was? (Yes, that’s not a rhetoric question - if you know, please leave a comment but use the <spoiler></spoiler> tags. (28 screencaps follow) Continue reading ‘Kashimashi 8′