hontou ni sou omou?

My initial reaction to this final arc of MariMite’s spring season is probably the biggest reason why I shouldn’t immediately bang out an entry after seeing some episodes (other than my natural tendency to proscratinate… :P) which was “Bah! Much ado about nothing! How disappointing!” However, upon further reflection and rewatching these three episodes (to take the screencaps), I found that the storytelling was indeed very good and even though I thought the fundamental issue (possibility of a Red Rose Revolution) was not a very big deal, it was thoughtfully laid out and then resolved.

Episode 11: Rainy Blue. Liked the continuation of the flower metaphor - this time, using the hydragenea’s ability to change the colour of its flowers in response to the degree of the acidity of the soil as an image to represent Yumi’s fear of Sachiko choosing Touko over her. Again, Sei conveniently appears to salvage the pieces of Yumi’s totally rotten episode… very nice to see how completely Yumi trusts Sei - perhaps it’s that little remaining distance and autonomy that distinguishes friendship and love (more on this idea when I eventually comment on Morinaga Miruku’s “Even If We’re Not Friends” in Yuri Shimai Vol.1).

Episode 12: The Blue Umbrella. More symbolism. Things are looking up for Yumi - after sadness comes reflection and growth. Upon rewatching, it was just very nice to see how much Yumi had grown, seems that the senior and now departed Roses could identify that potential in her and see the strength of Yumi’s character that could support Sachiko. Also how much her perspective has matured - seeing beyond just Sachiko’s every little movement and change - a critical change that is required to break her “I’m Not Worthy of Sachiko-sama” mental model which is also an impediment to their relationship from developing further. Also I was mightily chuffed with any airtime at all for Sei. Yumi, with her Ordinary Girl With A Big Heart Power, unwittingly touches the heart of landlady Yumiko, unravelling that long underlying gordion knot with important plot consequences in the next episode…

Episode 13: Holding a Parasol. If Yumi looks after Sachiko and Sei looks after Yumi (meaning Sei should be sticking around even though she’s not in Lilian High School anymore ^_^), then who does Sachiko look after?

Shimako and Rei start to act with greater authority and assertiveness. It will be really fun to see if Yumi can be a Rose or will she fashion her own style?

The elders appear and the truth is revealed. Sachiko was not going to dump Yumi in favour of Touko (duh) and now Yumi, Knight of the Mountain Lily, must mount a quest to save her Princess from the Jaws of Despair and Depression. Sachiko was really close to her grandmother and her illness and death was a great blow.

Yumi meets Sachiko and they finally communicate - something that they’ve failed to do over the past two episodes. This really underscores the point that communication is fundamental to any relationship, be it friendship or love.

This is very much a case of Sachiko depending on Yumi to get her out of trouble again (cf. from the start of the whole series) and luckily for her, Yumi has suffered but has overcome and has grown so that she can dole out her Touching Hearts power, made even more powerful by her Ordinary Girl (albeit not that Ordinary as she has a really Big Heart) status. Sachiko is really lucky to save someone who loves her as unconditionally as that and it’s good to see that Yumi is feeling less unworthy and it’s becoming less Distant Admiration or Heroine Worship and more of genuine rapport and empathy.

Can’t wait for the next season. Incidentally I’ve started reading the first three volumes of the manga and it’s certainly helped my enjoyment of the series as it fills in on a lot of little details that make the characters so much more human. Hope to post on those in the near future.

Episode 7: Cherry Blossom. It’s spring and that means sakura season which reminds Shimako intensely of the now departed Sei-sama.

A first year, Noriko, chances upon Shimako and *surprise surprise* it looks like they are made for each other after all.

Sei is at Lilian Female College / Ladies Universities just next door and Yumi, who continues to see Sei as a mentor, runs off to see her about Shimako’s behaviour and Sachiko’s own moodiness. Sei’s hair is shorter, quite a contrast to her long locks when she was with Shiori. I have to say that the new hair style really suits her - she’s almost *handsome* - wonder how if she’s dating any girls in the university? (^_^) Interestingly, Yumi was economical about the truth - she actively avoided telling Sachiko that she went to see Sei. And unhappily for Yumi, a new challenger has arrived. Touko is quite an annoying and over-familiar distant relative of Sachiko who has arrived as a first year. This sets off Yumi’s inferiority complex (”I’m not worthy of my great Sachiko-sama”) which IMHO is not a healthy thing in any relationship, not least because it tends to become self-fulfilling.

Noriko turns out to have an interest in Buddhism despite being in a Catholic school and Shimako’s Big Secret is that she is the daughter of a Buddhist priest (Her Dad’s a monk? You mean monks can have kids? Hmmm… monkhood doesn’t sound that bad after all, if you can throw in booze as well. :P) So Noriko’s common interest in Buddhism has allowed Shimako to share her Big Secret (which the senior members of Yamayurikai already know but pretend not to know) with Noriko.

See? Shimako and Noriko are soooo made for each other.

Episode 8: The Cherry Tree Amongst the Gingkos. The other Yamayurikai members find out about Noriko and proceed to weave a busybody intervention. The objectives are two-fold. Firstly, to get Shimako to reveal her Big Secret (which apparently is No Big Deal). Secondly, to publicly display her “sisterly love” with Noriko. After acting kind of evil (which Sachiko was frighteningly good at… hmmm… leather….) and after a few rounds of “No, it’s not my lover’s fault, it’s my fault!”, Shimako and Noriko’s relationship is given a big round of applause (without the walls shattering and everyone saying “Omedetou” though).