The episode starts with, what appears to be, a rather creepy Sachiko stalker, Mifuyu, thinking that is Yumi is Not Worthy and most of the episode is told from her point of view. In many ways, she is quite similar to Yumi - being an unremarkable girl of no special qualities who is a Sachiko fan. Only that she has had the akogare for Sachiko for yonks.
By chance, she had seen Sachiko hide her red card on the morning of the treasure hunt and nicked it. Overwhelmed with remorse later and realizing how her dishonesty would have poisoned the prize date, she tries to rebury the card but is interrupted by Yumi. Thus the mystery of the disappearing/reappearing card is solved. However, in the course of her interaction with Yumi, she realizes that Yumi is indeed special and right for Sachiko. Continue reading ‘MariMite 9′
Yumi flees to the greenhouse in tears but Sei-sama rides to the rescue, telling her that Sachiko was reacting to the parts of herself that she disliked and saw in Yumi and that a similar incident had taken place between Youko and Sachiko which eventually benefitted Sachiko.
The next day, the petite soeurs are handicapped by a five minute delay for the cardcaptoring treasure hunt and Yumi is dogged by a group who is tailing her. After finally managing to give them the slip, she realizes that the card should be in the greenhouse. Someone else is already there and the card isn’t there. At the conclusion of the hunt, Shizuka has found Shimako’s card (which will make for a most interesting date later) while Rei’s card was found by Chisato Tanuma (leading to Rei-Yoshino fireworks for the rest of this season and the next). Sachiko’s card mysteriously reappears at the roots of the rosa chinesis bush (but deeper than from where Sachiko had buried it) but Sachiko believes Yumi, excusing it as a trick of St Valentine’s. They formally make up at the Rose Mansion and we conclude on a literally sweet moment as a mix-up occurs between the chocolates Yumi prepared for Sei and Sachiko. Continue reading ‘MariMite 8′
With the start of the Valentine’s Day episode, Yumi tries but fails to get advice on chocolate giving from Yoshino (not good at making chocolate), Shimako (chocolates are not important), Tsutako (no younger or older soeur), Rei (way too good at making chocolate). While I was keenly aware that the Japanese interpretation of V-Day revolves around females giving chocolate to their loved one (and males returning the favour on White Day), it was still culturally disorientating to see girls stressing about gifts and events since for much of the rest of Mammon’s earthly dominion, V-Day is manifestly a day to cause stress and wallet-is-cry for guys. On another level, it’s girls who are stressing about V-Day with their beloved elder "sisters".
Yumi’s troubles are compounded by her discovery that (1) Sachiko did not accept chocolates from anyone last year and (2) a half-day date with her precious Sachiko is up for grabs, potentially by someone else, as a result of the Newspaper Club’s planned V-Day event. Continue reading ‘MariMite 7′
Shizuka Kanina challenges the orderly succession of the Yamayurikai in the Rosa Canina episode. The officebearers are actually elected so although the en boutons are anointed successors, there is no guarantee that they will succeed their oneesamas - though in practice this hardly ever happens. Yumi angsts about Shimako’s decision not to run for the office of Rosa Gigantea, Sei’s refusal to interfere and her inability to help a seemingly out-of-sorts Sachiko. Continue reading ‘MariMite 6′
