Summary:

Stresemann accosts Nodame on the streets of Paris and she takes him back to her apartment for a status report. Kidnapped by Oliver, Shinichi is forced by Elise forces him to sign on with her firm. Shinichi finds Nodame and Stresemann at a Japanese-style club but the boys soon depart for a three month international tour, leaving Nodame behind in Paris with the key to Shinichi’s apartment and permission to use his piano. Over a disgusting dinner of hijiki seaweed, Nodame is introduced to Li Yunlong who suffers from severe homesickness. Nodame is also feeling down because of a bunch of incriminating photos sent to her by Stresemann. Frank’s mood is terrible too; he had changed schools because he wanted to be taught by Charles Auclair but didn’t get him and loses it when Nodame reveals that’s her teacher.

Yuuko calls with news about Shinichi’s debut, standing in for Stresemann in China; Nodame searches the web to see him performing with the talented beautiful Chinese prodigy Song Rui. Who is shopping in Shanghai with Shinichi; the latter buys a necklace for Nodame rather than the ring she asked for. On the first day of school, Nodame is overwhelmed by the music theory and sightreading classes. Shinichi gets a lesson of his own when Stresemann tells him to stop treating Nodame the way he does and to "make a clear distinction". Meanwhile Nodame tries to impress Auclair with Transcendental Etude but he tells her it’s no good and asks her why she came here.

Reaction:

It took me a really long time to figure out what Stresemann meant; I’m guessing that he is telling Shinichi to separate his romantic feelings for Nodame from his feelings about her piano playing, if he loves her, he should love her for who she is as a whole. This identifies one of the main dynamics that makes this show so fascinating: Shinichi was attracted to Nodame, in the first place, because of her piano playing. In addition, his musings about Song Rui’s upbringing also indicate how he feels that it is his duty to not to let Nodame’s talent languish in obscurity. On the other hand, Nodame has made great strides in making her piano playing more acceptable to Shinichi but he keeps moving higher and faster ahead. Auclair’s question is a really important one and we’ve already heard the answer in the first season but Auclair himself does not learn it until much later in the manga.

I thought Tanya came off quite well in this episode with how, being the only non-overtly gloomy one at the dinner, ended off by saying how everyone here are friends but rivals and there’s not much to do except to work towards your own goals. As well as giving Nodame Shinichi-like help at the start of the first school day. The introduction of Rui was also interesting; Nodame has clearly sighted her as a rival and choosing to play the same piece for Auclair despite his request for her to play something that she liked. On the one hand, Rui is a glimpse of what Nodame could have been already at this stage of her life (the classical music world being incredibly difficult for late bloomers) as well as an anti-Nodame in terms of her attitude towards playing professionally rather than for fun or to win the approval of her paramour.

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

[Can't seem to get all the images to load properly. Can't tell if it's local, server or just plain old n00b HTML errors. Let me know if you're having problems too.

Have stripped out the wp-captions CSS styling. Fingers crossed.]

Second. Check.

Third. Check.

Now it’s my chance to initiate Ayumu into THREESOME.

She doesn’t seem to suspect a thing.

It’s a do or die situation, we will be invincible THREESOME.

Waitaminute, I’ve become the submissive uke!?

For the sake of being the dominant seme in THREESOME

Now listen up here!

Underwater orz!?

Which parts!?

Not just being the submissive uke…

…but being attacked while I was unconscious no less!

And being proposed to (together with Maria-san) already!

I really don’t know if I can be the submissive uke in the THREESOME in the long term…

あ

Say my name.

She knows that Nanoha spell which sealed Fate as her submissive uke!?

And it really works.

Maybe I’m just being tsundere about beng a submissive uke in THREESOME.

Two possible combis of THREESOMEs here, by age group.

Let’s take turns on the whole seme/uke thing.

And by Student Council affliation. Everyone wants Hina in their THREESOME!

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

Invisible Girl Momoko has the power of Kurumi Momose! The peach is a mere coincidence?

Yumi-chin x Momo make a nice couple though; ‘I want you!’ x ‘I love you ~su!’ FTW. The powah of lurve has also caused Sleepy changed her mind (somewhat) after one episode LOL.

Of all the Saki pairings, this is the one that seems to have excited Stratosphere the most (current welcome fanart image).

Always love those Emperor ‘Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen’ Hisa moments.

The Emperor likes her tea with two sugars and no milk.

A bit low on the Nodoka x Saki yuri vibes in this arc (except for the cute ED in Ep 15), especially in Ep 16. But the preview seems to suggest that Nodoka’s love will unleash the red-black aura in Saki to counter Koromo.

Has Gonzo got its groove back? Calawain certainly thought so:

Superficially, Saki is about mahjong, but it’s actually more about yuri, power levels, and not wearing panties…and is a surprisingly solid entertainment experience.

[Add: Zepy noted that Ep 15's animation production was *not* by Gonzo though.]

In another surprise, Kurogane declared that Saki is about the mahjong after all:

Oh wow, this actually beats Akagi in terms of intensity.

A pleasant surprise indeed. Still, I’d like to have our lily-laced yuri delusion cake and eat it too.

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.