hontou ni Stripey Insists Sisters Cry Oniichan Now

Hatsukoi Limited 10-12

It was good to see that Olympic candidate talent deteriorates in the absence of training; how I hate characters who get by purely on the strengths of their natural talent and constipated teeth clenching. Thank goodness the swim team relationships have been more or less resolved with the plot devices of A Challenger Has Arrived and Loved One's Words; they were my least favourite pair - can't even remember their names.

Wimbledon aside, I've also been holding back on watching these final episodes of Hatsukoi until I could see, among other things, how the Kei x Kusuda tsundere relationship was going to work out. They're hardly the besto couple candidates but I enjoy their bickering in the same perverse way that I enjoyed the depiction of soul-destroying matrimonial slow death in Black Heaven. Which is also why Kusuda's outburst and Kei's response (taking Doba-chan's return advice and apologizing) was such a spectacular moment; the centre cannot hold and things will have to change hereon.

The boys' road trip - I particularly identified with Mamoru's moaning about the lack of planning and preparation. And it's true that there's nothing like going out-field and being constantly cold, wet, tired, hungry and charging through the undergrowth shouting BANG BANG BANG because your battalion is trying to save on training costs by not issuing blanks.

Best moment for me was how Misao's words got Kei to pick herself up and reclaim her position, befitting a chara voiced by Shizu-sama, as leader of the pack. Big bonus was how this got Ayumi to see Misao in a different, more positive light - in addition to how he is also a concerned and loving elder brother (though that latter part didn't seem to improve his scoring viz a viz Koyoi LOL). And what's this with Saki-nee trying to invite Ayumi out on her proposed date with Yuuji? The last time, she wanted to seduce invite Koyoi too!

LOLOLOL at the boys' shouting at the sun on the beach and being overheard and then chased by the girls. Most improved chara must, surprisingly, go to Yuuji. Who has finally graduated from his Ayumi imouto siscon and is finally making his move on Saki-nee. Yeah, well, I'm sure there are viewers who feel strongly that he may not deserve her (like the way Stripey is soooo against Kusuda x Kei - which is a bit of a LOL position given how he likes to brag about the way everyone thinks he's a millionaire when he strolls on the beach with his waifu) but at least with the two above-mentioned changes, he's grown in a surprisingly plausible way. Plus his survival instincts *did* overcome his siscon in the first episode for much merriment.

Sure, the ending was super-convenient but I'm joining the consensus that both the conclusion and the series as a whole was satisfying. I think this will stand up well to rewatching and, crucially, I'm feeling a bit bummed that we won't be seeing more of the cast.

Related posts:

1. Hatsukoi Limited 7
2. Hatsukoi Limited – Wished every episode was like ep 9
3. The divine comedy of Hatsukoi Limited