I forgot to mention it in the last episode, but I've dropped Yagami and picked up Sage for this series. Yagami started really lagging behind after the first few episodes, and they've yet to catch up (have they just dropped it?), meaning that Sage is a much better choice. Given that it's essentially the same subs, the only loss is the font colour.
This episode began during the month's worth of summer vacation (I thought it was only two weeks in Japan?), and followed Chizuru's attempts to get the gang together for some hanging out. His personality still sticks out even though it's been a while since he's been introduced; I wouldn't say that he doesn't "fit in", because I feel like his character is not
meant to fit in. Even so, I do tend to feel a little sad about his role sometimes. The twins turned him down right away in order to continue their video game together, and Kaname turned him down simply because it was Chizuru. The only person that accepted him into the house (the "true" reason for the earlier rejections being the intense heat outside) was Shun (which gives me hope that Chizuru will soon get Shun to cut his hair!).
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| At least he caught it before he started growing out his hair. |
Shun's girly ways were at a high during his scene, as he was baking treats (perhaps to take to the others?). Chizuru displayed his typical "caught in the the flow" style by turning just as girly as Shun, before freaking out at what was going on. He reformed quickly and began running out the door, probably worried that hanging out with Shun would be detrimental to his "manliness". Once again showing how Chizuru doesn't fit in, Shun offered to ask the others to the festival that evening (and they all seemed to readily agree). Once again though, it didn't feel
that bad because I really think this is Chizuru's character; he proposes outrageous things and I'd like to believe that, should any legitimately good ideas come around, the others wouldn't be spiteful enough to turn him down anyway. It's kind of like
Ouran.
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| Masaki really thought it was a one-on-one date? Shun sucks at wording. |
This episode continued the love triangle theme from the last episode (with Kaname, Shizuna and Hisako) by introducing a third point for Shun and Masaki - Chizuru. I can't say I didn't see it coming, but I was probably in a little bit of denial. I still want to be, because I just don't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, I want Shun and Masaki to be together. On the other hand, I don't actually dislike any of these characters, so it's hard to pick just one pairing. This is one of the first times this has happened - probably because this triangle was introduced so early, whereas
Ouran's situation with Tamaki, Haruhi and Hikaru came long after I became a Tamaki-Haruhi shipper.
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| The man knows what he wants. |
The festival played out with Chizuru running around excitedly, convincing the others to pool their money and share snacks so they could try everything. When he found out that Masaki liked Shun (since Kaname decided to share, essentially), he was pretty flabbergasted, but attempted to brush it aside. When Masaki lost Shun's present (a
giant teddy bear hanging off a keychain;
of course she was going to lose such a thing), the group got together to attempt to find it (while Shun headed off to get fireworks with Hisako and Shizuna). The love triangle became completely set-up when Chizuru was the one who got it back for her (from an unscrupulous vendor who had found it and decided it was a prize for his game), and he felt a little put-out that Masaki didn't thank him nearly enough (instead fawning over Shun, of course).
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| I'd like to see more of the twins in the next episode. |
This was a very typical episode, right down to the fireworks at the end of a festival. I'd like to see a festival episode one of these days that
doesn't follow this trope; I'm sure groups of friends (and couples) exist out there that
don't enjoy all of these things as though it's coming off of a checklist. Anyway, the group played with fireworks before the larger ones burst in the sky, and minor scenes hinted to future turmoil - the two love triangles, for one thing. I wonder what Shizuna's deal is; it seems like she's had some things happening in her life (that, or she feels like she's "old").
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| How could you hate that, Kaname? No soul. |
My interest in this show isn't waning, despite its slow pace, because I think I was prepared for it to be slow after the first episode. I don't know what I want to see in the future; a setting of an all-male cast in shoujo slice-of-life is still new to me and I think I have way too many expectations and desires to be able to voice any of them.
~Aaro
