Saturday, March 10, 2012

Ano Natsu de Matteru - Episode 9


Evasion is futile!

Beginning with the revelation of the truth that I thought wouldn't happen until near the end, the episode started off on the right foot. The shock factor was probably what kept everyone from bombarding Ichika with questions. But because of this inevitable development, it was obvious that things won't ever be the same again. The relationship between Ichika and the others was bound to get awkward and the question of whether or not she ends up going back to her planet arises once again. But most important of all, how will this affect her relationship with Kaito?

Understandably, Ichika is unsure of how to interact with Kaito now that the truth is out. Probably out of a sense of confusion, she takes the common route of "avoiding the problem". Although it may have worked to temporarily put aside the issue, it wasn't hard to figure out that this won't last forever. The build-up to the final scene of the episode was done very well. The emotions of the characters were conveyed marvellously. The facial expressions and body language of the characters alone were enough to tell the tale. Having dialogue just enhanced everything further.

Kanna's actions in this episode garnered a lot of respect from me. She was the one who lit the fuse for the big explosion of emotions that that came afterwards. The fact that she put Kaito's happiness above her own shows that she truly loves and cares for him. Pushing one's rival to confess to a common love interest takes an extreme amount of determination and willpower as, deep down, there's no questioning the desire to reign victorious. The tears and crying that came after Kanna's uncharacteristic provoking of Ichika was essentially equal to Kanna waving the white flag. She realizes her chances to be with Kaito are virtually nonexistent but refuses to let go of that one-sided love. Seeing this must have been painful for Tetsurō as he pleads for Kanna to stop crying while comforting her. This in turn, causes Mio to shed tears of sadness knowing that Tetsurō still won't give up on Kanna, meaning her love remains one-sided.

Indeed, it is depressing to see three heartbroken friends dwelling on their inability to attain their goal. However, the contrast between the scene of heartache and the heartwarming scene made everything all the better. From the beginning, there was almost no doubt that Ichika would end up with Kaito. But even so, I couldn't help but smile as I watched the two of them express their true feelings for each other. Although the confession was a bit cheesy, the fact that everything went smoothly was all that counted. The added bonus of Lemon catching everything on camera from afar topped off this amazing episode nicely.

Now that the show has probably reached its peak, what happens here on out remains an unknown. I'm hoping that the movie will eventually be shown as the starting premise of the series was partially about filmography. Three episodes should be enough to form some sort of conclusion to everything. Maybe two more episodes to end off this long flashback and one episode in the present? Whatever happens, I'll be looking forward to it.

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