As this pair's conversation continues, so we see the rather odd juxtaposition of hatred and kinship felt by Kurumi towards Sawako, who finally finds someone she can talk all about Kazehaya with while simultaneously hating said person for taking his focus away from her.
That aside, we also find ourselves taken back to Kurumi's past and what could be seen as a glimpse of some of the goings-on which moulded her into the girl she is now, as she finds herself the centre of attention not for her personality so much as her popularity; a blessing which becomes a curse when it backfires on her before showing her Kazehaya's kind side in a scene which doubtless cemented her love for him.
Sawako's thoughts and opinions clearly have something of an influence on Kurumi as we return to the present however, as she eventually finds herself meeting Kazehaya to explain about the misunderstanding surrounding Pin, before she even finds herself plucking up the courage both to confess her feelings to Kazehaya and to let him see her "real" self for the first time.
Scene for scene, this episode of Kimi ni Todoke managed to be almost perfectly realised in every way, from its animation through to its dialogue and on to its sense of plot progression - Every emotion and every moment was simply compelling to watch, and occasionally really quite beautiful with it. As has often been the case with this series, there are plenty of great moments that promise to live long in the memory, and each one was expertly played, be it Kurumi's confession or Sawako's predictably odd positive response to being called a "rival". Once you dig down beyond the animation and story alone, the major characters also play a huge part in driving this series along so well, with all of them (apart from Kazehaya himself, arguably) showing both depth and a realistic streak when required of them - An important facet in a world where too many romance-based anime series tend to go off at the deep end with unrealistic stereotypes. This series, on the other hand, feels at least something like the school days that I remember, and that in itself adds yet another element to the interest that I can't help but feel towards this wonderful show.
Yay! Another episode!
ReplyDeleteWait... that's it? She just confesses and gets rejected? Waaaaah? D:
Awwwww... I wanted more.
What I liked most of this episode was the end, when Kurumi's hangers-on react to her "new" personality. I laughed outloud. They have no idea what to do with themselves!!
I hope this isn't the last we see of her. I kinda like the real Kurumi.
The next episode looks... weird.
After a spell in which it was beginning to feel that this show was going off the boil a bit, this was utterly engaging. All the enthusiasm that I felt for the show when Sawako was just beginning to emerge from her chrysalis was back. A wonderful episode.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a lot more to say, really - but Kurumi turned out to be a more sympathetic character than expected, and her new-found resolve to be true to herself - even though it did cost some pain - can only be good for her in the long run. She is going to move on.
What can you say about the scene at the end? Kazehaya's "interaction" with Sawako sleeping on the stairs at the party was so cute I thought I was going to have a seizure.
It looks suspiciously like a recap episode next time, I'm afraid.
love the manga too~ it's getting interesting~ I want sawako confess!!(>o<)
ReplyDeleteI am loving this series...
ReplyDeleteI know FMA is rocking right now, I enjoy it, but i am about 4 eps behind... This is one of the few anime's that i keep up with weekly, i don't know why. I think it is that i can simpathize with the characters, they are very realistic..