Hikari stays at Itaru’s house with Miuna and Akari, who is surprised Hikari and Miuna get along so well. The next day Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki, Kaname and Tsumugu all accompany Miuna into the city to buy a gift for Akari, as a sign of her approval and love. They can’t find the shell necklace she wants at any of the stores, so they return to the village and find comparable materials on the beach. After Miuna presents the necklace to Akari, saltflake snow starts to fall.
All hands on deck: Miuna has to find a gift for Akari? We agree, that’s a pretty lightweight premise for an episode, but a lot is achieved along the way. Chief among them, Hikari isn’t looking back or regretting his decision, something even Akari can’t believe. He’s also not letting the unplesantness with the sea and surface elders get him down. Life goes on, only on the surface. Helping Miuna is just as much about him taking his mind off those troubles, while bonding with who could end up being his step-niece.
But we’re not done with the sea, as Itaru and Akari both want to do their marriage “properly” if they can (which means dealing with people who haven’t been reliable in the approval department.) We also enjoyed Chisaki and Hikari’s discussion when they were alone together thanks to her setting off the elevator’s weight limit buzzer (another unfortunate dig on her alleged “largeness” that has no basis in physical fact). Their talk is brief and incomplete, but we hope it’s the first step in more forthright dialogue between them.
Rating:7 (Very Good)
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