Aisha, who was presumably adopted by Leo, is heartbroken when Eve beats her and Leo keeps looking at her. Not great to make an orphan feel like she’s going to be abandoned again! But like Gundam: Witch from Mercury, this show is packed with awful parents. That said, Leo doesn’t abandon Aisha, but promises Eve she’ll be defeated next time.
But the next time won’t come for a long time; Eve’s injuries are substantial. Alan estimates it will take her two months to heal and two months to get back into golfing shape, but in order to use her Burst safely, she has to get even stronger. Meanwhile, Aoi wins her first tournament as a pro, but ends up passing out in the shower, much to Amane’s dismay.
Turns out Aoi does indeed have the same brain condition as her father Reiya, or so she expects even before the test results. She adopts a defeatist attitude, believing that she’ll never be able to play the golf she loves so much ever again.
Amane won’t accept this, so she hops on a plane and challenges a still-recovering Eve on Aoi’s behalf. Since both golf girls are clearly in need of serious rehab, she picks next year’s British Open as the venue for their long-delayed battle. Eve is fine with this, of course.
Upon returning home, Amane consults with Reiya, and then convinces Aoi not to give up all hope. She may only have about a year of golf left before she has to retire like her dad, but Amane wants her to spend as much of that time as possible doing what she loves.
With Amane, Reiya, and Seira supporting her, Aoi shakes off her tears and resolves to face off against Eve like they promised. The two undergo strenuous training, aided by their trusty, loving caddies.
If there’s a mark against this episode, it’s that time flies by way too fast compared with the pace of the show so far. That entire year passes in less than half-episode’s time. In that time, Aoi wins two more tournaments (widely spaced out enough to spare her brain), and Eve fully recovers and wins the Women’s British Masters. We don’t get to see any of it!
It’s starting to feel like Birdie Wing is going to try to complete it’s story in the next two to three episodes. I’m glad we’re finally, finally getting to the point where Eve and Aoi can play their best golf together for the first and possibly last time, and this episode felt like the sacrificial lamb that cut through all the story needed to get to that point.
That leaves the remaining episodes free to return to the show’s more slowed-down shounen tendencies in Eve and Aoi’s face-off, and possibly an epilogue. And while it was horribly rushed at the end, there were still some wonderful emotional and dramatic moments to enjoy. It’s heartening to see all the secrets lifted and everyone who loves Eve and Aoi helping to lift them up and see their dream through.
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