Summer break is here, and with it comes the start of the college film crew making Kazuya and Chizuru’s film. The director makes a little speech to the crew, and Chizuru proves she’s a pro by giving her own.
But Kazuya isn’t used to this kinda thing, and isn’t even sure he knows what he’s doing or whether he can. But when he does manage to get some words out, they have a childish idealism that the crew responds to, especially after Chizuru begins clapping.
This episode had some very beautifully composed and lit scenes and close-ups, but it also featured some extremely janky animation and off-model characters a bit more often than I’d like. The first day of filming is also presented as a sequence of stills.
But as I said, it’s not all bad, and Chizuru’s experly acted sunset scene, made possible after Kazuya nearly gets himself killed shooing a cicada off a bridge, looks really nice and packs a punch by dint of the lighting and palette.
Kazuya is also moved by Chizuru’s performance; so moved, in fact, that he descends back into a downward spiral of insecurity and self-consciousness. He can’t help but put Chizuru on a pedestal higher than the Burj al Khalifa, and feel like she’s a different species he has no business being anywhere near.
This depressive state causes Kazuya to unconsciously avoid Chizuru as they film, and when they end up alone together outside during a break, she thankfully calls him out on it. He also comes clean about how he feels so inadequate, and she tells him his life is just as wonderful as hers, and there’s no need for a hierarchy. The sun happens to come out as she breaks him out of his mood with a smile nearly as bright as the sun.
After she does, both she and the rest of the crew notice how he’s become more upbeat and energetic, no longer hung up on how awesome Chizuru is or how trash he is. Chizuru likes this focused, competent version of Kazuya.
When the director tells Kazuya he’ll be unavailable to film the final scene of the movie, which takes place in Madarao, he finds himself facing a scenario of going on a trip along with Chizuru, which he doesn’t think he can handle.
Mini agrees to come along and also organize their accomodations, if Kazuya contacts Chizuru and Ruka. Chizuru, for her part, is all in; she’ll do anything for the movie.
But the morning the four are supposed to meet and board the Shinkansen, it’s just Kazuya and Chizuru. Mini calls him and says she arranged it so she and Ruka wouldn’t be a third and fourth wheel, and her shisho has a real chance to get closer to Chizuru.
Mini tells both Ruka and Chizuru that she has the flu, so whether he likes it or not, Kazuya is alone with Chizuru on this trip. When the alarm for the closing door sounds, the two find themselves aboard the train when it sets off. They’re in new territory.
Chizuru does her thing where she shuts one eye as she says Mini has the idea that they like each other, then heads off to the bathroom. While there, she drops the cool act, and we see her for the flustered mess she is.
She and Kazuya are the same in this regard: yes, this is supposed to be for the movie, but in the moments Kazuya is able to let go of his anxiety, he actually really enjoys just naturally interacting with Chizuru.
As for Chizuru, when they get off the train and head to the next leg of their journey, she seems ready to say something to Kazuya, but can’t quite get the words out. Kazuya takes notice of this, but he doesn’t press. He may need to sooner rather than later.
Whatever those words were, they’re important to these two figuring things out, both now and beyond the movie. Because it’s increasingly starting to look like their relationship won’t just end when the movie is finished—or, at least, neither of them want it to.
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