Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! – 10 – Serious in Spring

It’s been two months since Tsubasa moved to Hokkaido, but he’s feeling a lot less out of place. Even as the sakura are blooming in Tokyo, there’s still snow on the ground in his new home. He also finds Minami waiting for him so they can walk to school together. She’s apprehensive about the possibility they might end up in different classes.

Tsubasa cheers her up by assuring her he’ll visit her even if they do get separated, but it turns out everyone is back together for the new term, including Sayuri and Matsuo. Sayuri is also sporting a shorter haircut for the coming of spring, and can’t help but blush when Tsubasa compliments how great she looks.

When Matsuo nominates Tsubasa as the new class president, and Minami volunteers to be his veep, Sayuri clearly looks left out. But that night she and Tsubasa chat on the phone as they game together and have an absolute blast. Even when Sayuri mentions how she doesn’t think she’s changed at all, Tsubasa quickly points out all the ways that she has. She wants to tell him it’s all thanks to him, but is interrupted by the completion of his in-game house renovations.

The next day after school, Minami mentions how it feels like the two of them are the only ones in the world as they prepare printouts for the class. When he asks why she decided to volunteer to be veep, she doesn’t mince words: it was to spend as much time with him as possible. When he says she’s been teasing him a lot lately, she tells him she’s not; she’s been serious about it all.

Before they part ways on the walk home, Minami tells Tsubasa to keep a day open during Golden Week, because there’s something she has to tell him. She’s never sounded more serious, so hopefully Tsubasa is getting more of a hint about what she intends to do.

If she intends to confess her feelings and declare her desire to go out with him, then what of Sayuri, who quite clearly also has feelings for him? We might be approaching the point at which the three friends can’t just be friends together anymore … but I hope I’m wrong!

My Senpai is Annoying – 08 – Not Just Another Day

It’s Golden Week, and this episode is all about our two couples. Kazama and Sakurai go on the date to an aquarium that Kazama was brave enough to propose. Kazama likely believes he isn’t “worthy” of Sakurai or that he’s “out of her league”, but Sakurai likes him for who he is and he shouldn’t overthink things. Instead of worrying about how he could say or do things differently to make their date better, he should just enjoy the damn date!

Futaba has her Golden Week all figured out, sourcing her plan for the week from periodicals touting the proper route to becoming “a capable woman.” Of course, this is nonsense, as we know that as someone who has lived on their own since junior high and has a good job and wonderful friends,

Futaba already is a capable woman. But when the scenario of a horror TV program is eerily similar to hers, suddenly she doesn’t want to be alone. Takeda, sensing Futaba’s anxiety in just a 27-second phone call, comes calling, and Futaba is elated.

Kazama may be extremely self-conscious throughout most of the date, but Sakurai is having a perfectly good time watching cute sea animals, and especially when they meet a dolphin named Souta (Kazama’s first name) who has the same “unfriendly stare”. There’s even a stuffed Souta that Sakurai photographs with Kazama and laughs about, but Sakurai isn’t laughing at Kazama, she’s laughing because she’s having fun with him.

Futaba and Takeda also have fun on their day off, going to an arcade then out to ramen at Takeda’s go-to spot . They mention to each other more than once that this day kinda feels like work, but that’s only because they’re together.

Between the laid-back atmosphere of the ramen joint (unlike all the other restaurants busy due to Golden Week) and Takeda winning Futaba a crane game plushie simply because he wanted to, it’s a very good thing that things feel so normal and right when they’re together, at work or not.

After leaving the aquarium, Kazama suddenly has a notion and asks Sakurai to stay put until he comes back. But again, Sakuai becomes the target of unwanted attention, this time from two strangers who really want her to try mafé, with one of them even grabbing her arm.

When Kazama returns, he rescues Sakurai by borrowing a line from a shounen manga, of course. Kazama claims Sakurai is “his”, which is not always okay in some situations, but obviously Sakurai is into it and not about to contradict him. Also, it goes both ways, with Kazama being every bit hers as she is his.

Once again Kazama is embarrassed about his words and actions, but has no reason to be; for the only person who matters—Sakurai—he was very cool, and once again proved himself as someone who has her back. As they walk to the train, she uses his first name Souta to thank him. Of course, the item Kazama went back for was a Souta the dolphin plushie, so she could’ve been thanking him…but c’maaahn. She was totally thanking Kazama the guy!

As it has with previous episodes, Senpai continues to excel at portraying warm, cozy instances of two couples enjoying each others company. Kazama and Sakurai seem well on their way to dating, and even if Futaba and Futaba aren’t, they’re definitely much more than just co-workers.

Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai! – 04 – Curry and Rain

This episode starts with Hana paying Shinichi an unannounced visit to his apartment. It’s Golden Week, and she had a reasonable expectation he’d be home and wouldn’t have anything going on. She gets him to join her on a Doraemon Go! trip outdoors, but his eyes are bothering him from all the gaming, so she takes him shopping for glasses. That’s where they encounter Ami, who is back from her family.

The two proceed to gang up on Shinichi, having him wear increasingly ridiculous glasses and then laughing at him. Considering Shinichi is not an M, he’s not really having fun, and the scene gets a bit uncomfortable, especially when Ami lies about having a serious pair for him, only for them to be over-the-top aviators. Shinichi has had his fill of this, so when Hana finally tries on a pair, he insults her and the two dive into a spirited bickering session.

It’s not a particularly good start for two people who are presumably eventually going to click as a couple, but when the train they’re on gets increasingly crowded, their dynamic morphs from aggressively adversarial to protective, as Shinichi’s relatively large body shields her from the crush of new passengers. Eventually the chests of the two are pressed together, Shinichi’s heart rate increases, and both he and Hana start to blush.

She remarks that they’re in a “wall slam” like situation, without getting into how she feels about that, though she admits there’s not much to be done about it; there’s no space. Rather than reckon with the present situation, Shinichi withdraws within himself, trying to block out all sight and sound, only for the smell of Hana’s hair to become more prominent. He ends up passing out standing up, and gets separated from Hana when the doors close between them.

When he comes to form his mini fugue state at the end of the train line, he sees missed calls from an obviously worried Hana, and feels bad. Back at the cafe, Ami suggests the best way forward is to simply reach out to her. At the college common room Hana is down in the dumps because it’s so gray and dreary and “there are no holidays in June”.

So Shinichi, unbidden, takes the initiative and suggests they hang out together to at least make the free time they have worthwhile, and also to make up for leaving her in the lurch on the train. The day they’re to hang out there’s even more rain, and Hana is soaked on her way to his place.

No matter; she simply showers (after playfully asking if he’d join her), borrows his much larger clothes, and cooks up some tasty curry. They spend the day playing Meowcraft, building a ridiculous structure together. Shinichi’s got his new glasses to cut down on blue light, and in general the atmosphere is so much more pleasant and comfortable than the glasses store debacle.

Aside from a brief vertical pan on a showering Hana there’s minimal fanservice and more importantly, no teasing or bickering. Between the close quarters, the shared clothes and cooking together, there’s a lovely domestic intimacy to their day, and even if it never veers into overt romance there’s definitely ample chemistry and amity we frankly needed to see after Glassesgate.

When Shinichi walks Hana to the station, the rain has stopped, and it feels like they’ve reached a milestone in their relationship. Not only did Shinichi suggest they hang out; not only did they thoroughly enjoy themselves, but he suggests she come by another time, something Hana thought wouldn’t happen so fast. She throws caution to the wind and proposes tomorrow, and Shinichi is fine with it!

Now Shinichi knows what it’s like to hang out with Hana on a rainy day, without Ami or any other bystanders to provoke any sniping or misbehavior. The two end up getting along famously. While Shinichi will probably always value his solitude, it’s clear he no longer sees hanging out with Hana to be a hassle or a chore, and something to which he can actually look forward rather than dread. It’s very promising development!

Golden Time – 09

Kouko says she has a cold, and when she returns after several days, she still doesn’t seem right. She confides to Banri that she’s scared and anxious about whether he really loves her. Banri comforts her and assures her he loves her and everything is fine. The “Ghost Banri” remembers comforting Linda in a similar fashion when they were third-years. She found out her brother’s fiancee was cheating on him, and planned to expose her with pictures.

Linda changed her mind and instead confronted the fiancee directly, agreeing not to tell anyone if she stops. Linda is scared and anxious of the choices she’s made, but Banri promises to stand by her no matter what, though stops short of confessing his love. In the present, when Banri tells Linda Kouko is still out sick, she repeats the words he told her. That night, Ghost Banri regains Banri’s body, along with his memories of the past.

Golden Time shows it’s not content to sit on its hands for a single episode; developments have been coming with great alacrity belying the fact this is a two-cour series. This liberal distribution of meaty plot is most welcome. Going in, part of us feared this might be the episode where Banri and Kouko break up. And while Banri reaffirmed his love to Kouko and set things straight (in a sweet, beautifully-directed scene), the fact is the episode ended with a totally different Banri; the one only we can see and hear.

Serious kudos to the flashback, which enriches Banri and Linda’s relationship, going back to before he confessed to her, to what Ghost Banri believes to have been a missed opportunity, while also showing that Banri promised something to Linda that his amnesia wiped out, leaving Linda not only without her best friend, but also without someone to share the knowledge of what she did. After her discovery, she was basically trapped, with no way to resolve the situation without hurting her brother in some way, either with truth or lies.

In his interactions with Kouko in the present, New Banri shows that like his past self, he’s a guy who will rise above his unreliability and weakness to shoulder the burdens of the woman he loves. Linda may not know it, but by re-reciting Past Banri’s ornate non-confession back to him, it’s as if she said the magic words that break the spell. Fate has been cruel to Linda for a long time, but now it seems it’s turned on New Banri—in many respects a different person—and on Kouko. Meanwhile, Ghost Banri may have gotten his wish: for things to return to the way they were.

Rating: 9 (Superior)

Golden Time – 05

After finding the photo of him with Linda, Banri visits the bridge where he was injured. Kouko declares him a “great friend”, and next morning is acting strange again; too enthusiastic. She and Banri join the festival club, but Kouko struggles with dancing. She bursts into tears, but later apolgizes to Banri for taking advantage of his kindness. In a flashback, the “past” Banri recalls seeing a light in the forest from his hospital room. He escapes and checks it out, and bumps into Linda, whom he doesn’t recognize. Linda doesn’t lead on that he knows her, but she still convinces him to go to Tokyo and start over.

Well…we weren’t expecting any of that! Not that that’s a bad thing; we prefer being surprised to knowing how things are going to proceed – as long as no sharks are jumped. It turns out we were a little premature in celebrating Banri’s confession to Kouko, and with good reason: turns out that wasn’t the perfect time to do so. Kouko is only two days removed from the Mitsuo incident; her emotions are still confused, and if she’s honest – and to her credit, she’s extremely honest throughout this episode – they were confused before, too. She still feels hopeless, and so she’s willing to take whatever kindness and understanding comes her way. But yeah, even she knows by expressing her hope she and Banri can be good friends, she’s essentially rejecting the guy, at least for the time being. Banri is disappointed, but for much of the episode he’s preoccupied with that photo of him with Linda.

Who was she to him, and why is she acting like they just met? As soon as he found that photo, we wanted Banri to simply confront Linda and ask her these question, with the same resolve with which he stepped up and confessed to Kouko. We can take a guess why: it could be Linda’s way of “respecting” the “New Banri.” Whatever her relationship was with him, that was a different person. The show makes a very interesting choice in providing us with answers New Banri isn’t privy to, courtesy of the bodiless “Old Banri”, a device which works for us. The flashback not only confirms that Linda cared a great deal for Banri, but we’re given more evidence for why she’s stayed mum about knowing Banri: in that flashback, he vows to cast away all his old bonds…and though he doesn’t know it, she’s one of them.

Rating: 8 (Great)

Stray Observations:

• Kouko demonstrates that when you’re “good friends” with her, you’d better be prepared to take the good with an occasional side of crazy. The latter is a part of her; it didn’t vanish just because Mitsuo abjured her.
• The flashback builds on the cold open of episode two, when Banri was walking through the forest. Though this time, it’s not Kouko beyond the light, but Linda.
• We really dig past Linda’s hairstyle. Wonder if changing her hair had something to do with wanting to “start over” once what happened to Banri happened.
• We see that  Linda has a motorbike. Was that supposed to make us think she was the one who ran him over in the first place? WHY ARE WE THINKING THAT?!