Kimizero – 08 – Common Ground

Runa’s efforts to befriend her twin sister aren’t off to a strong start, and she and Ryuuto want to try new things out, so that first new thing turns out to be going to play airsoft survival games. Ryuuto invites his dorky friends Isshi and Nisshi, while Runa invites his gyaru friends Nicole and Akari.

In keeping with this show’s overall kind and open heart, the girls don’t look down on the guys as much as you’d expect. They’re there to have fun, doesn’t matter with whom. Nicole even forms a team with the boys, while Akari joins Runa and Ryuuto.

Kimizero hardly sets the animation world on fire with the airsoft combat scenes, which are only really clunkily serviceable at best. That said, I don’t watch for the production values, but for the heartwarming interactions, and I can’t deny it looks like everyone is having fun. Ryuuto gets to sacrifice himself to save Runa, who in turn avenges him by taking out Nicole.

The girls even stick around for drinks afterwards, and while Isshi gets a little overzealous with his otaku rambling about airsoft, Akari actually keeps up with what he’s saying. She in turn starts to ramble about a boy band she loves, while Nicole does the same about how her manicure obsession came about.

Nicole also points out how painfully cute and together Runa and Ryuuto were during the games, and we learn something else surprising about her: not only is she single, but she’s only had one boyfriend, in eighth grade, for just two weeks.

Even so, she’s not over the guy and can’t imagine herself dating anytime soon. As for Akari, she wants to date someone tall. At least in that category, Isshi fits the bill! As for Nicole, the more we learn about her, the more I admire her. She’s cute and cool as hell, but also kind, caring, and fiercely loyal. It was nice to learn more about Akari too.

Everyone parts ways, having had a good time doing something new with new people. Who says the gyaru-dork line cannot be crossed to the benefit of all?! Ryuuto and Runa end up on their own, and go up in a Ferris Wheel.

Runa recalls a scene from a shoujo manga involving chocolate-flavored kiss on a Ferris wheel, but they settle for a peach tea flavored one, courtesy of her lip gloss. She also asks Ryuuto to pat her head for her valor during the survival games.

Runa is so happy to be with someone she likes, and is coming to like more and more every day, that she almost tears up about it, which is sweet as hell. It’s clear that none of her previous relationships were meeting her emotional needs, and now that they are, she couldn’t be happier.

Runa also feels like she’s grown past the need for anniversaries as they approach their third month together. As long as she’s with him, she’s happy.

Ryuuto is happy too, but also determined to study hard so if they get to share their future together, he’ll be someone worthy of her companionship. That means turning down the occasional Saturday date so he can attend cram school.

One day, Maria ends up attending the same class as him, and in a panic he hides under the desks and sneaks out. His senpai Sekiya hears his rather unique story and wants to help out, so he’ll give Ryuuto a heads up if he ever sees Maria approaching.

That said, Ryuuto probably won’t be avoiding Maria at school, as Runa finally finds a way to interact with her with the eventual goal of becoming actual friends instead of estranged sisters. Maria is the first to volunteer for the class’ cultural festival committee, so Runa also volunteers.

That means Ryuuto is sure to join them. Should be awkward, but who knows, maybe the bad blood will dissipate and everyone can find a way to be make nice and have fun together.

Kimizero – 07 – Not Too Much and More than Enough

Ryuuto has a lovely dream where he’s living on the beach with Runa, only to wake up to find he’s actually living the dream. He also works with her at her Uncle Mao’s beach café, and studies while on break.

When two tanned beach bums hit on Runa, he comes to her rescue without being aggressive or possessive. He’s acting because he knows Runa, and can tell she’s not comfortable chatting with these pushy guys. When he does step in, she makes clear to them she already has her beau.

Runa marvels at Ryuuto’s work ethic as he studies, and is sure he’ll get into a good college, but Ryuuto isn’t so sure. This sparks discussion about futures. Runa knows Nicole is planning to become a certified manicurist and her other friend wants to get into fashion design.

Runa declares her high school goal of finding someone like Ryuuto has already been achieved, so in her future she wants a lovey-dovey husband and lots of kids. She asks if it’s “too much,” but Ryuuto assures her it isn’t. Knowing she’s thinking about them so seriously, Ryuuto resolves to work hard towards that future.

When they learn they’re out of potatoes, Runa and Ryuuto head to the store together, and carry groceries back while holding hands.  Helping with dinner and the dishes afterwards, Runa can’t help but think they already feel like a married couple.

It’s a super cute and cozy situation, so when Maria learns from her mom that Runa and Ryuuto are in Chiba with Granny, my heart skipped a beat. Thankfully, Maria exhibits a measure of emotional growth by not heading to the beach to be a third wheel.

At the same time, Runa regrets not coming to Chiba last year, since it meant when Maria transferred to their school and their class, it was the first time she’d seen her in two years. She doesn’t like the rift that’s formed between them. Ryuuto says that Maria likely needs some more time and distance

That said, when the new terms starts, Runa resolves to become, if not Maria’s sister again, at least become her friend. She asks Ryuuto to join her in making friends with her. We’ll see how that goes. Then Uncle Mao comes home with Runa’s phone and she and Ryuuto do an adorable Tik-Tok together.

To his surprise, Ryuuto is paid well for his part-time work at the café, and Uncle Mao advises him to buy Runa a nice two-year anniversary gift. Something at the stalls catches his eye, and he returns home to find Runa resplendent in her yukata for the summer festival.

They do all the usual festival things: goldfish scooping, pigging out on festival fare, playing games. Ryuuto asks more than once if Runa’s feet are okay, which may just be the first time I’ve heard a guy ask a girl that in an anime! He’s just trying to be diligent, as this is his first time walking with a girl in yukatas, and his first time at a festival since grade school.

As they near a shrine, Runa’s spirits gradually sink, and when Ryuuto asks what’s up, she starts to cry: she’s happy Ryuuto is experiencing all of this for the first time, but hates how none of the stuff they’re doing is the first time for her. It’s enough to make her want to wipe her memory.

Ryuuto comforts her by telling her how much she’s shared with him these past two months, and even if she’s experience something with someone else, she can still feel something new and different when experiencing it with him. Then he presents her with a moonstone ring—the very ring she wanted, and tells her there are plenty of things they can do for the first time together.

With that, they cozy up to one another, as people who like each other do, and enjoy the fireworks from a perfect spot, and share a kiss. Runa expresses how happy she is, and how if things keep going well she can definitely see herself wanting to make love to him.  These kids have survived a twin sister interloper and two attempts at photo sabotage … I’m sure they’re going to be just fine!

Kimizero – 06 – Shooting Her Shot

Well now, our boy Ryuuto ain’t as stupid as he looks. Maria’s ruse doesn’t last more than a minute from the moment he enters the gym storage room. When she hugs him, he knows immediately she’s not Runa. Thus caught, does Maria quit right then and there? Unfortunately not.

She insists on having sex with Ryuuto, telling him they can keep it a secret, and that unlike Runa he’ll be her first. Ryuuto quite sensibly separates himself from her and tells her no, he’s not going to do anything to hurt Runa. He could have said a lot more.

Frankly, Maria needs someone to tell her that it’s simply not all right to disguise yourself as your fraternal twin sister and try to trick her boyfriend into sleeping with you! But because Ryuuto is an uncommonly kind fella, and has also felt the sting of rejection (from Maria!) she’s feeling now, so she lets her cry on his shoulder.

Big mistake! The next day at school everyone is atwitter about Ryuuto cheating on Runa with Maria. A photo taken from the bushes shows the two on a park bench. He confronts Maria, who denies she had anything to do with it, and for once I actually believe her. She also agrees to deny the rumors. I hope she learned her lesson.

She also makes a remark about whether they’d still be together if only she’d said yes instead of turning him down, before saying there’s no point dwelling on the past. Unfortunately, Runa and Nicole hear this while they’re in the hall. Runa drops her phone, then runs away upset. Nicole slaps Ryuuto across the face for breaking his promise to her.

Unfortunately, that’s the last Ryuuto sees of Runa that day, and indeed for the first two weeks of summer break. She doesn’t respond to his messages telling her she’s sorry and asking for an opportunity to explain himself. He comes close to ringing her doorbell, but doesn’t have the guts. He’s disgusted in himself.

Fortunately, his nerd friends decided to go to the exact same beach in Chiba where Runa is (where all they do is watch game streams), and snap a photo of her with some hot tanned dude when they spot her. While I’m most certainly not a fan of them taking a photo of Runa without her permission, they save Ryuuto’s summer by doing so.

Ryuuto jumps on the next train to Chiba and finds the beach hut where Runa is there with Nicole and still clinging to the hot tanned guy, who is the first of them to notice Ryuuto is there, assuming he’s a customer. When he realizes he’s Runa’s BF, he introduces himself … as Runa’s hot tanned uncle, Mao.

That aside, Ryuuto is there to apologize to Runa for making her worry. When Nicole has to head off to work, Mao assures her he’ll be sure to kick Ryuuto’s ass if he makes his dear niece cry. Ryuuto proceeds to tell Runa everything: how Maria was the girl who turned him down in middle school, and how the night they came back from the beach, Maria confessed.

While he turned her down flat, he knows there’s no excuse for not telling Runa everything sooner. But to his surprise, Runa isn’t upset. She never responded to his texts because her phone broke when she dropped it, and she hasn’t had the opportunity to get it fixed.

But more than that, Runa gets why Maria fell for him, and also that whoever he turned down, he’d do it gently and be kind to them, just as he always is with her. Because it happens to be her little (presumably by a few minutes) sister, she’s grateful Ryuuto turned her down softly.

While Runa ran off upset, she soon calmed down, realizing she’d fled a situation without getting all the facts, and after some thought, decided that she not only still trusted Ryuuto, but wanted to stay his girlfriend no matter what. That he showed up to talk to her before her phone got fixed only reinforces her trust in him.

The question is, who took that photo in the bushes? Couldn’t have been Maria, and we don’t know of any friends she has who would do something like that on her behalf. I also doubt it was Nicole, as she doesn’t seem like the voyeuristic type. It will be interesting to see if we ever learn their identity, and if they cause any more problems for our lovebirds.

Until then, all’s well that ends well, as Runa invites Ryuuto to her granny’s house and asks him to spend the rest of summer break with her, working at the hut and having fun on the beach on their time off. Uncle Mao is cool with it, and Ryuuto can’t very well decline, especially after two weeks of wallowing in despair!

Kimizero – 05 – The Last Man

You’d think Ryuuto would be keeping better track of how long he’s been with his first girlfriend ever, but Runa has to remind him of their upcoming 1-month anniversary. Seriously dude? Rookie mistake. So is letting Maria have his LINE contact info. Gotta turn that shit down, man. Nothing good can come of her having your digits.

That said, Ryuuto proceeds to have a lovely beach date with Runa, gets to see her in a gorgeous bikini with matching manicure courtesy of Nicole, and must apply sunscreen to her back. He even picks a time to compliment Runa on her swimsuit when she’s least on-guard. For all the critical hits she scores on him, he can make her heart flutter too.

Their fun in the sun doesn’t last, however, as a forecasted typhoon ends up cancelling their return train. They head to a hotel for the night, which is over twice as expensive if they get two rooms. Runa says it’s okay with her, though, so one room it is.

As you’d expect, Ryuuto feels all kinds of ways about this. Was Runa just okay with the one room, or all the “other stuff” that tends to happen when two people who are dating he night together? Runa can probably sense some tension, but after his bath he plays it cool.

In their adjoining futons in the dark, Runa asks Ryuuto if he wants to do it. But he suspects she’s doing it out of obligation, and when he asks, he’s right. While she does want to do it with him eventually, she doesn’t particularly want to now. Such is the experience of someone with boyfriends who didn’t consider her wants or needs, she never had a choice.

While he’s super-nervous, I’m sure Ryuuto would probably make love with Runa on this night, but only if it’s what she really wanted. Since she doesn’t, he’s perfectly fine with them simply sleeping. He’s not disappointed, nor does he want Runa to be. They end the night with a hug that they both enjoy, and fall asleep holding hands. It’s honestly sweet as hell, in addition to being a pretty nifty exercise in consent.

What isn’t sweet is Maria up in the middle of the night as the typhoon churns outside, trying to come up with a way to be “more like Runa.” In the morning when the storm clears, Ryuuto walks Runa home. Turns out he didn’t sleep a wink last night, but there’s no rest for the weary as Nicole accosts him and pulls him into the restaurant where she works.

She offers him a staff meal while asking how things are going with Runa. She remarks that Runa can be clingy, and messages every day, but Ryuuto actually likes that because it means she’s always thinking about him. The reason Nicole is still concerned is that every boyfriend Runa had before either cheated on her or dumped her (or both) before their two-month anniversary.

Those previous boys were scum, who didn’t subscribe to the “two-way road, two-way road” philosophy of balanced relationships. They simply took what they could and then ran. Nicole has seen enough of Ryuuto to believe he won’t follow that trend, but she wants him to go farther. He can’t do or say anything to make Runa worry about not reaching that 2-month anniversary. He solemnly promises that he won’t, and a rare Nicole smile is his reward. Love Nicole. Such a good friend/big sis to Runa.

Alas, with Maria working behind the scenes throughout the episode I knew that promise would immediately be put to the test. He gets a LINE audio call from Maria’s number, but the person on the other end is talking with Runa’s voice. She says her phone died, so she’s using it to ask him to meet her in the school later that evening.

Perhaps due to how tired he is from lack of sleep, Ryuuto accepts the sudden invitation. And when he arrives in the P.E. storage room, Runa appears to be standing there in the pitch dark, telling him that she wants to do it with him after all. I’m going to assume he can’t see her reddish eyes, because that should be a dead giveaway this is not Runa but her twin sister in disguise!

First of all, goddamn is this Maria a calculating piece of work. This is a new low for her. She’s also got at least some luck on her side, because at this point Ryuuto is probably seriously fatigued. Secondly, it is 100% anime silliness that he can’t discern Runa from Maria, but I’ll allow it because … this is an anime.

Even if he only cheats on Runa accidentally, stupidity and falling for Maria’s tricks is no defense, so whatever medieval torture Nicole enacts upon him will receive my enthusiastic stamp of approval. You’re on thin goddamn ice, Ryuuto … sharpen the fuck up, or you’ll lose the best girl … and, far worse, hurt her.

Kimizero – 04 – Let the Past Die

When confronted with nasty rumors, the honorable Ryuuto has no choice but to let the cat out of the bag: he’s dating Runa. When Runa confirms it, it send the class into an uproar, and Maria runs off. Ryuuto follows and learns she started the rumors. Well, that certainly blew up in her face!

It would be enough if a rivalry between Runa and Maria for Ryuuto’s love were to proceed from there, but Kimizero felt that wasn’t soapy enough, so it also drops the the bombshell that Runa and Maria are fraternal twin sisters, and Maria has a chip on her shoulder the size of Kyushu.

Ryuuto, for his part, doesn’t kick Maria when she’s down. Heck, he even tells her he can relate to how hard it is for him to express his feelings, even if he can’t fully understand her plight as the “plainer” sister. When she slips on the steps, she catches him. When he leaves, Maria is determined not to fall for him for real…but I’m not holding by breath!

Ryuuto returns to a happy Runa and, to his surprise, a happy Nicole as well. Runa may not know it until he tells her (which makes her heart swell all the more) but Nicole is all to aware Ryuuto did what he did for Runa’s sake, and thus proved to her that he’s worthy of her.

When he tells Runa he couldn’t stand for the rumors against her, she asks how he knows they’re not true from when before they dated, which is a fair question. Yet even if Ryuuto didn’t hear Maria admit she started them (something he doesn’t share with Runa), he’s fine with letting the past be the past and move forward with her.

The next day, Ryuuto expects a wave of hate to come crashing down on him, but everyone acts normal. He even gets good mornings from girls who normally wouldn’t speak to him. After school, a Runa eager to learn what he likes gets Ryuuto show her a live stream he likes, and watches along with genuine interest.

The close proximity has him yearning to kiss this girl he’s liking more and more. Worried that it’s a bridge too far, he decides to try to start with holding hands. His pals put aside their jealousy to help him devise a plan, which involves going to Ueno Park.

When his thoughts wander in class and his name is called, Maria bails him out by telling him the question they’re on, then tells him she hopes he doesn’t hate her after what she did. He tells her he doesn’t hate her, so sweetly that it doesn’t help her goal of not falling for him one damn bit.

That weekend, Runa brings Ryuuto a homemade bento for him. For some reason Ryuuto has decided that the only way to hold hands with his extremely open, honest, and affectionate, straightforward girlfriend is to help her onto a boat. This plan fails twice when she gets on and off the boat all on her own.

Ryuuto is so discouraged by his failure, Runa mistakenly interprets his sour mood to mean they’re about to break up, since in her experience guys always made that face before dumping her. After emphatically disabusing her of that notion, he says he simply wishes they could go on another boat ride.

She’s all for that. This time it’s a rowboat, and this time he gets on first, so she takes his hand to hop aboard. As he rows, she admits to wanting to hold hand for some time now, and had been trying to get closer to do so. He admits he was thinking the same thing, and Runa rolls the dice and does something else they’ve both been thinking of: kissing.

Runa notes that all the little relationship checkpoints they’re clearing— holding hands, kissing, a first-name basis (once Ryuuto is comfortable)—wouldn’t be so embarrassing if they’d had sex first. But that’s okay with her; she’s enjoying these little embarrassments and the joys that result from achieving them, and above all wants to know and adore Ryuuto more and more.

Unfortunately for Runa, their road of love is about to hit some brunette bumps courtesy of Maria. Going over Ryuuto’s words about not trying to be exactly like Runa, which is impossible, she decides (with an accompanying eerie light from below) that to take Ryuuto away from Runa, she’ll have to become Runa. I wish her good luck, and look forward to the messiness!

Kimizero – 03 – Boba Freak

Three years after Kurose Maria turned Ryuuto down, she’s not only back in his school, but she’s his seat neighbor again. In a testament to how little he values himself, he assumed she wouldn’t remember him, but she does. After school, Nicole takes Ryuuto to a fast food joint to inform him Runa’s birthday is coming up. Stating that he wants to surprise her like she did with the phone case, he asks Nicole what would make Runa happiest.

While Nicole’s demeanor towards Ryuuto is all hard edges, she’s not hell-bent on shutting this relationship down, which speaks to her love and trust in Runa, despite her history with men. Ryuuto seems to want the same thing she does—to make Runa happy—and that makes them allies.

The Friday before her birthday, Runa surprises Ryuuto by meeting him at the station, and shows him a text exchange between her friends about Nicole going on a date with him. Ryuuto starts by asking Runa out for her birthday, then explains that that was what his meeting with Nicole was about.

The resulting birthday date is a smash, thanks to Nicole knowing Runa like the back of her pristinely manicured hand. When their first stop is a boba tea spot, Ryuuto shows her the map of all the places he tested out before their date. While initially sent up into the cosmos by his detailed report, she’s all for a boba tour of the city.

They both have a tremendous amount of fun, have an indirect kiss-by-straw, and even when Ryuuto has only 1000 yen left for her to pick out a birthday gift (I’ll forgive him since he’s so new to dating), the gift Runa wants costs nothing: it’s the detailed map he made with notes on the boba spots.

That gesture, which not only represented her true feelings (no one had ever done so much research on a date for her) but had the bonus effect of helping Ryuuto save face, combines with the fact she actually offered to pay for her boba tea earlier in the date. This is important, because back at school rumors swirl that Runa makes her boyfriends pay, and when they run out of cash she moves on to the next one.

At the same time, Ryuuto and Maria’s desk are suddenly together as she “forgot” her textbook. Maria also takes the opportunity to apologize for rejecting him back in middle school. She admits that she simply didn’t understand dating at the time (Ryuuto was actually ahead of someone in this regard!), but now that she does, she now knows how “special” Ryuuto is. That may be so, but he makes clear he already has a girlfriend…he just won’t tell Maria who.

While in the hall, Ryuuto spots Runa going into an empty classroom with another boy. He proceeds to eavesdrop on their conversation, rather than simply asking her about the conversation later. This is morally dubious, and left a bad taste in my mouth.

However, I’ll let it pass this once because, again, Ryuuto is extremely inexperienced in dating and extremely insecure and lacking in confidence and self-respect. Witnessing Runa not only turn the guy down, but make clear that she’s withholding the identity of her boyfriend because that’s what he wanted, makes Ryuuto rightfully feel bad about doubting her.

That display of Runa being an absolute rockstar of a girlfriend should have taught him lesson about being able to trust her, and he learns that lesson fast when Maria starts spewing those wretched rumors about Runa squeezing her dates for cash.

While Maria says she hasn’t told anyone, she’s considering doing so because Runa is popular and The People need to know how selfish she is, that spells doom for the tip of Ryuuto’s mechanical pencil. He rises from his desk with purpose and declares, loudly and proudly to Maria and in earshot of Runa and eight others, that he is Runa’s boyfriend. To which I say, Good for you, bro!

No matter what Ryuuto says to Maria, her first impression of Runa was based on those nasty false rumors. I imagine she’s not pleased that the boy with whom she wanted to start fresh is dating her. But if a love triangle is the cost of Ryuuto and Runa being public, I’m fine with it. They couldn’t stay secret forever, and that status had run it’s course. Now I’m looking forward to how they navigate what I imagine to be rough seas to come.

Kimizero – 02 – Enjoying the Ride

Runa is characteristically full speed ahead in establishing her new relationship with Ryuuto by hanging around and talking to him at every opportunity. But old habits die hard, and both the discouraging comments from his friends and dirty looks from other classmates have him feeling anxious.

He’s simply not used to this level of attention, and still isn’t 100% sure his friends aren’t right about Runa simply dating him as a joke. In order to minimize the stares, he asks if they can keep their relationship a secret at school. Runa takes this to mean he wants to see her outside of school, so a date it is!

The prospect of even taking a girl out on a date, let alone someone like Runa, adds to his anxiety as he frantically googles what to do. But when Runa video chats with him, it puts him more at ease. He decides to let her take the lead and do whatever it is she finds fun. Runa’s never been on that kind of date.

That Saturday, Runa takes him up on that, as her idea of a good time is shopping for cute outfits, accessories, cosmetics, and consumables. That said, as the date progresses she asks him if this is even that fun for him, or if he’s bored. But Ryuuto isn’t bored. Watching Runa look so happy makes him happy.

The next day, the day Runa said she’d have plans, his morning text to her goes unread most of the day, and Ryuuto’s anxiety blends with suspicion, paranoia, and possessiveness. He becomes convinced that this is it, and when he gets a text from her asking him to meet her in the park, he believes it’s so she can dump him.

Of course, that doesn’t happen. This is only the second episode! No, she’s just too excited to delay giving him a gift: a limited edition phone case that matches hers. Ryuuto is so touched and relieved that he actually tears up. Runa is surprised it means so much to him, but is also touched.

While they walk, Ryuuto chalks up his awkwardness with girls to the fact he once asked out his desk neighbor Kurose in his first year of middle school. He thought she felt the same way about him, but turns out she only thought of him as a good friend. Tale as old as time!

Runa doesn’t mock Ryuuto’s story; on the contrary, she’s glad he was turned down because it meant they could go out. When Ryuuto says middle school romances don’t last, Runa says her parents met and fell in love in middle school, then married after high school.

When a blue limited edition Toyota Supra zooms by and Runa notes how cool it is, Ryuuto goes off on an extremely rapid-fire and detailed explanation of how sports cars differ from normal cars. But while it’s a lot of information at once, it gets Runa thinking, and also gets her to open up more.

She wonders if she’s like a sports car, rushing forward as fast as she can to catch up to her parents and become an adult. But despite all her experiences, a lasting relationship has eluded her. We also learn her parents eventually divorced, so perhaps she hopes to succeed where they failed?

While Runa compares herself to a sports car as simply a means to an end, Ryuuto tells her that sports cars aren’t just about getting somewhere fast. They’re built to make the drive, the journey itself fun. From what he’s seen, Runa has been making the most of her life and sees no reason why she should change as long as she’s having fun.

With that, she challenges him to a race to the station. He can’t quite keep up with her pace, either then or in general, but he’s slowly getting there, and more importantly, learning more about the person he fell for. I’m also glad we got a scene of Runa talking to Nicole on the phone about how Ryuuto just “feels right”. We’ll see if the sudden transfer of his first crush Kurose Maria to his class throws a wrench in the works!