Thursday, February 23, 2012

Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7--To the Point

Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7 Screenshot 1

Progress! Lots and lots of progress!

Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7 Screenshot 2
Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7 Screenshot 3
Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7 Screenshot 4

Once again I'm glad that this show doesn't drag the drama out but lets the characters solve it themselves relatively quickly. Kinoshita reveals that she had recently been dumped and she was trying to get away from it all with a vacation. However, she realized that trying to use Kaito as a rebound wasn't fair since he already liked someone, and even apologizes to Ichika by setting them up on a date. If only all characters who randomly show up in the middle of the season to stake their claim on the main character were that understanding and thoughtful. The same can't be said of her friend though, who continued to literally chase Tetsurou around town until Mio once again spoke up. These two really stole the show for me this episode, since it turned out that they weren't trying to play off Mio as "the shy girl with a perverted side" (personally, I extremely dislike that kind of character) since it turns out that she's been raised in a nudist family. That explains why she was nonchalantly walking around her room with the stuffed panda censor while on the phone in previous episodes. Her embarrassment at her lifestyle choice and that she was convinced that her friends would hate her if they found out made for a really touching scene while Tetsurou talked her out of it, and I really want these two to get together now. Their development together over these last two episodes has been great; hopefully Kanna will get the same treatment soon.

Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7 Screenshot 5
Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7 Screenshot 6
Ano Natsu de Matteru Episode 7 Screenshot 7

For the most part, the episodes was tied together thematically by the characters becoming more direct about their feelings. Mio confesses to Tetsurou, Ichika desides to let herself fall for Kaito, and Kaito goes in for the kiss...only to get blocked by drunk Kanna in a maid outfit, who was ignored for the majority of the episode. I wasn't so thrilled by this part, but I guess you can't have it all in one episode. Already this anime has progressed much farther than most of its genre do; I honestly can't think of an anime where the male lead went in for a kiss right after the halfway point of the show. I'm also really wrapped up in the characters and am very content in just watching this all play out. However, like I mentioned above, Kanna is the next character who really needs some more time in character development, since as of this episode, her friends are leaving her in the dust. I'm sure that if it wasn't for the Dynamite Juice, she would've reacted to that scene much differently and would probably even be heartbroken over it. I wonder how Lemon is going to use the video this time around. I know that she's doing it because she finds blackmail amusing, but there could be some devastating emotional consequences for Kanna if/when she shows her that film. Regardless, she's going to have to make her move or start getting over Kaito, since after this episode, it looks like she's already lost.

Images from Crunchyroll.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment