Finally, the show is back to focusing on the main story. This episode was good until the end, which was just jacked. They pulled quite a cheap shot there.

The mood of this ep was rather sullen. It seems things are finally getting set for the finale. I don’t doubt it’ll reach the level of drama during the earlier parts of the series. Given how the last episode ended, I assumed they would let us know of the outcome to Kiri’s confession. They didn’t. Well, there is a subtle implication that Hiroki and Kiri hooked up but it can also be taken as if they haven’t yet. I kept waiting and waiting for it to become completely obvious but alas it never did. I suppose I have to just assume since things make more sense if they did hook up.

I feel bad for Elis. She’s gotten over the worst part of her infatuation towards Hiroki but it’s obvious that she’s still attached. With five episodes left, I can’t even begin to guess how things will unfold, especially for her. Just like the characters themselves, I’m in a state of confusion.

Hiroki’s personality and likability has been on a downward spiral. It’s almost like as the series progressed, he became less mature and more simple-minded. I seriously hope this doesn’t continue or else I might have to hate this series by it’s end…. well, at least hate the MC.

Now, about the ending. That was fucked up and totally uncalled for… as if Elis doesn’t have enough shit to deal with. Plus, it was a total cheap shot. Gee, let’s have a setup episode for the final parts of this story and keep the mood relaxed yet mildly serious… oh but at the end, let’s get Elis fucked up again to create some fake drama. Weeeeee….. bastids.

I’m gonna hold a grudge on the ending to this episode no matter how great the series concludes. It was just plain cheap.

Still, I eagerly await more episodes. I’m really curious how this one will wrap things up.

For the early parts of this ep, I was getting frustrated. The past few eps have been nothing but episodic stories or fillers for the main story. Basically, there was no progress towards the main story. A few eps is ok but there was just too damn much, especially after all that drama during the first third of the series.

Then, it started picking up. And I mean, exponentially picking up. By the end, well, I would’ve never guessed at the start of the ep that Kiri would go and confess again like that. That was a shocker. The last 5 minutes just seemed to move really fast. It was a nice touch using the same effects as when she did it the first time.

Ahhh, I should’ve never looked at the next ep previews. It may have subtly spoiled the outcome to this cliffhanger (not that it would’ve been that hard to guess, but still). This is why I always skip them! I don’t know why I chose to watch it this time. I should’ve been doubly cautious since the ep ended on a cliffhanger… that’s even more reason NOT to check out the previews. What the hell was I thinking?

Hiroki is getting a bit annoying. It’s very apparent that he doesn’t know what he truly feels but a lot of that is due to being self conscious. He doesn’t think he deserves to be with Kiri and that already strikes any ideas of liking her down. I hate that. He didn’t seem like that kind of character in the beginning but now he’s thrusting himself right into the stereotype. It’s a good think Kiri dropped the bomb or else having to watch Hiroki any longer would’ve been torture.

There were some minor developments in this ep and… that’s it. It was already apparent that Hiroki knew how Kiri felt about him so having someone state it to him directly wasn’t exactly a huge step. I think they just had to throw in an onsen episode cuz, ya know, that’s a requirement for anime like this.

With this ep, it now makes five straight filler episodes. Sure, they weren’t all about a random character but nothing truly developed. It’s really strange. This is the first anime of its kind that had drama in the middle of the series. All the one’s before this was all fun and games for the first half then all serious shit the rest of the way. I haven’t seen one that went back and forth, like a real soap opera, until now. Oh, but calling it strange isn’t a bad thing. It’s strange in that I’m not used to it but it’s much better this way. You get a better feel for the characters and the pacing isn’t all funky. I guess, I could say it’s more “realistic” this way.

Well, with only six episodes left, the hardcore serious shit should kick in again soon. Unlike the last few shows like this that I watched, I’m actually anticipating how it will end.

Picking up from yesterday, I caught these two. That leaves one more ep until I’m caught up to what’s been fansubbed.

The pace has gone back to relaxin’… well, rather, it’s become relaxin’. It’s been hectic after the first few eps and now they’ve decided to slow it down and get some other stories going. They started stories for other chars so it was inevitable for them to go back to them (or close them… the stories aren’t that deep outside the main story so I can’t tell if it’s “the end” yet).

Ep 17 was interesting. I never thought twice about Hiroki passing his teaching exam and to have failed it… wow. I’m not sure how big of an impact that will become but it sounds severe to me. Regarding Elise, I actually thought she was gonna use red paint but in the end, alas, she didn’t. I guess it’s still too soon to close off these things.

Also, it seems the animator’s were drunk for ep 17. The quality of that ep dropped significantly. All the faces were poorly drawn and it looked like it was running on 3 FPS. I nearly marathoned the first 15 eps so maybe I missed some other one’s that were poor but this one stood out for sure. Strange… hopefully it’s a one-time deal and ep 18 won’t lack.

Ahhh, the power of suggestion. Due to “rice omelette” being a theme in this ep, halfway thru it, I started up some rice so I can make one too…. hahahahaha. Ok, it’s not really a suggestion but it’s for damn sure this ep made me want to eat one.

Another relaxin’ ep. I want more main story but in a way, I’m glad. Given my Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~ overload the past 24 hours, I’m not sure if I can handle a crazy cliffhanger. Next to the ep that introduced Hagino, this was probably the most non-serious episode… though it did have a small development for Elise’s fear.

I eagerly await more fansubs.