Remember – he and Harada got along, they were close friends.. but at the same time, he always resented Harada a bit for his talents because his (Shuuji’s) were so meager in comparison. He hinted at it, albeit slightly, in Ep 6 when talking with Mayama while they were all at the zoo; Harada ‘adopted’ him much as he adopted Rika, although Harada and Rika shared enough in the way of talents and complimentary personality traits that they became a couple… while he stood on the outside and shared their life, without being a real part of it. In the end, with Harada gone, their link was severed… and he loved her enough that he wanted to see her happy – even if it meant she was dead and ‘with’ Harada (aka: not living without him).

Remember how this parallels the Hagu/Morita/Takemoto triangle? I suspect part of Shuuji’s ambivalence towards the dating scene stems not just from the overprotectiveness he feels towards her… but the fact that the two suitors remind him so much of himself (Takemoto) and Harada (Morita).

Actually, one little coincidence – if you look at the way we first see young Shuuji in Ep 6, when he’s sketching a seat away from Harada, he looks an AWFUL lot like Takemoto, at least with the way they draw his eyes and facial features.

Actually, look at the first time you see Harada and Shuuji out of class – Harada’s clothing is VERY reminiscent of Morita’s, and Shuuji’s of Takemoto’s (not cool, jeans, etc). It’s been commented on before, but it IS worth bringing up again, especially once they start that triangle rolling again.

Kurogane: Request accepted and done

The motions are somewhat subtle, which can make it look like he was grabbing for her; however, if you listen to the context, you’ll understand that it was a bit more dreadful.

And it looks like they’re just trying to ploug through Volume 8 of the manga… which means not as much Takemoto/Morita/Hagu storyline, this time about. More’s the pity.