Another year passes. Man, it’s hard to believe I’m already in to my 9th year of being an otaku as well as my 4th year of blogging. Time sure flies. I’m now well over 1500 posts with nearly 16k comments, and it’s thanks to everyone’s support that I’ve gotten so far.

This year was marked by an increased number of good shows, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as “happening” as last year. To put it in another way, while the average increased, the top end of the bell curve wasn’t as high as last year. Nevertheless, this year still had its moments.

My choices here aren’t particularly graded using a strict measure, it’s more of an overall rating of shows of this year that I greatly enjoyed in one way or another, so please view it as that rather than a solid indicator of quality.

Of course, being a mere mortal with a real life outside of the Internet, I will inevitably miss a few gems here and there, so feel free to voice up any other shows that you, my dear reader, believe I should have watched and not missed for this year.

With that said, here’s the list.

14. Spice and Wolf

Mmm… economics animu. Well, actually calling “fox god animu” would suit it better because, seriously, everyone only watched it for the bundle of furriness that is Horo.

13. Lucky Star OVA

Kagamiku! Tsunderella! Cherry-dog! Christmas-cake Nanako! Kagamiku! Oh wait, already said that.

Anyways, the Lucky Star OVA was awesome because we all missed the cast of Lucky Star so badly, especially in this KeyAni-dominated year. Not to say that’s a bad thing but we all missed the light-heartedness. Here’s to hoping for another extension or a spiritual successor of the awesomeness that was Lucky Star.

12. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu

Honestly, Noto-sama as a closet otaku ojou-sama? I’m sold.

While NHnH seemed like it’ll be a one-trick pony, it had a surprisingly coherent plot and good character development, characterized by a few choice episodes. That, and Mika is fucking jailbait.

11. Itazura na Kiss

The Nana Mizuki show of the year. Honestly after last year’s Tokyo Marble Chocolate, I realize Nana’s niche is the slightly naive yet earnest young adult women where she really can be her character. (I suspect it’s because she seems to draw it from her own experiences)

Itazura na Kiss was mainly enjoyable because of that and we even got a full season of Nana Mizuki from it. I realize a lot of people didn’t like the show’s pacing, but it was quite fine to me considering how they were putting in nearly 10 years of story in to 25 episodes.

10. Natsume Yuujinchou

Natsume Yuujinchou wasn’t really in my fielding range until someone IRL recommended it enthusiastically and I tried it out. Oh boy I sure got hooked on it. With tinges of Mushishi and a very likable cast (moe moe fox shouta!) I just couldn’t stop watching it. So glad to hear there’s a second season to it too, premiering next month.

9. Detroit Metal City

GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC!

8. Kurenai

kurenai, characterized by the moe-moe bundle that is Murasaki and the tight writing and direction by Kou Matsuo, really deserves mention for this year. The ending was kinda unexpected, but it only served to enhance the “deep”-ness of the story.

7. Strike Witches

One of the surprises this year, I initially balked at the premise of SW’s no-pantsu flying mecha musume. I mean, for god’s sake, the fanservice is just so fucking blatant. Despite that, and to my own pride, I finally watched it in a batch once it was finished and I was so hooked I finished it in two sittings.

SW’s appeal, once you get over the lack of proper lower body wear, lies in the light-heartedness and optimism of the characters. Gonzo also managed to give equal exposure to every one in the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, and the pacing meant that the show wasn’t too “draggy” unlike the other mecha musume anime Sky Girls (still struggling to finish it). The infamous pantsu-stealing episode also nearly killed me from all the laughing I did.

So, despite my initial hatred of the series, it’s really surprising how things can change, and now SW’s in my Pick of 2008 list. Well, if you can’t win ‘em, join ‘em. :P

6. CLANNAD

Gym-shorts Kyou! Killer violin Kotomi! Tomoyo Raptor Kick! “Why can’t I call you onii-san, onii-san?” Mei! Sanae Rainbow Bread! Dictionary attack! Starfish girl! Nagisa x Ryou!

Yeah, I could probably go on and on, but suffice to say, CLANNAD was pretty damn enjoyable despite being the third KeyAni outing in the past 4 years.

5. Code Geass R2

Despite the illogical plot, despite all the mindfucking, despite all the copying from Evangelion, it’s undeniable that Code Geass R2 was the most entertaining show this year, singlehandedly. Being surprised after every mind-fucking episode and subsequently reading the reactions from other fans really drew out the worst from me. Never had I had so much fun with post titles, ha ha.

Despite all that, the ending was surprisingly epic and half redeemed the series for me. Lelouch BAWWWWWWW!!!! Still, I don’t think I can rewatch the series again if for the lack of Geass Sundays. That was practically 75% of the reason I persevered on till the end.

4. Ga Rei Zero

Can’t mention this year w/o talking about the yuri croquette that is Ga-Rei Zero. First, it rickrolled us all by presenting a totally unrelated cast for the promos and the first episode, only to kill ‘em all by the end of it. Only then it went for the real deal, the untold past story of Kagura and Yomi from the original manga, justifying the “Zero” part of its name. It also gave me another reason to like Pocky, XD.

Ga-Rei Zero is also notable for the crazy inventory of weapons, ranging from the gun-katanas, an iron, a boiler and the bloody weaponized wheelchair. Oh and not to forget the bike-fu from Natsuki in episode 1 too. That was awesome.

3. Kannagi

Kannagi oh Kannagi. This quirky comedy show about a bunch of crazy shrine maidens by the much-talked about Yamamoto Yutaka sure delivered the laughs. The karaoke episode also made its mark on me. Oh god Takako made me shat bricks.

While the show was generally light-hearted, Kannagi veered in to serious “self-existential” drama for its final arc, proving Yamakan’s directing chops isn’t limited just making people laugh. This is one show I wouldn’t mind seeing more of in the future.

2. Macross Frontier

Ah, Macross Frontier, my first foray in to the world of Intergalactic Song Wars and Variable Fighters. The show started off a strong note, but really tapered down towards the end, ending with an non-ending kind of ending.

Despite that, the love triangle was still pretty epic towards the end, and the songs of the show are inevitably the best I’ve heard this year. The songs were the biggest redeeming factor for the show as things went rather downhill. God bless Yoko Kanno \o/. I still wish there was a solid ending though…

1. true tears

The only show this year that was so good that I made a rare and passionate opinion post about it. P.A. Works first independent work, it was initially expected to be another eroge adaptation, but quickly turned out to be something much more different.

true tears took everyone by surprise by the clean, crisp visuals, leading P.A. Works to be given the moniker of the second KyoAni. Director Junji Nishimura also kept the story and character development really engaging, coupled with how he kept everyone guessing about the final resolution until the very end, provided weeks of debates amongst fans as to who would end up with whom.

Movie of the year: Evangelion 1.01 You are (not) alone

It was technically released last year, but Evangelion 1.01 is more of a 2008 show for me since the DVD (which I proudly bought) came out this year and even made it in to local shores, which was a real surprise for me.

While many critized it for being another attempt by Gainax to cash in on the franchise, it’s undeniable the show has gotten a much needed facelift from it’s original 1995 incarnation. The action cinematography culminating in the sniping of Angel Ramiel was simply awesome.

Sure it might be another milking of the fans, but Anno Hideaki is delivering the goods here too. Looking forward to 2.0 in 2009. Asuka \o/!

And that wraps up my first 2008 in Review post. There’s another one coming up after this, where I’ll be talking about the other noteworthy things that happened this year.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

At long last… the final episode of true tears! This post would’ve been up earlier if not for Kane’s Wrath + me looping a certain scene in the episode nearly 20 times.

At the hospital’s rooftop, Jun asks Shin, why does Noe not cry. Shin answers, “self-suggestion”. Jun can’t forgive Shin for his actions, and asks him to leave, which Shin obliges. Jun returns to Noe’s hospital room, and finds her awake. Noe apologizes for making him worry, but Jun tells her it’s his fault for taking such actions.

The following day, Jun meets up with Hiromi, and admits that he doesn’t like her at all, not even a bit.

At school, Shinichiro is the center of attraction for his achievements as a dancer, when Hiromi walks him to him, with a serious face, and asks him to stop by at her room after school. Accepting the invititation, Shin is surprised when Hiromi drinks from the same cup that he drank. Shin comments she’s a bit strange, causing Hiromi to realize it herself and she kicks him out. After he leaves, Hiromi says to herself that her tears aren’t beautiful, and she’s slowly turning in to a terrible girl.

It’s another day and Shinichiro has just returned home. Mr. Nakagami tells him he’s just in time for a call, and Shin takes the call, which is from a publishing company in Tokyo, asking him to send his works again. After the call ends, Shin asks his father when does he cry. His father answers, “When you heart is shaken.”

Hiromi comes visiting at the same time as well, and she tells Shin about her true feelings, about how she’s been in love with him all this while, never giving it up, but in exchange she really hated the obstacles, so she asks Shin to properly face them both and give them a real answer so she can accept it. Shin replies that Hiromi has never been uncool. After those words, Shin finally makes a move, grabbing the picture book and heads out, while Hiromi waits for him.

Shin heads for the hospital and passes the book to Noe, but she doesn’t want to accept it, so Shin decides to throw it away. Noe asks where is he throwing it away, and Shin answers, “At the place beside the sea where Jibeta chose not to fly.” Noe is surprised that he knows about it. In the meanwhile, Mrs. Nakagami visits Hiromi at her room, bringing her some food, and comments that waiting really takes up energy, to which Hiromi thanks her.

Shin’s at the sea, making paper airplanes of the pages, when Noe appears and picks up the pages that are lying on the beach. Shin and Noe head for a nearby bus stand, and Noe finally reads the picture book, but the last page is missing. Shin is flustered, but Noe replies that she’ll imagine the ending herself. Shin finally tells Noe that he loves Hiromi, but the reason that he finished the book was because of her, and even though he loves Hiromi, but his heart is shaken when he sees her. Noe replies that as long as Shin believes that she can fly, the thought will become her wings. Both of them finally part with each other… with Shin singing Noe’s trademark song. Noe still doesn’t shed a tear.

Finally, Shinichiro heads for Hiromi’s room, but finds her missing, rushing out to look for her. He catches her wandering at the bamboo forest.

Hiromi: “Did you show Isurugi-san the picture book?”
Shin: *nods*
Hiromi: “I also wanted to see it.”
Shin: “Go out with me.”
Hiromi: “No.”
Shin: “Go out with me!”
Hiromi: “No!”
Shin: “I can show it to you at any time, since we’ll be next to each other forever.”
Hiromi: ” ‘Next to each other forever’… what’s that? It’s like a proposal already. I haven’t even okay’ed us going out together.”
(Shin’s thoughts, “I’ve always wanted to wipe your tears. Finally, I can do so now.”)
*Shin hugs Hiromi.*
Hiromi: “Ah.. snow.”

Time jumps to spring, and life goes on for everyone. Noe has made her own friends. Hiromi is getting better at her basketball. Miyokichi and Ai are getting along with each other well. Finally, the episode ends with Noe standing at the chicken coop, and she finally manages to shed tears.

Woo-hoo! Hiromi End for the win! I’m both happy and relieved that the series has finally ended. true tears has been one heck of a show, and it’s one of the ones recently that has made me gotten so involved in it.

I’ll add my thoughts and stuff later. For now, I’m just gonna go to bed, and have happy dreams.

For the Noe supporters, don’t fret. At least she’s able to move on forward. And she brought two people in love together. She even made real friends too!

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Kimi no hitomi ni….

It’s roughly halfway in to the week-long wait for true tears 13, arguably the finale I’m anticipating the most of all for Winter 07/08. true tears has been truly a masterpiece, with the production team managing to make the majority of their viewers (okay, me at the least) hang on to the edge of their seats throughout it’s run, not bad for a series that I expected to be “just another harem romance show”.

I admit, that my true tears 12 post earlier has definitely sparked quite a huge response, way more than I expected. But yet, I assure you, that was my true feelings at that moment, which is my blogging principle all along. Calling it a Noe victory was definitely my thoughts at the moment. After listening to the many opinions and the comments and rewatching the episode quite a few times myself, I have to concede it was a call made too early.

Let’s go back to a few things I missed out to say in my earlier post. First off, the interesting parallels between Hiromi and Mrs. Nakagami. I wonder how many have noticed, but Hiromi’s character is slowly turning to resemble Mrs. Nakagami at certain points, most interestingly on how she views Noe as an opponent, which is probably just as how Mrs. Nakagami viewed Hiromi’s mother as a rival of sorts, in the past. The scenes where she confronts Noe in the morning and the surprised look on her face as she saw Noe as the shrine as well were really key scenes.

You can actually see a role reversal of sorts happening to Hiromi with Noe. This isn’t to imply that Hiromi’s going to turn in to a “bitch”, though. It’s all a form of expression for their love. And seeing how much his parents situation parallel with his, in a different yet weirdly similar sort of way, can I take it as a positive sign that the writers are going for a Hiromi end? XD

Another thing I missed mentioning out was Hiromi’s strong declaration of her as Shin’s girlfriend to the unsuspecting Ai-chan. I think a few have already mentioned how this part was one of this episode’s highlights, as with that simple words and gesture, it totally hit in the final nail in to Ai-chan’s budding love for Shinichiro. On the other hand, it also shows the extent of Hiromi’s love for Shinichiro as well, in a simple,elegant and surprising way too.

On to Noe. As I’ve mentioned, Noe was really badly hit in this episode, emotionally. The lingering blow of her realization of Shinchiro’s feelings for Hiromi, her feelings of a love broken, her mental impression of her tears not being able to shed, all added up together with Hiromi’s strong declaration of her feelings and her own brother’s incestuous declaration has really given her a real good emotional sucker punch.

To use the term “emo” on her, is really a big disrespect, considering on how much we’ve all went through her eyes. Her weird blend of ignorance of certain feelings and her sensitivity to the body language of others, really made her in to a character with impact to many people. However, her naivety has resulted in her being unable to deal with this huge emotional slap-in-the-face of sorts thus pushing her to drastic actions, i.e. jumping of the tree. While I was shocked for her in my initial watch, but after rewatching, I realise it’s actually a positive thing, as her choice of “jumping” is the first choice that she truly makes and consciously recognizes it. Only by doing so, will she be able to finally move forward and mature in a more healthy direction, assuming the crew doesn’t pull the “coma” card on us.

So far, I’ve been talking about the girls, and finally, time to talk about Shinichiro. While Hiromi may have the poured in the most amount of love for Shin, sadly to say, Noe is the one that has a net positive influence towards Shinichiro in terms of maturing him as a character. To say Shinchiro as “undecisive” and “immature” is really another big disrespect. Youth is… a time of making mistakes and recognizing them, and in this manner, Shinichiro has definitely been lucky to have met Noe to lead him down the path of maturity.

In terms of episode 12, recognizing this fact sheds new light on Shinchiro’s reason to look for Noe at the end of the dance. Has he really chosen her? Or does he only truly wants to share his new-found maturity and decision with her. If Noe hadn’t jumped, I would’ve gone with the latter…. but, with Noe’s leap of faith (of sorts) it definitely throws any solid projections for episode 13 out.

All in all, I still say there’s a 50:50 chance of either girl’s ending… and possibly also an ending totally out of expectations. Whatever it is, the ending of true tears next Sunday is definitely going to be surprising.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’m… still crying now.

Shinichiro watches Noe from afar, who just sets down Jibeta and urges him to fly, but of course, Jibeta won’t fly. Noe tells herself that if she doesn’t decide it by herself, she won’t be happy or crying or flying, and unlike Jibeta, who decides NOT to fly, but to live facing forward instead, which is the same as flying.

Reassured, Shin returns home, calls Hiromi to tell her that Noe will be fine and she’ll be coming back home, and to tell Jun about that. Shin thinks back about Noe’s words, realizing that he himself, hasn’t decided on anything yet, whether if it’s his dancing, his picture books or even Hiromi and Noe. He gazes strongly at his somewhat-finished picture book, and flashbacks of his moments with the 3 girls of the series play back.

Back at the Isurugi household, Noe has just returned and Jun has just finished preparing her dinner, and Noe hugs him, saying “Thank you” repeatedly. In the trashcan, a brown document enveloped addressed to Jun can be seen.

The next day, the Mugiha Festival finally starts. The Nakagami household is a hive of activity. Hiromi helps Shinichiro put on his outfit and they exchange banter about the incident yesterday, and about where best to watch Shin’s dance. It brings back memories of Noe to Shin, and he comments to Hiromi that she shouldn’t force herself to find the best spot, since it’s crowded.

Noe is cramped up at home, clutching the chicken-tissuebox Shin gave her, while deciding whether or not to go for the festival.

The festival finally begins with the dance procession lead. Ai-chan arrives late to the Nakagami residence to help out, and exchanges greetings with Hiromi. Both of them notice Noe peeking at the tent area and she runs after she notices them, and Ai carelessly comments that Noe came to watch as Shin’s girlfriend. Hiromi sharply replies that “I’m the girlfriend” and runs after Noe, leaving Ai to comment that she doesn’t know many things herself.

Hiromi chases after Noe, catching up to her and she faces off with Noe, asking her not to jump in between them, now that they’ve finally been able to be honest to each other about their feelings. Hiromi sheds tears and Noe comments that her tears are beautiful, running off after that.

Yes, her tears are beautiful…

Noe returns home again, trying to shut out the sounds of the festival. A phone call interrupts her, and she rushes to see Jun after that, telling him that a Tokyo printing company called. Noe asks him about his change of plans. Jun starts to tell her about the past, after Noe started to shut herself upon her grandmother’s death and Jun decided to protect her… but his feelings blossomed beyond that.

Jun tells Noe that he likes her, and Noe replies she likes him too, but Jun likes her beyond that. Jun asks Noe for a kiss, and Noe agrees. Jun starts by kissing her on the forehead, then the cheek and then he aims for her lips… surprising Noe. Jun finally makes Noe understand about his feelings, saying that it’s painful for him to stay with her already. Noe is surprised at this development and takes off for the cape again, in soliloquy that she doesn’t notice onii-chan’s nor Shin’s and nor Hiromi’s true feelings.

The final dance of the day is being performed at the shrine. While dancing, Shin thinks of his picture book’s new ending, and the reason he drew the book was because of the person who believed that he could fly. Hiromi is watching Shin’s dance, and notices Noe also watching Shin, but she disappears as soon as the dance ends.

After the dance ends, Shin heads off to look for Noe, and bumps in to Hiromi, who tells him that she told Noe to leave them alone. Shin takes off after hearing that, heading straight for the school, where Noe is climbing the tree, wondering how does the sky look like. Shin finally reaches the tree, only to witness Noe jumping down from it…

First off… Hiromi!!! QQ

Sigh… victory declaration was just so near, but yet so far.. har har….. TT.TT

Despite all that has been said about Hiromi, I will still continue to stick with her to the very end… damn, what am I saying. My screen is kinda blurry somewhat….

*wipes tears*

So anyways, much dramatic developments again in true tears, and Shin’s choice is made clear. I did feel disappointed, but I’m not mad at all for him choosing Noe, as she has her own merits.

Noe, on the other hand, has perhaps suffered the most emotional impacts in this episode, with her realization of her own shortcomings, Hiromi’s declaration of her true feelings, and most shocking of all, Jun’s revelation that he loves her more than just a sibling. In fact, it’s pushed her far enough to actually make her to uh, try to “fly” off from the tree. I really didn’t expect that at all. She looks set to be in the hospital. A running joke now is that we’ll see Noe running around, stealing Imagawayaki and giving out Raigomaru wood sculptures…

As for Hiromi… she’s done all that’s she’s capable of doing, and if Shin decides not to choose her, I can just only hope she’ll live past the pain, and that the creators don’t turn her in to a yandere or something. PLEASE. But damn, she looks so damn beautiful in her kimono. Especially in this shot…

…. so beautiful, it makes me cry… TT_TT.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Smiling Hiromi always catches my heart.

Just when you thought it was over….

Preparations for the Mugiha Festival are in full swing as Shinichiro visits Hiromi’s room and gets dragged out by her to watch the snowing sea together. Catching up with her, she plants a kiss directly to Shinichiro’s mouth.

Smiling Hiromi always catches my heart.

Miyokichi is moping around when he receives a phone call from Ai-chan, who asks him for them to start over again, this time as friends and slowly moving forward. Ai is surprised when Miyokichi walks in to her shop in the middle of the phone call, and Miyokichi says he’ll strive to be worthy enough for a sweater from her.

The next day, the girls basketball team of Mugiha High are having a match with their Hotarugawa counterparts, and Hiromi is quite visibly pushed around by her opponents, until Jun walks in and stops them, to the wrath of the referee. Shinichiro only manages to look helpless and heads for the chicken coop instead.

Later that day, Hiromi is enjoying her bachelorette life when she receives a call from Jun asking for them to meet.

The next day, Hiromi is helping out at the Nakagami’s and she delivers Shin’s laundry to his room, to find his picture book on his desk. Shin returns soon enough to stop her from looking at it, and he tries to say something about the incident with Jun yesterday, but Hiromi only shrugs it off.

Hiromi later meets Jun at the park where they first went out together and she repeats her request to split up. Jun continues to refuse but Hiromi retorts back that the one Jun truly likes isn’t her but someone else and he doesn’t care about anyone else but her, and Hiromi leaves after that.

Night falls and Hiromi is awakened by Jun’s call, asking her to tell Shin that Noe’s gone missing already. Hiromi contacts Shin about it and he rushes out to find her, with his completed picture book and Hiromi holding on to the disconnected phone.

Noe is at the chicken coop, in soliloquy, and she asks Jibeta to make her fly. Shin manages to find her at last at the edge of the artificial pier.

Well…. just when we thought the show was heading towards a Hiromi ending, they’ve masterfully orchestrated another dramatic turn of events.

Shinichiro turns out to be still undecided on his feelings, and yes, people will perceive it as a sign of weakness, but one cannot just ignore someone else who loves you that much. I think it’s a sign of how kind Shinichiro is, even if he doesn’t realize that kindness might cost him a lot.

Shin has definitely realized Noe’s feelings over the past 2-3 episodes, and it has changed the balance of feelings in his heart, even if it’s still weighed in Hiromi’s favour. His perception of Jun as a rival is also another factor here, and while I think it’s pretty stupid of him… but hey, I guess you can’t just get rid of men’s pride.

Hiromi, I guess as well, has noticed the change of balance in Shin’s heart, and definitely notices he has developed feelings for Noe as well. It will definitely be interesting to see how she will cope with that, given that her heart has always been for Shin, and it’s only Shin’s fault that he hasn’t accepted it fully yet, even given the circumstances.

Definitely, the next episode will be pretty important, and I’ll say that chances for any ending is still very much up in the air here. I’m definitely still in the Hiromi camp, but this episode will definitely revitalize the Noe camp as well.

Finally, for Ai-chan. I’m glad to see she’s making the better choices for now, and reconciles with Miyokichi. I’m happy for both of them, and they’ve been a fun subplot to follow, especially given how nice of a guy that Miyokichi is.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’ve decided to post about both episodes together, since I’m really kinda late.

Episode 09:

After taking off on Jun’s bike, they both crash when Jun swerves to avoid a bunny, and the scooter erupts in to flames. Both Jun and Hiromi are unhurt, and when Shinichiro and Noe arrive at the scene, a relieved Shinichiro hugs the unsuspecting Hiromi, in front of Noe.

All of them return home, where Mrs. Nakagami is awaiting for them and pulls Hiromi inside first. Shin tries to stop them but his father stops him instead. Mrs. Nakagami, in a surprise show of kindness, helps Hiromi change her clothes, and tells her that she had been lying all along.

The next day, the accident gets both Hiromi and Jun in to trouble with both of them getting suspended from school for two weeks. In another rare display of affection for Hiromi, both Mr. and Mrs. Nakagami turn up at school, as Hiromi’s guardian to assure the principal that they will take responsibility and that Hiromi is now their child. This finally melts the ice between Hiromi and Mrs. Nakagami, and they start to get along.

On the other hand, Noe has finally realized that Shin’s heart belongs not to her, but to Hiromi and she tells him that “his place to fly” isn’t with her, but somewhere else. But still… the fact is hard to swallow, and she is depressed.

Episode 10:

Shinichiro and Hiromi’s relationship has returned to warmer states and they both visibly enjoy each other’s presence.

Back at school, Miyokichi asks Noe, who is still depressed, to cast a curse on him so that his heart will not be moved by another girl anymore, in an attempt to get over the fact that Ai-chan doesn’t like him. After Noe obliges, Miyokichi decides to officially part with Ai-chan, using the curse as the excuse.

Back home, Hiromi has reached a conclusion herself, and asks for Mr. Nakagami’s help. The next day, she looks up Jun, who’s working part-time to repair his scooter, and tells him to stop the lovers’ play already, but Jun refuses to agree to it.

At school, Miyokichi spills about his breakup to Shin, who questions himself if it was his fault. He looks for Noe afterwards, and invites her to watch his dance practice, which she gladly accepts and enjoys. Noe and Ai are also officially introduced to each other.

At home later that night, Hiromi tells Shin that she’s moving out to her relatives’ apartment. Shin tries to persuade her otherwise, but she doesn’t budge. Over the next few days, Hiromi prepares his stuff, with the full help of the Nakagami’s and on the day itself, she has a chat with Shin about why she decided to live at the Nakagami’s in the first place, recalling the events of the festival that she claimed to have forgotten.

Recalling happy memories.

Finally leaving… Shin doesn’t say goodbye to her, but soon after decides to chase after her on his bike, realizing he could’ve “wipe off Hiromi’s tears” all this while, but didn’t do it. He manages to catch up with the truck but crashes, and a touching scene plays out between them both, with Shin promising to do his best.

I’ll definitely wipe off your tears.

Being a Hiromi x Shinichiro fan, I cannot deny that this two episodes definitely brought a smile to my face, especially the ending of episode 10, while undeniably cheesy, but still touching. Ah, I guess it’s dramatic moments like this is what gets me hooked so much on this series.

With such, this two episodes definitely give a satisfying conclusion to the Hiromi plot thread, with her relationship between the Nakagami’s, especially Mrs. Nakagami, normalized and in fact, for the first time, an acknowledgment of being a family. Yet, Hiromi hasn’t given up her romantic feelings for Shinichiro, and she, in my opinion, made the right choice to move out and become independent, and it opens up a smoother road for them to embark on a real romance.

Still, we have Noe and Ai-chan’s stories to finish yet, and I definitely feel sad for Noe, especially since I’ve seen this development coming from the time when Shin confessed to her. Noe is definitely a very sensitive person, despite coming off as aloof, and she instantly read out Shin’s real feelings on the night of that accident.

I feel even more sad for her when she pushes Shin away, telling him that his place to fly isn’t with her, but somewhere else. Still, she managed to get a final respite (or maybe not, depending on the next episode) with Shin, watching him dance, and I guess she’s ready to say goodbye to her first love.

As for Ai-chan, it seems that Miyokichi’s painful breakup with her has opened her eyes to who actually loves her the most, and her “graduation” from Shinichiro is definitely a good sign for her. Miyokichi, despite his lack of airtime, has come off as a very nice guy character, and I would definitely love to see him happy in the end.

But however, it seems from the preview, that the character with the major conflict up ahead is Jun, with his feelings for Noe and his desire to see her happy. I hope he doesn’t do anything drastic.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Hiromi… T_T

Noe informs Jun the good news about her going out with Shinichiro, while back home, Shinichiro reminisces on the events of the past few days, from Hiromi’s shocker, his confession to Noe and Ai-chan’s kiss. The continuation of the kiss is seen from Ai’s POV; Shinichiro rejecting her feelings and promises to forget about the incident. Ai cries on remembering it.

Back to Shinichiro and Noe, their relationship is progressing well enough, and Shin even reveals the picture book of Raigomaru he is writing, which Noe loves, spurring him to write more.

On the other hand, Hiromi is having nightmares about their relationship. It’s a weekend, and Hiromi excuses herself for an outing, when Shin’s father tells her that she can tell him about any problems she has, as she’s part of the family already. Her spirits are brought down soon after, when Mrs. Nakagami spouts more rudeness about her resemblance to her mother.

She meets up with Jun, and says that she wants to go to a city without snow, but instead, Jun suggests them to play basketball, since it’s their only similarity. Jun suggests a free throw game of 3 rounds and whoever scores will get to answer the same amount of questions. Jun gives her a handicap, by shooting from the 3 point line, but Hiromi insists that he shoots from the center, prompting Jun to remark that she hates losing.

In the end, Hiromi scores twice, while Jun fails to get any points. The first question she asks him is “how many men has Noe been together before?” and she’s surprised to hear that Noe hasn’t had any relationships yet. This prompts Jun to point out that Hiromi has misunderstood Noe and he tells about how Noe was a crybaby but after an incident she became strong… yet she’s still fragile inside. Hiromi stands up and comments “Siscon” to Jun… causing him some shock.

The next question that Hiromi asks is “Why did you decide to go out with me?” and Jun explains everything candidly. This prompts some disbelief from Hiromi and she asks if one side splits will the other side split too, which Jun replies that it’ll be troublesome, so he’ll listen to what she says.

Noe and Shin, who are going out together, come to school as well on Noe’s suggestion. They bump in to Hiromi and Jun. Noe tells Hiromi that she’s changed her opinion of her, but Hiromi replies with the same hurtful words that Mrs. Nakagami used on her, and when she realizes that, she takes her leave. Jun takes off after her as well, and Hiromi reflects back that she couldn’t control her feelings. Jun replies by saying that if humans could control their feelings based on ideals, it would be a much easier world.

Hiromi returns home first and discovers the half-burned photo of her parents and the Nakagami’s. She confronts Mrs. Nakagami and says that she understands her position well… but that person is still her mother. Saying that coming to the Nakagami’s was a mistake, she apologizes for everything and runs off in to the night, as Mrs. Nakagami looks on with an expression of regret.

Hiromi runs towards the Isurugi’s and demands that Jun bring out his bike. Jun initially refuses, but Hiromi threatens him. Jun gives in and asks where she would like to go to, and she replies “A town where the snow doesn’t fall.” As they both head outside town, they pass by Noe and Shinichiro, surprising the both of them… つずく.

Another well-done episode of true tears. Hiromi’s drama just really keeps me in to this show.

Noe and Shin’s relationship is actually pretty cute to watch, and despite the many detractors of her, I find that her ability to heal people’s worries a positive trait rather than a “weird” one. In fact, I think I would be rooting for her, if I hadn’t already decided to support Hiromi all the way. Sure, she might be a little “weird” at the surface, but so far, she hasn’t done anything that actually hurts people directly. I find her eccentricities a breath of fresh air, and it’s not like she’s that far out gone to be troublesome or anything.

On the other hand, Hiromi continues to suffer under her burden of her love towards Shinichiro and the fact that she is possibly his sister, now added with the pain of seeing him go out with Noe. She does show a less gentle side of her this episode, towards Jun especially, and I do think that it was quite a good change of pace for her. It was cute seeing her tease Jun around, and especially when she calls him a “siscon”.

“Siscon.”

Jun’s reaction to that was pretty priceless too. I think Stripey would’ve loved that.

Sadly, Hiromi is finally pushed to the edge, and her jealousy is definitely going to levels where she’s losing control over it, evidenced by her little outburst towards Noe. This however, does bring her to some level of realization as well, and I found it really painful to watch as she apologized to Mrs. Nakagami and ran off. I really feel for Hiromi for having to shoulder the sins of her parents generation.

Lastly, for Ai-chan. Too bad for her *shakes head*. I admire Shin for being straight out honest and rejecting her.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

An episode of upheavals and confessions.

Shinichiro is still reeling from the revelations of yesterday, and wonders if he’ll have to give up on Hiromi when he realizes that he was intending to do so anyways. At school, he is approached by Noe with a bentou, hanging from his belt, again and declines it.

Surprisingly, Noe tells him she wants to be with him and share his problems, since it will be better that way, but again, he declines it, telling her that she won’t understand it anyways.

This leaves Noe sulking at the chicken coop and she looks for Hiromi at the gym. She offers her bentou to her, and even feeds her. Noe flat out tells Hiromi to apologize to Shinichiro, since she’s the one who’s stopping him from flying. The situation escalates to a catfight, broken up only when Shinichiro appears.

Hiromi runs off, and Shinichiro confronts Noe about what happened, and she tells him, that she wants to understand him more and more. Shinichiro realizes Noe likes him, in a romantic way, and tells her that… which makes her blush up and run off when she realizes it too.

Later at night, Shinichiro is walking back home from dance practice with Ai-chan, when he is confronted by Jun again, asking him if he’s going out with Noe already, since he’s already went out with Hiromi, telling him if he doesn’t keep his end of the bargain, he won’t keep his either.

Meanwhile, Ai-chan is wondering about what Jun said, when a text message arrives from Nobuse. She meets him at the shrine, with Miyokichi acting as if nothing has happened, but she tells him that she isn’t deserving of his feelings. Yet, Nobuse says that the only thing he has is her..

Shin returns home in time to interrupt his mom from confronting Hiromi, and his father asks him if he has heard anything from his mother, which he replies “Nope”. He wonders about the bargain, Hiromi and Noe, especially since today’s events. He realizes he has been thinking about Hiromi too much to notice Noe’s feelings, and decides to go out with Noe.

At the Isurugi’s, Jun returns home to a darkened house, with Noe kneeling at the window. Noe says she’s changed and she is feeling hot all over her body, and she can’t look at Shinichiro’s face at all. Jun assures her that it’s fine, that this change is for the better and essential.

The next day, snow starts to fall. Lunch time comes and Shinichiro invites Nobuse for lunch, but he declines. Nobuse mentions that he’s cool, and if it’s him, it’s fine… which creeps Shinichiro out.

Shinichiro proceeds to look for Noe at the chicken coop, but she runs off when she sees him. Shinichiro finally catches her, asking her why is she running countered by Noe asking him why is he looking for her. Finally Shinichiro asks her out, with Noe telling her to do it properly and also write it out on the ground with stones. Shinichiro manages to complete it, with the help of Noe’s gloves. Noe feels like crying and realizes it’s not because of sadness, but because of happiness and Shinichiro realizes that Noe is truly in love with her.

“Noe ga suki dayo!”

After school, Shinichiro heads over to Ai-chan’s shop as usual, and he tells her about him going out with Noe, which leaves Ai-chan in a temporary shock. She recovers soon however, and gives Shinichiro a shock too, kissing him without warning, and she professes her love for him as well, astounding him.

Giving a temporary respite to Hiromi’s arc, this episode mainly focuses on Noe, with Ai-chan thrown in to the mixer as well.

First thing to say is… Noe was really cute this episode. As I’ve said previously, she didn’t realize what her feelings towards Shinichiro were, and finally finds out, surprisingly from Shinichiro himself. The scenes where Shinichiro says that was really awesome, with her rendered speechless and blushing, running away from him.

The confession scene too was cute as well, and I must say, she turned tsun-tsun-dere-dere for a minute there, lol. Making her blush that hard is really criminal, because it made me giggle a lot.

But that said… Shinichiro’s just trying to find a replacement to forget about Hiromi, which is definitely going to lead for some serious heartbreak in poor Noe, if they decide to fully go down Hiromi’s route.

Another factor to take in place now is Ai-chan as well. Ai-chan’s confession comes on pretty suddenly as well, which really did throw me off for a while there, coming right after the confession between Shinichiro and Noe.

It’s not really surprising since Ai-chan’s been really suffering for all that while, trying to take her step forward with Shinchiro yet still being seen as Nobuse’s girlfriend, but hearing that from Shinchiro definitely pushed her off the edge. Ai-chan’s definitely going to receive some flak here for her indecisiveness.

In terms of what I think of this episode, I’m definitely a bit disappointed of the lack of Hiromi, yet Noe more than made it up for the show. But it also really shows how much this show is dependent on Hiromi, since the sense of “depth” and “drama” comes off rather lacking this episode.

The preview for next week shows Hiromi confronting Mrs. Nakagami, Noe in the chicken coop and Hiromi riding together with Jun. I don’t we’ll discover the truth behind Hiromi’s parentage yet, but it seems she’ll be taking a step further with Jun.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Oh god, the cat has left the bag. Sometimes I hate how right I can be.

Despite Ai-chan’s protests, Shinichiro opens the door for Miyokichi, who gets excited seeing the half-complete sweater. Ai gets visibly irritated and kicks them both out. Walking back in the rain, Shinichiro reproaches Miyokichi for being busy the last weekend, to his surprise. Back at the store, Ai-chan reminisces on how she got together with Miyokichi under Shinichiro’s persuasion.

The next day at school, Hiromi is publicly approached by Jun, who asks her to meet him at a park nearby after school. This becomes a hot topic, and Shinichiro is visibly irritated, walks out alone to the lunch spot. Noe appears and shares her bentou with him, and he chomps it down with a sour face. When Noe reprimands him for not enjoying the food, he tells her to leave him alone, as he’s confused when he’s with her. Noe tries to stop him from leaving but fails, getting his belt as a “souvenir” in the process.

Hiromi meets Jun at the park and he asks her for a date the upcoming Sunday. Commenting it might snow, he asks her if she likes it, and she replies… “I like it…but I hate it too.” Jun replies cryptically with, “It’s hard when you love someone to the point of breaking.”

Back at home, Hiromi has a flashback of a snowy day where she is at the Nakagami’s household and she is told something shocking by Mrs. Nakagami, and after that day she has hated the snow. Hiromi’s thoughts are interrupted by Shinichiro’s arrival. She tells him about Jun’s invitation and leaves angrily after that.

Sunday arrives and Hiromi leaves for her date. Jun is also leaving, and spots Noe holding a belt and he’s taken aback when she says it’s Shinichiro’s, but is relieved when she says she is holding on to it for a while. Noe asks where is Jun going and he replies it’s a date, sparking her curiosity, but it’s dampened when he says it’s with Hiromi.

Hiromi and Jun watch a movie on their date, with Hiromi commenting that it’s the first time she’s watching one with a guy. Jun explains about their family situation and says it has always been him and Noe together until he understands her feelings clearly… even the ones that she herself doesn’t realise yet.

Miyokichi and Ai are also on a date that day, with Miyokichi deciding to buy a sweater for her. He chooses one but Ai refuses and storms off. Miyokichi explains that he wanted to buy a better looking one for her, since Shin’s choice was a bit plain. Ai tells him that it wasn’t his choice, but something that he picked up for a look, so she decided to buy it. Miyokichi dawns on realization and he’s taken aback by it.

Hiromi and Jun’s date end with him sending her back. Jun asks her to tell Shinichiro to hurry up with Noe, and when Hiromi inquires why, he replies that they’re both going out, putting her in a state of shock. Jun takes the chance to touch her face, but she snaps out of it in time.

Later at night, Hiromi is helping out on the computers when Mrs. Nakagami enters and tells her to take care of her conduct, since she’s been coming back with a guy lately. Hiromi bursts out for the first time, saying that it is because that she’s her mother’s daughter that’s she’s suspected like that. Hiromi tells her that she hasn’t forgotten that incident, not even once. The heated exchange is overheard by Shinichiro and he asks his mother why is Hiromi treated so badly.

Hiromi storms out from the room and catches Hiromi at the courtyard. Hiromi reveals that Shinichiro might be her brother, to his shock. Hiromi runs back to her room, crying. Shinichiro goes in to one of his “picture book” phases, saying that the tears left behind by the girl who left was so deep, that he feels crushed by it.

The episode ends with Noe, cooking with Shinichiro’s belt tied around her.

Yes. My theory is proven correct, but sometimes, I really do hate it when I am proven right. /me sighs. Somewhere in my heart, I wanted my theory to be proven wrong :(.

In any case, the tension of the series has truly risen up, with bubbling feelings reaching the simmering point and the shocking revelations made in this episode.

There is still an uncertainty to the truth of Hiromi’s statement of her being Shin’s sister, but undoubtedly, this will definitely put a stopper towards both their burgeoning feelings for each other, with Shin realizing what burden that she had been carrying for the past year or so (or since that day when Mrs. Nakagami revealed it).

Coincidentally, the situation is also similar somewhat to Jun, since he has hinted that he has a deep love for Noe, which could transcend more than just feelings of sibling love. Jun has also proven himself to be rather perceptive to the feelings of Hiromi, perhaps in part because they share the same situation as well.

Noe, meanwhile, provides the comedy and comfort of this episode, especially with the belt. But god damn, that scene of her cooking with the belt wrapped around her just had some really (but probably intended) bad timing. Yet, she herself is still clueless on her true feelings for Shinichiro.

Lastly, the development between Ai-chan and Miyokichi is expected and it does throw another spanner in to the works. I wonder how will Miyokichi accept the news and Ai-chan’s true feelings that are not for him, but for Shinichiro instead.

In any case, the next episode will prove to be an interesting one, based on the preview of Noe and Hiromi duking it out, Noe crying and Ai with Shinichiro together.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Initially, I intended to comment on Stripey’s post, but I decided to post it here instead.

I can’t see why people keep blaming Hiromi for being “boring” or “normal”. I think those people need to stop watching true tears now because, clearly, they do not read in to the subtleties of the body language, much less understand the drama and the feel of the series as a whole.

Unlike your average run-of-the-mill high school romance stories, true tears is an “adult” series, and even the people involved in it have said so. For those thinking that true tears is targeted to 14 to 18 year-olds, you are sorely mistaken.

My bone of contention is really on how many are blaming on how Hiromi is sending off mixed signals, and yes, she is doing so, if you look on the surface. However, it’s been majorly hinted that Hiromi’s past and possibly her origins has something to do with her actions towards Shinichiro, and to ignore that factor is to really deny Hiromi’s real feelings towards him.

It is clear as day that she has liked him since they were young, but there has to be a very big overriding reason for her to rationally take the painful decision to seal it all away and act indifferent towards him. To both Hiromi and Shinichiro, that one year before the series timeline that they have lived together has to have been a very awkward time together. Just imagine that if your best friend, someone you’ve known for years, suddenly turning indifferent… or even worse, as in Hiromi’s case, overtly polite to you.

Of course there are many theories already surrounding the circumstances behind Hiromi’s decision of sealing her feelings, including the idea of Hiromi being actually Shinichiro’s sibling, but what is certain is that it is a product of their parent’s generation, and we’ll definitely need to know what has happened in the past, between the two families. I have my own theories, but I’ll keep them for later.

Now, back to my original topic, about Hiromi’s “mixed signals”. It’s a very simple explanation actually, she’s jealous. She sees a threat in Noe for Shinichiro’s feelings and against her own earlier decisions, she decides to get back closer to him in order to not lose him. In fact, from that, we can see how “human” Hiromi truly is. While she had decided to shut off her feelings in the surface, there is no stopping love from doing its work. I do not agree 100% with her actions either, but then, I can never blame her from doing it. Falling in love once myself, I understand why she acts that way too.

Hell, her conflicting feelings and actions, is what really makes me stay up until 6am the day true tears airs, watching and spending an hour or so typing out a blog post for it. Her struggles are just what gives true tears it’s “adult” taste, that really sets it out apart from the rest of the crop this season. Even Kaori Nazuka, who plays Hiromi, acknowledges that the emotions in true tears are painful, and over the course of the 5 episodes already aired, this has been proven very right. Despite such, I still love it a lot, as to feel this emotions are, in a way, an acknowledgment of our existence.

Finally, before I ramble more, to end this post, I’d like to say to Hiromi’s detractors that I won’t stop you guys from not liking Hiromi, but at the least, show her some respect, at least on my blog comments. Is that a lot to ask for?

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.