Summary:

Absent from class again, Koko pays a visit to the sakura tree that’s in full bloom. Yoshiyuki is concerned about her, but on his way out from school, he gets sidetracked when he finds out that Minatsu’s shoes have been stolen and hidden somewhere. Minatsu doesn’t mind so much, but Yoshiyuki makes it a point to look for them, and he eventually finds them sitting in the school’s incinerator. When he brings them back, he questions why Minatsu isn’t frustrated and annoyed by all this. Her answer is that she’s used to it, and it’s enough for her that Yoshiyuki is angry in her place. Yoshiyuki then notices Maya listening in on their conversation, but she starts to walk off when he sees her. Already feeling unfriendly towards her, he starts arguing with her, and even after Minatsu tries to break it up, Yoshiyuki chases after Maya to question what’s so wrong about them being getting along well with Minatsu. When pressed about why she treats Minatsu like an enemy, Maya explains that she knows Minatsu didn’t push her father towards death and that all robots aren’t bad. However, the reality for her is that robots screwed up her family, and her still young brother Yuuto doesn’t remember his father’s face. It’s because of this that Maya can’t accept robots.

Yuuto happens to have come to meet his sister at the school gates, but he doesn’t look before crossing the street and soon finds himself in the path of a rapidly approaching van. Reacting quickly, Minatsu dives at him and shields him as the van crashes into them. Luckily, both of them are okay, and Maya is reunited with her brother who’s now in tears. Minatsu, however, loses power as soon as she tries to stand back up, so Yoshiyuki and Yume take her to Mizukoshi. The prognosis is fortunately good, but Mizukoshi worries that they won’t be able to lie about Minatsu any more. As for Yuuto, he asks his sister about the girl who saved him because he hasn’t been able to thank her yet, leaving Maya at a loss over how to explain things to him. The following day, the news of what Minatsu did is all over the school, and when she shows up to class, everyone surprisingly applauds her. Their views of her have changed, and some apologize for how they’ve treated her. Even Maya approaches Minatsu and thanks her for saving Yuuto. This makes Minatsu quite happy, and she invites Maya to eat lunch with them.

After lunch with everyone, Minatsu and Maya stay on the rooftop, and Maya wonders why Minatsu saved her brother despite everything she had done to her. Minatsu feels that it’s in the past and reveals that she used to be like Maya, except that instead of hating robots, she hated all humans. It was thanks to Yoshiyuki and company that she realized that humans weren’t bad, and in thinking about what her creators wanted, Minatsu stopped unnecessarily holding a grudge against humans. She now wants to be the link that brings together the hearts of humans and robots, and for her, this means getting along well with everyone. As this conversation goes on, Yoshiyuki and Yume watch from the rooftop door and are glad that everything is okay now. All does not stay well for long though because Minatsu is then called to the principal’s office where Mizukoshi reveals that the board of directors decided to kick her out of school. Yoshiyuki wants to know what Sakura thinks, but Mizukoshi explains that even if Sakura opposed it, she can’t overturn the board’s decision. Not giving up, Yoshiyuki goes to look for Sakura anyway since she isn’t around right now.

As he runs along the path lined by sakura trees, Yoshiyuki suddenly encounters Koko. When he asks her why she’s here, she explains that she came here after thinking about him and apologizes for worrying him. Koko then figures out that something must have happened again for Yoshiyuki to leave school in the middle of classes. She likes the Yoshiyuki that is kind to everyone, but recently she’s felt a pain in her chest. Remembering how they happy used to be, Koko goes on to suggest that they end their relationship and go back to how they were.

 
 
 

Did it bother anyone else that they never showed anything about the driver who completely wrecked the car that almost killed Maya’s little brother? I know it’s a small detail, but it’s usually something that’s accounted for. Anyway, it wasn’t very satisfying to see that one incident like that changed everyone’s minds about Minatsu. However, her saga still isn’t over yet since she’s now been kicked out of school. And with Koko breaking up with Yoshiyuki, that still leaves a lot to cover in the final episode. They still haven’t introduced anything about the sakura tree either, despite showing it repeatedly this episode. Of course, that might never come up in this series, since, as relentlessflame pointed out out, the Lantis web site claims that Koko and Minatsu are heroines for the first half of the anime – meaning that there’ll be another half eventually. I’m not a huge fan of them doing it this way, but if I had known about it earlier, I would have probably cut this series a lot more slack. Maybe if they’re feeling evil, they’ll end the series on a cliffhanger…

39 Comments

  1. Yeah, Omni, as I mentioned near the end of the comments for the last episode, the Character Song solicitations confirmed that this season is the “first half” of the Da Capo II anime. They’re saving a lot for Part 2 (makes me wonder if the second part will be the same length as this one or longer).

    Never even thought about the driver of the car until you just mentioned it. I guess it’s not important… once can presume he’s okay too? ^^;

    relentlessflame
  2. “Yes, but even without a big sakura tree story, that still leaves the completion of both Minatsu and Koko’s stories in one episode.”

    I think Minatsu’s part won’t be a problem (but it’s “cheating” for me to say that…), but I’m curious what they do with Koko. Depends on what they want to do with part 2, I guess… I could see it going either way at this point.

    relentlessflame
  3. So does this mean that there’s still hope for a Shirakawa ending in the 2nd half of Da Capo II???
    If so, they might just have saved this entire season and called all the fans back! =P

    Although to be realistic, Nanaka already gave up when she touched Yoshi and learned of his dedication to Koko. =\

    Maybe she’ll give him a 2nd chance? (Sheesshh… this is sad … shows how desperate I am for a Nanaka ending.. =P)

    reekon
  4. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O
    OTOMES GOT A CHANCE AT YOSHIYUKI
    YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    …,.
    sorry i was just disapointed by beginning >> first i thought it would be great series
    NOw mY Perspective has changed
    YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Spatel
  5. > relentlessflame pointed out out, the Lantis web site claims that Koko and Minatsu are heroines for the first half of the anime….which means there’ll be another half eventually.

    There is a God! Although here’s hoping they don’t let FEEL have anything to do with the second season…

    suguru
  6. Confusion everywhere. Now I know why I never watched Da Capo. I just don’t think this series (mean also the first series and the games) isn’t that great as some people say.
    Honestly, some parts are REALLY annoying..

  7. “Confusion everywhere. Now I know why I never watched Da Capo. I just don’t think this series (mean also the first series and the games) isn’t that great as some people say.
    Honestly, some parts are REALLY annoying..”

    Well, that’s a little bit too vague to reply to, but I guess I can say that I think the Da Capo II game especially is quite good. How I feel about the anime will depend on what happens in Part 2, I guess, but so far it’s pretty true to the game (despite having re-mixed it so they could cover multiple paths in one overall timeline). I’d be curious to know whether parts you find “REALLY annoying” are actually from the games at all, or just the way they’ve been adapted for anime.

    relentlessflame
  8. holy crap! Damn damn damn the childhoodfriend cliche! there goes my last hope for it this year. I don’t have much hopes for Kimikiss so and even so kimikiss will end next year so another year with no childhood friend. though “Goshuushosama Ninomiya-kun” is a good candidate for a childhood friend as the two contenders are childhoodfriends.

    I still can’t believe that they did that to Koko, all the people that said that it was not going to last congratulations.

    golthin
  9. hey Omni, what if jaalin is like mad at you again? not saying that he is…but like rmbr that time he was mad at you for choosing mai-otome as anime of the year or something? he was silently protesting…mebe he’s doing it again? i dunno, i hope you hear from him soon

    allie
  10. allie:
    JaaLin hasn’t appeared on IRC in 2 weeks either, so I don’t think it’s just Omni. :p

    golthin:
    Yeah, even I wasn’t expecting it until I heard that a part 2 was coming… We’ll see what the next episode brings, though.

    relentlessflame
  11. Err… that “:p” was meant to imply that I don’t think he’d avoid IRC and everything just because of Omni. That being said, having people drop off the “face of the Internet” without a world is always a cause for concern. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.

    relentlessflame
  12. Airbags are wonderful things?

    I’ve mostly been following the series to see what they do with Minatsu … so far a bit pedantic but I’ve not been annoyed enough to drop it though I’ll watch in batches of 2 or 3 at a time. It does get a little annoying wanting to reach into the screen and shake the daylights out of the male lead though :).

    The Jaalin matter is a poster example of why its hard to really have actual “community” on the Internet. He might be taking a breather watching the tide roll in on some Pacific beach… or be already cremated and most of us will never know. Its not like we can even report him as “missing” to anyone. 🙁

    vexx
  13. I guess this follows the usual Da Capo trend in terms of length (the first two DC series were 26 episodes each as well).

    Knowing that this series is “only” halfway through gives me some hope, albeit marginally. I remember when the very first Da Capo series’ plot didn’t start kicking in until episode 16 (The Incomplete Mage). The only difference here is that, unlike the first Da Capo, wherein the previous 15 episodes consisted of mainly “filler” like episodes introducing each of the girls (plus a recap episode), Da Capo II spent most of the first half fleshing out only one or two of the girls. Dunno how this is gonna fare in the second half, but I’m still crossing my fingers that we’ll get some huge plot movements like it did in the first one.

    But right now, the others characters are so UN-fleshed out that I’m not really holding my breath for a revelatory plot twist, unless they pull a Canvas 2…

    – T

  14. @vexx
    sorry this is kinda offtopic but what you said rly reminds me of the chrysalids…to those who have read it..how mark disappears and so does walter brent it’s just weird and really sad

    allie
  15. Tolitz:
    Basically, this is a difference in approach. The first series tried to tell a whole bunch of stories all at once (the pattern was: intro all character, character episodes, end all secondary characters, finale/main characters). The approach in D.C. II is sort of more like the Key/Kyoto Animation “story arc” approach, where you mix all of the different heroine paths into one giant timeline, and go through them one by one (the pattern is more like: general intro, secondary character stories, primary character stories, finale). The other difference in this case is that they went through the first two stories in “pairs”. So the next “half” will focus on totally different characters than the first half, which explains why the other characters are so “un-fleshed out” right now. Perhaps it’d be more apt to call this season “Chapter 1: Koko and Minatsu”. “Chapter 2” will be…? (Nanaka and Anzu, maybe? Or will they just blend them into Otome and Yume? Or…?)

    relentlessflame
  16. relentlessflame: The Key/Kyoto Animation approach involves a main couple though (Yuuichi/Ayu, Misuzu/Yukito, Tomoya/Nagisa), and it’s usually pretty clear from the get-go who the couple is. Given how important I’ve heard Yoshiyuki’s sisters’ stories are, it’s not entirely clear (is it?) who he is going to eventually end up with.

  17. Omni: Very true — that is another difference.

    There are a few reasons I can think of to explain that:

    1. They’re trying to keep it a secret. This is predominant in every aspect of this production. I think those CD solicitations are the only “slip” anywhere that gives away that a “part 2” is coming. It was only because I thought the merchandise release schedule looked highly irregular for a 1-cour show that I even thought to look there. They didn’t want people to know.

    2. This is the exact same approach as the game. This also ties into 1. The most important secrets were kept until after you completed every path, and the Asakura sisters could only be unlocked after you had completed 2 or 3 of the other character stories.

    3. This allows them to stretch things out further. The main producer at Circus said in an interview that he hoped the D.C. II anime would run as long as possible. With this approach, they could easily have more than just “2 parts” (heck, the D.C. II P.S. game will add as many as 6 new heroines to the mix… but I don’t think they’d stretch it out that far… ^^; ).

    4. Minor game spoiler (reveals no details):
    Show Spoiler ▼

    So, basically, it’s not clear who Yoshiyuki’s going to eventually end up with because who he ends up with isn’t actually the most important question/issue. Sort of odd for a romance show, but that’s basically what it comes down to.

    relentlessflame
  18. Setting aside the fact that the series might possibly go longer and the fact that they focused on only two least popular heroines, I still don’t think the series has been that great. For one thing, it felt too ordinary for me. Nothing really interesting except the fact that childhood friends didn’t worked out, unlike To Heart. Then again, Koko was the least interesting story in the game, and Minatsu…..well I got enough robot story from To Heart, so no more, thank you.

    So the possibility of going longer, if it’s true, could explain the questionable pacing of this series that felt like it was going 24-26 episodes on a 13-episode series. Although I have to say, there’s no chance for Nanaka at all unless Asakura sisters goes out of the picture *runs away from Shirakawa fanboys*

    solgae
  19. “For one thing, it felt too ordinary for me. Nothing really interesting except the fact that childhood friends didn’t worked out, unlike To Heart.”

    This is why the “part 2” is so important; it places this season’s events in context. And given that that’s a solicitation from Lantis, one of the show’s producers, it’s definitely true. (Personally, I do like Minatsu and her story, though.)

    Though yeah… Shirakawa fanboys are a resilient bunch. They’ll grasp on any straw, no matter how short. ^^;

    relentlessflame
  20. “Chapter 2″ will be…? (Nanaka and Anzu, maybe? Or will they just blend them into Otome and Yume? Or…?)

    If they can afford to focus so much on Koko and Minatsu, why not give the same for Anzu and Nanaka? Anzu’s story was quite original yet very enjoyable, plus it can be executed without much romance… As for Nanaka, given she IS the 3rd (or is it 2nd?) most popular character, I think she deserves the screentime. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to cut the Shirakawa fans some slack, would it? 🙂

    After that “Part 3” can be the finale focused on Otome and Yume, then everyone’s happy since all the girls were able to be on the spotlight, but then that would depend on how they tie together these “parts”; one continous story where only one girl wins at the end, OR multiple resets so all (if not most) can be happy.

    CooKie
  21. CooKie:

    Because of the tidbits they threw into the first part (in particular episode 10), I *think* they seem to be going for one continuous timeline. We’ll find out soon enough, though… If that’s the case, I wonder if it would be too “obvious” to have Anzu and Nanaka by themselves next (will people say “oh, they’re unimportant characters”, and will that be a problem?) I agree with you that they deserve equal focus, though… Personally, if it were up to me, I’d suggest that the second “part” be double as long so they can cover all 4 characters at the same time, but without shafting any of them. I’d be okay either way, though (and I agree — I think Anzu’s story is worth telling in detail).

    relentlessflame
  22. I don’t think it would be a problem to focus on Anzu and especially Nanaka. A Shirakawa on centerstage gets the fanboys excited. Then when she gets shot down the same fanboys cry bloody murder… but hasn’t that been a repeating cycle (a Da Capo)for all three series? 😀

    CooKie
  23. It has indeed, CooKie… it has indeed… ^^;

    (In this case, though, I’ll say it right now: assuming the next part is a continuation, I think a romance with Nanaka is pretty much out of the question because Yoshiyuki has no feelings for her. And if the argument would be “well, he had no feelings for her because he was going out with Koko”… that’s pretty inconsistent with the rest of the story so far, I think. But I don’t expect that my saying that will stop people from grasping at straws and then, as you say, crying bloody murder when it doesn’t happen. Fanboyism is a disease — an insiduous poison — that can make otherwise reasonable people believe logically unreasonable things. I suppose it’s all in good fun, though. :p )

    relentlessflame

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