Summary:

Valentine’s Day has passed, and Kobato leaves some chocolates for Kiyokazu at his door. The next day, Okiura pays a visit to the nursery, and Sayaka agrees to see him. She asks him to wait a little longer, but Okiura is unaccommodating and suggests she create another nursery elsewhere. This angers Kiyokazu, however Sayaka eventually agrees to close the nursery on the condition that it doesn’t happen until the graduation ceremony. This saddens Kobato, when Kiyokazu finds out that she wants to go ask Okiura again not to shut down the nursery, he tells her not to. Instead, Kiyokazu himself finds and talks to Okiura’s underling, the same guy Kobato saved previously. That underling reveals that it’s actually Okiura’s father who has his eye on the nursery and that Okiura decided to play the role of the bad guy to protect the nursery and Sayaka. Kiyokazu isn’t able to do anything based on this information though, and graduation day soon arrives. Kobato happens to see Okiura hanging around outside the nursery looking lonely, and when she tells Chitose about it later, Chitose suggests that he might still love Sayaka.

The next day, Kobato happens to run across that same underling and follows him to Okiura’s office building. She wants to see Okiura, but the underling tries to send her home. Instead, Kobato waits outside the building all day and into the night, even after it starts to rain. Okiura initially tries to ignore her, but late into the night, he finally comes out. Instead of talking to him about the nursery though, Kobato wants to know how he really feels about Sayaka. She finally gets through to him by saying that he can’t leave things like this, and Okiura admits that he couldn’t control his father’s power and that this was the only way to protect Sayaka. Relieved to hear this, Kobato collapses from exhaustion. Back at the nursery, Kiyokazu finds Sayaka up extra early and tells her the truth about Okiura. He thinks that she should forgive her husband, and right around then, Okiura arrives at the nursery carrying Kobato. When Kobato wakes back up, Okiura has just left, so Kobato urges Sayaka to go after him. Kobato and Kiyokazu watch as Sayaka catches up with her husband and hugs him, and Kobato gains some more konpeitou.

Preview

For the most part, I thought this episode was pretty good. Obviously it’s great to see the story move forward in such a significant way, and they made good use of the soundtrack for the important scenes in the second half. My main complaint was that it’s all a bit too convenient, and the turnaround for Okiura’s character was almost too quick to be believable. It would have been easier to stomach if they had given Okiura more screentime earlier on in the series to develop his character further instead of putting it all here and having his father be the bogeyman. At least this change of heart didn’t also save the nursery, though of course that may still yet happen – or who knows, maybe the happy couple will start a new nursery. It also felt weird to me that Sayaka put a wet Kobato to bed without taking her wet hat and clothes off or cleaning her up first, but I guess Sayaka can’t reveal Kobato’s secret yet since there’s still three more episodes to go, including the final two airing together on March 23rd.

20 Comments

  1. Great episode. There were obvious hints of Kiyokazu x Kobato, especially at the end when Sayaka and Okiura are “reunited”. With the Kiyokazu lookalike flashback from the previous episode, I wonder how they will ultimately resolve their relationship…

    What’s this?! TWO episode finale?! NO WAi.

    Kevin
  2. This was probably the only episode that disappointed me actually…simply because it was too convenient. If something else happens like Okiura-papa still being a douche and coming into the end, I’ll change my outlook on this episode. But hey.

    Satoida
  3. Yeah, I thought that his character just turned around way too quickly. One episode and he’s now the innocent loving guy.

    Something I like about the Kiyokazu relationship is that he’s been smiling at Kobato more every episode. 🙂

    Yuumei
  4. Are… you kidding me..? That has got to be the most pathetic……… I hate this show. I truly do. Three more episodes? I can make it… I can make it.
    THE MANGA BEST NOT GO THIS ROUTE OR… I’ll be severely disappointed.

    Steph.
  5. something tells me Fujimoto is actually a little infatuated with Sayaka- explains his hatred for Okiura, attachment to Yomogi (other than the obvious), protection of Sayaka and his expression as Sayaka chased after Okiura. MOST IMPORTANTLY HOWEVER- discovery towards kobato- she literally can’t eat!!! which probs means she must be something that can’t eat food- like ghosts? but not actual animals and stuff i think. (wonder if this is how it
    ll turn out in the manga)

    qntiria
  6. I think okiura is the cooles character in the series and it was such a waste to throw in all his character development in this episode. I honestly thought he had more pontential. He should have been in a different clamp series altogether. Aside from that the episode was ok, but overall I’m not happy with way they handled okiura.

    kyoko-han
  7. i think my only complaint so far is the short run for the new ED. they really should have brought it out earlier.

    the episode was good, even if it felt abit rushed. i guess they need the final few episodes to wrap up where kobato will go with all her konpeitou and why she needs to go there.

  8. It’s typical of Clamp, really. The antagonist our heroes have been fighting against all this time turns out to be “protecting” them from the evil and more powerful clutches of the Final Boss by playing the Fake Bad Guy role.

    Apart from that, I’m okay with this episode. Story is mainly setting up for Kobato to complete her konpeito collection, that’s Sayaka and Okiura broken hearts mended. Next would of course be Kiyokazu’s.

    Kinny Riddle
  9. 9th PIC…Kobato: DON’T SHOOT!! I love HIIIIIMM!!!
    @Steph..I feel u man! i can make it..i can make it….i can make it. lotta shows this season are becoming either endurance contests or tests of will. recycling bin “i hope ur hungry”

    BROOKLYN otaku
  10. yeah that was too quickly summed up. They could have replaced some of the random people episodes with developing Okiura. Say am I the only one who thinks Okiura sounds like Ulquiorra. Hell give Ulquiorra give a black suit and paint his white skin and they even look alike

    gawrshness
  11. i loved this episode , for me was better okiura showed a good side of him because i really think he was a bad person and this episode surprised me,i don’t see problem with that after all i know many people are really bad and evil,but also normal people are no completely evil villians and i accept he wasn’t a one sided villian only for be bad,he haved a good reason

    song hye kyo
  12. Okura really seems like Lelouch now, with the whole “play the villain but I’m actually the good guy” part. They even look kind of similar. Oh, CLAMP…

    I’m pretty happy with this episode though.

    akani
  13. @akani, finally someone who shares my view that he assembles Lelouche, even to the willingness to play the bad guy to get things moving.

    Like most Clamp characters before the story ends, Kobato is still unsure of her feelings for Kiyokazu, but she’s getting there, sending a Valentine chocolate to him in secret, and being uncomfortable when the kids badger her about who she sent the chocolates to.

    Like Chii before her, Kobato probably isn’t fully aware of the concept of what true love really is yet – Note how she completely doesn’t react at all when Doumoto pretty much confessed that he likes her a few episodes back. Good thing Doumoto is bright enough to realize her feelings before she did, and dutifully backed out before he allowed himself to be too heartbroken.

    Kinny Riddle

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