「薔薇色の頬 ~Growing pains~」 (Barairo no Hoo ~Growing pains~)
“Rosy Cheeks ~Growing pains~”

Well ready or not, puberty is coming and Nitori will have to say goodbye to his baby face and hello to acne. Obviously he’s quite distressed over his first pimple, going as far as to ask Anna for help then sleeping at seven in the evening. Result: pimple count doubled. When Nitori looked at his face in the morning, I did notice a subtle change in his facial structure, but I think he’s worrying too much about having a cute look. Acne is a problem that most teenagers have to face and worrying about outward appearance too much is a problem for both genders, though it is true that girls tend to put a bigger emphasis on it.

Shuichi’s sister Maho starts to tease him and Anna about potentially being a couple. After interacting with her more extensively however, he does begin to see her in that way. The strap Anna gave him several episodes ago actually ties back into the story again when they go visit the place. I literally burst out laughing (as they did later) when I saw the manager of the karaoke place — the strap is a perfect imitation. However, I sure was surprised when Nitori just straight up declared that he was in love with Anna and asked her out. Slow placed as this story may be, it actually moves forward, and stuff like this makes me so happy, the complete opposite of something like RAGE ni Todoke. It’s definitely an unexpected couple, but I don’t mind as I like Anna’s character and she makes an interesting fit with Nitori.

Unfortunately I think Takatsuki was hurt, even though she had rejected him already. I don’t really think Anna would have a problem with them, but regardless Takatsuki becomes a little more distant from Nitori, which makes me a bit sad. Chiba seems hit even harder though, and drops even deeper into depression, and I feel even worse seeing her like that. Takatsuki tries to help her out, perhaps due to some feeling of camaraderie, but seeing as Chiba hates her as well I don’t know if they’ll be able to make up anytime soon. With some perseverance I think her antisocial shell will eventually crack though. I have to say I’m enjoying this series quite a bit so far and it’s unfortunate that it’s so niche.

Hinting from the title and the preview, it looks like there will be some new characters next time, and I think I see Takatsuki with long hair =O

 

Preview

33 Comments

  1. I think you summed up everything I was thinking during that episode Prooof. I really do like Nitori and Anna as a couple, though I really didn’t see it coming either lol. After watching the episode and seeing how it all played out, I have to admit that I kind of felt that if the story ended right there I would be satisfied. Too bad it’s pretty much a given that Nitori is going to end up breaking up with her for Takatsuki. I also felt really bad for Chiba especially since it looks like its never gonna happen between her and Nitori which was something I was hoping would T_T. It seems Chiba and Takatsuki got a little closer there at the end though so it wasn’t all bad for her. Also, I think the preview shows a time skip of at least a couple weeks so I’m really looking forward to it.

    Justa_Dream
  2. I like Nitori’s straightforwardness, I admire that in male leads. Nitori and Anna really fit together as a couple but I have a feeling it wont drag further in the rest of the episodes. D:

    Also, yea there are hints of Chiba softening towards Takatsuki in that room scene. I can only hope they can finally make up with each other.

    Nhelraios
  3. AANNAAA!!! SUKI DA!!! XDD

    totally saw this coming.(i read the manga duh!) XD it’s just a sad thought that at the end of the day, nitori will always return to where his heart truly lies…and that’s in takatsuki..DX really, i like chiba for him too esp. anna..ah, she’s so pweety! <3

    keiOnDaisuki
      1. yeah same here. Im pretty sure it will inevitably change, but there are some animes/mangas where the main character doesn’t actually end up with the main heroine. That alone should provde people who prefer the “ShuuxAnna” pairing some hope.

        Mm rooting for Anna till the end, but the chibaxshuu pairing doesn’t seem bad either.

        Alec
      1. I agree about the skipping chapters and the cross-chapter references, but I did a thought experiment. I asked myself, what I would do if I was making this anime. To me, it was obvious that they would use this climax, since it pretty much is the only real climax in the manga.

        Eric
  4. Nitori proclaiming his love for Anna and asking her out was really a pleasant surprise for me. I’m doubtful that their relationship will go far but it would be nice if it did.

    MartianMage
  5. I really didn’t think that Nitori and Anna would become a couple. It was a pleasant suprise, i really like Anna as a character. But I think they only stay a couple in one or two episodes. But this was the most entertaining and suprising episode so far.

    Pera
    1. oh lawlz. XDDD Show Spoiler ▼

      but really, i came to like anna even more than takatsuki in the anime,so i hope, shimura stays it that way. XD

      keiOnDaisuki
  6. As an avid fan of the manga, I am distressed over the fact that some of the dialogue are in a wrong venue. This episode lacks that, which is good. Also people, please let me ruin your moods by spoiling:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Moondogg
  7. I would LOVE the stop watching the show right here. But Anna in pigtails with glasses is too good to pass up. The thing that I don’t wanna see is those two break up. They’re so cute and he confessed in such a straight forward manner (Go Nitorin!) that I don’t wanna see it go to waste. Here’s to smooth sailing!

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