「友達と海。」 (Tomodachi to Umi)
“Friends and the Beach”

With things rolling along at full speed, I’m both shocked and pissed with just how much teasing the writers did to us. By that, I mean I’m shocked the writers are actually building upon the whole “relationship” thing between Hase and Fujimiya and pissed that they would dangle such tantalizing scenes in front of us without anything actually happening!

Beautiful Scenery usually makes for Beautiful Moments

Besides Captain Earth’s first episode and the ridiculously detailed scene where the Earth Engine gets put together section by section I think this is the second time I’ve been absolutely blown away with the look and feel of a certain scene within an anime. Even if you ignore the romantic tension that the writers were taunting us with, the beautiful sunset combined with the bokehlicious glistening of the ocean is probably one of the prettiest things I’ve seen in quite some time. And as if that wasn’t enough, the beautiful night sky afterwards combined with an amazing piano rendition of the theme was a perfect way to wrap things up.

Hase and Fujimiya’s Feelings

I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while now, but I’ve really begin to question whether or not anything could really work out between the two. While they do exhibit clear signs of jealously when someone gets too deep in their territory (I totally caught Fujimiya being a little uncomfortable with Saki last week!), I can’t help but feel that nothing will happen unless some outside force somehow pushes them together. Seeing how Shoubro and Saki are electing to take a hands off approach, I have this strange fear that if Hase and Fujimiya did end up together, it would end up feeling forced or at worst fake. Or maybe I’m just worrying over nothing?

Looking Ahead

Wow, another surprise character already? With only four episodes left to really get down to the nitty-gritty I can only hope that this new guy will help accelerate things. One would assume he’ll have some sort of connection with Fujimiya based on that downer of a preview and maybe will become the driving force to get things moving? Or maybe he’s the reason why Fujimiya is the way she is?! Whatever the case may be, I can’t deny that I’m excited to see the dynamic get shifted up again and hopefully in a way that’ll give both Hase and Fujimiya a slightly harder kick to get them moving forward.

 

Preview

16 Comments

  1. The scenery in this episode was amazing and the usual summer antics were fine, but Hase/Fujimiya’s relationship is practically at a standstill :s

    Hopefully something will happen next week with the intro of the new character <3

    https://randomc.net/image/Isshuukan%20Friends/Isshuukan%20Friends%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2014.jpg

    Additionally: Shoubro is still a BROOO <3
    I don't know why, but I get more excited watching Saki and Shogo do stuff than the main couple

  2. My only hope for the next week is that Hase doesn’t end up being a wimp amidst all that upcoming drama. Fujimiya will certainly need him and unless Hase mans up, this is going to be a pain to watch. If they can handle this well, it’s going to be just great!

    silentguardian
  3. I can’t help but agreeing to Takaii on their relationship friendship since both Shogo AND Saki tried to push Hase to step it up in their own way this week.

    Caption time…
    https://randomc.net/image/Isshuukan%20Friends/Isshuukan%20Friends%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2012.jpg
    So who thinks that Kaori can become a model in the near alternate future from this shot of her? (please heed nothing to Saki and the guys the Chaperons on the right…)

    https://randomc.net/image/Isshuukan%20Friends/Isshuukan%20Friends%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2013.jpg
    At least she knows how to rope in a man that she likes, thats for certain…

    info600
  4. Personally i dont think my heart can take the upciming storm>< i'm really bad at scenes that trashes the soul:p That aside, this episode has got one of the best few nature sceneries since Kotonoho no Niwa…fantastic episode i would say but i also do share the same concern by Takaii that if Hase and Kaori ends up together, it will be quite forced…and i smell some old flame rivalry coming right up? (i hope not!!!)

    Celestine
  5. In a nutshell, this episode is one of my favorite scenes, both in the manga and here. This episode reminded me of one of the reasons why I love anime in the first place: beautiful art and backgrounds.

    Shogo is one of my favorite characters in this piece. And yup, be prepared for the following weeks episodes, it’s gonna be one heck of a ride, it’s gonna be full of feels, unless they go the original anime ending route (which I hope not, I want a second season!)

    Flanders
  6. I think them coming together would be unnatural if it happened by next episode. I think it would be a bit rushed if it happened by the end of the series. They are inexorably moving toward each other, although at a glacial pace. For them to really get to the end that everyone sees Hase is going to have to step up. A lot. Because it almost feels like Shougo (Best Bro/Wingman JP) is doing all the courting/wooing by proxy. Or at least the initial start ups for each endeavor Hase undergoes. Fortunately, Shougo knows when he’s done enough to let Hase make the leap and grow as a person, which tells me that Shougo knows his friend really really well. (How they actually became best friends is something I’ve started wondering lately because those two wouldn’t seem like they’d get along well in the traditional sense.) Fujimiya is still in the early stages of understanding different types and dynamics of relationships since she’s had stunted growth for anywhere between 3-5 years. Especially crippling since these are the years that one builds and relies upon social interactions outside the family. (Or so I think. I was a bit of a…social black sheep from about 5th grade to 10th grade or so.) So at the moment she’s still doesn’t fully know if love is a thing you feel, do, or eat and can’t quite qualify he types she feels between her friends. Also, Saki is amazing! I also have a thing for her character types: the Easy as Sunday Morning DGAF my pace type. I see her and think that if Slowbro were to become a high school girl, she would be it.

    TheWalker

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