「氷無小雪」 (Koyuki Hinashi)
“Koyuki Hinashi”

I’m at a loss for words for this episode. In both a positive and negative sense.

Different Opening and Ending!

So, the first thing I noticed this week was how the opening sequence had a grainy/old timey filter thrown on it with different and additional shots of HEDGEHOGS thrown into it. And while I’m not one to nitpick at tiny details, I spent a good chunk of time wondering if there was any deeper meaning behind the opening suddenly changing on us. With the emphasis on HEDGEHOGS’ missing singer Tama, I was trying to see if there was any type of connection I could make with what’s going on with the story right now. But no matter how hard I tried to come up with something better, my mind kept jumping toward a possible love struggle going on within the band. Using what’s going on in the present as a foundation for this wacky theory, wouldn’t it be something if Tama was a representation of Yuu and Nico was Koyuki? Not only is it a nice reversal of who the pair are supposed to be named after, but that’d also mean there’s some unrequited love going on here and I’m sure we all know how stressful things like that can become.

That or, it could mean absolutely nothing and the animators wanted to go and just give us a funky opening with some more emphasis on the band we’ll probably never get to see. Who knows!

Koyuki-Chan

If you’ve been reading Random Curiosity for any length of time, you’ll know that I typically side with the osananajimi or childhood friend almost every single time. Not only do I find it super cute when you realize an osnanajimi winning means that a bond from the past has managed to survive the rough waves of time, but I think there has to be some value in a relationship that’s taken the time to age. Honestly, it makes me wonder why more shows don’t highlight just how powerful the memories of the past are! Using this week’s episode as a prime example, it was crystal clear how close Yuu and Koyuki were as kids. Throw in the fact that Yuu obviously had a crush on Koyuki at the time and in a different reality the two would probably be happy love birds right now.

Then again, I doubt I’d be as invested as I am with the story if things came to us that easily and there’s nothing really wrong with some healthy competition every now and then, right? I mean, even if Fuuka doesn’t realize her feelings for Yuu yet, if I had to pick between two people to fight over a guy I wouldn’t mind if it was Fuuka and Koyuki. The two have their own unique appeal and it honestly feels like the scale could tip in either direction.

Hopefully the story doesn’t fizzle out too soon since the last thing we need would be some halfhearted attempt of someone asking someone out.

Looking Ahead

With a little more insight into Koyuki’s past and some bonding with her and Fuuka, I’m excited to see what we have in store for us down the road. Hopefully it’ll include some more focus on the band since I’m excited to see just how good Yuu and the rest get. Anyways, I’ll catch you guys next week. See you then!

 

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「雪花火」 (Yukihanabi) by 氷無小雪 (Koyuki Hinashi)

9 Comments

    1. Uh, you might want to double check that.

      Episode 4 has the normal opening still. That said I went back and noticed I didn’t have Episode 5 on my computer when I checked, and after I got episode 5 again it is different — so my bad not noticing until this week ahaha.

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