Summary:

After a visit to the music store, Koko is walking past the movie theater and sees an advertisement for a romance film. She hasn’t been to a movie recently and notices all the couples around the theater. At school, Akane and Anzu grill her about her relationship with Yoshiyuki, so Koko reveals that they haven’t even been on a real date yet because of how busy they’ve been with the band. Akane and Anzu thus get to work thinking of how to help Koko, and by chance Nanaka overhears them and gets involved. The following day, they present Koko and Yoshiyuki with movie tickets, and Wataru informs the couple that they won’t be practicing this weekend because Nanaka is busy. With their schedules now open, Koko looks forward to a date with Yoshiyuki, but even calling it that gets both of them embarrassed. The day of the date soon arrives, and the two meet at the park before heading to the theater. Along the way, Koko once again notices all the other couples around them who are arm in arm, and she starts eyeing Yoshiyuki’s arm, but they arrive at the theater before she’s about to do anything.

During the movie, Koko feels Yoshiyuki’s hand on hers, however when she turns to look at him, it appears that he had been just grabbing a snack. He is also crying from the film, and Koko later teases him about it when the two head to a cafe. Unbeknownst to them, they’re being spied on by Wataru, Akane, Anzu, and Nanaka who all happened to have met up by coincidence. The four are unable to remain hidden for long though, and after an Akane and Wataru mishap, they find themselves trying to explain to Yoshiyuki and Koko what they’re all doing there. After they admit the truth, Yoshiyuki pretends to be hurt by all this, but it’s all a ploy so that he can grab Koko and run. This reinvigorates the both of them, though when they finally stop and Yoshiyuki realizes that he’s still holding Koko’s hand, he quickly lets go out of embarrassment. Still, he decides that this will be the true start of their date, and the two spend most of the rest of the day visiting the various downtown shops. They eventually pause while Koko gets some ice cream, and it’s sharing one cone that leads to an indirect kiss between them.

The couple’s attention is then turned to a crying child who’s been separated from his mother, and Koko calms the child until his mother shows up. This impresses Yoshiyuki, and it also causes him both to remember how Koko has always adored children and to think that she’d be a good mother. Their date nears its end later that afternoon, but Koko still hasn’t been able to hold hands with Yoshiyuki. She tries her best to touch his hand, and when Yoshiyuki finally realizes what she’s doing, he takes her hand. The two then walk past a dog that starts barking at a cat, and Yoshiyuki instinctively protects Koko. Koko grabs Yoshiyuki’s arm initially out of fear, but she doesn’t let go after the owner quiets down his dog. Able to hold Yoshiyuki’s arm for a while, Koko says that her dream has been fulfilled. She tells the same thing to Akane and Anzu later at school, though those two are disappointed to learn that Koko’s dream was only to be arm in arm with Yoshiyuki.

 
 
 
This was like the most conventional episode of a romance series I’ve seen in a long time. I mean, they essentially spent an entire episode on a date that ends with the two main characters a little closer after a lot of embarrassment. It’s fine if they’re trying to set us up for a surprise later on in the series by developing Yoshiyuki and Koko here, but surely they can think of a more original way to handle this. And while I don’t hate the small advances every episode, this really hasn’t been the most exciting of series, and it could use a little conflict between characters. Perhaps next week’s Minatsu episode will be a bit more interesting in that regard, though I suspect that it won’t be very related to the main YoshiyukiXKoko story.

45 Comments

  1. actually, i think this is the most painful progress that i’ve seen in an anime. =(

    i can of course see where they’re coming from, taking into consideration that your first times as a couple are full of embarrassment. but really, must they be embarrassed of every single thing/touch/phrase/show of affection?

    anyways, i’m just hoping that once the subs come out, i’ll be proven wrong of how slow/painful the whole thing is progressing.

    also, since up to this point it’s still koko x yoshi, i think there’s too much invested into them for the series to take them apart in the end.

    so i resign to the fact that it’ll be koko x yoshi. but please…please…speed up the progress a bit. it’s hard enough that one of them is really shy/easily embarrased, must it really be that the both of them are “spineless”?

    all i can say is that, yoshi is no-where near what juunichi was, especially to the first d.c. juunichi. =\

    reekon
  2. At least no one can claim they were “mislead” this time around… ^^;

    Koko and Yoshiyuki are definitely awkward, but cute. I can’t not cheer for them. Wasn’t what I expected going into the show, but I’m not disappointed, as it looks like they’re going to cover nearly everything from the game pretty nicely (though in an unusual way).

    relentlessflame
  3. And yeah, semtex, one can rightfully assume that there’s no way it’ll be smooth sailing all the way to the end of episode 13. At this early stage in the game, it’s the calm before the storm, one would think.

    relentlessflame
  4. i guess, it’s called “misled” when you don’t like the ending. when the results turns out to be to one’s liking, it’s called, “a welcome surprise” or a “nice twist”. 😀 😉

    reekon
  5. Out of curiosity, has the show really given anyone enough evidence to definitively say that Nanaka’s the best character, or is it just because she’s the descendant of another certain Shirakawa we all know? Considering she’s gotten all of 10 minutes or so of airtime, she’s sure got a lot of fans already… ^^;

    And yeah, reekon — exactly. 😛

    relentlessflame
  6. Are people only calling Nanaka the best character because she’s cute and cheerful? XD It’s not like Koko’s mean or anything. She may be a little boring since she’s without any “real” faults, but hey, I think it’s pretty awesome to go back to osananajimi–they seem to be a losing race… I actually find Yoshiyuki/Koko cute. Awkwardness ftw, hahaha.

    Anvilfactory
  7. Sad to say…this has been one of the most boring shows so far….if he continues to stick to koko with every episode showing how they got closer….this show aint worth waiting for. Nanaka ftw.^^

    Pand3monium
  8. lol i dont watch this…but it sounds like no one likes the guy to be with the orange haired girl right? it should be the pink hair girl…it might end up like that in hayate no gotoku! ^^

    Terry-Kun
  9. A Da Capo without Nemu getting bitchier and more irritating as the seconds pass means that the main problem with the show was solved already.

    I can’t say I’m -too- interested though, but it’s fine.

    Niou
  10. Well…. Haha, the real show starts now! since koko’s wish had already been granted! Yoshiyuki can now go with other girls since her wish is fulfilled and his feelings for koko will fade away! Go nanaka! You are better with yoshiyuki than with koko! Hows that???

    kencute321
  11. For a third-rate show, this one is pretty enjoyable. But then again, I love Koko, and I love the easy way the relationship is progressing. I guess I’ve seen enough really slow romantic developments not to be annoyed by this one, which at least is continually progressing. But I still expect Koko to lose out in the end, unfortunately. The series is supposed to be 13 episodes.

  12. hashihime:
    I suppose I might take some exception to the “third-rate” label (the franchise is top-selling in many senses, and one of Starchild’s flagship series) but then again, I’m not necessarily going to defend the production values in comparison to some of the larger-budget productions you see out there this season. It looks fine, and sometimes even quite good, but certainly won’t win any art awards, so if you meant third-rate in that sense, I can see where you’re coming from.

    relentlessflame
  13. Honestly I’d be more disappointed if they pull a Canvas 2 on this one at this stage. We’re almost halfway through and no one else has made any moves. I don’t care if Koko’s boring or whatever, this entire series has been developing the two and if it goes and turns around at the very last second… it would be very irritating.

    Wererat42
  14. The DC (games) franchise is huge, but I don’t know about how big it is in anime terms. And when I say I don’t know it doesn’t mean I’m doubting it, but that I really don’t know.

    Niou
  15. Niou:
    Well, from a “just the facts” point of view, the original series sold an average of about 13,500 copies per volume, while D.C.S.S. sold about 6,500 each. It’s third behind Key and TypeMoon in terms of anime franchise popularity in the bishoujo genre, and in the top 10% top-selling anime franchises. It was among the first bishoujo game franchises to get a 26-episode run, and then the first again to get greenlit for a second 26-episode season. D.C. II brings the episode count up for the franchise up to 65, with an animated movie on the way.

    So yeah, there you have it. “The more you know…” and all that. :p

    relentlessflame
  16. @anonymous
    because she confessed to him, and he has been seeing her in his dreams and he didn’t have a girl he liked in particular. He liked her as a friend already, but he was not sure if what he felt was love, but he decided to give it a try when he saw he tears. So now we have to wait to see if he actually falls for her or for someone else.

    golthin
  17. 13 episodes. It doesn’t feel dragged out to me… it’s only episode 5, not even half-way. If the previous two Da Capo series taught us anything, it’s that the real story doesn’t start until the second half (until then, it’s all setup).

    relentlessflame
  18. ***late comment.

    can of course see where they’re coming from, taking into consideration that your first times as a couple are full of embarrassment. but really, must they be embarrassed of every single thing/touch/phrase/show of affection?

    anyways… animes tends to put emphasizes on character actions/expressions.

    andynai

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