When people tell you that Kodomo no Jikan isn’t just about the lolis and the jailbait, this is the story arc they are talking about. It’s the story of Rin and Reiji’s past, when Rin’s mother Aki was still alive.

Coming from an abusive family, it was natural that Reiji would be a dark, unapproachable guy. Even when he moved in with his cousin Aki and her young daughter Rin (hottie mother and a little bundle of cuteness), he was a recluse, locking himself in his room. Heck, they could have took about 47 different tangents on this situation alone, and yet they stayed the course – impressive.

Anyways, it wasn’t until Reiji is met with his darkest hour (I’m guessing somewhere between 11pm and midnight) that Rin comes in and gives him the hug of a lifetime. Realizing that he’s completely pathetic for sulking in a house of two cheerful girls, the next day onward he becomes a changed man – friendly, mature, and always taking good care of Rin.

Of course, that’s not where the story ends, as Reiji feels a constant sense of guilt and dissatisfaction at his own incompetence – wanting to help support Aki and Rin, he becomes a diligent and responsible student, wishing he would grow up faster.

Fast forward a few years, where Reiji has found himself a steady job and can now support the family. Things are looking pretty good, and now it seems Reiji is banging Aki as well (HUZZAH). But no, life deals the Kokonoe family another bad hand, and Aki falls ill to a disease that saps the life out of her with each day.

Those of you that caught the Kanon craze, you’ll remember the sullen turn Makoto’s story took as she gradually faded away. While Aki’s eventual demise came more abruptly, the severity of the situation arguably hit harder with Rin sitting by her dead mother, Aki’s tears streaming down her face, holding a note that says “I’m sorry.”

Damn.

Preview:

Crying is for sissies! I’m a sissy :\


Thoughts

See, this is a great episode to prove the doubters wrong, but by now, the doubters have all moved on to other shows. And it’s not like this episode could have come any earlier, either… so, oh well, consider it a gift for those still watching the show.

But how was it? Given their budget and the resources available to them, I thought the studio did a pretty good job setting up the mood and eventually finishing it out. There were very few distractions so to speak – unfortunately, the lone censor screen in this ep completely killed the scene (again), but we can use our imagination. At any rate, once again the writers have succeeded in confusing their audiences as to the identity of this anime – is it drama? Comedy? Fanservice? Perhaps all three, as it’s able to juggle between all of those without being too obnoxious.

Regardless, Kodomo no Jikan continues to keep me interested, for one reason or another. And that reason seems to change every episode. Next week’s reason? I think those preview screenshots are pretty self-explanatory!

Captions up

54 Comments

  1. Me too! I am a sissy! So what?!

    If anyone who did NOT cry at this episode, then you’re NOT a human being AT ALL!

    What’s a matter with all of you if you didn’t cry at this week’s episode?!

    Ren90270
  2. dward:

    Second cousins are harmless (well, more or less). Unless of course you repeat that for 10 generations or something.

    (For that matter, First cousins (when only done by one generation) aren’t THAT more likely to produce genetic defects than random people either – unless your familiy has lots of hereditary diseases. Siblings though are a whole different matter.)

    Gloranor
  3. This show has me all confused. I started watching as a comedy. But then it became a little serious, and then back to being comedy, and then THIS episode totally came out of nowhere.

    I was a good episode, and I did use up a good deal of tissues. But it’s good thing the trend goes back to mostly comedy next episode. Too much seriousness is not good.

    meh
  4. I think the act of being able to cry (especially over a movie/anime) is something you should be envious of. I, for one, have a hard time crying, even if I want to when it comes to movie 🙁

    Otaku
  5. Damn, man. That was almost as tearjerking as Episode 10 of Kanon. If I hadn’t seen the manga before, I’d be bawling right about now. Anyone who think that this show is one-dimensional loli-fest should take a look at this episode and shut the hell up.

    Guys, behold another sissy! XD;

    MasakoX
  6. Well, I’m a little late with my comment but …

    BEST ANIME EVER FOREVER!
    BEST EPISODE UNTIL NOW!

    This ep is a REVENGE on Anti-KnJ people!

    Watch this episode and you will understand how deep is the KnJ’s story and this is only a beginning.

    I was shocked after seeing how well they turned manga into an animation. It has all the dark mood of the manga and seriously
    https://randomc.net/image/Kodomo%20no%20Jikan/Kodomo%20no%20Jikan%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
    this scene was most shocking I have seen in anime.

    Just imagine, A young girl, a single mother of a maybe 3yo girl dies before her child’s eyes.
    I felt very well her sadness and struggle for life as I know the feeling, that you want to live for your beloved ones. I was on the same side. You think that it was a short time and you have so much things to do and you regret things that you did not do.

    It’s very rare to see so well done anime besed on manga. As for the seiyuu, they are so great, you can feel their character’s emotions. I almost cried watching this episode.
    Almost, because I read the manga before and I almost cried reading it.
    Maybe I’m a sissy too. Count me in.

    As for first/second cousins taboo, incest and such I have to say one thing.
    It’s just a taboo in our culture and diseases are bullsh!t.
    Nature made animals that way to multiply and survive.
    In natural environment more than half of newborn children would die and without todays medical support babies with defects would die in a few hours or days after birth. Nature would eliminate weak ones and only strongest ones would survive (and multiply regardless of relations).

    How can you make wrong gene combination out of a perfectly good genetic material (code)?
    If someone have a gene defection then their children have a very high possibility to have it either. It’s like a lottery. Get yourself a good book of genetics and write down hundreds of simulations and see what you will have as the outcome. Good is Good, bad is bad, Good and Bad gene combination is either good or bad. Just a lottery.
    I would like to say more, and post a lot of examples, but I don’t want to flame wars.

    fake
  7. this episode is just fantastic. Even though I have read the mange before, the production company manage to bring out the best of it in just a short 1 episode. Fantastic job really. Truely touching episode to show the the other side of this series (the non Loli Side)

    tassardar
  8. Quote:Flicker
    ‘the preview shows rin x teacher together in the bed. call the cops pedo rapist’
    People thinks about things they are hungry for! You Pedo Rapist!

    Quote:Rembr
    ‘Lolicons, prepare your tissues. Only this time you’ll be wiping your tears with it.’
    So, you practice it yourself?
    How many tissues have you spent watching lolicon anime/manga?

    Quote:imnewhere
    ‘how can u people watch this thing, it’s so wrong lol , they’re all kids’
    is just watching anime with kids something wrong? and NO, not all characters are kids.
    Where in this episode or even entire show have you seen something that involve kids directly in sexual way? Just because of a few carefully selected screencaps you can’t have a good image of the show. You pedo bastard, you see only kids in this show!

    fake
  9. fake,
    where in the world have u seen a teacher blushing by looking at a 3rd grade student of his, or saying that he likes her lol,
    anyway this was just to answer FAKE,
    not trying to pick a fight, just saying my opinion lol

    whats-with-that
  10. @whats-with-that
    You are piking a fight!

    is blushing forbidden?

    What is more appropriate? Saying your students that you hate them or like them?
    Which is better? or maybe Aoki should be like previous tannin sensei, Nakamura?
    Aoki is a virgin like probably all the teachers in the show.
    What is wrong with little blushing like Boin-Sensei… ekhmm… Hoin-sensei when Aoki mentioned boobies? Huh? Answer that!

    fake
  11. @Rembr
    Some people may feel offended by such a comment.

    … That was a statement that mostly pedo people are watching KnJ.
    To be clear about it, There is nothing that would be of interest for pedo people.
    There are tons of other anime and games that provide child action in lovemaking.
    pedos would drop it after 1st ep because there is nothing to see for them.
    If I’m wrong then I would ask pedos to post a comment here.
    It’s not that anyone would even post here.
    They have more ‘interesting’ things to do. like bbs, forums, watching ‘material’, etc.
    I think that mostly KnJ fans check comments here.
    I liked other titles with deep stories like ‘kimi ga nozomi eien’ but this has ‘the thing’ that is a magnet.

    Anyway, I’m looking forward to next episodes. Cheers!

    fake
  12. Fake:

    Knock it off, willya? The war is over and all that (except for imnewhere, whose name is program apparently, and you) – the “this is CP!” crowd by and large either finally got it or got the message that they should leave the KNJ threads alone.

    Gloranor
  13. If you do not shed a tear at the end of this episode, be it you are a male or female, then you’re not human.

    This is THE episode where you truly start to feel for Kokonoe and where you start to understand why she’s acting like she is.

    It’s VERY well thought out. I really feel sorry for poor Kokonoe, having such a tragic past. (although she doesnt want people to feel sorry for her)

    Lire
  14. the RAW’s of the first 2 DVD episodes have been released. Let’s hope the fansubbers pick it up as the censoring in the emotional scenes is getting really annoying and the DVD’s have NOTHING of censoring.

    And i’ll join the Sissy Squad. This episode was just too sad! T_T

    Kuro-puppy
  15. tbh i watched ep 1-5 cause i was EXTREMELY bored, and my thought on 1-5 was that this anime sux, didnt really laugh much either consider this is a comedy (not really into loli too btw).

    But damn i m so glad i continue watching this, this ep is SO good, didnt find any boring part at all, the music was well fit, everythin was really good imo. lol but then the censor part made me laugh a bit, kinda killed the mood a bit.

    random

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