Summary:

On the way home, Hiromi reveals to Shinichirou that it was last year during an interleague basketball game with Hotarugawa High School that she met Noe’s brother. At the time, she thought he was a good guy, and she came to be attracted to him. Hearing all this makes Shinichirou think that this is not the Hiromi that he knows, and he feels that she’s shackle-less in a world that he isn’t familiar with. The next morning, Shinichirou runs into Hiromi on his way out, but he purposefully seems not to say much to her. He ends up going to the waterfront to lie around, and it’s Aiko who finds him there. When she notices that something is wrong and asks him about it, Shinichirou blames the false hope that she gave him. To cheer him up, Aiko suggests that he go shopping with her, but because he assumes that this means bringing along Nobuse too, she claims that Nobuse had something else to do. At the shopping center, Shinichirou barely pays any attention to the clothes Aiko is looking at, though he seems attracted to a particular purple sweater. Aiko thinks that it’s plain looking, but after Shinichirou walks off, she decides to buy it.

Aiko treats Shinichirou to lunch because she feels responsible, however Shinichirou attributes it to his own misunderstanding. He knows now that there’s someone closer to Noe than him, and that was the person Hiromi that was interested in. Trying to console him, Aiko says that the time will come when he’ll naturally forget, and he needs to cheer up because he’s like a little brother to her, so she worries about him. Back at home, Shinichirou runs into Hiromi again, and this time she directly asks him if he’s avoiding her. Before he can say anything, she goes ahead and apologizes for what she asked him to do. Shinichirou claims that he was merely surprised at how she wanted to be friends with Noe so that she could hit it off with Noe’s brother, but he blames his own foolishness. Hiromi looks ready to cry as he talks about how he wishes that she had told him this from the beginning and his calling it unfair. Their conversation, however, is interrupted by Shinichirou’s mother, and as soon as she appears, Shinichirou runs off. As Hiromi excuses herself too, Shinichirou’s mother coldly comments on how Hiromi’s eyes are just like her mother’s.

After school the next day, Noe finds Shinichirou and presents him with some berries that she refers to as the day’s serving. Shinichirou brings up how he can give her the tears she wants right now because he feels like crying, but when he refuses to tell her why, she claims that his tears are worthless right now. Noe offers to clean them for him, however this turns out to involve dunking his head into a cold fountain. Afterwards, she gives him her coat to warm him up and reveals that it belonged to her grandmother – the same grandmother that took Noe’s tears to the heavens. Years ago, Noe had been crying at her sick grandmother’s bedside, so her grandmother had talked about taking her tears with her on her trip to the sky. Noe’s brother had spoken up about tears not being something that could be given away, but their grandmother had explained that it could be done if it was someone precious to you. True to her word, Noe’s grandmother took Noe’s tears, and Noe’s been unable to cry since then. Noe feels that she’ll want to cry some day, and she’ll need someone’s tears for that, but it has to be someone precious to her. What’s more, she wants it to be someone who looks upwards and has tears close to the heavens – that’s why Shinichirou’s ordinary tears right now are no good.

Nobuse and Aiko meanwhile are on what Nobuse thinks is a date, but Aiko is not really interested in what he wants to do. After two spot Shinichirou and Noe walking together, Aiko comments on how cute Noe is, so Nobuse says that Aiko is cute too. Seeing the look on Aiko’s face makes Nobuse want to hold her hand, but him trying to do so shocks her and causes her to pull away. After a round of apologizes, the intersection light turns green, and Aiko surprisingly takes Nobuse’s hand to cross the street. As for Noe and Shinichirou, she figures out that Hiromi is the reason for his tears, and she attributes this to her sincere imagination and how she uses it to think about why people are suffering. She goes on to say that she’s okay with helping him to hit it off with Hiromi to raise his spirits, surprising him a little. Shinichirou then brings up how he can’t eat the berries and gets her to try them when she asks why. Noe does just that, and the pained face she makes afterwards makes Shinichirou laugh. On the way home, Shinichirou wonders to himself if he can give up on Hiromi, and though he still doesn’t know, he feels the need to shout at some crows.

At the supermarket with her brother that night, Noe tries to decide on vegetables because she intends to cook for Shinichirou. As her brother tries to put a helmet on her to go home, Noe can’t stop talking about Shinichirou, but her brother focuses his gaze on her chin and neck. At his own home, Shinichirou goes in to see his father in the brewery, and his father asks about his picture book. His father saying that he wants to see it next time makes Shinichirou smile. Shinichirou then starts working on his picture book again, and in it, the red snow turns white and accumulates until everywhere is white. The following morning, he runs into Hiromi just as she’s finishing washing up in the bathroom, and he apologizes for how he spoke to her earlier. Unfortunately for him, he accidentally tries to use facial cleanser as toothpaste, and Hiromi runs to get her cell phone so that she can take a picture of him. She laughs at how he looked, and though Shinichirou is embarrassed, he feels that even he can make her laugh. As Shinichirou is leaving the house, he’s surprised to find that Noe’s brother Jun is waiting for him. Jun has a favor to ask: he wants Shinichirou to go out with Noe.

Preview

My oh my, there are so many potential relationship links now. This episode alone adds at least three more to the mix, with Hiromi and Jun, Jun and Noe, and Aiko and Nobuse. You could argue that Hiromi and Jun was introduced last week, but I didn’t think it was viable until Hiromi explained the background behind it this episode (and she does apparently know that he’s Noe’s brother), showing that she probably didn’t just pick a name out of a hat when she was talking to her friend. Still, it’s pretty clear that the majority of her feelings lie with Shinichirou.

Aiko and Nobuse has also been mentioned before, but this is the first time she’s really actually shown feelings for him, even if they were somewhat misdirected in the sense that he’s like a consolation prize and she really still likes Shinichirou. And then there’s Jun and Noe and what could be interpreted as a siscon moment when he was trying to put the motorcycle helmet on her. That could be a false alarm, but I’m also a little bothered by the fact that Jun told Shinichirou that he’s not at all like his sister – it brings back memories of not-related-by-blood stories.

There’s also the prospect of what happened between Shinichirou’s mother and Hiromi’s mother, and more than one person has pointed out the possibility of Hiromi being Shinichirou’s half-sister or something. I’m a bit leery of that idea (two possible siscon elements seems like too many), but I admit that it’d make an interesting twist. I also have to applaud the production team on ending the episode on what I thought was a funny, yet cliffhanger moment with Shinichirou’s reaction to Jun’s request. The overall production on this series has just been incredible. Anyway, I’m very curious to see what happens now between Noe and Shinichirou, and what next week reveals about Shinichirou’s mother’s (seemingly bad) relationship with Hiromi’s mother.

56 Comments

  1. *OMNI
    “Shinichirou’s mother doesn’t like Hiromi’s mother”

    I think it´s because Shinichirou’s father have played around with Hiromi’s mother….and…that´s how she came to the world….soooooo….hiromi is Shinichirou’s real sister….sooooo…He is “THE” real siscon….and…this anime will end just like DA.Capo…with A relative marriage…..and….I don´t know what more to say….soooooo……That´s it folks!!!!

    Presented by a soapopera´s lover from a green country!!!
    ” MARIA DEL BAIRO !!! ” game mode on:
    ” CLAIRE WA DOKODA!!!??? ” 😀

    Tensai Otaku
  2. @William:

    What Omni meant was that he thinks that Hiromi might like Noe’s brother, but her true feelings still lie with Shin’ichirou. (i.e. likes Jun, but really likes Shin’ichirou and isn’t being honest with herself.)

    Personally, I feel the same way. I sort of feel bad for Ai-chan in this episode (and incidently Miyokichi) though, since she obviously likes Shin’ichirou, but knows he likes Hiromi. Ah, poor Ai-chan! I really like characters with her type of personality too. She’s somewhat tsundere, but not overly.

  3. I think Hiromi said that She like Noe’s brother because she want to avoid her friend asking about she like Shin’ichirou that all. I don’t think she don’t really like him at all. Also I think they just met.

    AsPHERE
  4. @AsPHERE:

    Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not what Hiromi said.

    Show Spoiler ▼

  5. We do not see Hiromi’s face when she lies to Shin’ichirou at the beginning of the episode, which was a nice touch. Shin’ichirou will now do his best to get Hiromi and Jun together, to the pain of both of them. Everyone will be paired up with someone other than the person they like the most. ‘Green Hat’ status for Shin’inchirou’s best friend is CONFIRMED.

    Ronin8317
  6. the most insteresting part of this show is AikoXNobusexShin. Nobuse was in heaven when Aiko hold his hand to cross the street. It is obvious that Aiko has feelings for Shin when she bought the shirt that Shin was looking at! I think Aiko will not go very far with Shin and she will end with Nobuse. She kind of felt defeated when she saw how cute Noe is.

    On Hiromi, I don’t know now for sure, but I still think she is lying about liking Noe’s brother, but things are going to get complicated now because it seems that Noe’s brother likes Hiromi and his motive to get Shin and Noe together my now have an ulterior motive.

    I don’t read that much into Aiko grabbing Nobuse’s hand, but it is a good step for him.
    She is lucky that she can always have a fallback guy. Aiko needs to stop referring to Shin as “Otouto”.

    golthin
  7. watched the raw caus i couldn’t wait for the subs.. lol’ed at the cleansing foam scene and shin’s expression after hearing jun say “go out with noe”

    love this show. hilarious yet in a serious kind of way….

    Kenji
  8. Damn! I so wanted AikoxShin, but it seems she has not chance now that she saw him with Noe and seems to be resigned to reciprocate Nobuse feelings. I watch the holding hand scene a couple of time and the more I watch the more I think Aiko is giving up on Shin and settling down for Nobuse! NOOOOO!

    golthin
  9. @divine
    I still think Hiromi like Shin because how she keep thinking about Shin when they are younger. Especially when she crying and called out for Shin. Also when she told Shin about all that stuffs about Noe’s brother I don’t think she said out of her love or anything because she seem to hurt when Shin talk back to her. I think she will keep hiding her feeling until later.

    AsPHERE
  10. @AsPHERE:

    Yeah, I also think Hiromi actually likes Shin’ichirou and the whole Jun thing is just her not being honest with herself (for whatever reason). I didn’t clearly state that in my last comment since I didn’t want to persuade others of one way or another, but I’ve been saying this since the last episode.

  11. Seems like I’m the only one rooting for Hiromi x Shin’ichirou. I like Noe too but for some reason I think she should just be a close friend than a girlfriend. Although it’ll probably end up with Shin x Noe. Unless this turns out like Canvas 2, never saw that coming.

    Golthin
    How did Noe’s brother indicate he might like Hiromi?

    White Star
  12. man i’m all for the incest and beastiality type stuff, but i gotta say i was freaking disturbed by #4’s “i want to caress my sisters face” eeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuu! dat was weird, hope they ain’t blood

    BROOKLYN otaku
  13. i felt jun has a sister complex with noe.. but i don’t really want that to happen. jun might like noe since he had wanted to touch her face but stopped himself; however, i really want to see the hiromi and jun pairing.. i think they may look great together..
    im wagering that after jun gets to knoe hiromi..he will develop feelings soon and will only see noe as his sister..

    ai-chan is cute when she is shy.. esp at the part when she holds nobuse’s hand..

    noe has gotten cuter in each episode..

    i like how hiromi starts to talk more.. and looks cool when she plays basketball

    i like how jun care so much for his sister and the way he shoots and plays basketball..

    can’t wait for the next ep..

    teddex
  14. Hiromi gives off the kinda aura that makes people like and want to protect her. Reminds me of 1 of the very few girls back in my school, where everyone, including me, were simply attracted to her. Sweet, smart, kind, pretty, etc. Noe on the other hand is the kind of girl that makes you feel really really comfortable to be/chat with. She belongs to the group that’s made up of cute, loveable oddballs.

    The (my) question now is, who will end up with the lead male. Will Noe just be a catalyst for Hiromi to discover and act on her feelings (if any) for Shin? Or will Noe end up with Shin, with Hiromi simply as an unattainable love that will stand and watch from afar. Either way, they’re both sweet angels IMO :P:P

    If only we can have a polygamy and polyamory ending… LOL!!

    Jayars
  15. Well guys, imo Hiromi going through the trouble of explaining how she knows Jun to Shin and for that matter just telling her best friend about liking him at the end of ep3 when she says she met him last year or w/e, is all a big smoke sceen.

    Jun has never shown to like Hiromi, or that he even knows her. Even if what Hiromi says is true, the show doesn’t/hasen’t indicated that there is anything going on between the two.

    Jun asking Shin to go out with his sister isn’t anything to do with Hiromi either. Noe has probably been quiet/closed off in her little world up until now. So with her going on and on about Shin shows Jun that maybe she can finally snap out of it and be happy etc. This is why he’s suggesting they go out. I don’t see Jun as having any alterior motive related to Hiromi at all.

    As for Ai-chan holding hands with what’s his name. I don’t think she’s given up on Shin exactly, but she’s as yet not going all out to get with him. Why do girls in this type of show never just come clean with their feelings?

    Anyways, as it stands Noe is running away with things now, so if the other two are content with letting things stay how they are, I don’t see this ending in anythng but ShinxNoe. But I somehow have this feeling that the show is really about ShinxHiromi, and through other people (Noe, Ai, maybe Jun also) those two will get together in the end. Why I think this is pretty simple really. Noe herself says she’ll help him get with Hiromi in this ep. Ai helps in her own little way also. Everything that has happend so far happens around Shin and Hiromi. Shin more cuz he’s the main character, but Hiromi also.

    Next ep seems to show more about Hiromis mom, which might be key to the story or not, dunno yet. And more of Noe etc. If Jun says anything about Hiromi on his own then maybe HiromixJun comes into play, but if Jun only talks about his sister and Shin and Shin doesn’t do something stupid like talk about Hiromi to Jun, then there is nothing there really. So we’ll have to wait and see.

    GP
  16. Hmmm… could it be that Noe has some sort of terminal illness and now trying to cure herself by accomplishing something to be remembered by someone before dying so that atleast some one remembers her after she is gone?

    This sure doesn’t feel like it’s going to end as NoexShin. Given how she claims how her grandmother died and took her tears with him. It seems like Noe wishes to do the same to Shin at her deathbed.

    jubeihimura
  17. @jubeihimura

    I don’t think Noe is sick physically, I beleave she just has a simple (maybe single) case of something like PTSD. The trauma of loser he grandmother has probably effected her alot, and her being around Shin is helping her somehow. Jun noticing this change in her is the reason why he asks Shin to go out with her in the first place. Like I said before, there is no hidden alterior motive behind Juns actions somehow relating to Hiromi.

    If you look at the scene between Hiromi and Shin when he pretty much goes off on her about using him to get close to Noe and through that her brother, not being honest with him from the start. It seems like she’s in pain, clear in that she’s about to cry. But is she sad cuz she more or less used him like he says? Or that she’s lying to him about her feelings from the start?

    I mean hell, if she liked Jun all this time since they met at that event thing, why not tell her best friend of all people? Why does her best friend not even know something important like that until just now? In the end it just all seems like one big smoke screen by Hiromi.

    Like I said though, next episode is key to it all. If Jun never says anything about Hiromi on his own, and if Shin doesn’t somehow do the stupid thing of trying to get Hiromi and Jun together now, then there is nothing to the JunxHiromi idea.

    If it’s just her saying what she has said, without anything from Juns side then it’s all just a lie. But the reason now is why. Why does Hiromi fight her true feelings? I think this is related to her Mom, and we won’t know why until we find out what’s going on with her mom.

    GP
  18. GP: “Why do girls in this type of show never just come clean with their feelings?”

    I believe that in pretty much most anime dramas like this one the girl would always want to wait for “a knight in shining armor to come to her and sweep her off her feet.” I’ve gotten that feeling with most anime dramas I have seen so far. That is why there is girls that don’t want to show off their feelings or try to cause more conflicts like Hiromi. And for some reason in real life…some girls expect you to know what’s going on when in fact we are lost. But yea, it could be also be due to the fact that the guy would take too long to decide or don’t make up their minds which could also cause more things to happen. It’s all good, I’m enjoying this show!

    Dando008
  19. @Dando008

    Yeah, I know what you mean but it’s still a pain in the ass really.

    As far as Hiromi goes, I think she’s not waiting for some perfect guy like Jun etc. I think there is some other more complicated reason for her not giving in to her feelings and lying to Shin.

    I think this has something to do with her mom and why Shins mom doesn’t like her. I don’t think it’s it’s about her mom and Shins dad or anything like that, but we’ll have to wait and see.

    GP
  20. @Sic

    Yes, both of her parents are dead. It says so at the start of the show iirc. I think it was a car crash or something.

    Anyways, the key to why Hiromi doesn’t want to be honest with her feelings for Shin probably lies with why Shins mom doesn’t like Hiromi and her mom. Next ep should help with this question. But it looks like Noe is stealling the show at this point.

    I still beleave the story is going towards ShinxHiromi, but it’ll get there through their interactions with Noe. I still don’t beleave Jun is in play with Hiromi either. But I haven’t seen the episode cuz i’m not home right now and it’ll be a few weeks till I get back and am able to watch it. But at the start, when Hiromi is telling Shin about how she knows Jun, does it show scenes of them talking or is it just Shin and Hiromi the whole time?

    If the anime hasen’t shown them, and if in the next ep Jun doesn’t bring up Hiromi on his own, then there is nothing there imo.

    GP
  21. GP-But at the start, when Hiromi is telling Shin about how she knows Jun, does it show scenes of them talking or is it just Shin and Hiromi the whole time?

    What happens is that Hiromi talks about Jun, but the scene goes on mainly between Shin and Hiromi. It shows quick flicks of Jun playing basketball if I can remember correctly, but nothing more. It moves on to Shin noticing that she is talking more in gerneral rather than her talking about Jun. So, I think she is just using Jun because of Shin’s relationship to Noe. I see no indication of her really liking him. So yea, she is hiding something,but yea yet again we have to wait until the next episode.

    Dando008
  22. @Sic

    If that’s what he says in the preview, why say number #6? Why not say Hiromi, or her last name-san etc? If they talked often like Hiromi said at that event thing, he’d at least use her name wouldn’t he?

    I’m not saying that she’s lying about knowing Jun or not, but lying about him being the one she actually loves. Two different things.

    GP
  23. The reason why girls can never come out with their feelings is cause it is a drama. Things are much more interesting when you don’t know what is going to happen. The stuff that happens after a couple hooks up is pretty boring most of the time.

    Also I would like to bring up that Hiromi might not have known that number 6 was Noe’s brother until Noe shouted to her bro during the basketball match. Anyways, Hiromi seems like a person that has to resort to lies a lot even though she wants to be honest. It wouldn’t surprise me if she made the connection between Noe and #6 and went with it. I think she probably came up with #6 cause her friend was asking and he was just someone convenient who came to mind because he seems good at basketball. Her friend obviously didn’t believe her.

    don
  24. Oh sorry you are right you are right. I just realized Jun’s number might be a reference to JJ Redick. JJ’s number back in school was 4 as well and Blue and White are Duke colors (I personally think their black ones look the best). lol I love the ending; he totally owns Shin.

    don
  25. @deadceyx

    See I was expecting that to happen, if it actually does like you say. Shin will do the stuipd thing thinking that Hiromi doesn’t like him but Jun and try to get them to go out also.

    If Hiromi says no and gets mad at Shin for doing that, then it’s just one more clear sign of her feelings. Next episode should be even better.

    GP
  26. Animeplex effin’ licensed this show and it’s going to be one of those vastly overpriced sub-only series too with no bonus features to make purchasing remotely worthwhile. God I hate the US anime industry.

    Zzz...

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