First Impressions / Yosuga no Sora

「ツカズハナレズ」 (Tsukazu Hanarezu)
“Indecision”

Despite the beach portion of this episode, I couldn’t help but feel that the entire thing had a very somber mood to it. It all started with Kazuha revealing that Akira is the illegitimate child of her father, putting a very literally meaning on the “big sister” conversation Haru overheard last time. Rather than the lesbian relationship that he was picturing that would’ve taken this series down the erotic path, things between Haru and Kazuha got a bit awkward in a different sense. It was likely due to the way that they started giving clear blushing signs that they like one another, yet maintained a distant disposition for the most part. When Haru actually made a subtle move by grabbing Kazuha’s hand and asking to let him hear her play the viola one day, the sight of Sora looking on in displeasure put an uneasy feeling on the mood. Not too long after, the two of them were completely hitting it off after Haru saved Kazuha from having to talk to her father, whom she’s pissed off at for only interacting with Akira when it’s town/business-related. From my point of view, Haru looked like he was being pretty smooth about making a move on Kazuha — using this problem she has with father to show that he’s a dependable pretty boy — which was a bit unsettling since he came off as an opportunist when he dragged her off on a mini date. I never once got the impression that he noticed Kazuha’s mutual feelings, so when he just stole a kiss from her at the end there, I was thinking, “Whoa, slow down there Haru. Keep your tongue in your own throat.”

Admittedly, it’s kind of weird that I’m seeing Sora’s displeasure over their relationship kicking off as the reason they shouldn’t be rushing into things. No, this doesn’t mean that I’m hoping for an incestuous ending though. I would’ve simply liked Haru to take some notice of Sora’s feelings — being the clingy, needy girl that she is — instead of getting so absorbed into Kazuha and her cleavage to even remember that he has an emo sister. In the previous two episodes, he’s shown that he’s the reliable brother who spoils her by putting up with selfish behavior, so it struck me as a bit odd when he was all head-over-heels for the princess of the town and completely forgot about her. In addition to Sora’s happiness dwindling, Akira looked like she’s feeling rather neglected by Kazuha as well. The fact that they found one another in their gloomy state reiterated that notion, while the two love birds were busy locking lips elsewhere. Given the early developments between those two, I’m sort of left wondering where things will go from here. For one, I don’t see everything going just peachy with Kazuha while everyone else looks on with envious eyes, licking their ice pops with a lot of tongue action in lieu of Haru’s lips. However, I’m not inclined to believe that things will get ugly just to mix things up either, so kudos to the writers for keeping me guessing. I guess I’ll find out next time if Haru x Kazuha is meant to last or if he’s going to be hooking up with multiple girls.

* Interestingly enough, most of the fan-service comes from the omake at the end, which is a bit weird since it throws off the humor in them.

 

Omake

Preview

110 Comments

      3. uuuuhh yes, it has signs of sora ending the series with a bloodbath while wearing a hollow mask xD

        But I wish producers will finish this with a big harem and all in one bed. I’m quite bored of those harem animes that finish with 1, 2 or no girls. Please, give us some perverted otaku like ending at least once 😛

        LoL
        Reply

    3. I’m sure that he will not turn into another Mokoto but if I remember correctly, both stories started kind of innocently, or at least it seemed like the male lead was somewhat “pure” and then turned completely different character.

      ClementIV
      Reply

  5. Honestly Kazuha is the only one that I find interesting in this series. Despite the obvious “cute lonely girl” spotlight they put on his sister, I’m just not feeling it. I already have Ore no Imouto for that where the sister is actually very likable. But it’s pretty obvious his relationship with Kazuha is not going to last the entire season–it should come as no surprise after seeing the opening/ending that he’s just going to switch from girl to girl until he finally lands with his sister. I would have no problem with that if I just treated this like another KissxSis but I actually happen to like his relationship with Kazuha. Yeah there is probably some deep tearjerking backstory to his relationship with his sister but blah. Lol here’s hoping that it turns out like Amagami where there is a reset after a certain number of episodes. Having him get it on with every girl who likes him in the same timeframe would just make it too unrealistic. And he would probably come off looking like a douche in the end…or Sch–.

    EricJohnson2011
    Reply

      1. Kaichou wa Maid-sama is based on shoujo manga where that kind of male character are more common so I wouldn’t compare it with that. But it’s refreshing to see this instead of the usual meek, shy, insert word of choice, boy.

        Greg
        Reply

      1. Maybe because School Days is very memorable anime? ^^
        I understand that boy kissing girl doesn’t make it Nice Boat, but if Haru leaves Kazuha and goes for other girls, left ones might want revenge.

        PerlaNemesis
        Reply

  10. we really don’t want another nice boat, do we???
    it would be nice though if this can pull off as amagami does… but there isn’t much indication about that though… 🙁
    Although I have to say, I find Kazuha the most likable at this point… despite we have an emo Sora here…

    jrj
    Reply

  11. “Whoa, slow down their Haru.”

    I make this grammatical mistake when I’m rushed as well 😛

    I was kind hoping for a Haru x Sora ending. Don’t really know why… Probably because I wanted something that goes against the norm. Otherwise this would just be another harem anime to me.

    Well, I personally thought Kazuha was the next best choice so :/ But then again, this is an anime. He’ll probably get through all the girls by the end of the season.

    XineohP
    Reply

  12. Whoa, we’re only at episode 03 and so much has already happened. To think they’d actually go this far was very unexpected and it’s very exciting to see how this plays out for everybody.

    Though let’s hope Haru knows what he’s getting in to because I think he skipped a couple of steps. I don’t want to see him make a move on another girl leaving Kazuha with nothing but “I don’t see no ring on this finger!”.

    Jaden
    Reply

  15. Wait it wasn’t strange that haru wouldn’t want to take of his shirt to go swimming? It’s like the myself yourself watch thing all over again.
    This anime has this just can’t go well feeling. Something is going to hit the fan any minute now.

    vuurbalz
    Reply

      1. I think that haru is afraid to swim, traumatic experience or doesnt know how to swim. i think that the Nao saved him when they where still young. Seeing that in the ending Nao floats like a ballon to save haru

        Croosboy
        Reply

  22. well since something like this happened right now, im guessing he will probably go for all the girls but im hoping that he will pick sora in the end…

    besides, I prefer the yuri pair kazuhaXakira and want soraXharu in the end

    amado
    Reply

  25. Yeah, I’m utterly clueless as to what’s going to happen now too. The only thing I can think of is the “Amagami Reset”. I don’t think that’s an option here though. It’s funny, I kinda don’t wanna think about it. I like this suspense. I don’t want things to get ugly but I know it’s not gonna be smooth either.. lol Yes, great writing indeed! 😀 So psyched for next week!

    Motoka’s doggy roleplay was too good..~ What were those guys thinking at that party not to hit that!? Dx “Noo..~ Not there.. Uhh-hu-hu-hu-hu-huh~~” lmfao

    Shirt
    Reply

  26. Anyone else happy that Haru’s more decisive than the 99% of other male leads in anime? Watching Haru, it’s nice to see a male lead that’s into girls but isn’t a perv and actually makes a move when he sees it.

    synkronized
    Reply

    2. Same glad hes not a wimpy oh I just touch your hand now gotta go wish this hand since we aren’t allow to touch each other unless we are boyfriend/girlfriend kind of male lead again.
      I read the manga so only reason why I think hes not shy and act when the chance open is he has experiences with women, let just say he is a man while all these pathetic male lead in other harem anime is little boys.

      mike
      Reply

  27. Oh yeah. Why’s there two endings again? I like the songs and all but is the second one just for the little skits at the end? D:

    p.s. I like the “Cancel Reply” link. Just wish your text would stay when the page reloads. xD

    Shirt
    Reply

  28. Huh, I looked up the game this show is based on. Apparently, unlike most VN you could choose your selected girl early in the game and the plot unfolds from there.

    In hindsight, an omnibus approach for this series sounds alot more plausible

    fragb85
    Reply

  29. I think the key note in this episode is that Akira could have some sort of hidden sickness (she suddenly lose her balance and fell to the ground). As for the HaruxKazuha relationship…I will bet on “it won’t last”.

    kaminakun
    Reply

  31. That was quick, good for you Haruka. I was actually expecting Akiro or Sora or both to find them. I guess that they can keep their “relationship” secret for now.

    It is in times like these that I would like them to take the Amagami approach and split the stories so that every girl can be happy. I’m guessing that that is not happening. It will be interesting how they will end this relationship and who is next in Haruka’s list of conquests.

    ClementIV
    Reply

  33. Is it just me or did the animation seem to take a nose dive this episode? Anyways yeah this is different how it’s developing so fast. If they reset things I wonder what time they would reset to.

    sealouse
    Reply

  34. Whoa, now this was unexpected. They just blew past almost half of Kazuha’s route just like that. Judging from the way things are going, it’s VERY likely that they’ll do Amagami/Higurashi style resets for each of the routes. That or HAREM END. I highly doubt the possibility of a serious nice boat ending, unless they just do it for kicks.

    FlameStrike
    Reply

  35. I’m shocked. I guess the anime is following an original story rather than the eroge. Actually, in hindsight, I guess that’s to be expected but still, what I wasn’t expecting was Kazuha to be the main focus but maybe they ARE going for an Amagami-style format?
    To me, Haru kind of came across as someone who doesn’t really give a shit this episode, I mean like divine said, not really any thought towards sora and also when Kazuha was talking about Akira, Haru honestly didn’t seem interested, dragging her off on a ‘date’ in order to return her to her ‘normal self’. I don’t know, maybe he’s just smitten?

    Science
    Reply

  37. Wow, that ending threw me off! Wasn’t expecting Haru to hook up with someone so fast! Hope he doesn’t turn into another Makoto with the unfaithfulness… At this point, I’d actually prefer an Amagami-style reset, cause otherwise way too much drama will ensue over something and Kazuha and Haru are probably gonna break up. Dunno if it’s a red-herring, but the preview makes it look like things will move along kinda fast between those two…

    Aex
    Reply

    1. Ugh, this is only supposed to be 13 episodes (according to Wikipedia) so I’d guess we’re heading for a break-up since at the least we still need to cover Nao and Sora in a lot more detail(I’m assuming this “arc” counts as Akira’s time too). With Yahiro and Kozue in the ED, I was kinda expecting/hoping they would get some attention…

      Aex
      Reply

  39. i wonder if this will be like amagami ss format (resetting after every ark)
    or if this will be one continuous story. if that is the case i am interested to see if this will last.

    rooting for Haru x Sora(wincest)

    karnos
    Reply

  41. Can’t shake off the Nice Boat vibes I’m getting from this episode. Then again, the pace does seem perfect for it to take the Amagami’s “every girl gets her own arc” approach. Well, I’ll take Amagami’s approach over “Nice Boat” End any day.

    Kaiser
    Reply

  42. I guess everyone (including me) was really caught off-guard by how smooth Haru went after Kazuha. I was hoping for the Oujo-type to win, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen! Though as everyone said, it’s leaning towards a ‘nice boat’ ending, unless they do Amagami-format, which would suck. IF somehow, someway Haru retains his relationship with Kazuha through the end, it’d be an anime first unless one can remind me of an oujo-type winning in a harem series.

    Kyzel
    Reply

  43. Well, I’m suprised. I mean… CALM DOWN HARU! XD
    Like a said yesterday in the Shoutbox, OMFG. This episode caught me off guard. When Haru and Kazuha kissed each other, my face got red like a tomato! >///<
    I think that SoraXHaru is very cute, and analysing the opening, it's really possible that Yosuga will do the same thing that Amagami do. I'm not a fan of this "reset" thing, but…I don't know.
    And looking the preview, who thinks that Haru and Kazuha are going to move to another level? (naughty things, hummm XD)

    Rah
    Reply

  45. After reading all the comments I do think everyone is right in saying there is a NICE BOAT feel to it, but I’m sensing more of Myself;Yourself type of thing. With maybe a bit of H20: Footprints in the Sand thrown in there. I thought at first it’d be his neighbor, Nao Yorihime, that he’d end up. The focus on her is not huge (yet?) but from what I remember it seems there’s something she wants to tell Haru but is hesitant to do so(other than her liking him). And then there’s Akira (I recall she was the first person to recognize him) and maybe they have some promise they made as kids to one another, which he forgot. I don’t know. It’s all speculation on my part. But I find that those kind of things usually tend to happen in anime like this and I am still expecting something along those lines to come up. Although Kazuha is pretty nice and I don’t mind her with Haru, I think it will come down to Haru and Akira ending up together. But then there’s Sora’s brother complex so I’m not sure how this will turn out if she starts trying to interfere with things. I just hope that Haru doesn’t try to be a player and aim for everyone. I think I’d lose more respect if he did that. This show already has a dark feel to it with how everyone is and I don’t want to see it end on a negative note, for anyone.

    OtakuLeader
    Reply

    1. Now that you say that, I am reminded of Myself;Yourself and H20: Footprints in the Sand. That irritates me, since I simply COULDN’T stop watching those shows. There were times when I downright HATED them, but I had to know what happened next, so I kept watching… then of course I loved both their endings! XD

      With a title like “Haruka’s Heart” for next time, I’m pretty hopeful we’ll really learn what kind of guy Haru is. Still kinda hoping for a reset-style with Nao and Sora getting their own 4-episode thing, but as long as Haru doesn’t turn into Makoto (aka feels no need to be faithful and can’t understand that cheating hurts others), I’m good.

      Aex
      Reply

      1. School Days, Myself;Yourself; H2O. My three favorite anime. Why oh why am I just not feeling them in here like everyone else? I notice the somber atmosphere and hormones (and blatant fanservice, which deadens the effect along with the dropping animation quality), but I’m not so convinced things are heading that way.

        hoiut
        Reply

  46. Well, I am now really curious how this will play out. I am also concerned about Akira’s health – maybe the show will include an action by the kids to force Kazuha’s father who seems to be local big boss to take care of his illegitimate daughter.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  47. Interesting developments, but I really wasn’t expecting there to be such a huge change in Pace. Episode 1/2 seemed to move relatively slowly compared to this. These changes in pace make me more interested generally as I’m curious as to why they did it this way. I agree it’s written well.

    LaN
    Reply

  49. I get the feeling that it’ll be along the lines of: Kazuha treasures Akira too much and decides that she would rather stay by Akira’s side and keep her happy than to go out with Haru. So I’m rooting for Kazuha to dump Haru instead of Haru dumping Kazu lol..

    Tamaririn
    Reply

    1. If they break up, I really hope they don’t go too far physically (sleep together) because that’ll just make everything awkward for everyone, unless Haru really is as morally-bankrupt as Makoto.

      Aex
      Reply

      1. Dude, what’s so wrong with sleeping with more than one woman? The important thing is not to get caught. Or, you can end the relationship before going for another. I mean, it is pretty normal in real life to date a girl for a month and go for another the next (of course, these includes sexual intercourses as well), so why not the slice-of-life anime depicting something close to reality? And with regards to this anime, I highly doubt an omnibus format. Haru will go after every girl he can get his hands on but after a realization, would most likely end up with his sister in the end.

        Nolan
        Reply

      2. Well if he does start sleeping around then I’m done since I watch anime to get away from reality, and cheating is a piece of reality that makes me violent. If they have a clear break-up before-hand then that’s different, adds to the drama, and while I won’t like it, it’s still watchable.

        Aex
        Reply

    2. Now that I think about it, it can work the other way too. Sora could get sick again and Haru realizes that he has to be there for his sister, thus ending his relationship with Kazu ~_~ Either way, I’m sure they won’t be staying together.

      Tamaririn
      Reply

  50. 13 episodes (has this been verified?) and Amagami/Higurashi/MemoriesOff resets are unlikely (and unfitting, given the seemingly complex backstory behind our leads, the ED, etc) in this timeframe. Episode 2, 3, 4 (and maybe more, who knows) spent on Ojou just to reset? That’d give us 3 more arcs of equal length (including Sora’s arc). Enough? Maybe. But it’d be kind of strange.

    Almost like the development and drama would all go to waste.

    hoiut
    Reply

  51. i cannot see a reset being an option on this one. reason being is that the history of each girl has some sort of connection to every other girl. like one of the comments above, all the drama and whatnot will all be wasted if it’s all just gonna reset for every girl. curious as to how this is all gonna end.

    kc
    Reply

  58. Indeed, it´s really strande that Haru has alredy choose a girl but at for once the male protagonist tokk the lead. From this I think the only choice would be to make the relationship last the whole series or reset things to the begining; I just can’t take Haru turning into another Makoto (he doesn’t seem the type) or watch another School Days ending.

    haseo0408
    Reply

  61. Damn, I was shocked at everything happening at once, he just met her and they’ve already developed mutual feelings towards each other. I’m seeing a harem ending, a proper one at least for now with no boats. Though I’m still for HaruxSora even though this kind of development occured.

    BTW Did the game have a harem ending or did it have bloody endings?

    NanoNano
    Reply

    1. The game had a separate ending for each girl. No harem, No blood. BUT, it doesn’t seem like this show is following the eroge, therefore, maybe those two things will feature after all.

      Science
      Reply

  62. Lewdness can be make pure if you play a violin solo in the background.

    On a side note, the pacing is pretty fast…
    are they gonna send Migawa off to the city, actually kill her off (probably not), or actually turn her into a lesbian… or good boat? 😛

    vin-nii
    Reply

  63. I was actually pretty amazed and glad about the speedy development. For once, you don’t get a ‘dancing around each other’ arc for thirty episodes before they manage to blush at each other. Yay, for depicting actual teenagers!

    Of course this does mean something is going to go wrong.

    SpacyRicochet
    Reply

  64. Personally I would prefer to see Haruka end up with either Sora or Nogizaka (Kazuha’s maid), sheerly because Kazuha is too stereotypical a choice: I mean, I do like her as a character but, essentially, she’s still another ‘misunderstood, kind-hearted heroine’ that’s popular in various mangas and animes. For instance: she reminds me of Misaki in Kaichou wa Maid-sama! In the sense that she’s over-protective, hard-working, has family problems (hers being with her father and Misaki’s being debt, due to her father deserting them) and, despite the occasional outburst, is border-line perfect. She’s also similar to Fumino from Mayoi Neko Overrun! Except not as temperamental and more open to her feelings. I think that it would be a much better choice to have a Yuri couple with her and Akira – because that’s actually quite rare in most animes of this sort. And, aside from Kannazuki No Miko, I’ve never seen an incestuous Yuri coupling with unknown siblings. However, it will probably end up as another typical harem that remains unsolved: we all know that Haruka is especially perverted – what with the various images he manages to conjure up inside his head, I mean, who actually thinks about sex when someone is playing the viola? Nogizaka was one of the first people to spot Haruka, and, although they don’t interact very much, I think it’d be an original choice for the two of them to end up together. Either that or an incestuous relationship with Sora – since they have history and, I must admit, are ADORABLE together. However, I have to say that this is pretty fast-paced and the idea of Haruka switching from Kazuha to her sister Akira instantaneously sounds hilarious :)In a way I’m glad that he and Kazuha are already together, because it pretty much rules out the possibility of the two of them officially ending up together at the end of the series.

    Painting It Purple
    Reply

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