「七咲逢編 最終章 コクハク」 (Nanasaki Ai-hen Saishuushou – Kokuhaku)
“Nanasaki Ai Final Chapter – Confession”

Between Ai and Junichi running the girls swim club’s oden booth and Itou Kanae walking away with the Miss Santa championship because Haruka was a no-show, the founder’s festival as a whole didn’t quite have much relationship-related development in it. The two of them were alone together, but too busy serving the endless line of customers that the other members of the swim team were bringing in. As such, there was never a Junichi x Ai moment to be seen in the first two-thirds of the episode, and instead we got some quirky humor from a traditional flavor test by the Tea Club’s Ruriko and Manaka, plus a hammered Takahashi-sensei not too long after.

Needless to say, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting from the big final chapter in Ai’s arc. The only thing keeping me hanging onto a great finish was the preview last time showing her at a hot spring with Junichi, and maybe the full-size Gundam that was on display. (Just maybe.) I wouldn’t say it was a bad start to the final episode in Ai’s route, but it sure went against my presumption last time that her relationship with Junichi was well ahead of the curve. The one thing that I can see transferring onto future episodes though was the focus on Tsukasa again, which gives a pretty unsettling feeling with the way she stares down Ai before finally smiling at her. We won’t get to see exactly what her peculiar behavior is alluding to until a good month later, but I’m already getting the impression that she’s secretly the jealous type. This is the first time I’ve felt that the writers are really pushing some cross-arc foreshadowing, so it’ll be interesting to see what we’re in store for in the final arc of this adaptation.

Aside from a brief cameo of a sub character named Kurosawa Noriko, i.e. the Ayatsuji Tsukasa rival of sorts, the remainder of the episode was more in line with what I was hoping to see. Oddly enough, I didn’t find myself ogling over the sight of Ai in nothing by a bath towel and lying about how she had her swimsuit on underneath, nor her eventual confession that she couldn’t even face Junichi to say. In retrospect, it was likely due to the order in which things happened, as I did get a better feel for the emotion involved when Junichi reciprocated those feelings and Ai drew him in closer before lunging in his arm and pressing her naked body against his. That scene actually had a much more sentimental feel to it than any sort of erotic one in my eyes, so it probably would have had more impact if she done that first and then confessed in his arms.

Had that happened, Ai would have given much better indication that she couldn’t contain her feelings for Junichi any longer and totally went out on a limb in hopes that he would accept them. This is Ai we’re talking about after all, and no man in his right mind would refuse if a girl like her confessed in such a manner. (I dare say he would have to be gay!) Instead, they went with Ai’s usual respectful attitude when it came to the confession where she remained at a distance and was expecting to be rejected. To that approach’s credit, it did continue to stress that Ai wasn’t too confident in herself and that definitely has a very cute side to it. In retrospect, Ai’s story actually felt like it hit the climax last episode when Junichi dove into the pool after her, and this last episode served as more of an epilogue to make their relationship official, which may also explain why I’m feeling it didn’t have as much impact. I’d probably feel differently if I could get in on that lap pillow though. Damn 2D, bring on Rihoko so I don’t have to see Junichi all lovey-dovey with Ai! >:(

 

Preview

103 Comments

    1. when she said she had her swimsuit on underneath, i took one look at her bare shoulders, pointed at my screen and shouted “LIAR!” she obviously wasn’t wearing her school swimsuit, and it seemed unlikely that she would have a strapless swimsuit just to conveniently hide under a towel. i’m a little disappointed in junichi not figuring that out, but he is pretty dumb.

      diet otaku
    1. I think my train of thought was lost when I saw her in a towel, but it’s too bad 2d ain’t real sometimes.

      And, Ayatsuji does look terribly sad. Maybe she has feelings for Junichi? I can’t wait for her arc D:

  1. That was a great arc. Ai’s a character that asserts herself a bit which is a nice change. The other plus about Kaoru and Ai’s arcs is didn’t have those absurd, palm face moments but they still did an arguably better job with humor and story telling.

    synkronized
  2. Such a sad day. SO SAD… Last episode of Ai… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! They’re going to add in extra things like they did with the first dvd for Haruka, Kaoru and Sae right?

    Sora no Kaze
      1. I think that those will be more like separate DVD/BD rather then just a bonus added on. They usually only have like 2 episodes on each DVD/BD (which is obviously less then they could fit) so it’s simply noway they will add several extra episodes just as a bonus.

        Znail
  3. i think i’m getting excited about tsukasa’s arc. man, what a foreshadowing. i wonder why they put some during ai’s arc.hmm..tsukasa intriques me to no end. and damn, HIBIKI!! of course, my love for HARUKA won’t be forgotten. WOOT! ditzy RIHOKO gets her arc next. i expect some good laughs from it nwei.

    keiOnDaisuki
    1. oh snap! why do i keep on butchering the words.DX
      *intrigues..XD

      ANyhow, i agree about how anti-climactic this arc ended.i mean, compared to the last 3’s end,it looks as if ai’s was downplayed.GAHH! nevermind..my main concern would be how come tsukasa was acting that way.guess, she’s the TRUE ENDING? Ahh..NO! scratch that.L0L.

      keiOnDaisuki
    2. Yes! Hibiki! lol

      And what interests me the most about Rihoko’s arc is the fact that we rarely get that much interaction with her at all throughout the other arcs, even when she was talked to. Haruka, Kaoru, Sae, and Ai we all got pretty decent cameos of. All we got were little bits and pieces of her talking with other people, thus we don’t really know what to expect when it comes to getting with Junichi and everything.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
  4. This was an awesome end for what it’s worth. Yeah, we didn’t get the same feeling we got with Kaoru or Haruka. That’s because those arcs played more on the dependency on Juinchi, whereas Ai is fairly independent and shows her softer side when with him.

    And yeah… poor Bambi is getting a lesson in love too early.

    TehJawknee
  5. The Gundam model was weird…

    Overall this arc was a appointment, Ai was one of the better girls, but alot of this episode felt like padding. The only decent payoff at the end was naked Ai. Kaoru is still my favorite arc, I had hoped this arc would be better.

    fragb85
  6. Ai’s personality certainly gives her arc a unbelievably sweet and touching ending without it being totally mushy. To put it simple, she grows on you.

    Definitely like how the sequence of the last episode was. It was all over the place, and Ai was n4kk3d :O.

    From the least known (for me) character to one of my favorites.

    Dal
  7. Did I just see Exia or RX-78 out there? 🙂
    The last part of the episode was still epic 🙂 A great thank you to Ai’s grandfather for having that private hot spring 🙂
    Swimsuit tan was epic 🙂 But Junichi is surely slow to figure out Ai has nothing underneath…
    Lap pillow for the win…

    jrj
    1. A bit disappointed in the last scene hmmph. She couldve at least call him by his name and not the same “senpai”. Skip the next arc pls lets move on to the Class rep arc lol. kiddin =P

      All I can say is I can say its the best but I enjoyed it.

      Nhelraios
  8. Divine, you captured my words exactly with the festival – just wished there was more relationship/character development in that part. The hot springs scene was a nice finishing touch – I reckon it’s the best of all the girls we’ve seen thus far. I never really expected to see Nanasaki act the way she did throughout her arc – I guess that goes to show that you never should judge someone until you get to know them 😀
    Now onto Rihoko’s arc! Perhaps my most-anticipated arc of all. I seem to have a soft spot for childhood friends. It’s sweet, I guess?

    Antoine
    1. ah see i’m with you, i think she’s gonna surprise like Kaoru, i’m hoping for a heartfelt i’m on your side even though the world gives you a hard time angle, also Rihoko’s character design was in the promo shot of Divine’s preview actually caught my attention when i was checking out the animation style, girls with over size sweaters ftw!

      Breedo
  9. Ahem…
    drunk teacher going hnnnnngh at her dreams = WIN!
    Miya snatching Sae for a sleepover = WIN!
    Naked hotspring confession = ULTIMATE WIN! (nice tan lines too…) talk about steamy scene…
    Ayatsuji-san seems to have most complicated personality of all the girls, expect some bumpy ride with her – but for now enjoy Rihoko clumsiness show.

    ewok40k
  10. A very nice and sweet ending for Nanasaki.
    Now I would like to see how Rihoko’s arc goes.
    A story about childhood friends is very interesting and would even be better if is has some drama.

    Hagiri
  11. This episode proved another personal theory of mine:

    Near-flawless characters can be really great. But it takes flaws and issues to draw out true awesomeness, and create the most intensive personal involvement.

    Ai is near-flawless. She is independent, smart, kind, assertive, and she has a cute teasing streak. Perfect girlfriend material. You’re blessed if you find someone like her. And watching her eps were an all-smiles and no-wincing affair for me.

    However, I can already predict that the Ayatsuji arc will create much stronger reactions from the viewers. Looking forward to her 😉

    Mentar
  12. This makes up for last week’s hippie episode.

    This episode was packed with pretty much everything without losing sight of the main characters. I can say… I am happy for kinky hot springs!

    Ayatsuji and Ai made up for… what was it? whatever. Ah yes, did I smelt Ayatsuji’s arc?

    I am truly interested in Rihoko’s weird friends, the long haired girl and the bespectacled girl who speaks in a VERY loud tone.

    Lectro Volpi
    1. Agreed. The more I see Hibiki, the more I wish there was at least an extra arc with her. And come on, there’s gotta be an obligatory sensei path. It’s like…routine, lol.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
  13. Perfect ending episode for Ai, loved it! She was already my favorite girl just because of her personality, but this just made her pretty much a lock for #1! The hotspring scene was really cute and sexy at the same time, and even without a time-skip the arc ended nicely with a good sense of closure. I’m going to miss Ai next arc!!

    Aex
  14. Not bad. i mean “that was a great arc”. for me this is the best arc so far. as for me of course. i wonder how the osnanagimi-arc and Incou-arc will be. i think that Tsukasa Ayatsuji is just a ordinary girl because she see other girls very deeply. grr very hard to explain. looking forward to Rihoko Sakurai(Ryōko Shintani). Ryōko Shintani havent heared her voice again since i played galaxy angel visual novel. Milfeulle clumsy perso ≈ Rihoko clumsy peros. i wonder.

    Croosboy ツ
  15. My favourite arc so far, and only becouse Ai. She’s smart, cute, nice, ect.
    Next is Rihoko… I just can’t imagine a plot-like plot with her, but that’s why I’m not a writer, just a bored scholar.
    That aside, I’m now waiting for Tsukasa arc, becouse ******** (I don’t want to spoil anything)
    Just hoping I can stop with the “Don’t confuse her with 3D gils” mantra, cause it’s getting troublesome to repeat it endlessly when I watch AmaSS.
    Finally, I wander what would Tomoki do in that “hot spring situation”XD

    Linzermaster
  16. This was my favourite arc, i really don’t want to see it end. I was hoping they would should us a time skip in the future like with Haruka, but none the less I thought the ending was great.

    armando
  17. Zaku helmet in Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai, legs, foot and the back of the head of a Gundam in Amagami SS. Just emphasizes more (to me, anyway) a) 00 movie still not subbed b) can hardly wait for more than a month for Unicorn (ep 2 this 30th) to be subbed

    entropy
  18. This show works in mysterious ways… Exactly 6.48 minutes into every episode so far I’ve thought to myself over and over again “why the hell am I watching this?” … Only to find my answer in the second half of the episode… Particularly this one… HNNGGGHHHH

    SirMuffin
  19. cant wait till Ayatsuji’s arc >.< she seems pretty interesting from the first ep till now (interesting as in how little she gets involve, yet, involved.. if that make sense).

    imo, morishima stole the stole with her gluttoness 😀

    N0216332
  20. If a high school guy and a girl alone naked in the hot spring kissing, I am pretty sure it will lead to sex… Yes my mind is impure but come on be real in present day society unless they live isolated from the rest of the world they will know those stuff. Remember that Makoto from School Days, he screw everyone he could and ended up being stab. Anyway getting back to Amagami SS, did you see how Sai is so totally useless without her coach?

    Leo
  21. Wait a mint am missing something here.

    Please tell me does this show go for one girl for a number of episodes and then stop the story there and start again with another chick?? or are all episodes connected in the story??

    Please some 1 reply depending on what type of show it is I might watch it or might not.

    saco3
  22. mannnnn……… even though i love this ark i kinda hate the fact that the ending did not have a “10 years later scene” like in Haruka’s ark ( ok i will admit that i am a sucker for this kind of romantic stuff to the extent that i wanna know they are guaranteed a happy future together)

    btw this ark is still my second favorite ( haruka is the Loveliest) pun intended.

    ps: dun know u u guys know of not but apparently every ED single album they release has a character monologue for its respective char. i found Ai’s char monologue on UTW’s site and they have others too. (but Ai’s is the only 1 in vid format…. not even Haruka’s) below is the link to Ai’s.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TepxgR6aeik&feature=player_embedded#!

    karnos
  23. Say good bye to Ai, and welcome Rihoko instead. Don’t get me wrong, but I don’t feel motivated to see Rihoko’s arc after what we got with Nanasaki. Please, let me like her Kamisama.

    Syaoran Li
  24. Good thing I haven’t finished reading Amagami: Love Goes On! yet, or else I wouldn’t enjoy the TV adaptation of Ai’s arc.

    A wasted Takahashi-sensei and the “Gundam” (or was it an Arm Slave?) were nice comedic distractions, but I liked how an oden bowl would be the key to smoothly defusing tension between Ai and Tsukasa. (At least for now — it is Ai’s arc after all.) And of course, I absolutely loved the last third of this episode. (The hot springs scene delivered! Hell yes!) Needless to say, we got our Squees, WAFFs, D’awwwwwwwws and HNNNNNNGs. Plus an interesting mix of scenes from Ai’s Best End and her not-so-Bad End. (I guess having alternate endings that all show how much she loves Junichi only reinforces her “Ai is love” image.)

    Well, it’s a new arc next episode, and although it will feel like it’s in the way of Tsukasa’s arc, I hope Rihoko’s arc would prove to be fun to watch anyway.

    Incognito
    1. There are bad ends for all the girls in the game, but that doesn’t mean there will be a bad end in the anime for anyone. None of the bad ends are School Days bad anyway, so no need to animate them really.

      Znail
      1. The only glaring bad ends come from Sae, Haruka and Tsukasa. Not School Days bad, yes, but those bad endings will make you feel like a heel. Meanwhile, Rihoko, Kaoru and Ai’s bad ends all involve forgiving Junichi somehow, so they’re not exactly that bad of an end.

        Amen to alternate continuities… We can’t have the Amagami cast going “Nice Boat” on each other now, can we?

        Incognito
  25. The thing I still find it weird is Ai still call him Senpai in the end which is weird if they already gotta that close, should they be call each other by first name then.

    One last thing I am sure all of us viewer wanna know is, whos was the girl that stood him up on last christmas.

    But honestly if they follow the manga truthfully Ai arc would have been perfect, not that is bad in anime but just feel like something is missing.

    mike
  26. Damn 2D, bring on Rihoko so I don’t have to see Junichi all lovey-dovey with Ai! >:(

    my exact same thoughts. :))

    but i disagree with what you said about how she should have confessed. i think it suits her well with how everything went.

    kc

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