「ハルカナオモイ」 (Haruka na Omoi)
“Distant Feelings”

Sparks fly in the conclusion of this arc to settle things once and for all between Nao and Sora. Haru is nowhere to be seen either, as the bus stop goes up in flames when the two girls meet. It was a life and death struggle… to save Sora’s black rabbit! While the sound of that may actually disappoint some viewers, I for one am glad this arc didn’t end in some twisted manner. Given the build-up, the possibility was definitely there for Sora to either lash out in a jealous rage or commit suicide from being unable to cope with the idea of losing Haru. In fact, I was getting a bit nervous about the latter happening after Haru decided to go to school with Nao instead of staying home with her. Up until now, that really hasn’t been too much cause for concern, except this time Sora actually tried to stop him and made him choose between her and Nao. This was after she had texted him to see if he’d come running home to check up on her too, which he did, only to find out there was nothing wrong with her at all. As Sora’s cries for attention were getting more and more blatant, Haru started caring less and less, making her eventual decision to leave the town somewhat ominous. It sort of became a roller coaster ride from that point on, because just as she’s shown leaving with Haru’s bicycle and not suicidal in any way, she falls off the side of the road into the riverbank. Before long, everyone was searching for her and it started looking like she had drowned herself or been washed downstream. To top it off, there was also scenes with Haru feeling at fault for neglecting Sora, and dropping to his knees and crying out for her to really drive that fake-out home.

I can’t say I like being misled and constantly second guessing myself on which direction the story will take, but it sure made for an interesting finish to this arc. Sometimes predictability is good if highlights good screenplay, but other times the feeling of not knowing and constantly juggling possibilities isn’t bad either. It sure kept the tension high anyway, like when Nao found Sora huddled up against the wall inside the bus stop, much like how Haru found her when they were younger. In all likelihood, the similarity to her own situation is what prompted her to reach out to Sora, who unsurprisingly didn’t want anything to do with her. What was a bit unexpected was the way that Sora tearfully revealed that she’s scared Haru will completely abandon her given how much he’s changed since coming back to their hometown. Nao wasn’t really forcing the issue at that point, so it was more or less Sora getting fed up to the point that she had to get it off her chest. As someone who’s been straddling the line and not trying to take sides prematurely, learning about Sora’s insecurities and fear of being alone made me much more sympathetic towards her side of the things. It wasn’t until lightning struck the bus stop and Nao charged fearlessly into the fire to retrieve her rabbit did her fears really come to light though. Mention of her deceased parents and how Haru is the only person she has left in the world made it much easier to be understanding of her situation. It still doesn’t warrant all of the disdain she’s shown towards Nao, but it does explain why she’s been carefully watching all the girls Haru interacts with every arc. In any case, I really liked how that scene played out, even though it got pretty ridiculous how long Nao was in that bus stop when she didn’t have to travel more than two meters of distance inside. I realize the dramatic effect they were going for, but that was excessive no matter how I look at it. In a way, it reminded me of episode six of To Aru Majutsu no Index where Touma seemed to be running forever to get across a tiny room.

Ultimately, it took Nao putting her life on the line for Sora’s sake to change her opinion of her. I still find it a little hard to believe that Sora would completely okay with Nao right after — to the point that she’s actually helping Haru get on better terms with her — but I’m not the least bit opposed to the happy ending that followed suit. As a bonus of sorts, we also got to see Sora in her yukata, Kozue without her glasses (far right), and Nao with her yukata barely on and in full display for Haru. I guess Nao wears it the (supposedly) traditional way without any underwear. In retrospect, Nao’s arc ended much better than I thought it would, which is actually saying a lot since it got pretty rocky in the middle. As such, it’ll be interesting to see if any of those spiteful feelings are reciprocated in the final arc involving Sora. Episode seven is supposed to be serve as a common episode in Sora’s arc after all, where Haru had already made some progress with Nao. Judging from the preview, it looks like we’re going to be taken all the way back to the cliffhanger at the end of episode one, so I’m guessing there will be some yet to be seen development that will have Haru rethinking things with Nao.

* P.S. I could really use a doner kebab sandwich after Akira kept talking about it.

 

Omake

Preview

61 Comments

  1. As much as i dislike the mmount of fanservice (and hence very backlogged with this series) that screen shot of Sora in her yukata is so cute, it makes up for this series short commings for a second….lets hoep theres more of these sora moments in her arc!

    1. If it’s an adult oriented dramatic show, I doubt one can really call it fanservice. You can say it when it’s a comedy or action show, when the character has absolutely nothing to do semi nude. It’s actually justifiable in this show.

      Or are you going to tell me you’ve never slept with someone of the opposite sex and NOT seen them nude? I know it happens in some cultures, but come on.

      It may just be me, but just because the show is NSFW doesn’t mean it’s full of fanservice. People know what they’re getting into when watching it, after all.

      1. tbh I didn’t know it was an eroge before UNTIL i started on the anime.

        And no I’m too young to have slept with a person with the opposite sex =x

        But yes maybe my definition of fanservice is a little off. =/ still all this adult orientated stuff is killing my enjoyment for a growing ammount of backlogged anime, with seikon no quaswer being another one of the on hold animes.

  2. Don’t forget this is an incest anime. Disgusting at the core.

    What is up with mainstream anime and incest?

    Yosuga no Sora, Ore no Imouto, KissxSis…..

    I don’t think incest is Japanese culture…but it just might be popular.

    CHIBI
    1. Thats pretty discriminatory to blame incest on the Japanese culture… Ya know its not like all asians are anime otakus. Ore Imo is most likely not directly about incest because Kirono is complete b*tch most of the time -_-.

      Plus, I’m pretty main stream animes consist of over 9000 power levels or useless protagonists and their super powered girlfriends. Something like this is pretty rare… I think…

      Suppa Tenko
    2. Meh incest is just a fetish, nothing more nothing less. I don’t like incest but I don’t judge incest fans since I have my own set of fetishes that others don’t like. I’m just annoyed that people treat Sora as blameless and faultless largely because of wanting incest.

      fragb85
      1. I agree with frag. And it’s not a cultural thing. Just watch the Clayton Bixby skit. That being said the current porcelain doll Sora isn’t appealing.

        Anyway, kill off Ryohei already.

        Gambler
    3. Well, what prejudice. First off, OreImo is not an incest anime. KissxSis… Well, I don’t watch it because it feels utterly pointless. As for Yosuga no Sora, yes, it may very well end with an incestuous relationship, but I don’t know why that necessarily is as disgusting as you make it out to be. While I know the problems with reproduction among closely related people, I don’t necessarily find the relationship itself wrong. If two people share affection for each other, I would not stand in the way, no matter what their genetic relationship might be. Heck, if I were to decide the laws of a government, I wouldn’t make it illegal either. Instead I would prohibit inbreeding as it is problematic on a genetic level. You know, enforce sterilization or abortion if necessary. But ethically I don’t find such a relationship wrong.

      Just remember that ethics and morals are subjective, you can’t call something objectively wrong. I apologize for the philosophical rant.

      HenDarou
      1. Wow, so many defenders of incest.

        Ore-Imo has STRONG incest themes. For one, the girl plays hentai games that have brothers plumbing underage sisters. The two also get into sex situations.
        http://img3.sankakustatic.com/wp-content/gallery/safe-misc-viii/ore_no_imouto_ga_konna_ni_kawaii_wake_ga_nai_episode04_13.jpg
        http://img1.sankakustatic.com/wp-content/gallery/safe-misc-viii/ore_no_imouto_ga_konna_ni_kawaii_wake_ga_nai_episode04_10.jpg

        Yosuga no Sora speaks for itself.

        KissxSis…so growing up with two sisters, thinking that they are your real sisters for your whole life, and then suddenly sexing them up because of some blood-technicality is okay? Sounds like a cop-out for incest lovers. The show has “kiss” and “sis” in the title.

        Another Japanese anime with incest themes is Onegai Twins…where the dude gets perverted over his “potential” sisters.

        CHIBI
      2. @Chibi,
        Kiss x Sis, he definitely did not grow up thinking they were real sisters. It was Brady-Bunch style, he was already a grade-schooler when they first met. It’s more like childhood friends who have the misfortune of being in the same family registry.
        Oreimo is capable of going either way, but I don’t see them going down that road in a serious way like YnS. For comedy and tease effect, yes, but not as a true romance.

        Lurker
  3. While it may be incest to a large extent, at least it deals with mature subjects. I like the series, and look forward to the new episodes to see how they’ll deal with matters that some people today face…although lol @ the long time in the bus stop. XD

    SIlivious
  4. black rabbit… your luck is even worse than black cat…
    lesson of the episode – don’t approach small bus stop in stormy weather 😀
    Sora, why did it take you that long to help Nao? oh well, the shock value is certainly there…

    jrj
  5. Well, that wasn’t bad. Nao saved Sora while Haru was useless.
    At least Nao is a decent person when she is not being overwhelmed by desires.
    And the yukata and fireworks were really pretty so who cares about the scene after.

    I agree about Sora’s sudden acceptance of Nao was hard to accept but her real feelings will probably be told in the continuation of her arc, which I am unsure of how I’ll think of because incest is a bit scary><! I thought the Sora who has grown up a little was very cute, and would prefer it if she falls in love with another guy, not Haru. There are tons of guys better than Haru! (Starts thinking of Otonashi…)

    Yukiruchan
  6. Oh my, I’ve expected Nao to save Sora, not her plushie, but all is well that ends well. No nice bus on the burning stop!
    re: long time Nao spent in the burning stop – moving in flames and smoke is rather dificult. I’ve read about US Navy creating special firefighting schools that quite realisticaly (with loads of gasoline burned) simulate conditions within burning ship – this of course to train crews for the Real Thing.
    Sora anyways deserves someone better than Haru imho. He was pretty much a failure this arc.
    Onto the final arc, with Sora taking the center stage. I am pretty sure that Nao will back down if Haru makes even slight resistance – after all she had her feelings of guilt even in this arc. I am more interested in how Sora and Haru will get to terms with their relationship.

    ewok40k
  7. Great episode, worked well as a final to the arc. Yeah, Sora’s change of heart is a bit sudden, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it unrealistic. She might have been somewhat on the edge already, without showing it, due to Nao trying to reach out to her. She might just finally have understood that she won’t lose Haru.

    As for the bunny-rescue, they might just have stretched it to show us how it felt for Sora.

    HenDarou
    1. I don’t think so. Makoto cheated on Kotonoha then cheated on Sekai with just about every girl in the school. Haru only ends up with one girl and loves them in each arc. Remember it’s like multiple universes. Instead of being a manwhore, Haru just falls in love with a girl given the right circumstances and they live happily ever after and we move on to a different alternate world where he falls in love with another girl. Kinda like the alternate world episodes of Clannad when Tomoya would end up with Tomoyo or Kyou.

      Narutodesu
    2. Those two are of different levels. Haruka is way out of Makoto’s league.

      “While Makoto Itou had to strike up conversations with girls first, Haruka gives them orgasms just by standing in their vicinity.”

      entropy
  8. LMAO @ “bye honey” and the lightening perm in Nogizaka’s after “arc”. That I didn’t see coming. Also I thought the bolt that hit the bus stop was perhaps embelishment and the fist fight in the ending was the likely happening….not this arc anyways, the bolt happens and the fists don’t. I so called that wrong. Thought for sure there was going to be a catfight at least!

    Breedo
  9. I was expecting a much more dramatic finale but I guess this one is fine, they did have a limited time.
    like what others said, it was hard to accept that sora accepted nao this easily. I find haru a bit too much into sex, doing it in the middle of a festival, they could have ended it with sora accepting nao, leaving the alone in haru’s room or on the ground(I dont think he has a room).

    and now we are finally gonna get to sora’s arc, ive been waiting for this and I hope they make it very good or better since she is the last girl(and his sister).

    amado
    1. Actually, I read somewhere(forgot where now :X) that guys sorta expect sex during these summer festivals. Something about them getting turned on by seeing their girl in a yukata or just the whole allure of being outside. Either way, even though it was rushed, I’m glad Nao and Sora are attempting to work things out.

      mingus
  10. God dammit and I was hoping for at least some sort of punch up between Nao and Sora – we dont have to go nice boat but at least some kind of biff would have been awesome.

    Well at least the filler that is Nao is out of the way now, and we can get to the main event that is Sora. This show and Amagami SS have both seemed to have made me wait till the final arc for the girl you want to see the most lol.

    Thundershock81
  11. “It reminded me of episode six of To Aru Majutsu no Index where Touma seemed to be running forever to get across a tiny room.”
    Yeah about that:Show Spoiler ▼

    Anyway, it took what? an intervention from the skies, a Deus ex machina itself, for Sora to realize that Nao is not going to let Haru abandon her, and to me, after she braves her life to save that doll from the burning structure(which flames burns faster than rain can put out), that Nao is also there for Sora and will not abandon her.

    And yeah, how long was she in there? The entire building structure were merely a few feet, and not some bloody apartment complex, ha.

    Gaze of Providence
    1. Erogame no anime dakara, shikataganai.
      What you need is a Divert Eyes skill. (Combo with Divert Concentration works even better) I use it a lot for Yosuga, it’s really helpful:)
      Motoka is quite bad too^^

      Yukiruchan
  12. That was a pretty good conclusion to this arc. I didn’t like Haru x Nao very much, and the development of their relationship leaves much to be desired, but it worked out in the end. Also it doesn’t hurt that Yutaka + Side tail Sora was absolutely adorable! So much HNNNNNNNGH moe!!!
    Sora’s sudden acceptance of Nao might have been a tad rushed, but I thought it was reasonable overall. Sora’s main problem with Nao was a misconception about her character, along with her own personal fears. After seeing Nao risk her LIFE for Sora’s doll, she should at least understand that Nao’s a good person with real feelings.

    FlameStrike

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