「きらい きらい 大嫌い ~Cry baby cry~」 (Kirai, Kirai, Daikirai ~Cry baby cry~)
“Hate, Hate, Despise ~Cry baby cry~”

The next installment focuses on Chiba Saori, a bitter misanthropic girl with a not so complex past. Sprinkle some subtle development for most of the characters along the way, and you’ve got a decent episode.

I don’t know if beginning with a faux interview will be a trend, but it helps set the focus, and may be the adaptation’s way of dealing with several grades being skipped. A flashback was employed, but both scenes were pretty brief, so I’m going to assume AIC’s just going to bring up relevant information when necessary. Throwing us in the middle of a story was a gamble, but the plot holds up, stays coherent, and issues arise with a little mystery to them.

This time, Chiba thrashes around with untold angst and we’re left wondering, what is up? My powerful deduction from last episode was spot on, as it seems both Chiba and Takatsuki were hating on each other over Nitori. However, it’s a little deeper than that, as Chiba likes to play the victim, and it turns out this wasn’t the first time. A manipulative girl who acts like she’s the innocent one? Sounds like a certain other girl. There’s probably more to Chiba’s story, but it probably won’t be worth anything to me, since no matter what her reason is, it doesn’t really excuse her from treating a friend like crap. Even so, it seems they’ve resolved their issues for now. Meanwhile, Nitori’s issues gets put aside, and it’s implied that his friend, Ariga Makoto (Iguchi Yuuichi), shares the same gender identity problems, which would explain his understanding of Nitori’s cross-dressing escapades. Nitori subtly expresses his dislike for male “stink,” and is happy when he is described as “like a girl,” even though that’s meant as an insult, which pisses his sister off to no end. It’s still a bit of a mess to track who exactly has what they have to deal with, especially with so much untold about the majority of the cast.

Honestly, it’s difficult to tell where the series could go. There’s Nitori’s romantic pining for Takatsuki, so that could be some kind of development to gauge, but other than that, there’s just dealing with self issues and what life throws at them. Sounds good to me, but now we just need a lot more of it before we can get somewhere. I do feel they could have packed in more within this episode, rather than devoting most of the time to Chiba, but maybe the importance of that flew over my head. Regardless, Nitori has admitted to still having feelings for Takatsuki, who stood up and acted “cool,” which I’m guessing is supposed to imply how much she’s like a “guy.” Oh wait, I see what you did there.

 

Preview

31 Comments

  1. Sasa you’re so cute 😀

    Good episode, the flashback scene was well done and I can only hope there’s more to come to help clear things up.

    The big cast and their struggle to fit in is really captivating and the ED is so awesome <3

    Nhelraios
  2. This series likes to develop its character subtly as you say, and then add some other subtle hints. Notice how one girl subtly hit on her teacher?

    I wouldn’t say though that Makoto’s problems are implied. I think he outright stated his curiosity during one scene, unless I read that line wrong.

    Also, although the majority of the cast has an untold experience, I think that just leaves more room for growth. Personally, I found this episode easier to follow now that introductions were over and I had a better grasp of the cast.

  3. I didn’t realize how grey the episode was until I saw all the screen shots. It’s nice to see that it changed for the last part of the episode though.

    This series is already fairly interesting. I can’t wait to see all the character development since the cast is so large. 😀

    Yuumei
  4. Everyone really is kinda messed up here. I love the drama they put here and there really is an air of mystery to the characters with the elementary skip which I like. This series is chugging along nicely without any problems unlike the other niotaminA block show.

    ahelo
  5. Yeah skipping out the elementary years really does leave a a rather large hole that cannot be completely covered, if you read the manga you’d feel that both Chiba and Takatsuki are in the wrong.

    Dthiswhtuseek
    1. I’ll agree they’re both in the wrong, but Chiba’s continually trying to play the victim leaves me with little sympathy for her. Yes she has problems (I’d go so far as to say she’s got more emotional issues than anyone else in the cast), but she seems unwilling to admit that she’s a large part of them. Everything’s always someone else’s fault. Unfortunately Chiba has a very long road to maturity, assuming she ever reaches it (there are many adults out there in real life who never get past that stage unfortunately).

      Manabi
  6. I find Saori Chiba an interesting character, but she’s a little hard to grasp. You need some time to understand her. Right now, she’s showing a lot of her ugly side, and if you haven’t seen her character development until now, she might just seem like a bitch. But when you get down to it, she’s someone who doesn’t know how to relate to others, but rather than having a heart of gold like Kuronuma Sawako, she gets frustrated and haughty (which I admire for its realism.) Show Spoiler ▼

    innerchihiro
  7. mah, i think i’m liking the show more than the manga itself. i just like how the voices give life to the characters. the BGMs are also very good which add to the angst of it. i feel heavy whilst watching this especially with the conflicts that have been happening in their friendship. the drama isn’t forced. It’s rather convincing to the point that you are like feeling what they feel. saori’s and takatsuki’s bitterness for each other was painful to look at.DX saori’s just so adamant.

    CHI-CHAN FTW!! lol. she cracks me up with her eccentricity. i break from feeling all gloomy whenever she’s shown. XDD momo was funny when she acts so possessive of chizuru. XD oh btw, aki’s voice was kinda different here. i didn’t catch her the first time. XD dang, SASA IS SO ADORABLE!!!!! i really like her personality. so innocent and she’s neutral as well!XDD *huggles imaginary sasa* riku and maho’s relationship is cute. lol.

    nitori sees takatsuki as a guy??!! please no!! i don’t think it that way. DX

    keiOnDaisuki
  8. Like innerchihiro said, you just don’t understand her, which is impossible if you haven’t read the manga. However, your assessment as to Saorin’s personality based on these 2 episodes is understandable I suppose.

    frubam
  9. a (─‿‿─) (─‿‿─) (─‿‿─) (─‿‿─) (─‿‿─) (─‿‿─) episode

    some how feel a relaxing breeze in hourou musuko. it is as is a story flows by and then things to remeber.
    im not a fan of cross gender but somehow their story of school and rough life makes it good.

    ♕Croosboy♕
  10. It’s awesome hearing Chiba Saeko in an anime again. She has one of the most distinct laughs and used it well as Chi. I also like Saori’s character a fair bit so far, along with the very blunt and seemingly arrogant way that Nanri Yuuka portrays her.

    1. yes, man! she’s just too awesome for words. i really really love how her voice was naturally husky. XD and L0L albeit her laugh seemed forced,it’s still good to hear. XD talk about major sakamoto. XD but mah,i first fell for her in mai-hime.XD

      too bad though,she’s married. but it’s not like i have even a single chance with her.L0L. what a bias world!

      keiOnDaisuki
  11. Takatsuki is admirable,she has an adorable quality to her so I don’t blame Nitori for liking her.^^
    Chi is pretty funny and brings a different atmosphere to it all too. The least that I favor is Chiba..:/ She has a lot of growing up yo do in comparison to her classmates. I love the style and overall pacing of this series so far,you can get wrapped up in it with no problem.This is definitely one on my watch list.

    Yaya

Leave a Reply to Zanibas Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *