「謎のアバンチュール」 (Nazo no Adventure)
“Mysterious Adventure”

Hayakawa’s second form is a formidable challenger, especially considering how torn apart and indecisive Tsubaki is. Bless his soul, but at times he really falls flatly into that blockhead protagonist type. However, don’t take my words against him as an indicator of how the plot was executed. I found today’s setup to be especially honest, with highlight to Tsubaki’s actions.

Like the discussion in a previous post about being unable to control feelings, this week’s episode really went to town with that theme. Two major parties are at conflict with their feelings, one manipulating the other more significantly. The more obvious party, and of course the more submissive and overt one, is Tsubaki. Still stuck with lingering feelings and fascination with Hayakawa, he tries his best (and thankfully succeeds) at resisting anything that may pose a serious hazard to his current relationship. He isn’t at fault for having lingering feelings for Hayakawa, an inconvenience that isn’t easily removed. What matters isn’t the thoughts in your head, but rather what happens after you think those thoughts. Tsubaki wins in this regard, but faces a real challenge that others…fail miserably at. The first challenger is always a tough one for fresh relationships, and a significant portion of the drama you’d hear from hooked-up friends comes from the problems that surround the first encounter. Although it’s obvious that Tsubaki and Urabe will make it out of this situation together, it is how the two tackle the situation and how their relationship evolves because of the situation that is most curious.

On the other side of the battle, Hayakawa is less resistant to her guts and urges. She seeks to throw a nasty wrench into Tsubaki’s relationship, but for what reason? Is it because she desires to open up the relationship to lay claim to Tsubaki again? Is it because she feels like destroying a relationship since hers went awry? It could be all or none of these reasons, but whatever it is, there is some side of malice to it. We could reasonably expect another facet to Hayakawa that makes her actions a little more sympathetic, but at this rate, it’d have to take a complex turn of events to be effective. However, I will give the show the benefit of the doubt, as it is one of the weirdest this season. Maybe Ueshiba can pull something off in these next few episodes and give this season a proper and satisfying end.

Full-length images: 1, 5, 12, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 33, 34, 36.

 

Preview

31 Comments

  1. Lol Pacquiao. I didnt care much about the fight but the people here are still butthurt over the loss of the People’s Champ. Oh well.

    I can understand Tsubaki’s actions. Really hard to get over your previous crush especially when she shows up again in front of you. Though I cant relate much since I dont have a gf to think about when that happens orz.
    Hayakawa’s actions are easily misunderstood since we dont know if she’s truthful or not but it makes for good development. Catfight incoming. Prepare yourself Tsubaki.

    belatkuro
    1. I was butthurt. I mean, whoever had Bradley winning shouldn’t even be allowed to watch boxing
      but that’s another topic

      As for the anime, this anime hasn’t blown me away since the first episode…shame
      it’s still a good watch though xD

      Alec
  2. Hayakawa is not giving off a trusty vibe; she just wraps Tsubaki round her finger and knows very well that he doesn’t have enough spine to resist.
    Tsubaki, you should be honest with Urabe; distrust always begins with little lies. Urabe has the power to see right through you, so be prepared to feel the wrath of her scissors…

    J-Luke
  3. For the record, colors for the French flag are Blue-White-Red, not Black-White-Red…

    You know what ? Screw that, there are tons of flags with these three color bands stacked. Now that I think about it, Black-White-Red looks much more awesome.

    Gotta petition for it now.

    Kit-A-Ron-Ron-Kat
  4. I’m glad Tsubaki managed to keep his loyalty to Urabe in the beginning and I too don’t blame him for the lingering feelings he has for that girl but she is bad news, and she used his guilt to get him to go to the fair.

    Although it probably won’t happen I want to see a more direct and less civilized confrontation between Urabe and Hayakawa.

    This episode highlights one of the reasons relationships get into trouble or even outright fail. Lack of communication. Although I understand why Tsubaki didn’t tell Urabe he still should have. A girl like her would appreciate such honesty, and maybe even help him get out of his situation.

    Well I guess soon we’re going to find out how Tusbaki handles being the rebound guy.

    BTW I noticed that every luch Oka has something wrapped in bacon. Maybe she watches “Epic Meal Time”.

    Roguespirit
    1. I smell a confrontation between the two coming up. Urabe didn’t seem too keen on Hayakawa the first time they met and she doesn’t seem subtle about her distaste. Their run-in is almost inevitable and Tsubaki will have some explaining to do.

      BTW I noticed that every luch Oka has something wrapped in bacon. Maybe she watches “Epic Meal Time”.

      I doubt it. At her age she probably doesn’t have access to Jack ‘Dagnals’ which is a required ingredient for an ‘Epic Meal’ – of course she could be Breasts-Glasses (sister of Muscles-Glasses) so that would explain a lot. 🙂 [if you don’t know, don’t ask.]

      7godeohs
      1. Hmmm so the “glasses” family is half Japanese eh? Interesting.XD Maybe she would add Saki instead of beer? If she is a member of that family then no doubt she can use her breasts to open bottles and she can devour entire heads of livestock. Maybe she has kinky dreams of being wrapped in bacon herself.

        The preview where it showed Tsubaki being blindfolded reminded me of the episode where Urabe stood in front of him naked. Key difference is that Urabe didn’t use a blindfold. I’m hoping they’ll mention that next ep if it’s relavent.

        I get the feeling that Tsubaki’s never been burned by a girl and that might be why he’s acting so nieve and missing the sign many of us think are obvious. I have a feeling next ep he will be burned and burned badly. Ah, c’est la guerre.

        Roguespirit
  5. A good ep as always, turned out a little monotone though, although that’s understandable as it’s just the setup for the next ep climax.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    TRWOV
  6. Hayakawa is evil…Lol If she just asked Tsubaki for help it will be fine; but hunting down Urabe to “invite” her is plainly a confrontation exploit. I won’t fully blame Tsubaki because male hormones block the reasoning proccess of the brain. He is young and this is the only way to learn to play the females by failing misserably. Like he did. Having fallen for similiar tricks I know better…now. So I think is part of his “growing” process to be come a man. Another tidbit he needs to learn is: engage the acomplice right away after lying to get the stories right. He failed on that too.
    As for Urabe she should be mad at him and make him suffer (specially after re-buying the magazine)… after taking down evil Hayakawa what’s teh ladies point of view on this (another female challenging to take away your guy)? I know how guys will settle this HAHAHA. Over all the main reason for the misunderstanding is keeping their relationship secret. They should come forward and face thing as a couple. Like the pictures of Urabe last episode.

    Yes!@
    1. Well… in the REAL world, girls don’t like to create more inconveniences and insecurities than what they already have. Which means that when a female likes a male but realizes that he’s already courting someone else, her urge to find security (or love, if you want to put it that way) from her desired one decreases by 90%. You have to remember that when it comes down to the base of it, men just want to spread their seeds while women want male partners who will be able to provide for her and their future offspring. So if a man never had a reason to give her a sense of security in the first place, she would probably immediately fly off and prey after someone else. Therefore the cat-fight would prob never solidify. There will, however, be lots of tears.

      But if she happens to be one of those few adamant ones (aka controlling, unstable, aggressive, etc), she’ll probably do many underhand things to steal that man, like blackmailing, spreading lies/gossip, etc. and give him that overwhelming but fake cheerfulness and interest so he’ll feel that she admires and respects everything he does, all the time. That girl will win if the man succumbs to all of that fake charm, because at that point, she’ll be like a drug, and whether she’s lying or not will no longer matter… for the time being. Just like it’s easier for men to fall into their precious alcohol/RPGs/sugar/porn/other addictions when they’re in rocky situations with their current girlfriends, it’s also easier for them to be grabbed by other girls. The little voice, “why not?” often comes into the equation.

      petitorenji
  7. Scheming girls are scheming. Can you imagine if Hayakawa and Oka got together? The “femme fatales” concept wouldn’t do them justice. I just happened to stumble upon an image of “School Days” earlier today. Lol… Tsubaki began to look more and more like that Makoto.

    petitorenji
    1. I would really like a school days ending for this show.
      After Urabe wins, Hayakawa kills Tsubaki. And Urabe kills Hayakawa.
      And since Urabe is weird she can keep the head of Tsubaki in a normal way.

      tendo
  8. I always wondered what happened to my favourite family heirloom coffee mug…

    The ol’ damsel in distress tactic. Hayakawa is a bitch. There, I said it, okay?
    At that age, there really are girls out there just for the power – Hayakawa seems to have no
    sincere motivation other than just to see if she can succeed at coming between Urabe and Tsubaki.
    Tsubaki is looking like a practice boy without any actual practice involved (Family Guy reference).

    Urabe senses something’s not right about Hayakawa and is not shy about being openly hostile to
    that bitch Hayakawa. Good for Urabe. But, Tusbaki failed. The reason he didn’t mention anything to
    Urabe is because he anticipated her reaction. It’s not a big deal, he rationalizes, but it really is
    a big deal – not only did he lie to Urabe, but he lied to himself.

    But why? IMHO, every boy wants to be some girl’s knight. To show he’s a man, that he can protect
    that which he chooses to protect. This is the vanity of a man – girls, forget you just read that as
    it’s classified info, okay (my boss would really get mad at me if that got out)? Hayakawa used that
    to manipulate Tusbaki into helping her. His rewardis purely self-gratification; she does not have
    to reciprocate in any way for his effort. As a matter of fact, as a true knight, he would expect nothing
    in return for his heroism – it’s the knight’s code. So it’s a win-win for that bitch Hayakawa. Evil.

    So I wonder how Urabe will handle that bitch Hayakawa. Can’t wait for the next episode!!!

    mac65
  9. I disliked Hayakawa the second she showed up on screen, and the episode just further intensified my hate for her. I hate characters like Hayakawa, purposely driving a wedge between the protagonists. While I do appreciate the inevitable development Tsubaki and Urabe’s relationship gets, it still annoys me to end when she plays around with Tsubaki like that. Urabe had the right reaction when Hayakawa went to meet stalk her.

    Burn the bwitch!!!

    Kentaiyoshimi
  10. Dude, Hayakawa totally guilt trip poor Tsubaki. I’ve seen it and experience it, taken advantage for being the nice guy who had a crush on a girl. Hayakawa, despite playing such a dirty trick on the faithful-ish Tsubaki, I have to admit the bruise was pretty good…and bad.

    The episode really focused on the eventual confrontation between former crush and current girlfriend, I can feel Tsubaki’s gut caving in when he was talking to Urabe and the pressure. Its never cool doing something behind your girl’s back esp. when she sincerely returns your feelings-ish and drool.

    (v);,,;(v)

    Space Dreamer
  11. Full length shot 26 is how Tsubaki really sees hayakawa. Just a good girl and probably all the things he imagined from his middle school crush. Because he hasn’t seen the deceptive oppurtunist in action yet he’s given her the benifit of the doubt. I don’t think it makes him an idiot just gullable. Risking not telling Urabe on the other hand….dude you already got a warning shot with the magazine lol. Some people just need to have the business end of the scissors directly to get the point. It will be interesting to see if Urabe decides to protect Tsubaki from her tricks or if she’ll blame him for keeping her out of the loop. I really think Tsubaki has let the idea of Hayakawa x himself go though…he really thinks oh just a one off and she deserves better than her ex (is there even one?) treats her.

    Breedo
  12. I recall that her reasons were sorta sympathetic/sorta not depending on your view. Still unpleasant. As for Tsubaki, would it really be that hard to just tell your girlfriend that an old friend might be in an abusive relationship and she wants you to suggest she’s off the market and not an easy target? Assuming I went along with an idiotic ‘pretend to be her boyfriend’ plan that’s the first thing I would have done. Of course a lot of these issues wouldn’t pop up if Tsubaki and Urabe just announced they were dating.

    Grant
  13. Yes it is a sad story. Yes – MC – a complete idiot. I know of only one amine in which a similar situation was played beautifully and with the complete victory of the female protagonist. This Amagami SS plus – Tsukasa x Junichi.

    Andrew
  14. This has been a terrific adaption of Riichi’s work. I’m not looking forward to the idol arc, however, it pulled it in a completely different direction from the core mystery of Urabe – drool, UFOs, absent parents.

    Great reviews so far.

    tsubaki

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