「このままが」 (Kono Mama ga)
“Like This”

Week after week Mei amazes me with her greatness as a character and today was no exception. Words aren’t enough to describe my respect for her. Now that Yamato has introduced her to a new world where Mei can socialize with people, she has taken things one step further. Not only has she managed to help the other characters with her straightforward honesty, she has done what Yamato couldn’t. Yamato’s help throughout his junior high school years haven’t been the necessary kind of help. He has simply been satisfying people to calm their troubling situations down, which can be helping for the moment but won’t do any good further on. But Mei, she has been able to change people’s views completely. It’s ironic that she, who was a stubborn pessimist, is doing what an optimist does. She even managed to make Yamato’s little sister, Kurosawa Nagi (Ise Mariya), see life more positively – something not even her brother could do despite being family. Perhaps it’s because both girls have gone through similar issues, but still, Mei’s way of approaching people might be awkward but it’s really heartwarming.

It’s sad to see how people of such young age can treat each other like tools. While children are innocent and don’t know much about society, they’re still affected by it. Seeing how Nagi’s “friends” used her for her kindness was heartbreaking. It’s sad when adults use each other too, but it feels even worse to see kids do that. If they’re so demanding and neglecting now, how will they be when they grow up? Nagi is just a child so it’s easy to see why she was scared and decided to stay home. Unlike Mei who while being a victim to bullying, ignores everything and still does what she has to, Nagi can’t because she is afraid. It’s quite surprising that her parents and brother haven’t done anything but then again, maybe she didn’t have the courage to tell them. She is after all, like her brother, someone who finds it necessary to please others. She saw that her friends were ignoring her, yet she allowed them to visit her. Something quite amusing and adorable was that while Nagi let her friends step on her, she did not want the same thing to happen to Yamato. Watching her disapproval of Mei was quite cute, but also very sad. It made me wonder if Nagi has seen many girls use her brother as a doormat… It truly saddens me to see kindness being taken for granted and used. Luckily there are people like Mei to brighten things up – and cats!

Using cats to connect Mei and Yamato in today’s episode was a brilliant idea. For the first time, Yamato witnessed his girlfriend’s truly caring heart. Thinking about it, he has never really seen what she has done for his friends. Now he was given a chance to see Mei’s kindness in action. Even if it was “just a cat” to him, to her, it was an animal struggling for life. Unfortunately, there are many irresponsible people who think pets are cute, take them in, grow tired of them and throw them away – just like how Mei has been treated all her life. The stray cat was a great way of showing how Mei could identify herself in a small kitten, and perhaps that’s something Yamato noticed as well. It was very kind of him to take the cat with him home. Kuro is definitely in good hands.

This episode was not the most romantic one, but to me, it was the most heartwarming one we’ve had so far. Whether it’s an adult, a teenager, a child, or a cat, it doesn’t matter. Mei is capable of moving everyone’s hearts, including mine.

Full-length shots: 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 29, 31, 36

Eyecatch: A-part

 

Preview

25 Comments

  1. “Not only has she managed to help the other characters with her straightforward honesty, she has done what Yamato couldn’t. Yamato’s help throughout his junior high school years haven’t been the necessary kind of help. He has simply been satisfying people to calm their troubling situations down, which can be helping for the moment but won’t do any good further on. But Mei, she has been able to change people’s views completely. It’s ironic that she, who was a stubborn pessimist, is doing what an optimist does.”

    i think one of the reasons tht Mei can help people tht Yamato had difficulty with is because she herself has suffered alot(and being a pessimist) and can recognize and relate to other people’s suffering through self-reflection.Connecting with people who hav suffered like u hav can build a very influential relationship.

    shadowalker
  2. Nagi is so adorable! I wish I had a little sister like that 🙂 Her initial negative reaction had absolutely nothing in common with her subsequent acceptance of Mei and after seeing her story, it’s really amazing that she was able to still turn back to the light side after a few words of encouragement! Yamato could not possibly have done the same for her..

    dimasok
  3. I agree that this episode was definitely the most heartwarming! Initially I was worried that Nagi was going to be the typical “little sister with a brother complex” but I was happily surprised it turned out to be different. I loved that Mei was able to relate to her and give her hope! Nagi has at the very least, made an excellent friend in Mei 🙂 I also loved how the cats were used as a symbol for the meaning behind the episode. Watching them and the girls all curled up at the end was absolutely adorable! I was also happy to see Mei giving Yamato a little more leeway when he grabbed her on the couch. Normally I would have expected her to slap him out of shock, but I was glad she relaxed and let things flow naturally. Great episode!

    Kira526
      1. or unless pull a huh what that either yamato’s sister is like mei being biological sister if nagi is adopted?

        or yea yamato does fallen for female look like his sister.

        (why am i bit remind mirai nikki’s wakaba moe look like yuki’s mom)

        etusp
  4. Once Mei missteps her composure, she’s amazingly cute –

    He didn’t invite me; he invited Marshmallow!

    I loved Yamato’s playful assertiveness in his bedroom – taking advantage of her misgivings like that!
    But that’s really the best way to be to dispel the nervousness and break the ice, so that, given the history
    that he has, she will feel comfortable and, most importantly, not feel that she has to sleep with him.
    She’ll feel safe visiting him in his room in the future.

    I’ve noticed, too, that he’s always gently in control of the situation, except of course, when ani chan’s
    attacked by a weird girl who baked Weaponized cookies! (LOL)!!!

    I see a lot of parallels between this series and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun.

    mac65
  5. so um let see yamato look saw mei & black cat then go help raise black cat til call mei for help all good.

    then mei go to yamato’s house & meet his sister sure then give yamato’s sister had probs in past aka just like mei cause so called “friends” just only play & eat not notice yamato’s sister.

    then when yamato go out mei & yamato’s sister had some talk, weaponized cookies that mei make for her dad, stuffed animal, etc get along all fine got better with two cats as well.

    suiiyo
  6. Its amazing how young anime girls can be such good cooks and proper hostesses when company comes to call. My nieces are 18 and 16 and they can’t even boil water without burning the house down.

    Karmafan
  7. Yet another strong showing from Sukitte ii Na Yo! The scenes with Mei and Yamato in Yamato’s room really did show Mei’s cute embarrassed side and also the close relationship between the two lead characters.

    Mei’s ability to learn from the past and help others is truly caring of her character. Unfortunately in real life, there are many who goes to inflict the same pain which had been dealt to them in the past. She is a character which young people these days should learn from.

    Taiakun
    1. Fate/Zero will win by a landslide. Note that I am not suggesting that it deserves to win, but it shall, and it won’t even be close. Suki-tte Ii na yo. is in my top three of the year, but I am not sure if it will end up as my favorite or not.

      Vincent
  8. Sukitte Ii na yo is THE real gem of this season.

    My favorite part was when Mei said something about not ignoring people; and even if there are poeple who will hurt you along the way, eventually you will find the ones who will share the same passion as yours. It hit home so much that it made me reflect on what I’m doing with my life. Wow never thought anime these times can move me this much.

    nagi
  9. it was a fine, though, predictable episode indeed…as of now it’s starting to feel more like a dating sim…not that i don’t mind if it turns out to be one, though…

    KingofConquerors
  10. I can’t help but wonder what direction this will take if it does turn into that regular nonsense that most of these shoujos promote – i.e. the BS in Kaibutsu where the main characters relationship is like watching the baka-rangers try to solve a quadratic equation.

    They do seem a lot more natural than your normal romance-retarded couples & it is a pure joy to watch. I’m glad I didn’t ruin this for myself by fooling around with the manga like I did with Kaibutsu – which earned a one-way trip to my recycling bin. But ALL shoujo manga turn into a triangle of sorts before reaching a climax & I hope this series is well over before that nonsense occurs.

    Megas

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