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「こころ」 (Kokoro)
“Kokoro”
The initial exchange of timid glances between Kotarou and Akane was cute, but if you think about it, was probably indicative of the relationship problems that were going to be explored. It seems almost obvious that a shy couple would have difficulties engaging in direct communications, especially in a public environment like school. Can’t say I’m speaking from personal experience but heck, the same can be said of many of your typical secondary school couples regardless of confidence levels. So in times of crisis and doubt, who do we turn to?
Relationship Advice
Consulting Google and asking your seniors for advice is particularly relatable, especially obeying terrible advice garnered from the internet in a naïve manner. But at least it made Akane realise she really wasn’t satisfied with having one mere LINE of communication. You could really see her sparks of annoyance throughout the episode, even towards Roman and Daichi, for being able to effortlessly interact with Kotarou in real life.
Akane asking her sister for guidance was hilarious because Ayane’s real intent was clear as day. I didn’t know what Akane expected though, because an older sibling like Ayane usually tries to take advantage by exploiting your weaknesses. But it did show how sincerely cute and desperate Akane feels about making sure her relationship with Kotarou goes well.
The bookstore person Daisuke is such a bro. He caught onto Koutarou’s innocent lie, and instead of chiding Kotarou, Daisuke transformed into a supreme wingman by suggesting Kotarou invite Akane to the bookstore for a date. Mission successful.
The Secluded Date
Take notes Sword Oratoria, this is how internal monologues are done. Akane’s actions substantiate the fluffy inner expressions of her thoughts and feelings. This is fantastic because it’s not like we’re having an explanation shoved down our throats regarding every aspect of her cognitive process, or left grasping at straws trying to guess everything. We’re given enough information and still left with ample room for our own personal interpretations. The same applies for Kotarou’s thought process when he quotes Dazai again, and I particularly liked how it was used as a tool of foreshadowing:
“One things that humans have, that other creatures don’t: We have secrets.” – Dazai
Right after Kotarou finishes internally reciting this, a difficult choice comes down onto Akane in the form of a nightmare text – Chinatsu confesses to having a crush on Kotarou. If the Dazai quote on secrecy is anything to go by, I suspect Akane will endeavour to keep her discovery a secret from Kotarou, while actively struggling to resolve the situation by herself.
The Problem of Chinatsu
Chinatsu probably knows who has feelings for who by this point since she’s a rather observant girl. I also suspect her revelation was a completely calculated move designed to unsettle Akane. A possible question could be whether her implied inferiority complex from an earlier episode is relevant. It would give a reason as to why Chinatsu would want to take something away from Akane, and I particularly like how earnestly this problem is being approached. I think it’s a lot better to lay everything out on the table, rather than keeping the issue under wraps. That way, those pesky, generic misunderstandings plaguing romance shows of today can be gone from my Tsuki ga Kirei.
Though I’m still sceptical about the inclusion of a love triangle, the dramatic progression feels natural and it’s not like Chinatsu has done anything wrong per se. It has been hinted for quite a while that she was interested in Kotarou, and could tell that he was interested in Akane. So one cannot fault her for acting in self-interest. But despite how much I like Chinatsu as a character, this battle is one where I cannot take her side.
This was made all the clearer when Kotarou finally held Akane’s hand. MY KOKORO WO DOKIDOKI SURU. I think I blew up with excited gibbering. What a magical magisterial moment! And the golden silence really does convey it all. Being unable to make sense of reality as a wonderful sensation has your mind in freefall. The intensity of their thoughts and feelings intermingles into one whole bundle of cuteness as our patience is finally rewarded. GO GET ‘EM!
Concluding Thoughts
I wasn’t expecting Chinatsu to become more of a problem before Hira, so I look forwards to seeing how that develops. You can say Hira is Kotarou’s foil. Hira is athletic, Kotarou is bookish. Hira is charismatic, Kotarou is reclusive. However, the most important thing is that Hira repeatedly chickens out of having a proper and meaningful conversation with Akane, while Kotarou has the courage to forge ahead with his feelings.
At the moment, I see Hira being a non-factor until news spreads that Kotarou and Akane are dating. That would ought to get his cylinders firing. Nevertheless, it would make sense for the show to handle Chinatsu and Hira one at a time, rather than concurrently. That way, Kotarou and Akane can develop to rely on each other more for emotional support to overcome larger trials coming their way in the future.
Omake
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The Omakes were pretty good this week. No complaints! It was particularly refreshing to see completely new people receiving coverage under the spotlight.
Story of a Man!! Ogasawara Daichi – If Daichi’s powers are to be believed, he can probably tell that I’ve lost quite a bit of weight since going to university. Otherwise, it was pretty funny that the girls were quite fearful of this ability. Never understood the obsession and guess it’s a mystery of life I will never truly know.
Miu and Inaba – Inaba is such a dumbass. When asked which set of clothes you prefer, you always pick the model who looks more like your girlfriend. Not the one that looks nothing like her. Though I cannot help but sympathise with his predicament of being in a lose-lose situation.
Ayane’s Boyfriend – Like the father, I could not approve of this punk ass looking boyfriend. That was until I was won over by the penguin stress plush. But now that the boyfriend’s identity is no longer a mystery, I hope he will get moments of relevance within the storyline. It would be interesting to see him help out Kotarou some way or another.
Seriously can’t stop smiling when Akane and Kotarou are in a scene together. I also think that Chinatsu may know that they like each other but at the same time she likes him as well,but perhaps being a good friend she uses her feelings as a stepping stone to help the two get closer.
I suppose the jury is still out on Chinatsu, though I don’t think we will be treated to the same sort of internal monologues we got with Kotarou and Akane, thus meaning Chinatsu’s thoughts and feelings are shrouded in secrecy.
I’ve only just started to entertain the idea that Chinatsu is aware of Kotarou’s feelings for Akane, but not that Akane reciprocates these feelings. Considering there’s nothing public about their relationship, it’s a pretty fair conclusion to reach.
I can’t stop smiling for Akane and Kotarou either. Hopefully Chinatsu and Hira won’t rock their proverbial boat too hard.
Each week you wonder how Tsuki ga Kirei would deliver, each week they delivered it flawlessly. Why is this anime not getting the plaudits it deserved ? Watching this made me feel old compared to this junior high couple, and I’m still in early 20’s.
It really puts it into perspective when you check the MAL ratings for everything this season, and see a couple of series questionably rated higher. But for now, I still think Tsuki ga Kirei has yet to hit its true form.
Don’t worry, I’m being made to feel old too and I have yet to hit my 20s XD
WOW so you’re actually still grade schooler Zaiden?
Never expected that
That’s a strange thing to say Roxis. Not sure if you meant to say highschool, but even then, I’m pretty sure I mention I’m a university student somewhere in my post ^_^;
Ah i need to reread your introduction post but surprise me you not hit 20 year yet. I always under assumption people whose blog RC are people above 20 years old.
Not a bad assumption. I’m the only teen around these parts. The rest are older than me by a good few years, though I don’t have a read on Passerby who is the most incredible enigma (but definitely charismatic!) on the team. However, my educated guess would be that he’s quite a fair bit older, and that he probably was or is a fellow student of legal matters.
Also I meant this post. I mentioned in the omake coverage that if Daichi could guess people’s weights, he would be able to see that I’ve lost a lot of weight since going to university.
Honestly,it’s not getting plaudits because the subject matter is uninteresting to the vast majority of people watching anime.
Are you the DmonHiro who used to do anime subs? I remember watching a good few shows that you worked on ^_^
Thanks you for the hard work you put in!
Sad to say, you might have a point there about Tsuki ga Kirei’s initial premise appealing to a rather niche audience. (If only people gave it a chance!)
Yeah, that’s me. The thing about this show is that I think people expected a large ammount of angst. Most love shows centered around children of this age are drenched in melodrama and that alieanates a lot of people. But this show is’t angsty or melodramtic. People just don’t know that.
It’s an honour and privilege that I can possibly give back to you in some way.
I find that I adore melodrama in equal measures to more tempered shows like Tsuki ga Kirei. For example, Kimi no Iru Machi is one of my favourite mangas, and I really liked Nagi no Asukara. But I can see why people find them extremely off putting. I just like having my emotional extremes tested, and whereas these shows frivolously play with your heartstrings, Tsuki ga Kirei massages them very nicely. As such, it provides pretty effective form of relief coming from the damage caused by Kuzu no Honkai from the previous season.
https://randomc.net/image/Tsuki%20ga%20Kirei/Tsuki%20ga%20Kirei%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
seeing his reaction is excruciatingly painful and embarrassing to see..GUH! i’m grinning while hurting inside
still…i’m confused about chinatsu..either she really have a crush on kotarou or just trying to push akane to admit their relationship openly
the omake was so funny now i know from where akane got her habit with a plush doll
It’s strange to see yourself on screen… Oh those sweet bygone innocent school days…
Seeing both Kotarou and Akane react was such a treat. I hope we can continue with this good kind of angst for a while longer.
Pretty sure Chinatsu doesn’t have their interest in mind. It wouldn’t be characteristic, considering she knows how shy Akane is, and how damaging it could possibly be. Then again, I might be giving middle school students too much credit. Once upon a time, I myself had pretty good intentions to help out that ended up becoming really messy.
I’m not sure if Akane’s father is a person who gets stressed or if he just has a fondness for plushes. There’s only so much the eye can tell.
*Sigh* Chinatsu, please, for the love of everything that is sacred and beautiful in this world, stop being so whimsical and make up your mind already. Just last episode she showed signs of knowledge of the affection Kotarou has for Akane, and now she suddenly decides to come in between? That is a whole other level of nerve-wracking right there.
Good news is, Kotarou is into Akane, and ONLY Akane, so now the ball is in Akane’s court. Bad news is, because the ball is in her court, Akane won’t know how to handle the situation without losing Chinatsu as a friend. I think we already know how Kotarou would respond to Chinatsu if he knew of her feelings. His boldness so far has been astounding and admirable. So at the end of the day, this is Akane’s problem alone. If I were her, I’d straight up tell Kotarou about Chinatsu and trust him to make the right call as he sees fit, but we all know she won’t don’t that, so this is gonna be interesting.
I’m sorry, but I honestly can’t help myself but feel sorry for people that actually root for Chinatsu over Akane, at least judging from comments on Crunchyroll. It’s blatantly obvious from the ED that’s not gonna happen. And this relationship between Kotarou and Akane is just right. I understand people can’t help themselves, but this isn’t that type of love story. Kotarou is too chivalrous to give up Akane midway. And she’s most likely the only girl he likes.
While I’m a fellow supporter of Akane, I think people are entitled to their own opinions. They find Chinatsu to be a charming character, and that is something I can respect. Though I don’t think she can win given the implications given thus far in the series, especially by the ending theme, so I hope they are mentally prepared when the time comes around.
No matter the outcome, I hope Chinatsu and Akane don’t drift apart as a result of whatever is going to happen. It’s still good to depend on friends too than solely relying on Kotarou because I want Akane and Kotarou to push each other to grow, as opposed to becoming crutches for each other that they cannot function without.
Agreed. These turbulences should provide that opportunity for them to grow because of each other.
I like Chinatsu’s character over Akane, she is more interesting.
Let’s get this clear, I think Akane and Kotarou is a canon couple, and there is no way that he would pick Chinatsu. The thing is, guys like Kotarou, at that age, will always fall for girls like Akane: the cool and popular girl in school. The reclusive and geeky guys like him are drawn to girls like her like a magnet. But as the episode goes along I find Akane annoying. She’s that girl in school, the popular one, who for some reason falls for the underdog because he’s different from the clique that she belongs to, but pretends – when caught in the act – not to be associated with his type for fear that she will be looked down by her friends. Akane and Azumi are cute together, no doubt about that, they have some sparks, but I cannot see that to go further beyond high school. They are good for the now, but looking forward, but if this a college or a story set in the office, he and Chinatsu makes more sense together.
Hey Ho Won, I disagree with your statements on various accounts as follows:
Just want to make a point that being a more interesting person does not make automatically make a person the more viable romantic option. Falling for girls in a substantive manner entails some degree of engagement or communication with the subject – like all that texting or an encounter in real life like at the restaurant or the sports festival. Kotarou and Chinatsu have their first, meaningful encounter outside the teacher’s office in Episode 3, way after he has already developed feelings for Akane and had already confessed. Perhaps things might have been different then, but it’s not a case where Kotarou really had a choice in the first place. My estimation of his character would have considerably decreased if he had suddenly changed his mind about feeling serious about Akane.
That’s a pretty vast generalisation. If you put it that way, I find it incredibly unlikely that Kotarou would have fallen for the likes of Aira or Setsuko, who are popular girls that are loud and brash. Shy, quiet and reclusive guys probably just feel attracted to the first girl to show kindness and interest in them.
Paying attention to the subtle details in the series, you’ll notice Akane always had her eyes wander onto Kotarou ever since the beginning. And consider the things he does for her that are not just ‘for some reason’ she falls for him. Her interest for Kotarou is always there, then she proceeds to slowly open interaction with him through accidental chances. He actually does things for her that would mean the world to any girl in her position.
At the sports festival, she loses her beloved sweet potato stress plush and he toils all afternoon to find it just for her. After giving it back to her, she’s already fumbled and lost the race and is feeling really bad, and what does he do? Kotarou reassures her that she is fine the way she is – helping validate her existence against the sea of stress. These are the reasons she falls for Kotarou. He has already done so much for her. It’s an organic development of feelings, and the reasons are not as random, superficial or as unjustified as otherwise being implied.
This equally stands for the nerdy and geeky Kotarou, as it does for the cool and athletic Hira, who is also arguably of the same ilk as her clique. An analysis can’t be that selective for its own convenience, and needs to look across the entire board in order to derive a fair and justified conclusion. We have seen across the entire series that Akane struggles with stress, carrying around a sweet potato stress plush at all times. Without it, she cannot function in the spotlight of running a race – seeing how she fumbles the relay race.
Akane is simply a person who cannot express herself very well and crumbles under the spotlight when she lacks the mental support provided by her sweet potato stress plush. It would be unfair to describe this as a fear of being looked down upon by her friends. Yes, it is a fear, but a longstanding social anxiety she has always had rather than because she feels shame towards Kotarou.
I could almost agree with this, but for different reasons. We simply need to see more before coming to any sorts of early judgements. It’s early stages of the relationship, and nothing can be said for certain, though even I would venture it is unlikely that it would last past highschool. Then your second sentence is something I disagree with.
How does Chinatsu make more sense? You need to actually provide some reasons before making these kinds of claims. Not to mention Chinatsu herself is technically part of a popular girl clique, who doesn’t really have a reason for falling for Kotarou. What has Kotarou done for her? Find her a cram school? That kind of help doesn’t amount to anywhere near the emotional significance of what Kotarou has done for Akane.
What I think makes sense for two people to be together is that they both reciprocate each other’s feelings of love and attraction, and can discuss maturely to resolve problems or reach compromises. At the moment, Kotarou and Akane have it balanced quite well, and are slowly taking baby steps forwards. They communicate like at the shrine in Kyoto, and the bookstore where Kotarou works, to do exactly these things. This shows signs that their relationship is stable all round and working really well.
No point in looking for a relationship where one side is not in love with the other side. You can entertain the what ifs, but these are the facts of the matter. I would find Kotarou to be a scumbag if he chose to date Chinatsu with unresolved feelings for Akane. And then you watch on as Tsuki ga Kirei descends into School Days 2.0.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Anyway, these are the aforementioned reasons as to why I thoroughly disagree with most of your points, and it principally comes down to the idea that I feel you are making many assumptions about characters without considering their actions in context. Supporting views requires some kinds of evidence or facts of events to justify them, and you need to consider the overall perspective without taking a selective sample size. I would like to hear what you have to say regarding these things, because what you are saying is genuinely interesting, but it’s difficult to engage with due to the lack of substantiated reasoning.
In the red corner we got ponytail-delicious-nape master race… In the blue corner we got the genki-sporty-girl…
ARGH! Who to support?
In both of them, I see my old school days love interests!
Velvet Scarlantina, can’t betray the ponytail master race.
https://randomc.net/image/Tsuki%20ga%20Kirei/Tsuki%20ga%20Kirei%20-%2005%20-%2033.jpg
I finally caught up this series. Oh boy, 5 episodes and they made progress better than most of romance anime! Kotarou and Akane texting is so relatable.
Glad to see you’re having fun with this One Pinch Man. I hope you can continue to follow my coverage from this point onwards! ^_^
Wow, you replied to every single comment! You, I like you. Keep up your good work, Zaiden 😀
Following generic romance standard the series may end with AkanexKouta admit their relationship to public but since this anime heavily routing to mimic how actual middle schooler graders in relationship, i will predict at near end series Chinatsu and Akane will broke up due of pressure and their growing complicated relationship with third and fourth wheel (Chinatsu and Hira), however they will date again when their at highschool final year or at college when theim has reach adult mental to worry for simple matter “shy to public”.
After all there are no such things cheesy conclusion things in real life, it’s matter overcome by time or not.
That’s a pretty big prediction to make. At the moment, I’m more inclined to make predictions like Chinatsu and Hira can’t win, or Kotarou will gain inspiration from his life experiences to kickstart his literary career. I don’t think this series has enough melodrama in it to take things that far, not to mention Akane and Koutaro complement each other really well.
I do agree about time potentially playing a role here. But we will have to wait and see.
I am based this prediction from related this series to real life approach.
The result can different in any outcome.
Loving this show, but just a quick observation. Are they supposed to be in middle school or high school? If middle school, it kinda threw me a bit to hear a 14 year old casually talk about her love hotel journeys. Very different from my childhood, that’s for sure.
Middle school. Well Japan is quite liberal regarding sex, but sure I’d be uncomfortable if I hear bunch of middle school kids talking about their love hotel journey. Time sure has changed.
I was quite surprised by the end. I never saw it coming and it was such a bad! BAD! timing for her to send that text…but that’s really not her fault. I can’t take Chinatu’s side here either…her personality is not really the best to handle and for someone like Kotarou he sure doesn’t seem to care much about her even though he probably talked more with her than Akane to this point.
Are they actually friends? or just classmates? I can’t really tell she calls him curly-kun for fun and has no problems to talk to him whenever they met…yet somehow it doesn’t feel right.
I also really liked the contrast between Hira and Chinatsu when they both went home together with our two (problematic) love birds. This really went so different in terms of conversation and how they think of each other. I was wondering why Hira-kun is holding back so far. He does seem to care about Akane a lot and doesn’t want to put her in any kind of embarrassing spot and I can understand that the last thing she want’s to talk about is her new boyfriend but still it makes me wonder if Akane is actually aware of the fact that she really have a lot of people around her that care for her and that she should be more open about herself. Maybe she just can’t trust people at all because her family is moving a lot and she changed school very often that she never really had the experience what it means to trust your friends and talk about your own troubles and trying to get some help in terms of what would be best. Well at least she asked her sister for some advice and that’s good for now.
I can understand that keeping it a secret is the first thing middle school kids would do – and yet I think they would have it so much easier to tell their friends at least. Mostly all of them (except for that pink haired guy…) wouldn’t make fun of them at all so I think it’s fine. The only problem is what Chinatsu and Hira are going to do once they know.
Anyway…my kokoro probably went dokidoki as crazy too when he just went straight for her hand. And how they said just absolutely nothing was just…well..it fit in very well. The blush on both of their faces and the awkward eye contact was too much for me though…I was actually a bit relieved when Akane suddenly let go because of her phone notification. A kiss would be too soon!!.
I really like the Omakes in this show I wish more series would have them.
Endearing nicknames are an enduring feature of courtships rituals, kana-chan. Curly-kun is one such example. It does seem particularly intriguing how Chinatsu’s interactions with Kotarou are a lot more seamless. However, it does not necessarily show that she is a better match for Kotarou as you have said. To use an extreme hypothetical scenario to demonstrate my point, a sleazy guy hitting on a prim and proper girl is an arguably seamless interaction, but there is definitely a high chance of jarring incompatibility contrary to what the ease of interaction would suggest.
Moving on, I also enjoyed the introspective walking home, particularly the scenic semantics pertaining to each of the scenes. Hira and Akane’s walk takes place during the sunset next to a river of burnished gold.
My thoughts are that Hira holds back because he lacks the courage to take that step, to change the status quo of his friendship with Akane having known her for so long. He probably fears potentially ruining what they already have. Kotarou you could argue never had this problem shackling his ability to make a move. Not to mention hearing about Hira’s interest pushed him to steel his resolve, whereas Hira does not know he’s already far behind. He doesn’t realise his slice of the cake is being stolen away. You could say if Hira had similar levels of information, he may have been forced to act upon his feelings sooner.
I think Guardian Enzo also said on lostinanime that middle schoolers typically keep their relationship a secret, which would explain why Akane isn’t really looking for support from those nearest and dearest to her. As to why, I can see there being truth in that statement, although I never really came across that kind of stuff during my own time in middle school. Every relationship was no longer a secret after you told one or two people, since the news would spread like wildfire. Perhaps something particular within British dating culture that allow you to be more casual and open, as opposed to the conservative reservation present within Japanese culture.
But that doesn’t make sense in retrospect, because Setsuko, Nagahara and Miu sort of openly discuss their relationships without seeming too fazed by these purported cultural norms and expectations. So I can only really peg it down to Akane being too shy and inexperienced, as well as displaying caution regarding making a mistake that might send everything around her crashing down. She asks her sister, because Ayane cannot really exert any negative influence within Akane’s social circle – it’s hardly like she can spread any kind of legitimate news amongst Akane’s associates in Kawagoe that may cause Akane to suffer a panic attack. Therefore, it’s easier to trust her with this kind of information. Even then Ayane has to infer/tease it out of a reluctant Akane.
100% agree that a kiss would be too soon. I like the current progression of the show, which is slow albeit organic and natural. I’m letting myself go with the flow in order to see where it takes us on this journey. Holding hands is enough for now, though I’m expecting a kiss by the end, and a timeskip where they have a family of their own.
Omakes are great, and although I’m not a particularly huge fan of the ones covering Setsuko and Ryouko Sensei, the rest have been absolutely fantastic. Quaint and wonderful little things.
By the way, thanks for commenting your regular thoughts. I always find it really helpful and insightful! It’s always so wonderful to engage in discussion regarding the events of an episode! We all have our own personal experiences of watching Tsuki ga Kirei, and being clued in onto how others are perceiving this series really allows me to appreciate the nuances it provides a lot more.
Thank you very much Zaiden and thanks for this detailed reply. I too like to read and (if possible) to discuss recent episodes with others that follow the recent anime series as well. It makes watching anime more interesting and there are a lot of things that I could have missed or maybe wrong interpreted. You have my deepest respect for taking your time and answering comments here and there. (and for your great photoshop skills makes me laugh everytime!)
zaiden wholesome photoshop 12.jpg – what are the other 11 miracles you created?I just hope that Hira might find the courage to confess later. At least I think he should. At this point it’s safe to say that Akane also started to make a move (her reply to his confession for example) after she witness many times how Chinatsu and Kotarou talk easily to each other. It was kind of a similar behaviour to Kotarou when he heard that Hira has feelings for Akane and because of other people around them they made a move to make sure they’re first to tell how they feel. Kotarou is clearly the winner here, in both terms of what he wants and how to achieve it.
About Hira, I would say just two more things. First, what confuses me most is that it seems every girl in school who is in the same club knows that he has indeed feelings for Akane. I bet those three girls asking her if they’re actually going out weren’t the first one to ask her. I wonder who spread these rumors in the first place? Are they just watching how Hira and Akane interact witch each other? I’d like to see the full context, given that Akane isn’t ignorant she somehow must have at least notice what’s going on but I can’t really tell if he’s just not her “type” or if she was waiting for him to make a move in the first place. Second, if he would have been first to confess would she have said the same to Kotarou and just “I’ll think about it”. Because there are no thoughts and internal monologue it’s really hard to tell.
Do we actually know how much time have passed so far (2-3 months? maybe just a few weeks?) I would as well say, the pacing is really great in this show it does not only feel real and well balanced. I think I would like a timeskip at the end as well. Maybe Kotarou as a worldwide best selling author? Though I wouldn’t mind a career as whatever he’s doing here.
Anyway I probably put too much thought in Hira’s actions and for whatever real reason he might hold back for so long. (I might have become a fan of his after the walking home scene) so maybe it will come down next episode when he recalls his own words that there isn’t much time anymore for both of them to run together.
The only thing I would dislike is when Akane decided to stay silent to Chinatsu and to make her walk straight into the trap. She alreay wants to improve her running and get better to match Akane and now they like the same guy it is already clear that the friendship is going to be problematic.
I’m surprised that people are actually laughing at the shopped screenshots. I think they’re fairly cheesy, albeit produced with a fun loving spirit! Responding to readers feels like an obligation, especially where it is clear they have taken the time to read what I have written. So for me, it’s personally one of my ways of saying thank you!
I’m not sure if you can wrongly interpret as long as you can substantiate it with reasoning. There’s nothing wrong with having an interpretation of fiction that deviates from the mainstream. You make a really fantastic point that both couples are spurred on by physically seeing, or hearing rumours about their crush having suggestive interactions with a member of the opposite gender. Part of Kotarou winning the approach is down to fairly good luck as well. He doesn’t have to deal with friends who have powerful intuition. In fact, it even surprises me that Roman and Daichi completely forgot that they caught Kotarou texting a girl during the school field trip. I don’t think I’d let my friends get away with that one, and my alarm bells would go ringing the moment they act shady.
I’ve actually grown quite fond of the idea that a manipulator is acting behind the scenes, and that they were the one who got the three girls to ask Akane about Hira (though it would be unlikely considering what we’ve had so far). Maybe you have a point that Akane could be waiting to see how Hira acts, but I think she’s just too shy as a person to speak up on the matter, and doesn’t want to damage her friendship with Hira.
That’s a really interesting question you pose, that if Hira had asked first, would the outcome have varied? I think it is likely, but not certain. You don’t really see Akane having the special interactions with Hira the way she did with Kotarou. Even before they were placed in the same class, they would often sneak peeks at each other out of the corner of their eyes.
I think you’re pretty accurate with estimating the time elapsed since the start of the series. The school entrance ceremony was in Spring, and this seems to be Summer. The walking home scene shows he cares for Akane, so he’s a pretty nice guy all round who wanted to cheer her up. But no matter how strongly he feels towards her, it’s not like she’s going to know or appreciate it if he can’t express/communicate it to her. If you loved someone all your life but they never knew you loved them because you never told them, it’s pretty difficult to fault them for not necessarily reciprocating.
Not sure I see it as Akane forcing Chinatsu in a trap. She probably had no idea her friend was interested in her boyfriend of all people (who no girl seemed to be interested in prior to her), and it’s not like she purposely chose to leave Chinatsu out of the loop. Akane left everybody out of the loop, and didn’t even tell her older sister who she was dating – she could have easily replied ‘That guy we met at the restaurant in the first episode’.
This episode to me feels like, when a beautiful shining ball of light showering me with hopes and dreams through its radiant ray of golden warm light then shatters completely leaving me but just a fragment of cold and death
Hahaha, worry not Aructer XD
This is no fragment of cold and death. Tis but a passing storm bringing a light shower of rain with the occasional claps of thunder and lightning for melodramatic effect. I do not expect Tsuki ga Kirei to take things to the next level. It would deviate too far from its precedent of being down to earth and delivering optimistic messages about learning the ropes of first love. I think these negative inserts are used to round off a realistic portrayal of middle school romance.
I’m actually a little torn on whether I’m on team Chinatsu or team Akane.
They’re both pretty awesome honestly.
Tho I suppose I’ll have to deal with a likely Akane end XD
Zaiden Edit: Compiled all comments into one.
It’s okay to be torn but I’m not quite sure if that’s the angle Studio Feel are trying to aim for.
They are trying to present problems, but not necessarily trying to create a dilemma forcing people to choose sides. Personally, I don’t think that’s what the show is about. It is about the experience of falling in love for the first time and the potential trappings that come with the silver lining, but mostly the pleasure and wonders of it all.
*Looks at the shopped screenshot*
Oh yeah, Zaiden is in charge of covering this show, isn’t he?
*Confirms the author at the top of the page*
Yep, thought so.
I’m pretty sure I know “the body” from somewhere, but I can’t seem to pinpoint where.
In any case, I think we have found our wingman of the year.
As for Chinatsu, now I’m unsure about just how perceptive is that girl. When she helped Koutaro she seemed like she was in the know, but sending that message to Akane makes it seem she’s oblivious to where her affections lie. She also doesn’t seem the kind of character to make complex machinations, so I find it hard to believe the message was some kind of plan to unsettle Akane. It seemed to me that is was simply a young girl telling her friend she had found a boy she liked.
Soon, I might not be in charge for a week or two when my exams come around. But I’ll leave Tsuki ga Kirei in capable hands, so worry not. Glad people click on my shopped screenshots, because I admit to being one of those readers who used to parse through the written content without really looking at the screenshot hyperlinks. The way I’d describe them is that they’re something like a garnish for the finished article to make it seem more aesthetically appealing.
The body is Kyousuke from Little Busters. Looking at the shows so far this year, I feel inclined to agree that Daisuke has been a fantastic wingman, though we have the rest of the year left! Can’t wait to see what more 2017 has to offer.
Chinatsu noticed Kotarou’s eyes were following Akane when they were in that bookstore in Kyoto. That kind of perception is pretty special, and the way she guessed Kotarou wanted to phone Akane makes me think that she knows quite a bit about what is going on. So those are the reasons I believe Chinatsu to be calculating far ahead in her actions. There are examples in other series where a perfectly nice girl plays underhanded tactics to prevail in their romantic venturesShow Spoiler ▼
I know that example, but Clannad, as good as a show it is, does not exactly fit into the more realistic and naturalistic approach we find here. The characters here seem more like actual teenagers than VN heroines, so I’m still not convinced Chinatsu knows Akane is into Kotarou. Next episodes will clear that up, probably.
That’s true. Guess the mystery shall be resolved fairly soon. I look forwards to seeing what comes! 🙂
Not you, Chinatsu! Aw man, this show. Can’t stop having the feels haha although you’re right Zaiden Hira is a total relationship wimp lol (no he’s not I’m just joking)
I truly enjoyed this episode, and just by impression it feels like things can be resolved easily if Kotarou explained about Chinatsu wanting to go cram school and Akane sharing Chinatsu’s confession and expecting an explanation. But hey, what’s the drama for if there’s that? This is what makes the show naturally good already
I’m ready for something in future episodes. I don’t know what, but it’ll never beat this episode’s holding hands… I think?? #somuchcringe
Yo Kaineng, Studio Feel living up to their name in spectacular fashion. Et tu, Chinatsu? Hahaha, I jest. I don’t think there’s really much betrayal going on here. Not everyone can be a winner when it comes to love. Poor Hira though. I hope he doesn’t get too much stick for being unable to gather his resolve XD
One thing to note about the drama is that it doesn’t come out of nowhere. It is flagged and highlighted at various intervals, to the point where I’ve indicated in multiple of my previous posts that I could sense
a plot to destroy the jedisomething was amiss. Everything is an organic development, thus making Tsuki ga Kirei feel like a product of real life experiences.You know what beats holding hands? Getting a first kiss somewhere, and a timeskip showing us Kotarou and Akane with a young family ^_^
I would like if the romantic advances continue even with “people getting in the way” though; kissing on this may be bonus seeing how the distance they sit from each other now. Can’t wait until they touch shoulders lol
I don’t understand how they get anything done in life. They practically don’t talk. Especially Akane. Like, how do they make friends, do presentations, perform anything that requires teamwork?
Tsuki ga Kirei tagline: Nothing in life is as difficult as love XD
Another dose of sweet diabetes and another cliffhanger to cap it off.
The fact that they are in their early teens makes it hard to predict what will happen.
Would Akane shrink and keep the text to herself, or tell it to Curly-kun early on? Will she confront Chinatsu?
Among the four girls, the brazen one complained about her boyfriend wanting nothing but to visit the love motel as casual as if they were just going to the park. The other three girls listened in silently and had to feel some some extent of peer pressure. I guess that’s why they all found themselves boyfriends.
As someone who was an introverted high schooler who fell for an equally introverted schoolmate, Kotarou and Akane’s relationship thus far have been hitting it very, very close to home. That is an authentic, awkward teenage love story right there.
I did not expect Chinatsu will send that text. I suppose that she might have caught on to Akane and Kotarou, but is under the impression they’re not dating yet? Or is it a declaration of war? Damn it, I watch this show to feel happy, not get stressed! Even if their puppy love antics make me cringe (in a fond sort of way) for my past self.
P.S. Akane and Megumi of SaeKano are making the ponytail master race proud. Approval rate 100%.