Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Summary:
The reset is complete: Hatsunejima is covered with sakura trees in full blossom, and everyone has forgotten Junichi and Nemu’s relationship. In fact, all the girls are now aiming for Junichi, including Aisia who seems to be enjoying herself. Mako in particular, seems to want to ask Junichi out on a date while they’re walking to school, but isn’t able to because Aisia spots Kotori. During class, Suginami shows Aisia a relationship graph with Kotori having the highest bar.
Mako ends up giving Nemu the ticket and asking Nemu to give it to Junichi for her. However, when Nemu goes to speak with Junichi about it in the evening, she finds him already asleep. She tries again after school ends the next day, but Junichi has already gone out with Kotori. With no other choice, Nemu shows up at the meeting place and apologizes to Mako for not having been able to give it to Junichi. Returning home in the evening after having baked some cookies with Alice, Aisia is confronted by Sakura. Sakura questions if everyone is really happy and explains that, before, everyone understood the relationship that Junichi and Nemu had. Sakura tells Aisia not to forget that a person’s feelings win over magic. Aisia, however, still doesn’t think that she did anything wrong and still believes in everyone’s happiness. But Sakura’s words have their impact, and Aisia starts questiong herself on the way home.
It has started to rain, and, caught in the storm, Junichi and Kotori take refuge under the old sakura tree. When Junichi tries to take a handkerchief out of his pocket, the watch he bought with Nemu falls out. Grasping it, Junichi remembers the kiss he had with her and starts experiencing chest pains. He apologizes to Kotori and runs off. Meanwhile, at home, Nemu opens her drawer and sees the watch and all of the letters she wrote to Junichi. She surprises herself when she starts crying, which is the state a very shocked Aisia finds her in.
This episode ends up being fairly predictable, which is a bit disappointing. The TV turning off last week did indeed signal a complete reset, with the only people who completely kept their memories being Aisia and Sakura. The point of the episode becomes showing how the girls fawn over Junichi, which to Aisia makes it look like everyone is happy. But the Mako trying to ask Junichi on a date angle demonstrates that not all is well. This is compounded at the end by how Nemu and Junichi start to suffer as they somewhat remember their memories from before, helped along by the symbols of their love (the matching watches and the letters).
I admit that I was hoping for Aisia to become a grand villain, but that wasn’t realistically going to happen. Instead, she’s still lead by the everyone’s-happiness belief. I think Sakura basically verbalizes the theme of this season with her “a person’s feelings will win over magic” line. If that is truly the case, as they are showing it is, then the last episode will probably have Junichi and Nemu overcoming the sakura tree’s power with their mutual love and memories, maybe with a little help from Sakura, Aisia, and even their friends. Not really groundbreaking (sequels rarely are), but I’ll reserve judgment until I see it. Onward to the finale!
The second season offically sucks. Second to last episode now and what have we accoplished?
Nothing fecking good.
Sigh… as if you saying that wasn’t a foregone conclusion; you’ve been saying that forever. What could you possibly have expected? Wasn’t it completely obvious this is where they were heading after last episode? Looks like they’re playing things exactly the way they have to in order that the ending fits into the rest of the show. You really expected them to diverge now? No, of course you didn’t… sigh…
Congrats for missing the point.
Oh good, they are showing more Kotori NOW. Though I have to admit it doesn’t feel all good to see her spend more time with that asswipe over there.
Well, what do you think the point of the show was then, Anza? A lot has happened, and it clearly had structure and a purpose. You’re saying that nothing was accomplished in the show, by which I assume you mean that Junichi’s feelings haven’t changed and neither have those of any of the other girls. So, in your mind, what were the producers trying to accomplish by this show? Somebody obviously did this on purpose, as there is too much structure and are too many connections for it to be totally random. If you’re going to say the show sucks because nothing happened, how do you explain it? It’s not a matter of me missing the point, it’s a matter of me doubting that you’ve tried to find one in the show. Your point seems to be that the show is pointless, and that just doesn’t make sense to me.
Lot of anger brewing…
Anyway, I’ll have to see the episode, but in the last picture, is Nemu looking at the letters she wrote to Junichi when she was away from the island studying? I was kind of wondering if those would get brought up again (you know the old saying – if you show a gun in Act 1, someone better get shot in Act 3).
So, Sakura’s dressed like a mage – did she fight Aisia or is she about to?
Well, I haven’t watched the episode yet, but Kotori doesn’t look like moving on, just from the screenies. Yeah I know, odd conclusion without watching it, but I love being pessimistic, anything else is a nice surprise. 😛
At least we’re seeing more of her indeed, Rasmiel, even if I too hate the fact that she wastes her time with that useless idiot.
What’s Nemu whining about now anyway?
well~ indeed more kotori. with things the way it is now, i’m really clueless wad’s gonna happen at the last episode. either way, i might rewatch the whole season just to get a clearer picture of the show
Aisia just needs to be smacked a couple times. Kotori needs to give it up already, I don’t know why she has so many fanboys.
I watched the episode… That chart that Suginami made was kind of interesting. A sad reflection of the show.
Aisia is evil.
Show Spoiler ▼
Just what i though would happend when i saw the last eps, even that jun’ichi would date kotori. But i expected at least some twist.
Now we will have a even more predictable ending, so next eps they remember their feelings and they are happy again.
I believed that aisia did the right thing, nemu/jun’ichi relationship prevented every girl to say her feelings to jun’ichi, now they have the chance, but looks like the writers did almost nothing with it.
Now i have to wait to see what happens next eps. Probally that aisia will take back her wish and than everything is the same as before and nothing has chanced. Perhaps next eps kotori will tell jun’ichi her feelings and then we will see the, be “happy” and move on, line.
If this happens, i would like the writers explain to me what the point what was, in deciding in making this season.
I agree with you, nyte. I’m not sure why Kotori has so many fanboys either. It must be the hat.
Meh, I wanted the others to move on already. It’d have to be some damn awesome writing if they -do- decide to make the girls move on, to convince me that they did in just the last episode, but I’ll give it a chance, obviously.
And god, I hope we’re not supposed to pity Nemu again like last season.
with one episode left, and given what they’ve done to the other girls’ feelings because of the revival of the sakura tree, i don’t see any possible way to resolve every one of the girls’ feelings happily in a single episode. the junichi x nemu relationship can be done in an ep, but everyone else? there will need to be an OVA series of some kind to finish this off completely, given the way the producers have futzed with the story here. in any case, if this series ends unhappily, i’ve far gone past the point where i could care. it had potential at the beginning for real drama, and then just as soon as it started, it killed it. BLAH~!
What happened to the Junichi/Kotori path that I wanted to see!?!?!?!? DAMMIT, last season was Nemu. It’s Kotori’s turn dammit!!!!! For the love of Utamaru, the only way I’m gonna get a good ending out of this series is if I play the frickin game. *sigh* but I don’t know Japanese, and there’s no english versions available. *sigh*
Man… Thats what I call quality TV… Junichi X Kotori relationship development…
Thanks a lot for ruining it near the end.
Is it just me or has Utamaru gotten more screen time than Sakura?
I will reserve complete jugment until the end as well, but I agree with many people who are asking, at episode 25, what was the point? To me, the point was never going to be to break up NemuxJunichi, and I would have been ticked off if they had – it would ruin Season 1 and everything that happened then. I really enjoyed some of the early stuff of second season. The Nemu returns arc was great, very dramatic. A lot of episodes were nice little one shots, with comedy, etc. It is a “slice of life” show after all. But…
I was really hoping that the point of this series would be to force the harem to stop being a harem, to realize how empty that life was, moving on, or something like that. With Aisia being so ticked off at people’s behavior, I thought that would happen. That hasn’t materialized.
Then, with Aisia’s incredibly evil smiles last episode (particularly the one at the start of 24), I thought we would at least get a battle of some kind, with her as a major villain. In a sense, there was. Sakura’s confrontation was nice (being in mage clothes was a nice touch), but not exactly knock-down, drag-out. The battle’s mostly going on inside Aisia. Which I knew would have to happen. All good villains have their own justifications for why they do things that seem somewhat reasonable. But it would have been nice had Aisia turned psycho (she might still…). It really seemed like she was heading down that road of craziness in the last dozen episodes, as she gets more and more ticked off with everyone’s behavior and ultimately decides to revive the tree and control things with magic.
Will the last episode create some sort of resolution of the emotions that have been toyed with by Aisia? There’s no question NemuxJunichi will be together. But this whole season has been on the backdrop of the emotions of the harem in light of the NemuxJunichi relationship. Episode 25, to me, highlights that as the issue of DCSS even more, watching Mako walking down the road after failing to get a date with Junichi in her own awkward way. Will their emotions be resolved? I guess it’s next episode or bust…
Good to see Kotori finally gets more screen time. Bad to see that the ending is going to be Ultra predictable.
Poor Kotori is just damned for eternity to suffer by the writers. Get her hopes up, shoot them down. Get her hopes up, shoot them down. How many more times must they break her heart?
Holy frickin’ crap, now that I’m watching it… Da Capo indeed. They went all out on flashback/reprise scenes from the manga, season one, and earlier in this show. I think I even recognize scenes from the game (I’m quite sure that “Mada Nii-san iru kana…?” sounds familiar as hell…). That’s just nuts… I wonder if I could count all the references? That’s so awesome…
Show Spoiler ▼
I’ve said all along that I’d accept any resolution so long as it was well-justified. Not many shows have gone through the great lengths that this one has to tie everything together, so I guess that’s why I’m not disappointed at all.
I agree with everything MonkeyBrains said, basically.
Though I didn’t really like the Nemu return arc. Not because it was badly done, it was good – I just hated her attitude during it.
But yes, I wish that the other girls had more focus rather than Nemu and Jyunichi. We all knew they were going to end up together since episode 1 of the first season even, and the first season focused on the relationship well; plus, the conflict they had because of Nemu’s leave was solved in episodes 6-9, so what’s the point of this?
I still don’t understand what was the point of giving Kotori so much focus early on, and why she’s in the OP and all over the art in the official website, among other things.
As for Aisha, I like her character. Sure she screws up a lot, but I can understand her frustration at the situation – I felt the same way, heh. Besides, she means well in what she tries to do, someone just needs to explain her the way things are.
And indeed Justin – I’m beginning to think that whoever wrote this hates Kotori’s character. >.>
I’ll be looking forward to Da Capo Alternative, where Kotori finds happiness and Nemu be who she is suppose to be, just a sister. =)
And MonkeyBrains… there’s one thing this show has shown great restraint in doing, and that’s letting internal conflicts (with ones own feelings, dreams, past, etc.) turn against another person directly. Any time it did, even as hint, was a really really big deal. It’d be completely out of character for Aisia to go “pyscho”, because her conflict is with her own feelings. This is why seeing that her hopes are causing pain to others is a wake-up call – she has to face her own prejudices and pre-conceptions and accept that maybe she was wrong after all.
I disagree that they have to resolve the feelings of all the girls in the harem, because that has already been resolved: there is no easy way out. Aisia’s answer was only a dead end, and no matter what other means you might have taken, it’d still lead to pain. (This is also why, incidentally, I question people who wish there were more direct confrontations in this show – it would have only resulted in more pain for all the characters, in the end.) What kind of resolution can there be for them except for accepting, once and for all, that Nemu and Junichi belong together? Anything else is a false hope. So, by showing that in the final episode, they’ll be enabling, as you say, the harem to move on. Whether they *show* the harem moving on or not (except in a very brief way, perhaps) isn’t really the point of this show, I don’t think. Acceptance is the answer, and that’s all that’s required to resolve this plot, I think.
“I still don’t understand what was the point of giving Kotori so much focus early on, and why she’s in the OP and all over the art in the official website, among other things.”
Because, she’s Aisia’s primary illustration – the girl that stands to gain the most if Aisia has her way. By sympathizing with Kotori’s sadness, we’re led to believe in Aisia’s goal. Besides, if it were just Aisia saying that things weren’t fair, why would you care? You’d think she was being selfish. Kotori is entirely the opposite: she’s selfless and so everyone sympathises with her. That’s what gives power to Aisia’s argument, and that’s why they put so much emphasis on Kotori’s story in the OP, promo art, etc. But, that being said, we all know that Kotori represents the counterpoint to Nemu and Junichi progress – Kotori can only gain if Nemu loses. So, now you’ve got a real dilemma here. So, in other words, everything happened to support the story’s purpose, and by asking that question, you’re digging at the story’s message without even realizing it. Everything happened for a reason.
I know it was a long shot that Aisia would turn into a more active villain. That’s not the style of the story. But she looked pretty psychotic in episode 24, so I always hoped… And that would be a twist.
I like NemuxJunichi, so that aspect, I like in this season. And I like, as you put it, relentlessflame, that this season is solidifying that relationship, more than Season 1 did.
I think maybe you’re touching on what might be the point of this season – “false hope”. (Look at those who scream for KotorixJunichi.) That has come up repeatedly throughout the series. I think of episode 15, as a perfect example, where Aisia raises false hope with Kotori (getting her to cook for Junichi based on a lie, just to see the dish she made was already in the refridgerator made by Nemu). That was one of the few times I felt sympathetic to Kotori. But anyway, “false hope”… Maybe that is the point. Kind of a nasty theme. But it’s certainly shown up in 24+25, particularly 25, as Aisia thinks she’s made everything right.
Anyway, that’s why I think the focus should have been on resolving the harem, and to me, that is not the easy way out. “Life without pain isn’t real.” I don’t think your opinion, relentlessflame, is that different than mine, only worded a little differently. To me, the easy way out was the way they were living, which is turning out to be the ending of Shuffle!, for example. Living and loving someone they can never have, as if that is happiness. Blah blah blah. That was false hope, because you know the real subtext is, that if they keep living under that illusion, maybe Junichi will change his mind.
I hope they do show something final for NemuxJunichi, and resolve the false hope for the harem. That’s what I want to see. A sense that the false hope has subsided (particularly given how much false hope Aisia has created). As for Aisia, well… I’ll be curious how she reacts to what she’s doing with magic, and the realization that all she has done is created false hope that will hurt people, not make them happy.
Junichi is a freakin’ [insert your own most unfriendly insult here] for leaving Kotori to stand alone in the rain X(
God I hate this “love between Nemu and Junichi always wins” bullsh*t. If this was what Circus was trying to say by making Second Season, then the one responsible for the idea deserves to be smacked. It would have been nicer if Second Season was a short series of after-stories, rather than a f*cking “D.C.S.S. NemuxJunichi love story ~they are always connected between their hearts~ -la- reincarnation”. Oh lord, please let me drop dead before they make Third Season with more bullsh*tty melodrama between the Asakura siblings.
I seriously think whoever is in charge of Hatsunejima’s municipal government needs to import more men. There must be 10:1 ratio between women and men if there isn’t any guy nicer than Junichi.
Because, she’s Aisia’s primary illustration – the girl that stands to gain the most if Aisia has her way. By sympathizing with Kotori’s sadness, we’re led to believe in Aisia’s goal. Besides, if it were just Aisia saying that things weren’t fair, why would you care? You’d think she was being selfish. Kotori is entirely the opposite: she’s selfless and so everyone sympathises with her. That’s what gives power to Aisia’s argument, and that’s why they put so much emphasis on Kotori’s story in the OP, promo art, etc. But, that being said, we all know that Kotori represents the counterpoint to Nemu and Junichi progress – Kotori can only gain if Nemu loses. So, now you’ve got a real dilemma here. So, in other words, everything happened to support the story’s purpose, and by asking that question, you’re digging at the story’s message without even realizing it. Everything happened for a reason.
But she wasn’t -that- important. She was just the main member of the harem, that’s all – Aisha’s motivation came from Kotori but also from the other girls, and from herself. She’s in no way as important as Aisha, Nemu, and maybe even Sakura.
And I do want them to resolve the feelings of the harem, at least the ones I care about. I don’t want to see nice people suffer, much less for the sake of someone like Nemu, though that’s more personal I suppose. So yes, I’m not saying “this season sucks”. I’m saying I’m going to dislike it if people like Kotori, Sakura, Alice, Aisha, and everyone don’t move on, and it looks like it’ll be that way, or at most, if they do move on, it won’t be very convincing. Just like Kotori’s final arc in season 1, in other words.
If it’s any consolation, Rasmiel, Da Capo II features not one, but TWO girls featuring the Asakura family name. Better run (or drop dead) now! ;p (Though we don’t know whether the main guy will be an Asakura too, of course – personally, I doubt it.)
And don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying they’re not going to resolve the feelings of the other girls at all – they must in order to tie up the loose ends. But the main resolution has to be that they finally accept that Nemu and Junichi are a couple, now and forever (just as certain fans need to accept for their own good…) The girls can still be happy in a “post-Junichi reality” – they just have to finally accept the truth so they can move on. Then, they can discover their own happiness. That’s why Nemu and Junichi’s relationship had to solidify first – nobody in the show was really able to believe it until now.
Non blood related but an Asakura for sure. Otome says that she knows everything about her little brother, and Yume’s quote says something like “As long as my older brother doesn’t think of me that way…”
Personally, I think it’d be awesome if the main character was a non blood related Asakura, with ties to the Yoshinos. 🙂
Well, the last name thing is still confusing as hell, so I’ll have to wait to get a clearer understanding of the family trees. How do the grandchildren inherit their grandmothers’ last names? Or not? Confusing… (Well, that’s not to say that the mythology has to be solid enough to explain all those things, though it’d be nice if it were.)
Anyway, bring on the Second Season finale! :p
Yes, i think it was obviously what was going to happen, and i really don’t understand the argument in this season, it was well-known what was going to happen at the final, and i was wanting to see something a little bit more interesting like in the first one with Sakura, but this time all was so obvious. I think that the point was refered to how the magic can’t break the true love and so on. The only drama here was the final. I think this doesn’t have any good argument i mean the only think i have been watching is how nemu and junichi love each other, without thinking in the other feelings, sharing thier happiness with the other not knowing how much pain they cause to them (kotori) that was what i see in the first season the only difference that this season wasnt someone who interposes in the way until now.
I think i have seen so many predictable endings to get bored of them, i think i get bored of how EASY has the relationship the main girl with the main boy, and however the other girls or girls try really HARD to get his hearth but he doesn’t import that really much and finally over with the main character, as was well-known for the beggining of almost all the series. I think the writters need more ideas.
Ahhh i like kotori because is very good draw (i mean the drawers draw her really cute) and has a nice personality but even with that to junichi doesn’t like her because he is blind with Nemu. But i think that he would have to be really stupid to not to be with her if Nemu hasn’t been there.
oohh, that’s scary for episode 25 and even the previous one. And next week will be the final episode of DCSS and it is also a Christmas weekend, so this might not be my happy holiday if Junichi will stick to Kotori or any girls on this series and not Nemu. I see some insecurities happening to Kotori and Aisha when they’re facing to Junichi & Nemu love relationship, just like Sakura also had insecurity feeling to them on season 1. Thus, Aisha is trying to sabotage their relationship and try to stick Kotomi to him in order to become a perfect couple because she knew that she’s not very happy on her life without him. So what will happened on the final episode next week? Here are my 2 theories or spoilers that I think it will be the story on final episode.
Show Spoiler ▼
So, there you are, these are my two theories which I think it will be the story of the final episode of DCSS. Do you think that will finally be justify Junichi and Nemu’s relationship or not?
P.S.
3rd Season anyone? Y/N?
Nemu and Jyunichi’s relationship has always been justified anyway, because they love each other.
I’m more interested in what happens with the rest of the cast.
Season 3? Nah, that’d be pushing it a bit much. I don’t think -this- season was necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean it was pointless – just that it could’ve very well ended in season 1 and there’d have been nothing wrong with that. Season 3 would be too much, IMO.
I do hope however that DC II gets animated, and that there are no Nemus there. >.>
Well, I’ve been lurking around this site for a long time and never posted x_X
I have mixed feelings over the ending of DCSS, I also was kinda rooting for KotorixJunichi, and dislike nemu as a whole, however, the whole of Season two was actually not all that bad. Everyone was sorta happy in the begining, Aisia comes along, problems arise, problems solved. Fufilling the basic criteria of what i would have expected from a sequel of a harem anime, and doing it rather well I might add.
Season 3 would just be a little overkill IMO, but perhaps circus will see it fit to present us with an animated version of the oh so anticipated ( well, at least in my case ) DC II.
Oh, and is there really gonna be a Da Capo Alternative?
If Third Season is going to be D.C. II the animation, bring it on! As long as there aren’t carbon copies of Nemu, I’ll be happy to watch another Da Capo! Otherwise, I’ll probably drop dead.
I wonder who I’ll like in D.C. II. I highly doubt I’ll like any of the Asakuras, but STILL like a Shirakawa 🙂
If you ask me, Otome, Minatsu and obviously Nanaka look the most interesting.
If you ask me, Otome, Minatsu and obviously Nanaka look the most interesting.
Nanaka looks interesting for sure, I’m rooting for her. ^O^
Otome and Yume are Nemu lookalikes, but betterfied, as long as they dont go after their brother it’ll be ok. It’ll be funny if Junnichi and Nemu have a special appearance and 50 years later Nemu still calles him Nii-san, that’ll be priceless. Can’t wait for the game.
It’ll be most likely that Otome and Yume will go after their brother as long as the main male lead is an Asakura ^_^; …Unless they decide that they will be better off left as sub characters 😛
Otome and Yume do look like Nemu, though Otome looks like her less and neither of them look like forces of evil, like Nemu was. 😛
All I can say is… I want to slap Asia silly, shes self deluded, selfish, and in the end doesn’t really understand anything… especialy people. To think that using magic to literaly brainwash people is truly gona make them happy she deserves to be punished… really if this was a non-romantic anime Asia would be the evil vilan and probably die by the end which I’d like to see here cause I really despise her at this point. If the tree is like it was in the 1st season Junichi and Nemu could end up in a life threatening situation when they try to free their emotions for each other… I hope Asia suffers.
im pretty sure in da capo 2. maybe nemu will be not there but. the little girl who looks like her…i think it will have some trouble there.
animetv about ur first spoiler..i dun think kotorixasakura will be together. why? because the last title of this episode is The bell of happiness. pff -.-
Harem anime are starting to get boring…meh