Blue Drop / First Impressions

Summary:

Michiko is still having trouble coming up with her script, yet when Mari asks her about it, she claims that it’s almost done. The more she thinks about it, the more pressure she builds on herself, and she continues to get nothing accomplished. She distracts herself by helping with the gardening on the school grounds, and when Hagino and Mari just so happen to pass by while she’s working, she overhears them wondering what her play will be like. It doesn’t help that Hagino mentions that there was television coverage last year, nor does it help that Yuuko heard from Mari that the script was almost done and brings Michiko some cake as refreshments. Hagino meanwhile has made the decision to release Azanael – despite Tsubael’s objects – because she feels there’s no reason to keep her locked up. They don’t let Azanael back onto her own aircraft in order to prevent her from getting away, but they do let her move around the ship. The first place Azanael heads to is Onomil’s room, and it is there that she watches a hologram of herself and Onomil from the past.

That afternoon, Hagino and Mari discover that Michiko is gone and realize that she hasn’t actually written anything yet. Nearby is a note from Michiko apologizing to everyone and asking them not to look for her. Despite this, Mari checks Michiko’s parents store to see if she’s there, but when Michiko hears Mari coming, she runs away again. Onboard the Blue, Azanael visits the engine room and finds the emergency use control area in shambles. Tsubael claims that it was something that couldn’t be helped, and when Azanael gets angry over why Hagino and Tsubael are still alive despite everyone else being dead, Tsubael has the Blue play back the recording of what happened back then. Ignoring orders to get out of the engine room because the engines were going out of control, Onomil had used the emergency controls because she felt she had to protect Hagino’s ship. She had figured out the problem, but the nearby explosions had then consumed her. Knowing all this doesn’t make Azanael feel much better, and she asks to be left alone.

At the school, Michiko shows up to apologize to Yuuko and to say that she can’t write the script even though she really wants to. She faints in the middle of this and wakes back up a little later in the infirmary. Staring out the window, she sees Hagino, Tsubael, and Mari walking along the road talking and laughing, and this inspires a story to develop inside of her. By the time Yuuko returns from making a phone call, Michiko is long gone. She rushes straight back to the dorm and starts writing. Back on the Blue, Azanael continues watching the hologram of herself and Onomil, and she also stares at the pendant that Onomil left behind.

 
 
 
Well, I liked how the episode somewhat started and ended with Tsubael’s observations about the humans and how she starts to understand Hagino’s feelings. That wrapped the episode up nicely. However, I didn’t find myself very interested in Michiko’s character or this whole script plot, even though Michiko’s reimagining of Mari, Hagino, and Tsubael was kind of amusing just because that style was rather unexpected. With Michiko, we get to see someone who’s under a lot of pressure, but I just don’t see as much potential in her story without a deep relationship with another character (à la Mari and Hagino or Azanael and Onomil) to go with it. That’s why I’d much rather just see more of Hagino and Mari getting closer to each other, and from the preview, that’s what next episode will feature.

18 Comments

  2. Oh, and since they blush a lot less, Tsubael is taking care of the kawaii-quota.

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    Gloranor
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  12. I thought so too Dop, that pic seems very much like Riyoko Ikeda’s classic shojo manga, which often have yuri: The Rose of Versailles, Oniisama e., Claudine etc.
    Lets hope Micchi’s story ends a bit more happier than those works did though heh.

    Dio
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  16. quex: I know what he means. However, a.) yuri doesn’t imply ecchi even though some think it does (which is a minor nitpick) and b.) inappropiate (eg., when it doesn’t fit the relationship/story (yet)) ecchi is one easy way to ruin a good story. Nothing against appropiate ecchi (Kannazuki no Miko’s scene worked well… because it made sense both from the character aspect and from the story aspect. As did the scenes in Canvas 2 and School Days.) – and if they consumate their relationship at a later point, great. But their relationship isn’t anywhere near this atm, and rushing that development because some people, who clearly have mistaken the series for something else, want to see TEH ACTION would be a great disservice to it. The need of the story and the flow of teh relationship should dictate that, not aforementioned “we need to have a sex scene here”…
    It’s the same when someone who should’ve stayed with some Illusion title plays a game like Seinarukana, Tsukihime, Tsuyokisu etc.pp. and then complains they need more sexscenes…
    Which is a pet peeve of mine 😉

    Gloranor
    Reply

  18. I know. I love BD because it has no fanservice whatsoever. It’s driving loser fanboys insane. LOL I post BD on veoh and they bitch and scream about that. I have nothing against ecchi but if doesn’t further the plot and narrative, it’s annoying and distracting and makes poor fiction. BD is a great story, so well played, wonderful characters and character development there’s no need of gratuitous elements. And honestly, it was about time that Yuri got a decent fictional treatment. It’s just about the first Yuri show that I can watch without being aggravated. My point was go look for ecchi elsewhere. BD is great fiction.
    It can be read at so many levels, it has so many metaphorical elements. I could go on and on blabbering about how great it is. We losers don’t need to see Hagino in the bathtub. The only person who needed to see that, saw it. I thought I was simply genius from the authors. Yes!

    quex
    Reply

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