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「真夏の夜の・・・雨と鞭 (Gauntlet of rain)」 (Manatsu no Yoru… Ame to Muchi (Gauntlet of rain))
“A Midsummer Night’s… Rain and Whip (Gauntlet of Rain)”
After kind of going through the same thing Sophia did (albeit with a little less chuunibyou involved), this episode did a critical hit on my heart.
Sophia, Chuunibyou, and Love
I feel so bad for Sophia that I’m not 100% sure how to put those feelings into words. While I don’t really want to go into detail about my own personal and screwed up love life, here’s what I can say. Once you experience an unrequited love and all the heartache that comes along with it, watching others go through the same thing hurts almost as bad. And the thing is, Kyoani did a great job at showing us just how difficult of a time Sophia was having. Reminiscing about the feelings she once shared with Yuuta and hiding in the shadows as the heartache got worse, you could almost feel the turmoil her heart was going through.
But no, Kyoani wasn’t done with us yet. After making us endure all the pain with Sophia, I thought she was going to be rewarded with a bittersweet victory right at the end for holding in all the pain and doing the right thing. Sure a victory like that basically teaches you not to pass on opportunities when they’re right in front of you, but it would still have been something! Instead, we have to watch Sophia completely breakdown because Yuuta is just too damn nice and thoughtful. I don’t know about you but I was really starting to feel it right as the waterworks started flowing ):
Yuuta deserves a shout out
I just want to quickly say that Yuuta deserves the best boyfriend of the season award. He’s made mistakes like everyone else but instead of wallowing around and waiting for someone to pick him up, he’s moving forward and learning on the fly. He’s grown as a boyfriend and understands the weaknesses in his relationship. And most importantly his eyes are focused solely on the most important thing in his relationship — Rikka.
Nibutani is just awesome and Looking Ahead
Even though she’s merely a side character at the moment, I love every second she’s on screen. Besides looking fabulous in every single outfit she wears, you have to love how she’s been playing wing-man for basically everyone in the show. First it was Rikka, then Yuuta, and now she’s even helping Sophia try to deal with her emotions. And even though Sophia only has a few options to pick from, you have to love how Nibutani gave her the cold hard truth that trying to ignore things isn’t going to be easy. Because if there was a correct answer for what’s going on, being honest to yourself is definitely the way to go.
At this point, I can’t wait to see what happens. I don’t think Yuuta knows exactly what’s going on but with that kind of look on his face it’s clear he knows something isn’t right. While it remains to be seen whether or not Sophia will actually reveal her true feelings for him, I can only imagine just how bad the group dynamic would become should that happen. But alas, we’ll have to wait until next week to see just where all this pent up feelings will lead to.
Random Thought
KyoAni did such a great and detailed job with Sophia’s geta in this shot but did such a lousy one in the full-length image. COME ON, KYOANI. YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO MAKE IT LOOK BEAUTIFUL!
Full-length images: 25.
Yee-ikes. A bit late.
It was painful watching Satone just take her out-of-control journey into her sobs like this. The poor girl needs a hug.
Yeh. Gomen. I wasted 5 hours yesterday Go-Karting and was too tired after the Kill la Kill post haha.
And yehhh. She just needs a hug ;_;
I was almost losing it the first 2 minutes. Seriously, Sophia is way too cute. I think the reason why she’s so loveable is because everyone can sympathize with her.
Thumbs up if you’ve squirmed around in your bed, stared at the clock late at night, and stuck a pillow (or teddy bear) in your face because you couldn’t get a special someone out of your head.
If only Sophia would have apear first I´d go all out for her but Yuta loves Rika for real, I didn´t think I would feel this heartbreak after eatching Clannad but Kyoani sure knows how to turn tears into yean.
That violent storm of emotions induced a paradigm shift in me. I’m never gonna be the same again… Now if you excuse me, I’m going to puke out of sheer heartbreak.
Watch out for my pool of puke — it’s kinda large.
I hope Sophia let’s it all out and get it over with so she can move on and be happy or go for it with all she has at least. WANTA HAPPY ENDIN FOR HER……… fsafsajg
I don’t think she can get a happy ending. At least not the one she wants ;_;
I haven’t watched that (yet I guess). Something tells me I should (or shouldn’t).
(O.o) Wait…what the hell. How did that reply get up here? Damn it, replied to the wrong box.
Join us at Camp Sophia. She’s the childhood friend and you know what happens to the childhood friend. I did not expect them to show her crying like that. Caught me way off guard because I thought she was going to cry when he left. Total shocker.
Sophia is too kind. She knows she can’t harbor these feelings for Yuta while still supporting Rikka so she decides to fight it. Unlike other characters that will endlessly deny they are in love for a half a season, she accepts it immediately but treats it like a disease. That’s her only flaw. Sophia needs mutual closure so she can move on healthily. Waging war on yourself and stabbing yourself in the heart is not the proper approach (I can only imagine the pain she went through when questioning Yuta like that and making him reaffirm his feelings for Rikka. She’s got guts).
The tragic part for me is, looking at her recollections, she most certainly would have been his girlfriend if she “took his hand instead of the coin” or followed through with the nose touch by the water when Yuta said he “lost” his powers. I really think he would have gone for her, they did share an umrella…err…trench coat…in the rain together, and if her imagination of them being together is any indication of how awesome that pairing would have been, I think we need some type of Chuuni Sophia “what could have been” OVA.
DO YOU REMEMBER ORE SHURA? Osananajimi still fighting ;_;
Sophia’s OVA? You mean something like Clannad’s Tomoyo & Kyou’s “Another World”? 🙂
Yes. Seriously, a what-if alternate scenario like Clannad where Sophia is his girlfriend. Rikka and gang are still doing their thing and she’s chuuni-battling against Sophia on a constant basis.
Holy crap I want to see that. ARGH….now it’s in my head, a Sophia-happy ending arc where she’s cute and happy and still chuuni and is loved back. KyoAni MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Isn’t that’s what she’s been trying to do through the whole episode?? By the end, I don’t think keeping it all in is a choice/
I’m glad to learn that someone else sees some of Nibutani’s virtues. She’s a wonderful character… not a perfect person, but definitely great and amazing. If they made a show where she was the main character, I’m sure that it would end up with her having conquered the world.
Anyway, I’ve been slow to warm to Shichimiya but her battle is a painful one to witness and I’ve liked her a little more each episode as she’s faced the horror of her past decisions and dealt with the world around her in the present. I suppose she might feel better if she rested her head on Nibutani’s lap for a while but since there’s a good chance that won’t happen, I think she’s in for a rough ride; and I don’t think her cackle will be enough to pull her through.
Nibutani is such a good character, isn’t she? I know there are some haters out there, but she hasn’t really done anything besides being a damn good friend.
Sure she’s a bit two-faced about the chuunibyou hiding inside of her but aren’t we all at times?
I wanna rest my head on her lap 😮
Here here! Nibutani has been my favorite character since season 1. I’ve said this before, but she’s funny as hell and you can always count on her to have your back. Plus, this and the last episode showed she can’t sit still; she always needs to feel like she’s being productive. I really like that quality about her. Oh, and she’s beautiful. Nibutani best girl.
Sign me up for camp Nibutani as well. While she’s certainly a flawed person, it’s been clear throughout that she really is quite caring underneath and she’s been supportive of pretty much everyone (bar Ishiki) throughout both seasons. Hell, in a way, she’s a better older sister to Rikka than the distant Touka will ever be. That’s her role in a nutshell to the others too.
Nibutani best girl indeed.
-Does the anime faithfully follow the light novel? Show Spoiler ▼
-BTW, Ishiki is the least appreciated foil character ever; even Sunohara got more screen time than him (even get his own ‘mini’ arc)!
I threw in a spoiler tag because I wasn’t sure if what you said was or wasn’t a spoiler, but it made me go “NO WAY THAT HAPPENS?” when I read it haha.
Ishiki is doomed to be a human trashcan for the rest of the season *_*
And Sunohara was treated so much better. That scene where Tomoya and Nagisa ask him about Fuko was probably one of the best ones.
First they don’t recognize him after a slight tan…next thing you know, they’ll THINK they hear his voice (or someone who “sounds familiar”, lol), but just brush it off as their imagination, even though he’s shouting at them while standing right next to them…lol
No, no, that’s totally my own (hope). 😛
This isn’t the first time a KyoAni character went unrecognized after getting a tan. Seems like a good way to disguise yourself.
I honestly think KyoAni’s making a joke out of it at this point. When no one recognizes him, he curls into the fetal position and silently cries to himself. Poor guy.
Show Spoiler ▼
Show Spoiler ▼
Ignoring the superfluity of the love triangle plot, this is by far the best anime representation of just how crushing teenage lust and infatuation can be when it is not reciprocated. Shichimiya’s reactions and pain show how powerful these emotions can be when you not only lack a foundation to understand them, but become overwhelmed by them. Most other shows with a third wheel love interest often ignore what happens to the one who fails emotionally behind closed doors, KyoAni shows its romance chops by giving us the emotional melancholy experienced in a realistic manner. I’m sure most of us can relate in some manner 😛
Now it may not be a popular opinion, but I hope Yuuta doesn’t backslide and appease Shichimiya’s pain. Doing so only prolongs the illusion what was never going to happen (a Shichimiya/Yuuta relationship) and hurts Rikka who also is in the thralls of teenage lust. Yuuta will be best off gently letting Shichimiya down openly (when he inevitably finds out) and sticking strongly to Rikka. Doing so will help Shichimiya to get over Yuuta faster and likely keep her as a friend (if more detached) in the process.
What you say is 100% true, but so difficult to do! I’ve had to reject a girl once, and while I did it in the best way I could at the time I didn’t feel good about it :/
But man, that would be such an amazing conclusion to the season. Solidifying relationships while establishing a new foundation to grow a friendship on — sounds like paradise.
I’d +1 Karma it.
Moving episode – more so than I anticipated. Impossible not to feel sorry for Shichimiya as she trapped between trying to be honorable/not try to NTR Yuuta, and her own feelings for him which this time are too strong to simply cast aside. No easy way out for the poor girl, and Yuuta’s good intentioned, if ill-timed, kindness doesn’t help. Seriously, Yuuta, don’t be so oblivious here. I definitely want some sort of happy end for Shichimiya.
One small detail I liked a lot was the scene where Shichimiya’s heart sticker came off, she tried to put it back on, and it fell off again. Nice symbolism there IMO.
;__;
I totally agree with the sticker comment. I caught that as well how she has trouble keeping it on her face just like she is having trouble controlling her feelings.
for you sophia…………………..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rwW0ye1uKI
– damn if i wasn’t such a badass that scene would have been too much.
– the real breaking point was when toka announced she was leaving, i may have to break out a bottle of “sad scotch” after all………
Anyone else notice that the little girl actually sliced that water balloon in half? She’s going to be some sort of prodigy.
And of course Touka being a badass with the one hand (almost) grab.
You could feel Touka’s rage pouring out the moment the water slapped her face.
She’s already called (Loli) Samurai Master Cento: http://arinashi.com/img/8xltnclk.png (credit to UTW). 😀
What I also liked with the episode were that, beyond the words, there were also the visual cues of what seemed to be going on in Satone’s head like her sticker coming loose then constantly falling off, and the rain coming in so quickly and such.
Still, as much as I love Rikka and Satone, I still have eyes for Touka and Shinka more…
Hmm I’ll agree on giving Yuuta best boyfriend award (well I’m way behind on Golden Time atm so I don’t know for sure I’ll just give him the benefit of the doubt), but the nice guy award must go to Hachiken (Gin no Saji) and Raku (Nisekoi). Yuuta is pretty damn nice, but these 2 have him beat in the nice guy category.
As for the episode, I’m going to miss that little Italian girl, she was allot of fun and I really feel for Satone, but Yuuta is Rikka’s!!!! If they dare change that *grinds teeth* some skulls are going to get busted *activates Valkyrie mode*
I just caught up on Golden Time.
Everything is a hot mess, but I can’t stop watching. Also, if you listened to the podcast you’ll know that I’m the only one left defending that show q.q
Seriously?! Unfortunately I haven’t had time and I kind of forgot about the podcast, now I’m definitely going to have to listen to it and catch up on GT.
Poor Shichimiya. Just when she was barely able to contain her own feelings from spreading out of control, namely performing some sort of “emotional self-mutilation” via Yuuta, Yuuta just had to make matters worse simply by being his usual kind self.
Yuuta’s problem being he’s unable to tell the difference between “good kindness” and “cruel kindness” and act accordingly.
Cruel kindness. I like that. Good pointing out.
http://youtu.be/3c3jCKT5arA
Speaking of Mori Summer, check out KyoAni’s last YouTube LITE episode this season, featuring Mori Summer at the peak of her powers. It’s only fair that it’s finally her turn to shine as we’ve seen quite a bit of DFM’s epic adventures via these LITE episodes.
If they do a third season, they should cover more of the adventures of Mori Summer and Sophia.
I think I need to go watch all the “Lite” episodes.
God, the transformation scene of Sophia!
We need a spinoff series of her battling Angels. So much!
Nobody told me that there will be feels in this series. Poor Shichimya… T_T
You must be new around here. Watch for the puddles of puke and river of tears.
Well season 1 didn’t have that much drama until near the end of the season…
Oh yea, we are nearing the end of the season already haha. Anyways I’m sure if Shichimiya was the one that confessed to Yuuta first, then their (Rikka & Shichimiya) positions will be reversed. Tabun.
Ginobi47’s to do list after watching this episode.
-stand up
-go into a corner
-assume fetal position
-cry
I still dislike Sophia’s current presence in the story – don’t get me wrong, she’s quite interesting character and this episode portrayed her feelings and all the circumstances really well – I loved this show when it was pure vanilla so I’m not sure what to think about it now…
I don’t like Sophia as a character because I’ve always been fearful of her ruining Yuuta x Rika, but this episode made me feel awful for her 🙁
Damn, this episode was harsh. Shichimiya’s pains were laid bare for all to see, and in quite a convincing way as well. I think everyone can recognize some part of themselves in her. Though as much as it makes me sound like a sadist, I definitely appreciate using her character this way. This show has consistently evaded harem shenanigans, and now that there is a rival, they’re not using her as some third wheel to halt progress on our main couple (as I feared when the season started). No, they show just how painful being the unfavourite can be. It’s rare that I see this kind of raw emotion worked out this well, and I wonder where they’re going to take this. I hope she gets some semblance of a bittersweet ending out of this, anyway, poor girl.
On a lighter note, I never get tired of watching Touka get pelted by water balloons. Someone oughta make a gif of that.
It’s like Kyoani tried to do worse than Mari Okada with EVOL.
Ouch, even though I prefer Rikka, I can’t help but feel for Sophie. Lord knows I’ve been there more times than I’d care to admit. It does however highlight one of the things I really like about this show, how people behave like actual people. Sophie’s reactions to her feelings are perfectly plausible, and the whole love triangle is treated realistically instead of being shoved into some sort of stalemated pseudo-harem situation. Gotta give props to this show that despite having an overwhelmingly female cast, only two of the girls actually have feelings for the male lead. It’s a welcome change from most shows.
Wonder what Rikka’s up to…
This ep has done very good job to bring the feeling out so emotional. I extremely like it especially the ending. I think this ep is the most shinning ep through out the Chuunibyou series. Looking forward 2 ep left.
Almost the end of the season 2 now, I really don’t want it end now, this is a very entertainment anime.
IDK…i…have something to confess: i’m camping for Sophia for this one. :/
Hate me all you want, but i kinda irritated with Rikka recently. Sometimes i hope she would come out of her chuunibyou. I mean, even Deko has her normal side and able to help out during the beach. Rikka is just too much. Plus, Yuuta spoils her. Rikka is fun to watch, but comparing to Sophia(and the interior conflicts), i have this wish of mine that Sophia would win back Yuuta’s affection. Im just personally hoping for it.
But then again, its Chuunibyou-and-Koi-ga-Shitai…and that centers around Rikka herself. Adding Sophia as a rival is only KyoAni’s sugar and spice. I shouldnt complaint much 🙂
Looking ahead, yes! Shinka is ultimately the best girl ever, and perhaps KyoAni’s best ever! I like how observant she is…she’s everyone’s good friend! She’s a friend to everyone! Kumin may have a good eyes when it comes to hidden feelings, but Shinka assembles them. She takes them into actions…lol…seems like im overly praising her…hahh
Whatever it is, I have this Free!’s hunch over this one. It will ended up peacefully, like Rei vs Rin…hahah! Hang in there Sophia! XDD
>…<
oh >…..<" last time? lol
the feels!
even thou i kind of knew it was gonna go this way… still it was pretty sad watching Sophia… Yuuta is just tooo good of a person.. i was kinda relieved when she actually did her victory jump.. but then… x.x
And this is farm from over… next chapters gonna be more heavy ..after all Yuuta still got NO IDEA what is going on (his WTH face tells it all) … there was to be a confrontation between Yuuta and Sophia to air up their issues … it would give Sophia some closure and she deserves that. I wonder who is gonna break the new on Yuuta… either Nibutani or Rikka herself (or mebe any of them with the help of Sophia?)
Something i have to point out: im really really glad the way Yuuta behaves .. i mean he only has eyes for Rikka ..and even tho 4/5 of the main cast is female (5/6 if you count Sophia) he ONLY has eyes for Rikka … thats a really nice boyfriend there (Besides we got 1 male MC and 6 females MC… and it is NOT an Harem and i see no chance of it being one … thats something unusual if nothing else!)
Really liked the episode.. even tho the destination was something expected (and i didnt hope for anything else..anything different would have been too OOC) .. still the ride there is awesome!
PS: Sophia’s fight: not FOR Yuuta’s hearth but against her own feelings; she KNOWS she cant “beat” Rikka for Yuuta’s hearth and so she tried fighting her feelings since that was a battle she COULD (possibly) win … she lost. now she has to confront him. It really shows we are nearing the end of the season x,x
PS2: reposting for 3rd time..im sorry it seems the emote i was using was messing up my posts.. can someone delete my 2 posts over this one? im really sorry… ill stick to the smotes i know work. x,x
The season has not ended yet (may even be a 3rd with the recent release of the 3rd light novel), but so far this has been one of those few occasions where I felt the sequel has outshined the original. Last season’s theme of dealing with reality was touching, but this season’s theme of dealing with relationships definitely hits closer to home for a lot of us. Kyoani has done a very good job making Satone such a likeable character, up to the extent where some of us even felt like cheering her on over Rikka. Despite doing the right thing and stepping aside for Rikka, she is still unable to find the happiness she so richly deserves. Hopefully something good is in store for her over the next few episodes. And hopefully she will be sticking around as a main character in future seasons (if there are any).
I kind of wish I didn’t glance at that last screencap before i watched the episode, I came into the episode knowing I’d get my dose of heartache for sophia :/ Just a suggestion, but would it be possible to not put an image on the front page that can potentially reveal the biggest moment in an episode? Well I’m also to blame since I shouldn’t be looking at the images before the episode but I visit random curiosity to see what new episodes are out quite often :X
On the episode, oh man, I knew what would happen but that didn’t stop me from the critical hit. As Yuuta was expressing her love for Rikka in front of Sophia, that almost killed me. It’s really admirable how she was brave enough to tackle her own fears, knowing that she can’t hold these lingering feelings for him. Amazing girl who unfortunately made the mistake of not telling the boy she loves how she truly felt before he was snatched away by Rikka. I do hope she finds some happiness or some acceptance, but not in Yuuta.
It would be great if a male character could be introduced that could end up being a relationship partner for Sophia, or maybe a spinoff series for her as the main female lead?but that probably won’t happen, just the fanboy in me 😡
WTF just happened ?
Wow. Just wow. I have no words. They portrayed Sophia’s feelings so well… and when she thought she won and everything fell apart, I was literally tearing. She needs a spin-off or something where she gets her own happy ending.
+1
everytime since the episode shichimiya appeared i always said “shichimiya ;-;”
shichimiya ;-;
I think KyoAni did an awesome job here. Back when Satone was first introduced, everyone was saying “Augh, no, not a third-wheel love triangle character”. Suddenly there’s this new girl, cheaply labelled “childhood friend” to make it plausible that she could destabilize the romantic inertia of Rikka+Yuuta, but who was never in a million years going to convince the audience she was a credible contender for the endgame. It was a textbook “our characters are a couple now, we’ve run out of romantic tension, let’s tease them breaking up!” setup.
But instead, Satone bowed out of the triangle right at her introduction to be a Green Ranger character. Rikka+Yuuta got another half-season to progress through each excrutiating step of their adorable relationship, building up even more romantic inertia. By delaying the start of the love triangle, Satone went from underdog to underestdog, which is so hopeless it’s tragic and moving instead of annoying.
Side note, super hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of Touka/Chento’s fratello.
So true…