First Impressions / Kokoro Connect

「二つの想い」 (Futatsu no Omoi)
“Twin Feelings”

And the only thing that was on my mind at the end was, “Damn… this guy is a total player…” Taichi clearly can’t be that ignorant to believe that none of these girls have a crush on him right? Although I personally don’t see the appeal in liking a guy that everyone else likes, I do think that Taichi is a great friend. He seems to be the type of guy that gets along with everyone – helps everyone and a very selfless individual indeed. Some people argue that by being so, he lacks his own individuality and personality, however the one that seems to suffer from this is actually Iori and not Taichi.

Can I empathize with what Iori is going through? Not entirely… but I can understand why she feels the way she does. In many ways, I think everyone alters their personality to match who they’re interacting with – whether that is your boss, your friends, your family or your significant other. I don’t see anything wrong with Iori in that sense. But fearing that you don’t know who you are is a challenge. But isn’t this a problem that we all deal with in our teenage years? Finding your identity and who you want to be when you grow older? Of course the soul-swapping doesn’t help and now you can even dive into the philosophical discussions of “one’s self” and what defines you as a person. I’m not going to get into that one, but it did challenge me into thinking that if you’re someone that’s likely to adapt to your environment so easily, it is very possible to lose yourself amongst the switching and being someone else. In fact, for someone like Iori she’s probably scared to lose “herself” in the midst of all her friends. However, the way I see it is, she should be absorbing a bit of everyone’s personalities to form her own – rather than simply feeling like she lost herself. Taking what you will out of this experience is what makes her unique and she shouldn’t let that confine her into thinking that other people will simply watch her fade away.

Anyway, I did not see that coming as Iori’s complex at all. I never imagined that having 4-5 stepfathers could do that to you – in fact I thought she would have trust and “daddy” issues as opposed to Himeko having trust issues. This did not come up as a surprise to me either. A commenter mentioned that Himeko saw everyone as an “enemy” and although I never put that much thought into her choice of words, she did seem to put a far bit of distance between herself and everyone else. It wasn’t evident until this episode how much distrust she has amongst her friends and the way they handled it… everything was just taken too lightly. Of course, I guess not everyone takes things as seriously as Himeko or Taichi do, so I’m not surprised that the resolution came so quickly. I’m sure it’ll take more than a confrontation for Himeko to truly trust her friends but I guess that’s where the character development kicks in. I’ve never been one to not trust people, I find that I wear my heart on my sleeve so I cannot see where all this distrust for people branches from. I definitely think the other characters (Iori and Yui) have a far better reason to fear people, but I’m not going to argue with the setup of the story.

With that all being said, the only character that still lacks development for me is Aoki and I’m trying very hard not to judge him too quickly but it seems like Taichi is the male lead in a harem or something. Luckily (from the preview), it seems like Yui and Aoki get more time to themselves and the plot thickens amongst our little love-triangle (I’m talking about Iori, Taichi and Himeko here). I’m not going to place my bets on any one couple yet, but that confession at the end (can you even call that a confession?) has me leaning towards a Taichi/Himeko ending. Oh no… I was such a huge Iori fan too!

Quick note: I apologize for the late post. My posts for the following 2 weekends may also be a little tardy due to my hectic schedule. I’ll try my best to get each episode out on time though!

Full-length images: 04, 13, 21, 30.

 

Preview

101 Comments

  1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Taichi masturbated to the three girls in their own bodies? It must feel good to be a girl! And the next episode looks very sad, as I think Iori might be in a little trouble. I’m still rooting for the Taichi/Iori ending!

    Justin
    Reply

    4. I actually prefer the Taichi/Himeko pair more, just feel more comfortable like opposite attracts they have almost complete opposite personality while one is selfless and trust almost anyone around him, while they other is distrust of anyone aounr her. Iori is cute but i can’t help but feel her happy attitude is all outside while her inside is very very dark and dispressing.

      Benz
      Reply

      1. well, I don’t know about opposite attract about Taichi and Himeko… although right now they seem different, but Himeko is also kind of selfless… just think about it. She appears as the smart, controlled kind of person in the group, and always looks out to other people’s problems (asking Taichi to fix Iori and keeps Yui’s secret). At the same time, she hides her own problem so she won’t make others worry… So on some levels Taichi and Himeko are very similar and they can be a great combo and couple together 🙂

        as to Iori, can’t say too much since it gets way too spoiler-ish… but Himeko definitely is a better fit for Taichi than Iori…

        Yui, on the other hand, is Aoki’s (at least in my opinion)… the “baka” of the group needs some sort of compensation after all xD

        jrj
        Reply

  2. Dat preview. Cannot wait to see what happens.
    I’m still going for a TaichixIori ending along with YuixAoki. As much as I love Himeko…I can’t seem to see her ending up with Taichi at all let alone anyone else. Also, those confessions just…I couldn’t close my jaw the moment Taichi said it, absolutely hilarious.

    bara
    Reply

    1. It would be to sad if Inaban ended up alone after all of this… I’m more for TaichixInaban, as much as I can sympathize with Iori, I still prefer Himeko.

      *sighs*
      Why did it have to have an odd number of main characters? What’s worse- why does it seem like, after the next few episodes, there will not be a single one that I will not be able to deeply sympathize with?

      U. N. Owen
      Reply

    1. Now that you mention it, she does resemble Chia Takeda from Book Girl and that particular book was modelled after Osamu Dazai’s “No Longer Human”

      Think gonna skim through the closing comments made by Tohko Amano for that book, Hope all is fine for Iori

      c2710
      Reply

    1. It gets better

      Medium spoiler of confessions,
      Show Spoiler ▼

      OrangeJuice
      Reply

  9. I think “over thinking” is the best way to describe what Iori and Inaba experiencing here.

    Chyuunibyou (中二病). Excessive self awareness. Have trouble understanding adult concepts. I’m not using the term as a negative aspect. It’s just teenagers being teenagers. It’s all part of growing up, so it’s not that big of a deal (except to them youngsters), which they will eventually learn to cope with and imho is the point this show is trying to make.

    Also, I personally find it unsurprising that some kids/teenagers nowadays don’t trust their peers even under the best possible friend circles. It’s not difficult to believe that in hind sight kids might randomly pop up one of those “what if”s. I mean that is pretty much the most sensitive age range. Inaban’s “problem” is definitely a case of overreacting. Typical traits of teenage issues. And Cherrie has pretty much said everything about Iori for me. Pretty normal for teenagers having issues with identity. Add a bit of “over thinking” factor and you can easily get stressed out like Iori. To be honest, when I hear about both Iori and Inaban’s problem, I was amused (Dang am I sounding like that Heartseed troll now?). It reminds me of a little bit of myself in my rebellious age.

    That being said, however, I don’t think any of the girls dilemma has been resolved as most people would think they are. Yui only really just made her “first step forward”. Inaban only took a chill pill for the time being, her potential to break herself again is still there. Let’s not even get started with Iori, she’s a walking time bomb. You can feel that huge gaping hole from her eyes during the conversation with Taichi.
    https://randomc.net/image/Kokoro%20Connect/Kokoro%20Connect%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2013.jpg
    I have a feeling Taichi’s approach might screw it up judging from the preview. We’ll find out soon enough.

    On a less serious note…
    I smell a lot of doujinshi potential. (Is Shot)

    Tonberry
    Reply

    1. Whilst having an identity crisis is part of growing up, the case of Inaban is a bit more abnormal than the typical ‘growing up’. Her crisis comes from having trust issues even at a young age rather than say, something that activates with the rush of hormones as a teenager. Issues like that aren’t part of the typical ‘growing up’. Inaban basically has no grasp on the concept of trust, since her basis for trust is basically nonexistent.

      Perhaps I’m just agreeing with you, but the way that you phrase your comment as if it’s a ‘typical teenager issue’ comes off as a little…superior to me? I don’t believe her issues are something you can just say ‘she’ll learn’, cause obviously from the preview, it doesn’t look like that. It’s not something where it becomes a learnt skill to just accept people’s trust, or to basically cope with being unable to trust anyone. Issues like this transcend being a teenager: it’s a life crisis that can happen at any age. I would be more fine with this if their problems indeed began in their teen years, but their problems are both domestic and long-rooted. Iori especially has it bad.

      Ze Frank on Being Yourself

      Perhaps the above video explains well how the concept of trying to be yourself goes beyond ‘overthinking’. It’s not an easy question to answer, and in Iori’s case, it’s a damn almost impossible answer to find alone. Her situation definitely is not typical of a teenager case of identity crisis since she has no basis for identity in her past nor her present. It’d be normal if it was a case of say, school conformity for friends, but having to conform in the home is a much more serious issue.

      In short, tl;dr – I feel like labeling their individual issues as embodiments of teenager crisis is improper. These are life crises that take a whole lot more than ‘learning to cope’ by just being a teen.

      Zanibas
      Reply

      1. Oh don’t get me wrong. I am in no way trying to sound “superior” in any sense. I’m only trying to say that it’s normal because a lot of people I’ve seen tend to treat these teen traits as entirely negative thing and bash it like sort of abhorrent monster. Rather than a smug “he’ll learn” tone, I wanted it to be more positive like “it’s natural”. I personally think it would be a big fat shameless lie if someone were to say that he didn’t go through at least one of those little teen tantrums while growing up.

        Back to topic,
        I don’t disagree with you either, that the cast may be suffering from more than just teenage issues. However, I do feel that, my point on a teen’s natural issue and your point on parental/environmental issue amplifies each other and turning it into a recipe of disaster as we’ve seen on Iori. Again, I’m really only making these comments in hopes to counter some common complains I’ve seen, that the show is forcing itself with unrealistic dramas. But I’ll refrain from getting too personal, as I understand it’s mostly preference.

        Tonberry
        Reply

    2. I also remember my days of confusion and stress in high school, an uncomfortable mix of hormones and uncertainty about the future. I have 22 years and still I have problems and sometimes depression, but it surpassed recalling the beautiful world out there and I’m never alone, no matter where or how old I have, god is with me always expecting the best from me and recognizing who I am, along with everyone I love. That’s all I need to always stand up with a smile 🙂
      One should always learn from their mistakes to become stronger each time, do not be afraid to make mistakes or get hurt, be afraid to not learn or feel anything.

      Shadow74
      Reply

    3. I really felt for Iori. I can see a lot of people dismissing her problem as just a natural part of growing up, and indeed by the official criteria you’re not supposed to diagnose anyone under the age of 18 as suffering from this type of dissociative condition, but she really is showing signs of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD for short – just Google it). Nobody is really sure what causes BPD, but it does appear to be associated with some type of loss or abandonment during early childhood, and having lost several fathers, Iori would fit that perfectly.

      Angelus
      Reply

  12. The reason the resolution came so quickly is to perhaps highlight how much of a temporarily solution all of this is. In a typical setup of anime conflict, it goes Conflict > One-shot patch up > Resolution, but rather this is a lead-up to Conflict > Patch-up > Wrench in the Gears > serious character reflection > Repeat until Conclusion.

    Like you said, Himeko’s going to need a whole lot more if she’s going to fully trust her friends. Judging from the preview, something’s going to be seriously messed up for all that development to revert, and where I believe the real conflict begins. So far, no one has been permanently affected by the events of the series, but it looks like that’s all going to change. The entire show is based off of themes of existence, trust, and fairness:

    Some people note that it’s unfair that there’s an unbalanced cast. I think that’s precisely the point of this series: not everyone is going to win in the end. Winning of course isn’t limited to pairing up, but even then, it looks like someone’s going to have to be a bearer of suffering. Unless I’m mistaken, this show looks like it’s brave enough to pierce some of the characters’ armor, perhaps to permanent effect. While that may be a damn shame for anyone rooting for that character, it will be a brave step for progressing the storyline.

    Zanibas
    Reply

  13. This was my favorite episode so far. I’m so glad I stuck with this show. I also knew that I liked Iori for some reason. I can relate to her somewhat, actually.

    I don’t think it’s just as simple as teenagers overthinking or teenagers being teenagers. Iori brought up one of her stepdads as an instigator, implying that she changed because of him. This is just me guessing based on personal experience, so it might simply be just her being a teenager and all.

    But, when you’re surrounded by people with certain expectations, it’s easy as a child to just go with the flow in an effort to appease everyone. You just want to make those people happy, so you try to reinvent yourself while thinking that if they’re happy, then you shall be too. However, then, you end up spending most of your childhood becoming someone that they want instead of someone you want to be.

    Since Iori’s life lacked stability, I’m assuming that she suffers from this to make her mother happy. But, eventually, it’s easy to lose sight of what parts of you were created as a coping mechanism and what parts of you were “you”. Sadly, I don’t think that Taichi can fix this easily. The only solution I recommend for Iori is to stop with the act altogether and reinvent herself yet again according to what she wishes to become.

    Isabel
    Reply

    1. You’re absolutely right. Parental environments do play a huge part. I have first hand experience in the expectation department, growing up in a strict family.
      I forgot about that factor when I was writing the comment (I was mostly refering to Inaban’s trust issue when I wrote it). I’d like to think that both trying to meet expectations and overly strong sense of self-awareness is the root of her problem.

      I’d like to expand on your point though, I don’t think Iori is feeling depressed because of “not being what she wants to be”, but leaning more towards “who is the real Iori” because from the way she makes it, she isn’t able to grasp “who she really wants to be” to begin with, as if she’s a blank sheet of paper.

      Tonberry
      Reply

      1. Then you throw in the fact she’s emulating the others when swapped as per Inaba’s request and she is back to copying others before she ever got a chance to create herself. The last father she had dangled the carrot of freedom and now she’s feeling pushed away from that goal. And presumably panicing to an extent. It’s that unknown factor, nothing ever settles for her. She might even think she’s not ever going to get her shot at being 100% independant.

        Breedo
        Reply

      1. This series does that so well. 23 minutes of awesome, and then steals your heart out of your chest come the Preview for next week.

        I kinda need that to live x_X! GIVE IT BACK PLX!.

        kumakaori
        Reply

  16. Himeko is just awesome.

    This series better go on long enough to make it through volume 6 of the LN. I haven’t been able to find a translation that far along but one of the illustrations… just so much awesome…

    Qwert
    Reply

      1. The next episode should wrap up volume 1 since the episode and last chapter’s names are the same.

        Hard to say how much material is in each subsequent volume though since the only translation I’ve found stops at chapter 3 out of 9 for volume 1, and that’s as far as the end of episode 2.

        Qwert
        Reply

      2. @OrangeJuice: Thanks for the link though it wasn’t really what I was looking for, I’m afraid. I wanted to see the illustration Qwert mentioned, being the Taichi x Himeko fan I’ve just become. While that cover is loads awesome (and Himeko just killed me with a kawaii bomb; who’da thunk she had it in her?!), covers are notorious for being vague and often time misleading. 🙁 Still, thanks again for sharing ^_^

        Beedle
        Reply

      5. Qwert, did the picture get removed? All I see is what looks like an ad of some sort with the picture of a rhino.

        Did you save the picture? If not, I wish I could at least read a description of it.

        Tre
        Reply

  18. Great episode, even better. This season is great with Kokoro conect, Hagure Yuusha, Horizon S2, S2 Dogs days, Muv-luv, Binbougami ga, “Hyouka” and “Accel World”, and “Chitose get you” give a laugh to lighten the day.
    This is a great publication Cherrie-sama, thank you very much for your effort.

    Shadow74
    Reply

  21. I’m loving this show so far XD DAT CONFESSION. DAT PREVIEW is looking very epic and also very sad and from what I saw Iori just do Taichi better have caught her ass >:(

    Inaba became an all new favorite character in the history books for me XD

    Swordhack4
    Reply

  24. You seem very ready to assume that the show will end with a definite couple when the light novels are not even completed yet.

    Anime like this will never have a conclusive end no matter how you look at it. This is because they have to stay faithful to the original material which is the novels. And the fact that the novels have yet to be completed shows that this anime has limited material to animate and an ending cannot be considered true here. Most producers hence then to avoid having a definite ending to keep it open. It is also unlikely that the author will allow an original ending.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    formite
    Reply

  25. Oh well, an entire cast of broken birds (trope!)…
    I can relate to Himeko, of all people, myself being always cautious towards people to the point of outright cynicysm. I trust not even myself sometimes…
    Taichi is going to have helluva trouble dealing with multiple girls going after him now as that is one thing he as a white knight cant solve well without hurting some of them.
    Myself I found enchanted with Himeko. There is nothing sexier than girl admitting to have perverted side – especially a self-control, disciplined, reliable type like Himeko…

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. I think she was joking just to screw with Taichi to make him feel better about saying something so embarrassing, I don’t think she was serious. After all, Himeko is the best liar of the group.

      Anonymous
      Reply

      1. OR she intentionally starts to trust Taichi by telling him a secret. After all, he proved his trust towards her in a very impressive way, so maybe she feels like she can start trusting him a bit. She could have chosen any other (embarrassing) secret but maybe Inaba chose this one because of his “confession” and his expected reaction.

        Saturo
        Reply

      3. hmm… can’t say the answer here since it is spoiler, but you might just find your answer as anime dives in vol.2 (assuming there is no anime original stuff)
        but regardless, Himeko is the best girl in the group! Taichi x Himeko FTW xD

        jrj
        Reply

  26. As much as I think Iori should get Taichi, HimekoXTaichi is my preferred choice. Still hoping for a harem ending where Taichi becomes prime minister, legalizes, polygamy, and marries both.

    Anonymous
    Reply

  27. ok, pretty much done with vol.4 for now…
    first of all, the 17 episode myth… apparently the BD/DVD is going to cover vol.1-4 material based on official site info, and using price as a tool to estimate episode numbers, 17 came up (cherrie, this is for you)

    now to the episode itself. I promise everyone that the our main 5 character will all have time to develop, so if Aoki seems flat or weak right now, just wait for his turn.

    Out of the 5, Iori has the most problem seems like (or deepest trauma I should say). Her issue is not just not knowing her identity, but rather she “played” her role too well so that her entire personality is shaped by others. Just like overhype can kill a show (GC reference), expectation can make a person miserable, and Iori suffers from this.

    Given that I am a Himeko fan, what I say may be biased toward her 🙂 but I have to say, that scene was one of the best part of vol.1 (except the climax), her response to Taichi’s “secret”, is absolutely gold! Whether it is true or not, she used the line to make Taichi feel better, and brings the two closer 🙂 Regardless of how this relationship “mess” ends up, I am rooting for Himeko 🙂

    ps. this is a LN adaption done right, super faithful, and super fun 🙂
    pps. Cherrie, thanks for the post, we will support you regardless, so don’t feel so bad about timing 🙂

    jrj
    Reply

    1. though I agree with you on the series being super faithful to the LN,
      but don’t you think by following the exact pacing of the light novel is kinda hurting the pacing of the anime?

      rice
      Reply

      1. in this case, I don’t think the pace is too slow… KC is all about character development after all, so giving all the time to the characters and let them shine is exactly the right thing to do. For example, Iori’s terrible joke greatly showcases the fact that she doesn’t want people to be depressed about her. As long as these small details are giving characters depth, they are good in my opinion 🙂

        jrj
        Reply

    2. Oooo! But I still feel like 17 eps is an odd number o_O maybe the budget will be spent on OVAs or extra episodes? We shall see if I end up blogging 2.5 shows come fall season.
      Thanks for your patience by the way! I’ve been missing in IRC for prolonged periods of time too o_o sorry!

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. Based on the price shown on the official link, it seems they’d be doing up to Vol.4 of the LN in this format:

        Vol.1 – 5 ep
        Vol.2 – 5 ep
        Vol.3 – 3 ep
        Vol.4 – 4 ep

        Personally, I think having only 4 episodes for Vol.4 is kinda tight, but I’ve also heard from somewhere that they will only be airing 13 episodes on TV and the rest as OVA on DVD/BD only episodes (need confirmation on that). If that is true, then it will probably less of a problem since they can get like 4~5 minutes extra (time saved from commercial) per episode.

        OrangeJuice
        Reply

  29. >.< WOW i Love this Series, im fan of it, read light novels vol 1-4 is really good, i want to know more what happens towards vol 8 i think i spoiled myself way too much until i met guy who read vol 1-8 plus extra, read whole thing told me all this stuff, what happen all problems each characters have im NOT going to spoiled but wow, also yeah im in wagon InabaXtaichi

    skyreno
    Reply

  30. I havn’t read any novels but i can’t see yet how anyone besides Yui would accept Taichi for who he is. Inaba and Iori are….i don’t know…i could see them saying they didn’t deserve him or stepping aside if he showed preference in the least for another girl. It would come down to where Yui would go. I can’t see it being Aoki lol. They might blow my ideas out of the water next few episodes it’s early yet. Just an impression so far from an anime only viewer.

    Breedo
    Reply

  31. Ugh!! I absolutely hate harems! Please don’t let this be a harem!! I’m starting to really like this anime but I don’t know if I can take it if all three girls fall for Taichi. Please let Himeko be cool enough NOT to fall for the obviously popular Taichi! Aoki! Make Yui fall in love with you ASAP!! Iori looks too far gone so grab Taichi before he makes other girls fall in love with him.

    Harems just rub me wrong. I absolutely hate the indecisiveness of a male harem lead, I hate how easily girls fall in love with the harem lead, I hate how girls compete with one another for just one guy and I especially hate it when a harem lead leads a girl on.

    leslie
    Reply

    2. I definitely don’t think this will end up as a harem – I just think it feels like one this early in the series. Taichi sounded like he wanted to tell Iori who he liked so… I do think he has someone in mind, we just don’t know who it is =P I’m liking the YuixTaichi ship as well (more than Himeko anyway =X) but it sounds so unlikely so I don’t want to bet on that one… although it would be a great spin =)

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. wow… I guess I didn’t read the previous comments… but Yui x Taichi would be so cruel for Aoki… Cherrie, you don’t like Aoki, do you? xD
        as to that scene, the LN actually reveals who he had in mind at that point, but based on anime alone, it should be easy to think the answer, since Taichi is the selfless Baka that he is… xD
        and about the harem stuff… can’t say much, but I promise it won’t be a harem, this is no ecchi show 🙂

        jrj
        Reply

      3. I’m not hating on anyone! =O
        Aoki hasn’t had a lot of screentime yet but that’s not his fault =S I just really like it when unexpected couples get together and a TaichixYui ending would make it fun to watch ^^

        Cherrie
        Reply

      4. I don’t know… funny how the only person I don’t like as much is actually Iori in the group… though the unexpected pairing thing, I am surprised that I actually supported for a lot of these, but mostly for the girl (second girl) that will never get her love back 🙂 But then again, Aoki is there for a reason, not just for being a Baka 🙂

        jrj
        Reply

    1. hmm… they already had the toilet scene… but heartseed probably won’t find it “interesting”… but yeah, it would be funny to see the situation (I am sure doujin writers are working on that)

      jrj
      Reply

  43. I was disappointed with the character development in this episode. It was a lot of telling instead of showing (I expected a flashback during Iori’s scene, at least!) and everyone’s complexes were too easily resolved. Hopefully, everyone’s issues will carry out through the rest of the series and gradually actually become resolved. It didn’t really feel like anything had any weight to it.

    I love Inaba to death, though. I do think that her complex could’ve been introduced or worded in a better way, however. I kind of found myself rolling my eyes during her scene. Loved her frank “confession” at the end though.

    Yuan
    Reply

  44. After watched 4 episodes in row, this anime is so fast pace.Elements from 4 episodes of Kokoro Connect can even play as full-course 12 episodes length by add some more scenes.It’s both good and bad. Good because we cover more story,bad because fast pace mean less details.

    Topboy
    Reply

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