H2O ~Footprints in the Sand~ discussion thread

[something]

Let's see if this "rocks my soul".

ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=8786)'s entry.
Official (http://anime.webnt.jp/h2o/) site, pretty slim at the moment but at least it has a character list at the bottom, sort of.

Posting thoughts in follow-up post to avoid any spoilers in the root post.

[something]

Episode 1:

- First reaction: Hearing Koshimizu Ami's voice right from the get-go is always a good way to start a show, so yay. Playing a boy, but whatever.
- Next reaction: That boy just punched that girl in the face. Really hard. Then they kick her and throw her in the mud O_O What the fuck?
- OP. Pretty standard. Probably won't rewatch. As for the animation and designs, both are passable. Not great, but certainly not bad.
- Takuma and Otoha are, er, being chased by a large boar. Hayami watches from nearby, and saves Takuma when he's about to be run down. She lands on top of him, and he reaches out his hand to feel her face since he's blind and all that, then touches her boobs and gets smacked, etc.
- She puts him back on the right path to school but then runs off, telling him not to get involved with her.
- At school rumors spread about a transfer student coming (Takuma), and we meet four girls in quick succession. Kagura Hinata (the one carrying the binders), Yakumo Hamaji (the one who runs off), and two others not named yet, who seem to be Tabata Yui (red hair) and an unnamed who isnt on the official site.
- Takuma arrives and his blind dude stick winds up in Hinata's skirt :sd: Too bad he doesn't get to see any of the things he does.
- As expected, Hinata is in his class (she's the class rep) and she's asked to help him to his seat. Also as expected, he's seated next to Hayami, who comes in late. She's about to get a punishment but he bails her out by saying she helped him earlier. She doesn't seem to appreciate the gesture though.
- I'm going to like Yui and Hamaji's interactions. Yui is the self-important self-appointed school celebrity, and introduces herself to Takuma in the manner you'd expect. Stuff happens and Hinata winds up with her crotch on Takuma's face. Hinata has already carved out her niche as the fanservice magnet.
- Hinata drops him off at the infirmary, and heads back to class. Otoha leaps in through the window right on top of Takuma. She also thinks she's a spirit, and he's the Promised One. >_>
- And she also tells him her powers can make him see. She puts her face close to his, and for a moment, it seems like he can see.
- Hayami gets bullied, clearly the class hates her. Puts the beatdown in context I guess. So she's not a delinquent type that people fear, but rather one they pick on. Hinata sees this, and as class rep seems to want to do something about it, but backs off.
- Ok that last unnamed girl (who helped with the binders) is Kumon Maki.
- Yui serves lunch but the portions are short. She demands to know who took extra, and wastes no time in blaming Hayami. Looks like the physical violence isn't isolated to the opening scene, because Yui has two lackeys who pin Hayami down on the table while Yui berates her. Takuma tries to calm the situation down but Hayami gets loose, tosses the rest of the food on the floor, and storms out.
- Takuma goes after her, asking Hinata to come with him, but she says he's better off leaving her alone. He goes anyway, and catches up to her as she's leaving, though he trips on the stairs and she stops his fall.
- She takes him to a small office or something where she has miso ramen ready, but the goons from earlier burst in ready for a fight. Takuma tries to stop them but Hayami heads outside to fight them, and tells Takuma he should stop butting in, he can't do anything anyway. We see her walking home later, holding her arm, so she probably gave and got some pain.
- Takuma is feeling down after hearing her words, and wakes up at 230am from a nightmare. And I think maybe we should take Otoha at her word about being a spirit... she appears in his room, floats to the floor, and asks him if he's tired of being powerless. She extends her hand, and when he takes it they're transported to a beach. She walks a ways into the water and asks him to come to her. Awkwardly, he does. She tells him she'll give him a reward, a bit of her power, but it won't last long.
- The next day, he can see. He finds Hayami on a hill, and extends his hand to her.
- ED, better than the OP but skippable probably. I love the little bit at he end. Hayami, Hamaji, Otoha. Hence H2O!

Interesting. On the one hand it seems like it wants to be silly and fanservicey, but on the other they have potential for a very interesting and slightly supernatural romantic drama. I'm surprised at him getting sight in the first episode, and wonder what sort of limitations and time limit there is on it. It can't last the whole show, else the whole premise of a blind lead become completely irrelevant by ep 2.

I only rated the art "passable" on first glance, but now I think it varies. Some shots are quite nicely detailed, others are just pretty vanilla. Pretty decent overall.

At any rate, I liked it.

[Nephenee13]

That was an interesting little show. I quite liked the OP and ED songs, and the setup, while standard, is different enough to be interesting.

I like Hayami's voice.

[Dagger]

Pretty good first episode. Has potential to be quite uneven as it develops, but I really like Otoha and Hayami and am interested by the supernatural stuff.

[Suwako Moriya]

I kind of like Otoha as she's cute and interesting. Hinata is kind of nice. Hayami has potential depending on how she develops. She may not exactly be a boquet of flowers, but at least they make it clear early on why she's not. Rather than forcing the viewer to wait until near the end of the series to be given any idea.

However Yui. Well let's say first she needs to be whacked until she reveals her true form. Next they need to use sacred items on her until she finally turns to dust. Yeah I already hate her. She comes off as nothing more than a self-centered bitch who has absolutely no heart.

The first episode was good in the sense it shows potential for this to have an interesting story. However part of me fears based they may waste that potential. So I'm not sure what to think yet in terms of how much wore to watch in general.

[something]

However Yui. Well let's say first she needs to be whacked until she reveals her true form. Next they need to use sacred items on her until she finally turns to dust. Yeah I already hate her. She comes off as nothing more than a self-centered bitch who has absolutely no heart.
But watching Hajami blow her off and make her mad is going to be awesome. It already was in ep 1.

The first episode was good in the sense it shows potential for this to have an interesting story. However part of me fears based they may waste that potential. So I'm not sure what to think yet in terms of how much wore to watch in general.
Yeah this is another of those (so far scheduled for) 12 episode things. Will is dive right into the meaty stuff or putz around until episode 10 and then go "oh shit, almost over!"

This episode seemed to move a good bit so maybe it'll do it right. Or maybe it'll turn out to have more episodes.

[Ty]

While I'm dying to get my soul rocked, I think I'm going to sit tight and see if somebody will offer the hivision version in the next few days.

[Suwako Moriya]

While I'm dying to get my soul rocked, I think I'm going to sit tight and see if somebody will offer the hivision version in the next few days.

Waiting could work, but perhaps you should see it soon because I've heard it can rock your soul even if you're already sold it. Not saying you have, but who knows? *Apologizes for lame comment*

[relentlessflame]

While I'm dying to get my soul rocked, I think I'm going to sit tight and see if somebody will offer the hivision version in the next few days.
As far as I can tell, the show isn't drawn/animated in HD, so there's not really any point in waiting for the hi-vision version. It's just a blurry blow-up of the normal resolution image.

[relentlessflame]

Yeah this is another of those (so far scheduled for) 12 episode things. Will is dive right into the meaty stuff or putz around until episode 10 and then go "oh shit, almost over!"

This episode seemed to move a good bit so maybe it'll do it right. Or maybe it'll turn out to have more episodes.
We'll see, of course, but I sort of doubt this show will get more than 1-cour. The whole setup and pacing for the first episode just seems like they realize they have to keep things moving, as they're revealing all the little mysteries at once. The bit at the end, especially, seems to hint that they're going to keep things moving right along (which, I agree, is the way things should be for a short show).

[something]

While I'm dying to get my soul rocked, I think I'm going to sit tight and see if somebody will offer the hivision version in the next few days.
As far as I can tell, the show isn't drawn/animated in HD, so there's not really any point in waiting for the hi-vision version. It's just a blurry blow-up of the normal resolution image.
I just skimmed that version, and I concur. While I always think the blowups look at least a little better, there's really not a lot here to take advantage of it, so the gain is minimal.

So was the wait too, though, so maybe it doesn't matter.

[Ashyukun]

Hmmm. Not bad... can't say it's really impressed me a whole heck of a lot, but it looks like it has some potential if done right. I went into it figuring I might not watch past the first episode, but after it I'll at least check out the next one.

And I agree that Yui needs some percussive maintenance. Early on I was figuring she'd be a fun, arrogant character who'd be good for some laughs- but calling in the lackeys to beat up another girl put her firmly into the 'needs to be pistol-whipped by a cane' category. Presumably there's some reason for all of this... but she still jumped to the top of the 'total bitch' list for the this season's shows (which admittedly isn't hard given I've only seen two so far :P).

[HitokiriShadow]

First the bad. The visuals tend to be average at best and are frequently looking like they weren't quite finished. Fortunately they aren't bad, just lackluster. Also, the 'fanservice' was mildly annoying and I would have preferred they just skipped it.

But its full of interesting characters and the story intrigues me and I'm curious to see where they go with this. I kind of wish they would have just left him blind rather than fixing it, but its suggested that it's temporary (and I'm hoping it truly is temporary but I'm guessing it will be magically and permanently cured at the end).

Hamaji is currently my favorite character, but thats because she's amusing and made a good first impression, someone else could come out on top after we see more of everyone and get to know them. In any case, she is quite amusing and I enjoyed seeing her piss of Yui. In hindsight, she's even greater because Yui is a bitch (though I'm sure we'll later get some backstory that makes her more sympathetic). <3 Hamaji. In a somewhat related note, I loved the little skit after the ED. I wonder, is that really what the title stands for?

On the whole, it was a decent first episode and has high potential. I'll probably be watching this one through the end.

On another note, I was really intrigued that they used that footprints story. That story about walking with God is not original to this anime. I've heard it before and for those who are interested, it ends with God replying with something along the lines of Those footprints were mine, I was the one carrying you through those difficult times. Whether the anime goes with that or changes it to something else remains to be seen, of course.

[Nork22]

Violence to girls, especially the quiet, innocent tsunderes is never cool. Death to the boys who beat her up.

[HitokiriShadow]

Seeing that right at the beginning was rather shocking. That's not something you expect to see in a show like this and even if such a thing happens, its usually implied or watered down, like a distant view of the guys stomping on something and enough is shown to let you know its the character. Or it zooms in on the girl's face while you hear the sounds of what is happening. But to actually see them beating her and slugging her in the fact... yeah, you just don't see that.

[something]

But to actually see them beating her and slugging her in the fact... yeah, you just don't see that.
If you do, it's usually among younger kids. 6 year old boys and girls pounding on each other isn't unheard of, especially if the girl is a tomboy delinquent type. For high schoolers though, yeah that's pretty rare, even if you figure she probably gives as good as she gets most of the time.

[Suwako Moriya]

I kind of wish they would have just left him blind rather than fixing it, but its suggested that it's temporary (and I'm hoping it truly is temporary but I'm guessing it will be magically and permanently cured at the end).

It wouldn't surprise me either if it's permanently cured at the end. Still there are several paths they could take regardless of whether or not it's permanently cured in the ending. These would determine the flow of things.

Random/Timer: His sight will go away and come back at random intervals or set intervals. Such as 6 hours on, 6 hours off, etc.

Charge: Some BS about how he must charge his eyes for X amount of time to use it for Y amount of time.

Barely made it: He loses his sight just after achieving his goal of helping Hayami out completely.

On his own: In this scenario the sight is lost before his mission is complete. It's at a point where he's become too used to it and is forced to now help Hayami without it.

Still in some ways this is simply a variation of the "I am now able to help that person" story. Where person X is "altered" in such a way that it's easier to help person Y. Sometimes the alteration is allowing a duck to become human. Sometimes it's giving the person a special weapon. In this case it's restoring a blind boy's sight. I think it's best to view H20 ~Footprints in the Sand~ as this type of story. The fact his sight came back so soon makes it even more definite.

[something]

Charge: Some BS about how he must charge his eyes for X amount of time to use it for Y amount of time.
It's like a glow in the dark sticker. He charges his eyes up by staring at sparkling white panties.

[Suwako Moriya]

Charge: Some BS about how he must charge his eyes for X amount of time to use it for Y amount of time.
It's like a glow in the dark sticker. He charges his eyes up by staring at sparkling white panties.

You know there is someone out there willing to use that idea just because it gives an excuse for fanservice.

[Westlo]

Unless a lot of your souls get rocked by the next few eps I think I'll miss this one and go for True Tears. I'll be reading your thoughts in the currently watching thread.

[Isuzu Inugami]

And I agree that Yui needs some percussive maintenance. Early on I was figuring she'd be a fun, arrogant character who'd be good for some laughs- but calling in the lackeys to beat up another girl put her firmly into the 'needs to be pistol-whipped by a cane' category. Presumably there's some reason for all of this...

She was so set up as a comic character that the whole bullying thing feels like it dropped in from some other anime. Those boy lackeys of hers have no redeeming qualities--although they seem to be at their nastiest when Yui isn't around.

Anyway, I cheered when Hayami threw that food on the floor. Good for her--although it's just going to make more trouble.

Takuma getting his sight back is annoying. Hopefully it'll be more gone than present, but I have a feeling it's going to last until the final episode, unfortunately. I was digging the "what's this I'm groping?" blind fanservice. :>

How did ditzy Hinata manage to become the class rep?

I'll keep watching to see what's going on with Hayami, but H2O isn't rocking my soul yet. Oh, but the guys dancing around in horse masks for the sponsor bit--they rock my soul! Hello surrealism!

[Shiroi Hane]

I was really surprised to hear Footprints, in Japanese, in a anime stuffed with fanservice. I'm wondering now when we'll get to the punchline.

[stardf29]

On another note, I was really intrigued that they used that footprints story. That story about walking with God is not original to this anime. I've heard it before and for those who are interested, it ends with God replying with something along the lines of Those footprints were mine, I was the one carrying you through those difficult times. Whether the anime goes with that or changes it to something else remains to be seen, of course.

Being a person who knows of things like this, I have to say that the first thing I thought of when I saw the title of this anime was the Footprints poem. At first, I thought it might just be a coincidence... but then I watched the first episode--and they used the poem right at the start.

Well, that got my attention.

I should say: kudos for them to stop the poem where they did, because of what the rest of the poem is. For those unfamiliar with the poem, I'm tempted to say: Stay unfamiliar with the poem. The rest will be revealed in due time... hopefully. It's a really great poem that is full of impact even without the direct Christian connections.

Probably more interesting than the episode itself, for me, is what they will do with this theme. The poem has a good amount of meaning to me, and while I'm not expecting much from Japan, I will be disappointed if they don't work in the impact of the poem in some way into the story.

That said, the first episode was quite good. I don't know if I can say much more than that for now.

[Suwako Moriya]

Presumably there's some reason for all of this... but she still jumped to the top of the 'total bitch' list for the this season's shows (which admittedly isn't hard given I've only seen two so far :P).

Let's see here. H20 ~Footprints in the Sand~, Rosario + Vampire, True Tears, Minami-Ke Okawari, and Aria the Origination. That makes five shows now. Yui is of course still wining in bitchiness. Actually I'd rather use the term evil for her. Hopefully she will make us forgive her with reasonable explanations that don't feel forced.

In any case in regards to Otoha being the spirit of the sounds of time and being the one who restored Takuma's sight. I'm not sure if it will be relevant, but it does bring to mind the idea of how some creatures take advantage of things like sound (I think) in order to tell what they are doing. So one has to wonder if Takuma's sight is really a fancy version of using sound to "see" or maybe not. Just a random theory.

[Suwako Moriya]

For those unfamiliar with the poem, I'm tempted to say: Stay unfamiliar with the poem. The rest will be revealed in due time... hopefully.

I'll admit I've already spoiled myself on the poem. That being said based on the idea of the poem there is definite potential dependent on how they interpret things. Still I suspect the rest of it to be saved for the final episode because that would be the perfect time for it.

[pathos]

Yui is of course still wining in bitchiness. Actually I'd rather use the term evil for her. Hopefully she will make us forgive her with reasonable explanations that don't feel forced.

Hrm, after watching 1 episode, I wonder what they could do to change my opinion of Yui. I suppose there might be something, but I can't think of much offhand.

From what we do know, the 2 guys *seem* to be her lackeys. Inferring that from the lunch scene. She is at least a witness to how rough they can be when the goons throw Hayami down on the desk. We know they beat the crap out of Hayami once, and a second time at some point (from the opening bit of the show) They imply, when they to track her down, that its probably happening pretty regularly. (She does know whats coming, dosent she?). I suppose we don't know if she's giving the orders for the beatdowns or not.

Hrm, lets take it a step further actually. Everyone in the class actually witnessed the lunch scene. The next day, at the end of episode 1, Hayami has bandaids on her face from the beatdown. If it's happened before, she's probably been to school looking like that before.

I'd say everyone in class HAS to know whats going on. But, it gets ignored. Whether from a typical human responce like "i dont want to get involved" that seems to happen everywhere. Or, because Hayami did something, her family did something and she's bearing the consequences, or just something in general happened that makes either everyone hate her, or not get involved. (my, what a nice run on sentence I put together).

Heck, let's go even farther. You're a teacher, and one of your studenst, a female, comes in occasionally looking like someone took a bat to her. I suppose the natural reaction is to ignore it, and not get involved. Doesn't make it the right reaction though. From the teachers reaction, facial expression, etc when Hayami comes in late, she's probably well aware of the whatever it was that makes Hayami disliked, or ignored. Perhaps thats why she too ignores the plight of her student?

After 1 episode, the whole class, including the teacher, deserves a good horsewhipping.

Perhaps they will introduce some reason that will totally put everything into perspective, and make the whole class into saints. Perhaps Hayami was butchering and eating children?

Oh, and on a different note, is Hayami really giving as good as she got? From the opening scene of the show, she didn't seem to be fighting back at all, just taking it. Her character type seems to be the type to fight back. But, from the one scene witnessed, that doesn't seem to be the case.

[HitokiriShadow]

Her idea of fighting back seems to be to just mouth off to them and piss them off more, if anything at all. So no, she's not "giving as good as she got", she seems to be just taking it. Not that there is much she can do when the entire school is either against her or just doesn't care; fighting back would at best do nothing and at worst make things worse for her.

[something]

Perhaps Hayami was butchering and eating children?
Now that would be awesome.

Oh, and on a different note, is Hayami really giving as good as she got? From the opening scene of the show, she didn't seem to be fighting back at all, just taking it. Her character type seems to be the type to fight back. But, from the one scene witnessed, that doesn't seem to be the case.
I don't know, she seems like the kind who would be able to fight back, but we haven't seen enough to tell. She seemed somewhat confident when she basically told the guys to take it outside when they interrupted her and Takuma. Certainly, part of this was her desire not to get him involved, but she just seemed... ready. Like she'd never back down. Whether that means she has a reason to be confident is another issue of course.

[HitokiriShadow]

She may be ready, but I don't think she fights back physically. I think she fights back by taking the beatings and giving them a giant "Fuck you" whenever she can and keeping her head high and not giving in to them. She doesn't want help and it would probably be like a sign of weakness to her. That's why this new guy taking the blame for her is really cramping her style.

[Suwako Moriya]

She doesn't want help and it would probably be like a sign of weakness to her. That's why this new guy taking the blame for her is really cramping her style.

Which is ultimately going to be where the greatest challenge for Takuma comes in. How to help someone that needs help, but refuses it? Makes me wonder if part of a turning point for the story will involving her directly asking for help.

Still another question comes up. We know Otoha plays a supporting role for the male lead and could be considered like a guardian of some sort. Hayami is the one with the troubled life that needs saving. However I'm still not quite clear what the role of Hamaji will be. Maybe she gets the surprising role?

[pathos]

Well, there was 1 last thing I forgot to post earlier.

I don't want to trainwreck this thread by throwing out the "m" word...

But I'm gonna

You know, I have never really understood moe. I mean, I understand the concept behind it, sort of. Wanting to protect and all. But, I can't say that I've ever felt that way about an anime character. I seem to be missing the m gene, or whatever it is that causes people to feel that way towards fictional characters.

Not that it ever bothered me. Chalked it up to the differences in people.

But now, I think I get it. I finally understand.

Moe is meting out vigilante justice ala Jason style.

Now, excuse me while I look for my chainsaw and hockey mask.


...

what?

[something]

Episode 2:

- Takuma still has his sight, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He dodges a man to man kiss and meets up with Hayami, and though she acts like he's bothering her by coming, that's... well, doubtful.
- He says that Hinata and the others are going to show him around town, and he invites her. But how could she possibly go? Interestingly, as he extends his hand to her she remembers a scene where a younger Hinata did just that to her. Nonetheless, she repeats the warning not to get close to her, and walks off.
- Otoha tackles Takuma and finally his sight is brought up. She asks if he's getting used to it, and reminds him not to waste it. Hamaji, Hinata and.... where the hell did the character section of the site go... Maki, I'm pretty sure it is, call out to him. He turns to invite Otoha to come with them but she's disappeared.
- They also see Yui, who is working out in the fields. Not much of an ojou-sama. Her goons are helping her.
- Also, NOBODY IS SURPRISED THE BLIND BOY CAN SEE.
- They walk in a little stream and Hinata falls on her ass and gets wet right on cue.
- Next up is an old suspension bridge across a river, but the girls tell him he's never allowed to cross it. Because... there's an evil monster. Hamaji and Maki don't seem to take it *too* seriously, but Hinata looks really unsettled at the mere mention of it.
- Also, Hamaji is awesome. She finds a maid uniform and serves them ramune. XD Then she does to find some expired food to give them. Hinata looks just as disturbed as before, so he asks her again what's beyond the bridge. She repeats the monster story but she *believes* it. He insists there can be no such thing.
- Later on, curious, he crosses the bridge. He sees a small decrepit trailer, and notices a female school uniform inside. He walks around to a waterfall out back, and who is bathing in it but, yes, Hayami. Nekkid~
- Ahaha, awesome eyecatch. Second part.
- Oh SHIT. Hayami for the win. She ties him up, hangs him from a tree, and starts sharpening a knife. He tells her that she'll ruin her knife cutting through human fat and bone but she says the knife is more than adequate for cutting through little boys. XD She turns around and cuts the rope down.
- Hinata's father/grandfather tells her that Takuma crossed the bridge, and she looks terrified. Jesus christ, just what is Hayami and why does the whole world treat her like an AIDS sandwich?
- Ah, not a trailer, old railroad cars. As a side note, I really like Takuma. He's taking everything Hayami throws at him in stride, casually brushing past her emotional defenses and insults and doing his best to let her know he really cares.
- She also flashes back to Hinata again. Hayami was crying in a church when Hinata smiled and handed her candy. She shakes off the memories and tells him to leave. She says it's natural for her to be hated. No, she *has* to be hated. ...Well then. This girl has some epic baggage.
- Takuma crosses the bridge again and Hinata is on the other side. He asks her once again why everyone hates Hayami, but she can only scream that he must never see her again.
- Since he's awesome, he completely ignores her and heads to Hayami's "home" right in the morning. She's not wearing pants =D He gets a slap for his efforts.
- He's trying really hard, and my respect for him raises every scene even if he IS being meddlesome. It's in a good way though. In art class they pair off and while Hinata tries to grab him as soon as possible, he just BLATANTLY talks right over her and tries to partner with Hayami. She resists, Hinata presses again, he agrees.. if all three of them work together. Yui intervenes again, and Takuma does not budge one. fucking. inch.
- Hayami walks out and invites Yui along, and her thugs follow once again. Takuma begs the teacher to stop them but she does nothing. So he takes it in his own hands and goes after them, pushing aside Hinata when she tries to stop him.
- Yui is an absolute, unadulterated, complete and utter fucking WHORE. Her goons splash toilet water on Hayami while Yui tramples on her and kicks her face into the mud. And yeah, sadly she isn't fighting back, she seems to accept it all, as if she deserves it.
- We get a bit more of the flashback. After Hinata gives Hayami the candy, we see something on fire. When Hinata and Hayami next meet, Hinata looks quite unhappy and runs past her.
- Takuma ignores the insults and holds Hayami close. Yui declares him an enemy as well, and the goons are about to start on him when Hinata runs in and makes them stop. She says she'll "save" Takuma from Hayami. What the fuck? It's good she stopped them but what a shitty attitude.
- He helps her home and they make the pinwheels they couldn't make in class. Finally, she smiles, and it looks like she accepts him.

It's official, Takuma is one of the best male leads in a long, long fucking time. Talk about standing up for what you believe in regardless of the opposition. He asks for rationale as to why this is happening. He gives them a chance to tell their side. When they can't do so, he doesn't buy it on blind faith. He wants to make his own decision about Hayami, and eschew the mob mentality.

Fuck yeah, Takuma. Fuck yeah.

And I KNOW they're developing something really dark in Hayami's past but I can't see it justifying the treatment she's getting so I *still* think the entire town can go die in a fire.

[Suwako Moriya]

I think I understand what's likely going on here. Think about how everyone either attacks Hayami or does nothing to help. Note how she says it's only natural to hate her. Note how Hinata went from trying to being her friend to becoming cold towards her. The conclusion is simple.

Hayami is the town "scapegoat". Anything that goes wrong is her fault. If they need a punching bag. If they need someone to hate and/or fear. She's there to provide them with that. It wouldn't surprise me if this is a tradition and she wasn't the first one and may not be the last. Well unless Takuma can do something about the situation.

This episode greatly increases my respect for Takuma and in a sense decreases my respect for most if not all the other characters. I still respect Otoha and Hayami. Sure Hayami needs to be more willing to accept help, but it understandable why she's hesitant. After all in her mind it remains to be seen whether or not Takuma will be a true friend or end up as another false friend like Hinata.

So essentially this is your classic story where the village is so dead set in its ways that people are incapable of thinking for themselves. The rules of the village. The belief system of the village. So on and so forth must never be questioned.

Thus it takes a former outsider like Takuma that's capable of thinking for himself to bring about change. One that's willing to take on a challenge rather than go the easy route of "Uh just blame the village scapegoat" and be done with it. It also helps that he has Otoha to support him.

Which is another ideal they may be following here. Where the one who gets the true spiritual support is not the irrational mob nor passive sheep. Rather it's the individual that does more than just accept things the way they are. The one that makes actually effort. The irony is sometimes the very spiritual being supporting this individual is the same one that the irrational mob and/or passive sheep believe in. Granted it still remains to be seen if Otoha is a guardian angel, a god, a ghost, or some other type of being.

Now then the ultimate irony may be this. The only one able to see Hayami as a human instead of some "demon" to be hated is in fact a buy who used to be blind. Although let Thus it brings to question who in the village is really "blind" here. Speaking of which if Takuma succeeds at his goal then I won't mind if his sight does get permanently restored as he'll have earned it.

In any case this is shaping up to be a sort of depressing, but very interesting series. I'll continue to root for Takuma, hope the best for Hayami, admire Otoha, and hope others in the village learn to well grow up.

[something]

Hayami is the town "scapegoat". Anything that goes wrong is her fault. If they need a punching bag. If they need someone to hate and/or fear. She's there to provide them with that. It wouldn't surprise me if this is a tradition and she wasn't the first one and may not be the last.
Either that or Hayami did something terrible in the past. My flagrantly blind speculation is that that fire is something she inadvertantly caused. Maybe it even killed Hinata's parents or other loved ones. Hayami was run out of town as a demon child, and Hinata, who wanted more than anyone to be friends with her, was the one hurt the most. But this also puts Hinata in the best position to reconcile the sides and "forgive" Hayami.

Or something.

This episode greatly increases my respect for Takuma and in a sense decreases my respect for most if not all the other characters.
Yeah, under normal circumstances I'd really like Hamaji and Hinata and Maki, but when you realize just what they're aiding and abetting with their silence, it really sours me on them. Although Hamaji and Maki, at least, are still damn amusing.

This show is going to need to walk a very fine line. On the one hand, there will be plenty of scenes of the girls doing normal friendly things with Takuma, hanging out, blushing, being cute, and all that jazz. Normal bishoujo stuff. I enjoy that sort of thing and all, but then I stop and think about what they're condoning and it's not so funny anymore.

A lot hinges on what Hayami's past is all about, but it's going to be a challenge to balance the viewers' reactions of the rest of the cast either way.

[Suwako Moriya]

Either that or Hayami did something terrible in the past. My flagrantly blind speculation is that that fire is something she inadvertantly caused.

It's possible, but I get the feeling from those scenes that Hayami was hated before the fire even happened. Still if she caused the fire even if it turns out to be an accident or if circumstances make it look like she was responsible. It would be kind of an extra justification to hate her. "See we were right about her!"

Maybe it even killed Hinata's parents or other loved ones. Hayami was run out of town as a demon child, and Hinata, who wanted more than anyone to be friends with her, was the one hurt the most. But this also puts Hinata in the best position to reconcile the sides and "forgive" Hayami.

Well for certain something really bad happened to Hinata that she at the very least associates with Hayami. As for Hinata being in the best position, she may also be in the worst position. After all she does report to that "elder". Meaning that she may be in his direct control more than anyone else.

Yeah, under normal circumstances I'd really like Hamaji and Hinata and Maki, but when you realize just what they're aiding and abetting with their silence, it really sours me on them. Although Hamaji and Maki, at least, are still damn amusing.

It's kind of interesting how in some scenes you're given the impression they're just normal and pleasant people. Heck even Yui herself didn't seem that bad during the scene where she was in the fields. Yet in other scenes you're reminded of the flaws that each of them have. Whether it be how "evil" Yui is or how passive several of them can be. It's also depressing because the pleasant scenes give a sign of hope and yet the dark scenes crush it. A cycle that will be repeated.

A lot hinges on what Hayami's past is all about, but it's going to be a challenge to balance the viewers' reactions of the rest of the cast either way.

I have a feeling it depends not only on Hayami's past, but the history of the village as well. Perhaps some of it being even before Hayami was ever born. Still it's going to take a lot to redeem the village in my eyes. Granted given how much they seem to hate Hayami, I'm surprised she's even allowed to go to school. Then again each time she goes to school it gives them another chance to vent their anger on someone.

[HitokiriShadow]

Well, this episode makes it clear that this isn't just a school issue. The entire fucking village hates Hayami



- Also, NOBODY IS SURPRISED THE BLIND BOY CAN SEE.

I thought that was more than a little odd as well. I think several days have passed since he got his sight back, so everyone has already learned of it. I'm still disappointed we didn't see a reaction out of at least Hayami and Hinata.


- Yui is an absolute, unadulterated, complete and utter fucking WHORE.

I hope they don't try to make her sympathetic because I really don't think its possible at this point unless they reveal that Hayami rapes and/or eats children. She's a horrid bitch, through and through. On the other hand, pretty much everyone else isn't any better. Hinata in particular has been downgraded considerably.


On another note, I really need to stop reading blogs, or at least the responses, for anything that has been adapted from some other source because ineveitably, someone has posted unmarked spoiles on wikipedia and somone else will post those spoilers (unmarked again) in those responses. Fortunately, its nothing plot related and in this case, perhaps its not so bad knowing ahead of time. Unfortunately, its something I'd rather not be true and watching this episode, I think it is. Let's just say it involves (warning: you will likely be able to figure out which character it is based on this even though I don't say it, so read at your own risk) ze spoilerz
Admiral Ackbar

[Suwako Moriya]

I hope they don't try to make her sympathetic because I really don't think its possible at this point unless they reveal that Hayami rapes and/or eats children.

Redeeming Yui is definitely going to be a challenge for the story. Assuming they even try of course. Still there are two angles they can work with. The first is the "stronger" belief aspect. Perhaps family in general is more hard line when it comes to the idea that Hayami is the plague of the village. We could even find out that she's heavily influenced by her family. Or alternative we could find out her family is better than her relative speaking...

The second is this. It's quite clear that many in the village are probably afraid to go against the status quo. It could turn out that she's one of the most fearful of going against the status quo. Hence by doing her best to hate Hayami, she doesn't have to fear the consequences of supporting her. By directly attacking Hayami, she can "prove" to everyone that she doesn't support Hayami. That she's willing to stand against her. Heck maybe it's considered her "job". That everyone else expects Yui to handle Hayami.

However that's all random speculation. As of right now based on what we do know about her, Yui is nothing more than a bitch. Whether or not additional information will improve my view of her or worsen it remains to be seen. Same goes for several others. Just that Yui seems to be the most active in terms of tormenting her. Thus it's easier for us to focus on her.

[something]

On another note, I really need to stop reading blogs, or at least the responses, for anything that has been adapted from some other source because ineveitably, someone has posted unmarked spoiles on wikipedia and somone else will post those spoilers (unmarked again) in those responses.
I think by this point, almost everyone has been spoiled on that. In fact, I was so dead certain that I knew what you were referring to that I willingly clicked on your spoiler. And... well, yeah, that. In my case the spoiler came as a result of tagging/images on danbooru.

Oh well. At least it doesn't seem like something that'll be a major plot point. I hope.

[HitokiriShadow]

Sadly, it doesn't surprise me that that kind of thing would be widely spoiled already. Oh well, at least its not something plot related (probably. I'd be impressed if they managed to make it so).

[cjed]

Episode 2:
...
- Also, NOBODY IS SURPRISED THE BLIND BOY CAN SEE.
...

Indeed, it would be nice to have seen *some* reaction from one of the other characters.

Episode 2:
...
- Ahaha, awesome eyecatch. Second part.
...

My second favorite part of the episode - reminded me of the misago in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

[zoot]

- Also, NOBODY IS SURPRISED THE BLIND BOY CAN SEE.
Makes it look like the blind thing was just an ep1 gimmick: they don't want to write a whole season of blind boy fumbling around getting panty shots without knowing it, and maybe they'll get back to it hurriedly in the last two episodes. Reminds me of my reaction to Mahoromatic before s2 came along: "wait, wasn't there a thin plot buried in there that they completely abandoned?"

- Next up is an old suspension bridge across a river, but the girls tell him he's never allowed to cross it. Because... there's an evil monster. Hamaji and Maki don't seem to take it *too* seriously, but Hinata looks really unsettled at the mere mention of it.
Getting watered-down-Higurashi feelings from this show, with all the blunt "secrets" (don't go there, but we won't tell you why!; whole-town-picking-on-girl[1], and we won't tell you why that, either!), but without the amusement of everyone cutting everyone up.

- Hinata's father/grandfather tells her that Takuma crossed the bridge, and she looks terrified. Jesus christ, just what is Hayami and why does the whole world treat her like an AIDS sandwich?
More Higurashi-wannabe vibes from this. I doubt anyone'll lose any fingernails over it or anything, though.

- Ah, not a trailer, old railroad cars. As a side note, I really like Takuma. He's taking everything Hayami throws at him in stride, casually brushing past her emotional defenses and insults and doing his best to let her know he really cares.
I'm impressed at how thrilled you seem to get about every show you watch. :)

I just can't see anything here but a too-common pattern. A: Leave me alone! B: I want to help you! A: Leave me alone! B: I want to help you! A: Fine, I like you now! (Most shows go through more than an episode of this, though. It looks like we're past it already.)

B gets points for braving sewage this time around, though.

The violence in ep2 was too mismatched against the stuff at the start of ep1. Ep1 was "ow, shit". Ep2 was comic by comparison--Yui and her minions are just too much the "comically annoying/arrogant" type. (I can't help but laugh at the mouth on blue-haired minion around 18:25.) That ep1 bit set the bar high. I'm not surprised that they don't want to keep going that far, of course; panty shots of a toothless character are probably less fun.


[1] Why does this forum stick spaces in the middle of hyphenated phrases? I didn't do that ...

[Dagger]

I hope they explain why Hayami gets bullied soon... the problem with this situation is that it makes every single character in the show except for her, the main character & (maybe) Otoha immensely unlikeable, either because they participate in it or because they just stand by.

[pathos]

Hayami is the town "scapegoat". Anything that goes wrong is her fault. If they need a punching bag. If they need someone to hate and/or fear. She's there to provide them with that. It wouldn't surprise me if this is a tradition and she wasn't the first one and may not be the last. Well unless Takuma can do something about the situation.


Hrm, this post actually made me think a good bit.

Ok, this is all guesswork, not based on other material. I think I'll spoiler it just in case I'm actually right, since some people might want the show to show it, rather than be spoiled on it.

Ok, lets say that Hayami is either..

1. Born under some inauspicious sign, making her some "bad luck" person, or whatnot. Evil, or bad luck, follow her. Or..

2. The town always has a dumping person. Someone who basically is there to take all the bad luck of the village on to themselves, so the rest of the village is spared misfortune. Who knows how they choose a person, but probably at a very young age.

Of course, there are other things that could be afoot, like she, or her family, are possessed or something.

At any rate, the village shuns her, and some get plain nasty with her.

The class president (damn, forgot her name already) ignored this and befriended her when they were young. And then tragic incident no.1 happened. We'll go with her mom died in a fire for our example. So, she learned firsthand to not befriend Hayami, or Bad Things Happen.

Well, that pretty much sums up my prediction, my is pretty much ripping off Reimu Hakurei post, but oh well.

[Nork22]

The class president (damn, forgot her name already) ignored this and befriended her when they were young. And then tragic incident no.1 happened. We'll go with her mom died in a fire for our example. So, she learned firsthand to not befriend Hayami, or Bad Things Happen.

Well, that pretty much sums up my prediction, my is pretty much ripping off Reimu Hakurei post, but oh well.

I'll go with this prediction:

Hayami is actually the student president's half-sister. Hayami is the bastard child of some illicit affair and the president's family is like some rich or powerful or something and has plenty of influences and not wanting/getting rid of this stain on the family.

How's that for speculations? :D

[Suwako Moriya]

I'll go with this prediction:
Hayami is actually the student president's half-sister. Hayami is the bastard child of some illicit affair and the president's family is like some rich or powerful or something and has plenty of influences and not wanting/getting rid of this stain on the family.

In terms of that prediction. Well on one hand we lack proof, but on the other hand since we lack information in general it has a chance of being plausible. May as well comment more directly on the prediction and add new speculation.

It's quite clear Hinata's family or at least that Elder like guy she talks to has a lot of influence and power. I'm sure if he told the village that the sky was pink, their would adjust so that they could only see the sky as pink. I have a strong feeling that the guy is in fact the real villain with everyone as is his idiotic puppet.

It's hard to say if Hayami has any relation to Hinata one way or the other. The safe bet is to assume they are unrelated. Still one thing is for sure Hayami does not like her family name. Which leads some of us to suspect that being treated like crap may be a family tradition.

Which leads to another speculation. The power struggle scenario. This os where family X has power and influence in the village. Family Y hates this and wants power. Through various means they turn everyone against family X. Family Y manages to take over the village and relies on things like myth, superstition, etc to maintain their power.

[Gatts]

[1] Why does this forum stick spaces in the middle of hyphenated phrases? I didn't do that ...

There is a character limit to long phrases. The forum automatically adds spaces to long phrases to prevent the tables from being expanded beyond the set limit.

123456789012345678901234567890

Notice at the 25th character there's a space?

[Ty]

There is definitely a bad history between Hinata's family and Hayami. That much has been hinted at. I'm still surprised at how vicious they are towards her, to the point where even the adults sanction it. Something that affected the whole town (or maybe just the most powerful family in it) went down long ago, in a similar vein to Satoko Hojo's situation in Higurashi and she's suffering the brunt of it.

I know this: I cannot look at her without thinking AIDS sandwich now.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Episode 2:

- Takuma still has his sight, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Man, I'm not really happy since I signed up for blind boy hijinx, but the show is nevertheless turning out to be compelling on other levels, so... whatever.



- They also see Yui, who is working out in the fields. Not much of an ojou-sama.

That was hilarious, since it was the last thing I expected of her. I loved her "the village eats because of my family graciously provides them rice" skew on it all. She's basically good in any scene without Hayami.


- Later on, curious, he crosses the bridge.

"You mustn't CROSS THE BRIDGE! Whatever you do, never CROSS THE BRIDGE! THAT BRIDGE RIGHT THERE, don't CROSS IT!" :roll:


- Ahaha, awesome eyecatch. Second part.
- Oh SHIT. Hayami for the win. She ties him up, hangs him from a tree, and starts sharpening a knife. He tells her that she'll ruin her knife cutting through human fat and bone but she says the knife is more than adequate for cutting through little boys.

Win, win, win, win, win! But how to reconcile this Hayami with the Hayami who just takes Yui's abuse later on...?


- Ah, not a trailer, old railroad cars. As a side note, I really like Takuma. He's taking everything Hayami throws at him in stride, casually brushing past her emotional defenses and insults and doing his best to let her know he really cares.

I love how no one can deflect him about this.


- She says it's natural for her to be hated. No, she *has* to be hated.

What is going on in this town???! This show has me shouting "What the fuck?" more than anything since Melody of Oblivion. Rather than being just "issues," or some kind of history, I'm hoping there will be some real reason for her to take that attitude.


- Since he's awesome, he completely ignores her and heads to Hayami's "home" right in the morning. She's not wearing pants =D He gets a slap for his efforts.

I take it back; he's stalking her. :P


- Hayami walks out and invites Yui along, and her thugs follow once again.

She gives such a challenging, contemptuous "I'll let you play with me" line, but then just takes it. Again, What the fuck?


- Yui is an absolute, unadulterated, complete and utter fucking WHORE. Her goons splash toilet water on Hayami while Yui tramples on her and kicks her face into the mud.

Just to be contrarian, let me stand up for Yui as the only one honest enough to show physically what everyone else is doing psychologically. And they aren't comfortable about it, but they don't stop it, 'cuz they're all a bunch of hypocrites.


Hinata runs in and makes them stop. She says she'll "save" Takuma from Hayami. What the fuck?

Ha ha! You too! What is that supposed to mean? Just what is Hayami? What doom would it seal for her to have a single lousy friend?

This show is sure setting up some interesting questions.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah yes this is definitely Hinata focused. Watch Hinata reveal she's underhanded. Watch her reveal more bitchiness. Watch her reveal she's essentially a puppet. It's nice that Takuma was willing to confront her a bit, but even so it didn't seem to make much of a difference. So let's see Hinata needs to (re)gain her heart. She needs to gain actual free will. She also needs to gain a backbone. Then maybe just maybe she'll do what needs to be done. Which is to smack that guy in the face. Yeah I'm still getting major "evil" vibes from the Elder guy.

That being said it looks like name carries some weight in this series. We have Hayami who seems to be "hated" because of her name. While Hinata seems to put way too much importance on her name. As if her name is more important than herself. There's also Yui who seems to consider her "family" important or at least herself anyway. Hmm wait maybe that could be a good way to improve Hinata. Have her flat out denounce the name of "Kagura". It would be symbolic of her learning to be independent. Assuming she ever "improves".

[something]

Episode 3:

- Looks like some explanation about Hayami now? Or at least Hinata's role in it, given the episode title.
- Hinata comes to pick Takuma up in the morning. Bet she wants to make sure he can't go see Hayami.
- Boobs....
- Awkward. Hayami is waiting for him (and practicing her denial that she's doing so) but now he's got Hinata hanging on him. This is going to get ugly.
- Takuma needs to slap the cheery off Hinata's face. And then demand she give him a straight fucking answer.
- Ahaha oh wow, before he can, Hayami runs up, and grabs him from Hinata. Hayami banzai! An angry girl on each arm...
- Hmm. Hamaji and Maki don't seem *quite* so uptight about Hayami as the other girls. That's a start, at least.
- I'm torn. Do I enjoy the fun hijinx or react coldly because as far as I know, they're still all horrible people? Maki and Hamaji are really fun, Hinata is cute, but gah, how to react?
- Hinata is such a goofball. Again, should be funny, but...
- "You're my destined one!" Well then.
- Takuma is a lovable dork. He sees Hayami on a hill and joins her, but pretends he's alone. Talking out loud, saying things like "Oh, but it's boring to draw alone!" :sd: Seems Hayami is happy to accept him as a friend, but not at school. She doesn't want them treating him badly by association. She tells him that she had one friend, who gave her candy. But even she was separated from her.
- When Hinata comes up and gives him candy and says the same thing Hayami quoted of her friend, Takuma realizes Hinata was Hayami's old friend.
- Hinata grabs him right away after school and invites him to her house. He's hesitant, but sees it as a good opportunity to ask about Hayami.
- Otoha! One of the few characters I can like without reservations. Yay! Haha, she uses a "spell" to cheer him up. Tickling! And once again, she disappears when someone else shows up.
- Hinata makes a move... she holds his hand suddenly.
- Hinata's... grandfather or whatever keeps throwing evil glances at Takuma and Hinata. The heck is his deal?
- THERE! That's gotta be it. Well, part of it. Hinata shows him her little sister's room. Her deceased little sister...
- Finally they sit down and he gets to the point. She tries to stall, he presses anyway. He says he knows she's the friend, and asks what happened between them. Finally it looks like we'll find out.
- Ok, not quite. But it definitely gives evidence that the old dude is the villain. He and his followers... burn Hayami's house down because Hayami dared to become friends with Hinata? And Hinata left Hayami to the wolves because she couldn't go against her family. ...Hey, guys, that doesn't make me too sympathetic to your side of the story. In fact, it makes me hate you all more. Still, I can tell we didn't get the beginning of it yet. It's been going on a long time now, and what we saw here was not the start.
- So he knows it's obvious Hinata does not like how things turned out. He grabs her hand and starts taking her to Hayami's place. Just as Hayami is crossing the bridge from the other side, Hinata stops him, and kisses him in full view of Hayami.

What I like best about Takuma is that he asks the questions that make sense. When other characters would take everything the wrong way and act on emotion, spur of the moment, he stops and thinks and just... makes sense. When people stall, he asks again, when they change the subject he puts it back on track. It sounds so simple, but for anime, it's not.

Too bad Hinata countered with the powerful "I'll kiss you when the rival is watching! Instant misunderstanding, just add saliva!"

Also, preview was awesome. "Hayami-chan, isn't it hard being alone?" "I'm fine." "Hayami-chan, how do you really feel?" "...Everybody can go **** themselves." Wahahahahahahaha.

H2O is totally rocking my soul, bitches. Even if I still can't get over nobody caring that he can see.

[HitokiriShadow]

- Hmm. Hamaji and Maki don't seem *quite* so uptight about Hayami as the other girls. That's a start, at least.
- I'm torn. Do I enjoy the fun hijinx or react coldly because as far as I know, they're still all horrible people? Maki and Hamaji are really fun, Hinata is cute, but gah, how to react?

I was having that same torn feeling. I'm sure things weren't all giggles and butterflies for Hinata, her grandfather is clearly influencing her somehow, and she does seem to be suffering to some degree and isn't exactly thrilled with teh situation... but she's still being cruel to Hayami, I don't think its entirely because of other influences, and she's clearly resisting opporunities to fix things or even just be honest to Takuma.

As for Hamaji and Maki, my interpretation of their stance on Hayami is "We don't have anything against her and we don't really like what people do to her, but like hell we're getting involved and joining Hayami in her beatings". Not exactly heroes, but a sympathetic position and an understandable one.





- Takuma is a lovable dork. He sees Hayami on a hill and joins her, but pretends he's alone.

yeah, his method of talking to her (initially, at least) is amusing.


- Otoha! One of the few characters I can like without reservations. Yay! Haha, she uses a "spell" to cheer him up. Tickling! And once again, she disappears when someone else shows up.

Between all her disappearing acts, her constant (and serious) claims of being a spirit, and giving him is fucking eyesight back, you'd think he would have gotten a clue by now. But no, he still things she's a normal girl.

But anyhow, she's a good source of amusement whenever she shows up.



- THERE! That's gotta be it. Well, part of it. Hinata shows him her little sister's room. Her deceased little sister...

Yep. Especially with an earlier flashback (the pre-OP scene, I believe) mentioning someone important being lost. Still, that seems to have little or nothing to do with the fire and that scene we see at the end.


- Ok, not quite. But it definitely gives evidence that the old dude is the villain. He and his followers... burn Hayami's house down because Hayami dared to become friends with Hinata? And Hinata left Hayami to the wolves because she couldn't go against her family. ...Hey, guys, that doesn't make me too sympathetic to your side of the story. In fact, it makes me hate you all more. Still, I can tell we didn't get the beginning of it yet. It's been going on a long time now, and what we saw here was not the start.

Yeaaaaaah.... that was pretty damn stupid to burn someone's house down. I think there has to be more to it than that, but the old dude's line is pretty explicit...

[quote]Also, preview was awesome. "Hayami-chan, isn't it hard being alone?" "I'm fine." "Hayami-chan, how do you really feel?" "...Everybody can go **** themselves." Wahahahahahahaha.

Oh, right, this series has the kind of previews I actually like to watch *goes back and watches* Er, okay, that was litterally what they said. ... I think it's funnier when you don't know its coming. :sd:


H2O is totally rocking my soul, bitches. Even if I still can't get over nobody caring that he can see.

Yeah, this is one of the better shows I've seen so far this season. On another note, I love the eye catches. This episode's wasn't as good as the last one, but it was still amusing.

[Suwako Moriya]

H2O is totally rocking my soul, bitches.

*Imagines what the preview would be like if they had used the word "bitches" in it* In any case early on before the show aired that line simply came off as silly. However it seems they're doing their best to "earn" the phrase. Still I wonder what the change in focus will be like. Usually things get worse at that point and given how bad things seem right now... Darn it why couldn't Otoha have given him magical powers to vaporize the "evil" elder?

[something]

As for Hamaji and Maki, my interpretation of their stance on Hayami is "We don't have anything against her and we don't really like what people do to her, but like hell we're getting involved and joining Hayami in her beatings". Not exactly heroes, but a sympathetic position and an understandable one.
Yeah, agreed. It'll be interesting to see what exactly the next episode holds, as the title is "Hamaji".

Yep. Especially with an earlier flashback (the pre-OP scene, I believe) mentioning someone important being lost. Still, that seems to have little or nothing to do with the fire and that scene we see at the end.
Yeah, it seemed when I saw it that it would be the heart of the matter but by the end of the episode they went on to something else. I still think it's incredibly important but *as things stand now* all evidence we have points to Hayami herself being completely, utterly blameless. That whatever happened was through no wrong of her own, but that she's victim to something that happened before the fire, something that involved her parents or her larger family or something else. She seemed to be in a bad way even before she met Hinata.

Which just makes her treatment all the more inexcusable.

But now the question is what happened after the burning. Did Hayami get "revenge" somehow? Hell, was Hinata's sister already dead before all this?

Still a lot of questions. They gave us some information, but honestly it just complicated the situation rather than explained anything. Not that I mind, I'm having fun trying to figure out what happened.

Oh, right, this series has the kind of previews I actually like to watch *goes back and watches* Er, okay, that was litterally what they said. ... I think it's funnier when you don't know its coming. :sd:
Yeah, definitely damn funny when it comes out of nowhere. These previews say nothing at all about the show, so they're certainly safe.

[HitokiriShadow]

Yeah, definitely damn funny when it comes out of nowhere. These previews say nothing at all about the show, so they're certainly safe.

Yeah, I had actually watched the previous ones, I just totally forgot about it this time.

[Ty]

As I was watching episode 3 a number of theories about what happened with Hayami in the past started to form in my head, but by the way things are going the show is going to take a more boring route than any of them.

Some quick thoughts/theories though (baseless really, just stuff that popped into my head): Perhaps the girl Hayami was friends with was actually Hinata's now deceased little sister and Hayami was somehow involved in how that happened? The show killed that theory pretty fast towards the second half of the episode.

Theory #2: the current Hinata is a replacement for the "real" Hinata who had something happen to her a long time ago.... or she's actually the other sister and had to "become" Hinata because Hinata was the one who really died. This would explain the cold and slightly psychotic attitude the old man has towards her. I suspect none of that is likely either, and the show will do something more typical.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Some quick thoughts/theories though (baseless really, just stuff that popped into my head): Perhaps the girl Hayami was friends with was actually Hinata's now deceased little sister and Hayami was somehow involved in how that happened?

My theory: Hayami's friendship with Hinata inadvertantly led to a sequence of events in which Hinata's little sister died, and Hayami got saddled with the blame (or took the blame to conceal that it was Hinata's fault? "It's necessary that I be hated.") (Or Hayami just ate the little sister--it doesn't seem quite enough, otherwise. :P ) SIDE THEORY: Otoha is Hinata's little sister, trying to set things right.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well given that Hinata goes on and on about not tarnishing the name of "Hinata Kagura" rather than simply worrying about the family name of "Kagura". Well it does give credit to the idea that she may in fact be Hotaru. The idea being she's worried about a specific name rather than the general family. Still she could just be concerned about her own role in the family line.

[Suwako Moriya]

SIDE THEORY: Otoha is Hinata's little sister, trying to set things right.

Which could explain why she seems to be avoiding the rest of the town. She may worry they'll recognize and she feels it may not be the right time to reveal herself. *Imagines Hinata fainting after seeing a ghost* Still if Otoha is the dead sister, given how kind hearted she is. Maybe that's why she died. It's probably a crime to have an actual heart in this village.

[HitokiriShadow]

Ah, so many interesting possibilities. I can only hope the anime does something that interesting.

[something]

SIDE THEORY: Otoha is Hinata's little sister, trying to set things right.
Best yet, and somehow the most plausible (in the supernatural world of bishoujo anime, I mean). The fact that we don't have a family name for ______ Otoha yet makes it all the more possible.

Though it would only be part of it, and *how* Hinata's sister became a "spirit" who gives random blind boys their sight back is where all the other crazy theories come in.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Maybe that's why she died. It's probably a crime to have an actual heart in this village.

H2O: The show that makes you more bitter than lye ice-cream!

[Ty]

Some quick thoughts/theories though (baseless really, just stuff that popped into my head): Perhaps the girl Hayami was friends with was actually Hinata's now deceased little sister and Hayami was somehow involved in how that happened?

My theory: Hayami's friendship with Hinata inadvertantly led to a sequence of events in which Hinata's little sister died, and Hayami got saddled with the blame (or took the blame to conceal that it was Hinata's fault? "It's necessary that I be hated.") (Or Hayami just ate the little sister--it doesn't seem quite enough, otherwise. :P ) SIDE THEORY: Otoha is Hinata's little sister, trying to set things right.
Now that it's not late at night I like your take on it better and would like to think that's what I was driving at when I was pondering it. :)

[something]

Episode 4:

- Back with the kiss... Hinata sees Hayami staring at her out of the corner of her eye, and she's scared, but she finishes the kiss and holds onto Takumi. Hayami turns her head and walks away.
- To the beach! A girl who looks like Hamaji spies on them with binoculars, and instantly comes to hate Takuma when Hamaji starts hanging all over him. She doesnt like anyone getting close to her Ma-chan.
- Mmmm, swimsuit time. Maki is in a onepiece, Hamaji is in a school swimsuit, and Yui is in a bikini. She looks pretty good but... nope, I still haaaaaaaate her.
- Hoooooly shit Hinata. Breasts, EVERYWHERE. Wow. Takuma is understandably impressed, but still tries to bring up the "hey why did you make out with me?" topic. He's interrupted by Hamaji and Yui and then by a knee to the head from a furious Yukiji... Hamaji's little sister.
- She spends the whole time trying to take Takuma out. She even nearly has Maki decapitate him o_O Eventually she tricks him into waiting for Hinata a ways down the beach, so now nobody else knows where he is.
- Hayami is cleaning her clothes... like, with a washboard and streamwater. Poor poverty princess, she needs to hang out with Marina from Gundam00.
- As Takuma waits by the shore, suddenly, Otoha! After teasing him a bit she points out that the tide came in an he's on a rock in the middle of the water and can't swim.
- Otoha swimming off in her underwear with her clothes on her head XD
- Backstory on Yukiji - their mother died when they were young, and Yukiji seems to have taken Hamaji on as a mother figure.
- Then Yukiji gets one of those epic leg cramps in anime that totally immobilize you and make you drown, something I've never quite understood but just accept anyway :sd: Takuma overcomes his inability to swim and saves her and yadda yadda.
- Also, HAMAJI CPR! Based on what we know so far, I really, really, REALLY should hate everyone in this show except Otoha, Takuma and Hayami, but I can't help but love Hamaji anyway. It's hard to hate Maki too, since she seems so minor.
- Onsen time! Hinata may be a bitch but she's so hot. And then... well, that's that. I'd like to see a show of hands as to who WASN'T already spoiled on the Hamaji thing? I obviously was spoiled, for me it was seeing that tag on a Hamaji image at danbooru (boo!). At least I don't have to refer to him as "her" anymore knowing full well that that's not the case. :sd: Also... poor Takuma. So like... *for a second* I wondered if maybe the anime would diverge from the game on this point, since, er, depending on the shot Hamaji had definite breasts in his swimsuit. Padding, I guess. He also, er, wasn't showing anything down below, though of course that can be taken care of too. At any rate, I'm glad it wasn't an important plot point so the spoiler wasn't too terrible. Now the only question is who else knows? Presumably everyone else there at the least, but does the whole class?

Hayami had just arrived earlier. She didn't join everyone else of course, but she did come to ask Takuma his feelings. Of course Hinata shows up just as Takuma meets Hayami on the beach.

[TheFly]

I'd like to see a show of hands as to who WASN'T already spoiled on the Hamaji thing?
*raises hand*

And it was definitely a "wtf?!" moment. I'm still confused now.

Other than that, this was nothing but a fan-servicey fluff episode. Did anybody else notice that at the end we're pretty much exactly where we were at the start?

H2O just dropped down a notch in my estimation. Fan-service is fine but this would have been better suited as a DVD extra because, bizarre gender revelations aside, NOTHING HAPPENED (unless the Yukiji/Hamaji relationship is going to play a major part in the story later on, which I doubt).

[something]

H2O just dropped down a notch in my estimation. Fan-service is fine but this would have been better suited as a DVD extra because, bizarre gender revelations aside, NOTHING HAPPENED (unless the Yukiji/Hamaji relationship is going to play a major part in the story later on, which I doubt).
I think it served two purposes. One was revealing the Hamaji thing. The other was that Hayami came to seek *him* out and ask him to make his feelings clear. That is definitely not something she'd have asked in earlier episodes.

As for the odd way they did the Hamaji revelation, I think they figured that most Japanese viewers were already aware, and so didn't make a big to-do about it. I do still want a little more background on it though. I know part of it would be, say... Hamaji taking the "I'm the replacement for mama!" a bit literally, but I'm sure there's something else there too.

[HitokiriShadow]

Well, I was already spoiled on the Hamaji thing, so that wasn't a surprise. But I found the whole episode rather disappointing. We went from the drama at the end of the previous episode to an episode of mostly fanservice (that desperately needed a higher budget; this episode was only slightly better than They Are My Noble Masters for the most part) and comedy.

Also, I thought that the way Hamaji's secret was revealed was disappointing. It was just stuffed in there at the end, when there are, IMO, better things they could have done with it. Instead, its just "LOL, she's actually a he" and it will probably never come up again. On another note, I think Hamaji is more than just crossdressing. I think he's transgendered and is probably taking hormones. That would explain the voice and his, uh, very womanly figure (namely the hips; those ain't man hips). He seems to have really taken to the idea of replacing mom and even refers to himself as Yuki's "big sister." It would be nice if they would actually give us more on Hamaji's story, but I'm really not expecting it.

[Ty]

Hamaji is the lamest trap I've ever seen I have to say. I won't rant on traps since I'm sure my opinion is established now. I still wonder to myself what point it serves the show or it's story to have something like that? He/She doesn't look even the slightest bit like a boy in any way, so it's just weird. Part of me still thinks it's a she and a body colored wetsuit was involved for prank purposes.

Heck, aside from Otoha fanning with her skirt I thought all the fanservice in this episode seems strange and overboard. Hopefully episode 5 will bring the drama back in style because this lowered my opinion of the show quite a bit.

[HitokiriShadow]

Hamaji is the lamest trap I've ever seen I have to say.

I have mixed feelings on Hamaji. But part of me agrees with you, at least to an extent. It was difficult to buy that Hamaji was male at all. Which is where my transgendered/hormones theory came from. But frankly, that's probably beyond what this anime/game ever considered and they just made a girl and then later said, "Hey, let's make her a trap!" and tacked on the thing with the mother to offer a half-assed explanation for it.

Heck, aside from Otoha fanning with her skirt I thought all the fanservice in this episode seems strange and overboard.

I think part of it was the poor budget. Yui was drawn decently but little effort was put into the others. And most of it was stills or barely animated. Ball gets tossed, now we see Yui on the ground and Yuki grumbling. It was animated slightly more than the riot scenes in GSG Il Teatrino ep 1. And all the fanservice and "Stay away from my Ma-kun" antics are really at odds with the rather dark story.

[Isuzu Inugami]

I'd like to see a show of hands as to who WASN'T already spoiled on the Hamaji thing?
*raises hand*

*raises hand* And I was oogling her... his butt just seconds before the big reveal. I got PWND! :P


Other than that, this was nothing but a fan-servicey fluff episode. Did anybody else notice that at the end we're pretty much exactly where we were at the start?

Yes, I did notice that. I enjoyed it, but we didn't really go anywhere. Obligatory beach fanservice episode? A bit of lightness before things turn horribly dark? An excuse to use that awesome eyecatch?

Did no one notice Yuki nearly killed someone with that blade in the wooden sword stunt? Holy Higurashi!

[Ty]

There is a third possibility for Hamaji.... what's the word I'm thinking of? Is it futanari?

[Isuzu Inugami]

There is a third possibility for Hamaji.... what's the word I'm thinking of? Is it futanari?


Ha ha, yes that's the word. Although I'd expect more of a chest if she(?) were futanari. It's almost unheard of to see a futanari character straying from the realm of pure smut, too.

Mind you, that would be a pretty intersting development....

[something]

There is a third possibility for Hamaji.... what's the word I'm thinking of? Is it futanari?Ha ha, yes that's the word. Although I'd expect more of a chest if she(?) were futanari.
Yeah, they made a point of showing the chest, which means there are no breasts. Period. Thus it can't be a futa (and thank god, I much prefer a trap to a futa).

[Isuzu Inugami]

Yeah, they made a point of showing the chest, which means there are no breasts. Period. Thus it can't be a futa (and thank god, I much prefer a trap to a futa).

Aww, no love for futa?
Maybe Hayami is a futanari, and that's why everyone hates her. :P <Watches Something join forces with Yui.>

[something]

Aww, no love for futa?
Futa must DIE.

[Ty]

There is a third possibility for Hamaji.... what's the word I'm thinking of? Is it futanari?Ha ha, yes that's the word. Although I'd expect more of a chest if she(?) were futanari.
Yeah, they made a point of showing the chest, which means there are no breasts. Period. Thus it can't be a futa (and thank god, I much prefer a trap to a futa).
That's why I previously mentioned the body color wetsuit. Okay, okay, I'll let it go. Still, it isn't any sillier than a boy who shows not the slightest signs of being one while wearing clothing. Hair, facial features, voice... it's just such a stretch I wonder if they're doing it on purpose just for the attention it generates.

[Suwako Moriya]

All right let's see here. So we have beach, fanservice, evil loli, trap, and dramatic cut-off point. In any case I'd say the episode was a bit on the weak side perhaps, but I was actually expecting a lot worse based on reading comments. Truth be told I think the problem here is the episode probably feels out of place given the way the first three episodes went. However there are a two things to consider. First is that this can be considered akin to a breather episode. Second a beach episode allows a good place to focus the fanservice. Which hopefully means the more serious episodes can focus on the story.

[Suwako Moriya]

But frankly, that's probably beyond what this anime/game ever considered and they just made a girl and then later said, "Hey, let's make her a trap!" and tacked on the thing with the mother to offer a half-assed explanation for it.

To be honest there are times I have to wonder if most traps are a case of "Let's draw a female and then claim she's male". Truth be told making a "trap" out of a drawn character is probably way too easy if you think of it that way.

Still the bright side is Yukiji does look a bit like Hamaji. So maybe in an indirect sense we'll get the female version of Hamaji eventually. Then again Yukiji is a bit on *****y side. So uh who knows about that idea? Still evil lolis have their good and bad side.

[Ashyukun]

*raises hand as well* Oh for Kami's sake, do I need to start counting the number of shows I'm watching that don't have traps in them? I think that would be easier.

I agree that this episode was a bit of a disappointment after how the last episode ended... though at least they put things somewhat close to where it ended off by the end.

[something]

Episode 5:

- Before the OP there's a scene of young Hinata and young Hayami playing together up on a hill.
- And after, we jump back into the scene on the beach. Hinata looks at Hayami for a moment, and then launches immediately into her infuriating "denial mode", pretending Hayami isn't there, forcing absurd cheerfulness into her voice and trying to pull him away again. God I hope someone slaps her.
- Takuma tries to pull away but Hinata turns around and yells that she loves him, then cries and clings to him. Unfortunately, Hayami lets it go at that, repeats her warning for him not to come near her, and walks off. I guess she took that as his answer...
- When they next come to school, there's a chalk drawing on the blackboard proclaiming Hinata and Takuma's "marriage". Everyone already considers them a couple.
- And it looks like Hayami comes to school today. Yui's tiresome goons drew all over her math workbook so Takuma lends her his. Hinata sees this and once again makes an utterly transparent attempt to distract him with some inane request. God I hate her when she does this. She looks so profoundly pathetic. But it's precisely because she's so godawful an actress when it comes to this that it's obvious she's being forced into it. Doesn't stop me from wanting to throttle her every time she whines "Hirose-sama!" though.
- After school Takuma tries to chase down Hayami but *conveniently* Hinata's grandfather drives up and blocks his way, then invites him over for lunch. Takuma hesitates, and looks to where Hayami is getting father away, at which Hinata's grandfather gives her a stern look and she has to go back into "Hirose-sama!" mode. She grabs his arm and pretty much throws him into the car. :sd:
- Woah... that was weird. Very weird. And interesting. At dinner as grandfather Kagura drones on, he looks at Takuma and says "Now then, Hirose-sama..." At this, Takuma stares at him and there's an odd "oh snap" sound effect and grandfather corrects himself and says "Dear me, I mean, Takuma-kun". What caused that reaction? Hinata calls him that 4.3x10^55 times an hour, and he never flinches. But this old man does, and suddenly Takuma is like a different person...
- As Hinata walks him back later that night, he decides to ask her bluntly: Why are you acting like this, and did your grandfather put you up to it? I guess he perked up at "Hirose-sama" because it made him think that's where Hinata picked the habit up? Hinata is distressed but insists she loves him, saying it as much for herself, I bet, as for him.
- And then we see Hinata's grandfather at home at a family shrine, and they drop the bomb, or surely hint at doing so - the shrine is to a young girl (clearly Hinata's sister) who, while partially obscured by glare, absolutely looks like Otoha, if you ask me. Grandfather reminds Hinata what a fine family line the Hirose family has, and insists she must court him well, which confirms that he's put her up to all this, as if there were any doubt. She protests she can't go on doing this, but he accepts no back-talk.
- I love the eyecatches for this show. Second part.
- Takuma visits the lovely Hamaji-chan and asks what's up with Hinata's grandfather. Hamaji is reluctant to tell, but Takuma insists, and he (feels weird typing that even though I've known since ep 1) relents.
- So, Hinata and Hayami were friends, as we knew. Of note, even back then it was considered scandalous that Hinata would be friends with Hayami, so the distrust of Hayami's family goes way back, but nobody would speak up about it (except Yui). Also of note, Hamaji was a "girl" even back then.
- One night, the adults of the town took up torches and went to "confront the monster". Leading the procession was Hinata's grandfather and, interestingly, Hamaji's father. Then we see the scene from before, with Hayami calling out to Hinata and Hinata running away. Then Hinata's grandfather repeats to her the warning never to go near the Kohinatas. Hinata and Hayami haven't talked since. So, another flashback, a tiny bit more of the picture filled in, but not much, and we still don't know why the Kohinata family was so hated. But it clearly went back to long before anything Hayami could have done.
- Hayami and Hinata walk past each other, and Hayami asks Hinata if she truly loves Takuma. Hinata insists again she does, and Hayami merely says "He's a good guy. I wish for your happiness."
- OTOHA! She always brightens things up. Her entrance this time is wonderful - she jumps off the roof of the church, and lands with her legs on either side of a sitting Takuma. his head just short of her crotch. Wahaha. Anyway, they talk about Hinata, and Otoha asks him why, exactly, she has to lie to herself. If you lie to yourself you can't be happy. Does pleasing her grandfather outweigh her own happiness? She leaves Takuma to chew on that idea, and vanishes.
- He decides to do something about it. Oh yes he does. He's finally had enough. No more shit. No more lies. No more dishonesty. He shows up at Hinata's place, grabs her by the arm, ignores he protests, and practically drags her to the bridge, across the bridge, and finally to Hayami's "home". Hinata looks stunned, like she had no idea of the conditions Hayami lived in. Then she sees the pinwheel...

She thinks back to when Hayami gave it to her, and she just breaks down crying -- just as Hayami returns. Hayami walks right past Hinata but Hinata yells out an apology. Hayami walks up to her, hands her a piece of candy, and quotes the "happiness" line back her. Then Hinata cries some more, and Hayami hugs her.

Good episode! I didn't at all expect reconciliation this early (especially since we haven't found out what's up with Hayami's family yet), and I have absolutely no idea where it's going to go with that, but I very much want to find out. Be a bad girl, Hinata! Be very bad! Make grandpa mad! And then, finally, I can start to like you again.

Bizarre preview as usual.

[TheFly]

- Woah... that was weird. Very weird. And interesting. At dinner as grandfather Kagura drones on, he looks at Takuma and says "Now then, Hirose-sama..." At this, Takuma stares at him and there's an odd "oh snap" sound effect and grandfather corrects himself and says "Dear me, I mean, Takuma-kun". What caused that reaction? Hinata calls him that 4.3x10^55 times an hour, and he never flinches. But this old man does, and suddenly Takuma is like a different person...
I don't claim to be an expert on honorifics, but wouldn't it be unusual for an elder like Hinata's grandfather to address a teenager like Takuma as "-sama"? Doesn't that imply some sort of respect or reverence? That's how I interpreted Takuma's surprise anyway.

- And then we see Hinata's grandfather at home at a family shrine, and they drop the bomb, or surely hint at doing so - the shrine is to a young girl (clearly Hinata's sister) who, while partially obscured by glare, absolutely looks like Otoha, if you ask me.
I didn't notice this myself but looking again now I agree, it definitely looks like Otoha.

- Takuma visits the lovely Hamaji-chan and asks what's up with Hinata's grandfather. Hamaji is reluctant to tell, but Takuma insists, and he (feels weird typing that even though I've known since ep 1) relents.
I've decided I'm going to ignore the whole Hamaji gender issue because... well, it's stupid. S/he's a girl in absolutely every way except anatomically, and this minor caveat apparently has zero relevance to the story. Therefore I'm going to use "her" and "she" when talking about her. Because I'm stubborn.

In fact, I think I'm going to pretend that whole episode 4 nonsense never happened, since this episode could have followed directly on from episode 3 (obviously changing the location of the post-OP scene) and we'd have missed nothing.

- He decides to do something about it. Oh yes he does. He's finally had enough. No more shit. No more lies. No more dishonesty. He shows up at Hinata's place, grabs her by the arm, ignores he protests, and practically drags her to the bridge, across the bridge, and finally to Hayami's "home".
Points to Takuma for actually having a backbone and standing up to Hinata. Some series would have let this run on until the final episodes which would have been very irritating (I spent most of this episode wishing someone would give Hinata a good slap, even if it's not strictly all her fault).

Hayami walks up to her, hands her a piece of candy, and quotes the "happiness" line back her. Then Hinata cries some more, and Hayami hugs her.
Hayami's very forgiving. Hopefully Hinata won't throw it back in her face and go back to being a bitch next episode.

[HitokiriShadow]

- Woah... that was weird. Very weird. And interesting. At dinner as grandfather Kagura drones on, he looks at Takuma and says "Now then, Hirose-sama..." At this, Takuma stares at him and there's an odd "oh snap" sound effect and grandfather corrects himself and says "Dear me, I mean, Takuma-kun". What caused that reaction? Hinata calls him that 4.3x10^55 times an hour, and he never flinches. But this old man does, and suddenly Takuma is like a different person...

I think it surprised him because the head of the household and someone much, much older than him called him that. I would think it would be awkward for someone his own age and supposedly his equal to call him that as well, but not nearly as much as someone 5x older than him.


- And then we see Hinata's grandfather at home at a family shrine, and they drop the bomb, or surely hint at doing so - the shrine is to a young girl (clearly Hinata's sister) who, while partially obscured by glare, absolutely looks like Otoha, if you ask me.

Yep, that picture looked just like a younger version of Otoha, adding a nuclear arsenal to support the theory that Otoha = dead sister... whichever one that may be. When he said "Hotaru has already passed on" with the picture in the background, the obvious assumption is that he's referring to the dead girl. But I'm thinking he may be once again trying to remind "Hinata" that Hotaru (who is actually her) is no more and she needs to play her role. Of course, this begs the question: why does she need to be "Hinata"?

- One night, the adults of the town took up torches and went to "confront the monster". Leading the procession was Hinata's grandfather and, interestingly, Hamaji's father. Then we see the scene from before, with Hayami calling out to Hinata and Hinata running away. Then Hinata's grandfather repeats to her the warning never to go near the Kohinatas. Hinata and Hayami haven't talked since. So, another flashback, a tiny bit more of the picture filled in, but not much, and we still don't know why the Kohinata family was so hated. But it clearly went back to long before anything Hayami could have done.

And the sister's death still isn't mentioned in relation to it. They mention misfortune, but in the future sense and as applied to the whole village. And once again, Ojii-san emphasizes Hinata being Hinata.

- He decides to do something about it. Oh yes he does. He's finally had enough. No more shit. No more lies. No more dishonesty. He shows up at Hinata's place, grabs her by the arm, ignores he protests, and practically drags her to the bridge, across the bridge, and finally to Hayami's "home".

I was greatly pleased to see him do this. I was getting annoyed at how he continually capitulated to Hinata's whims and couldn't even pull his hand away every time she dragged him off.


Bizarre preview as usual.

I just love the eyecatches and previews. They are utterly bizarre and nonsensical but they are incredibly amusing.

[something]

I don't claim to be an expert on honorifics, but wouldn't it be unusual for an elder like Hinata's grandfather to address a teenager like Takuma as "-sama"? Doesn't that imply some sort of respect or reverence? That's how I interpreted Takuma's surprise anyway.
He didn't seem so much surprised as... as if he just heard something that made him really tense up, something he really did not want to hear, something that made him... angry almost. But yes, it would be somewhat weird (though not unheard of) for him to be referred to as Hirose-sama by a prestigious old man, and so I surmised later that he figured this was a sign that Hinata was being forced into it. He'd remarked before that it was weird for Hinata to call him Hirose-sama. And now he knows why she does.

Therefore I'm going to use "her" and "she" when talking about her. Because I'm stubborn.
Trap denial... I don't even attempt it anymore =P

Points to Takuma for actually having a backbone and standing up to Hinata. Some series would have let this run on until the final episodes which would have been very irritating (I spent most of this episode wishing someone would give Hinata a good slap, even if it's not strictly all her fault).
Yeah, I was glad to see Takuma finally put his foot down again, like he did in... I guess it was episode two? That's when I really, really started liking him and I hoped he would do it again. And he definitely stepped up big time here.

Hayami's very forgiving. Hopefully Hinata won't throw it back in her face and go back to being a bitch next episode.
I don't think she will, but I do think she'll waver when faced with the full force and fury of her grandfather and the weight of the Kagura name. Hopefully Takuma will be there for her when the time comes. Or Otoha will swoop in and smash some skulls.

[something]

But I'm thinking he may be once again trying to remind "Hinata" that Hotaru (who is actually her) is no more and she needs to play her role. Of course, this begs the question: why does she need to be "Hinata"?
Yeah, there's also that part at the end of the flashback where he says something like "You're Hinata, aren't you?" It felt like he was trying to remind her who she was supposed to be, as if it weren't obvious.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah nice to see progress made between Hinata and Hayami. Granted this is where the real challenge is going to start. Hinata may be ready to be friendly with Hayami behind "their" backs, but will she be able to do it out in the open while the others are around. We could end up seeing Hinata try and lead a double life.

As for Otoha it's clear she's at least the dead sister and wants to help the living sister be close to Hayami. Heck she probably wants to help Hayami in general. I wonder how familiar Otoha is with Hayami beyond her being "friends" with her sister.

So the next episode involves Yui. Which begs the question. What route will they take with her? I mean other than the apparent fact she takes advantage of Hayami's situation in order to have a punching bag, we know little about her. Also as Hinata proves having your name in the title does not mean the end of development. As Hinata got her name in episode 03, but also made progress in five.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Episode 5:

- And then we see Hinata's grandfather at home at a family shrine, and they drop the bomb, or surely hint at doing so - the shrine is to a young girl (clearly Hinata's sister) who, while partially obscured by glare, absolutely looks like Otoha, if you ask me.

Heh, I actually guessed it right for once.


- I love the eyecatches for this show. Second part.

It's their relationship in a nutshell.


- Takuma visits the lovely Hamaji-chan and asks what's up with Hinata's grandfather. Hamaji is reluctant to tell, but Takuma insists, and he (feels weird typing that even though I've known since ep 1) relents.

Because it's been one whole week, or maybe I'm just flighty, or Hamaji doesn't register as an important character anyway, or maybe subconsciously I'm in denial; but I quite forgot Hamaji's trappiness for this scene. :sd: I was even admiring the outfit. Help!


- One night, the adults of the town took up torches and went to "confront the monster".

What the hell?! And if they went to that extreme, why is Hayami tolerated at all now?

Also, I now want it to turn out that she really is a monster, albeit a rather cute moe one.


- He shows up at Hinata's place, grabs her by the arm, ignores he protests, and practically drags her to the bridge, across the bridge, and finally to Hayami's "home".

He tells her there's no monster over the bridge too. Lately he'd been--not exactly wimping out, but letting her lead him around more than he should. It's good to see his no BS attitude reassert itself.

Hinata looks stunned, like she had no idea of the conditions Hayami lived in. Then she sees the pinwheel...

She thinks back to when Hayami gave it to her, and she just breaks down crying -- just as Hayami returns. Hayami walks right past Hinata but Hinata yells out an apology. Hayami walks up to her, hands her a piece of candy, and quotes the "happiness" line back her. Then Hinata cries some more, and Hayami hugs her.

I have to say, it seemed too easy. I wanted more of a blowout--Hayami is too saintly and quick to forgive; I don't quite buy it. Even if Hayami wants Hinata as her friend again, there's a lot of baggage to be sorted through. Also, I'm kind of shocked to see this development happen this soon.

[something]

Because it's been one whole week, or maybe I'm just flighty, or Hamaji doesn't register as an important character anyway, or maybe subconsciously I'm in denial; but I quite forgot Hamaji's trappiness for this scene. :sd: I was even admiring the outfit. Help!
More denial! I just accept it and move on. Hamaji is hot, and as long as whatever is in Hamaji's panties stays in Hamaji's panties, I'm happy to admire from a safe distance =D

What the hell?! And if they went to that extreme, why is Hayami tolerated at all now? Also, I now want it to turn out that she really is a monster, albeit a rather cute moe one.
Heh, it would be awesome if you were right here too. I want to see her eat the villagers alive.

He tells her there's no monster over the bridge too. Lately he'd been--not exactly wimping out, but letting her lead him around more than he should. It's good to see his no BS attitude reassert itself.
Yeah, but it was worth the wait. He's been keeping up with this questioning nature and he never has taken any of the rumors at face value, but he wasn't physically resisting in the way he had earlier. He did try the one time, but Hinata launched a tongue attack.

I have to say, it seemed too easy. I wanted more of a blowout--Hayami is too saintly and quick to forgive; I don't quite buy it. Even if Hayami wants Hinata as her friend again, there's a lot of baggage to be sorted through. Also, I'm kind of shocked to see this development happen this soon.
Hayami is indeed a saint, and it is a tough sell but it's such a fascinating development for it to happen to early that I'm happy to buy it just to see how the hell they plan to deal with it.

[HitokiriShadow]

Because it's been one whole week, or maybe I'm just flighty, or Hamaji doesn't register as an important character anyway, or maybe subconsciously I'm in denial; but I quite forgot Hamaji's trappiness for this scene. :sd: I was even admiring the outfit. Help!

It's okay. Some of us have gotten used to admiring traps even when we knew them as guys before they became traps. I guess Minami-ke and Hayate no Gotoku has just shattered my trap resistance and I just don't care anymore. But the fact that Hamaji's trap-ness was just tossed out there for no apparent reason and, beyond the one scene, no one cares and its never mentioned again, is kind of annoying. If you are going to make them a trap, do something with it.


I have to say, it seemed too easy. I wanted more of a blowout--Hayami is too saintly and quick to forgive; I don't quite buy it. Even if Hayami wants Hinata as her friend again, there's a lot of baggage to be sorted through. Also, I'm kind of shocked to see this development happen this soon.

I have mixed feelings on that. I too thought it was too easy considering everything that's come before it. I don't care too much, but it did bug me a little. I guess you can kind of justify it by the fact that Hinata was just going through the motions to appease her grandfather and Hayami still cared for Hinata (as evidenced by the pinwheel). But yeah, it did seem a little too easy, particularly on Hayami's side.

[something]

I guess you can kind of justify it by the fact that Hinata was just going through the motions to appease her grandfather and Hayami still cared for Hinata (as evidenced by the pinwheel).
That's why it doesn't bug me much. I mean, we've seen all along what a horrible, horrible actor Hinata is. I wanted to throttle her nonetheless, but I still recognized that this totally was not her plan and that she was uneasy about it. And I am absolutely sure Hayami knew this all along. Doesn't absolve Hinata of the sin, but it makes this "sudden" reconciliation a heck of a lot more palatable.

[TheGreenMan]

Sorry, but catching up with this show. Hayami is love. IMO.

What I don't like about this show is the jarring idea that Yui and her goons go from comic relief to total shitheads. Seriously, Yui is such a bitch.

Also, did anyone notice the glaring plot hole of the girls not noticing Takuma getting his sight back, or am I missing something?

[something]

Also, did anyone notice the glaring plot hole of the girls not noticing Takuma getting his sight back, or am I missing something?
There was discussion in the ep 1-2 subthreads. It's... definitely strange. But so blatant I don't know if I can call it a plot hole. I just dont know what to call it.

[Monsieur Pink]

I'll apologize in advance for the following rant, but after watching the 5 firsts episodes and hoping it'll get better with time, I think I have the right to voice my opinion.

At first it seemed like it was going to be something more than just another eroge game adaptation (and God knows we don't need that), I mean when you have a show with a blind lead that start with a girl getting beaten up, you'd expect something more mature than the average. But there it goes with all the usual stereotyped characters (ok, maybe not that much), horrible harem anime clichés, tired jokes, fanservice and melodrama, too much fluff and a dozen of irritating flaws (why'd they have to drop their coolest gimmick? Why does nobody care when Takuma get his sight back? Who thought the irritating ambiguously camp uncle was a good idea? etc).

And is Hayami actually hated because she, a commoner, befriended a rich girl hence violating their village retarded hierachy code? I fast-forwarded the last two episodes a little, but that's what I got. And I have no problem with that! Gratuitious hate and violence can lead to some good drama (and we all know that teenager can be cruel and don't need tangible reason to be), but just don't try to make the people who participate (directly or indirectly) in the act likable, you just don't!

I'm so angry right now, I really wanted to like this show! The potential was there, but it just went down with the easy path and even if it has it's shinning moments (and could get better), half the series is now gone (it's 12 episode, right?) and when half the series sucks, the second part really have to kick itself through the roof to be considered good. I want my time back! :cry:

[TheGreenMan]

I'm pretty sure Otoha is Hinata's sister. And I'm pretty sure Otoha/Hotaru is the connection in this story, the connection between what happened between Hinata and Hayama. In the ED, Otoha lays in the pinwheel between Hinata and Hayami.

[untoldsorrow]

Also, did anyone notice the glaring plot hole of the girls not noticing Takuma getting his sight back, or am I missing something?
There was discussion in the ep 1-2 subthreads. It's... definitely strange. But so blatant I don't know if I can call it a plot hole. I just dont know what to call it.

Well, what's more upsetting is "Why does he still hang out with those girls after all they done and didn't do?" Is he that desperate for friends that he hangs out with them, especially Yue.

Hamaji is awesome, trap or not. I just love her voice and character.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, what's more upsetting is "Why does he still hang out with those girls after all they done and didn't do?" Is he that desperate for friends that he hangs out with them, especially Yue.

Perhaps goal is to bring "peace" between Hayami and the village as a whole. Thus he socializes with them to be on better terms. However at the same time, he makes it clear he doesn't go along with treating Hayami like crap.

[something]

Let's see if they do the impossible and make Yui likable, or at least slightly sympathetic.

Episode 6:

- Yui is shown praying at the shrine to a deceased relative, an old man. On the way to school that morning she sees Takuma and Hinata walking to school... with Hayami.
- Hinata is going a long way towards redeeming herself. Hayami told her they should only be together outside of school, but Hinata doesn't want to hide anything. Their classmates look on in shock and disgust as Hinata and Takuma talk openly to Hayami.
- Hinata even makes lunch for her, and the three eat together. Hinata wants to move beyond merely being forgiven - she wants to be friends again.
- Finally, conflict. Yui, her goons, Maki and Hamaji all approach them, and Yui starts a ruckus. She asks Hinata what she's doing, and Hinata stands up to her, and for Hayami. Good! Finally I can like Hinata without reservations. Hinata orders her goons to take all three of them out, but they're terrified of the Kagura name, and refuse. Pissed, Yui walks off.
- Three interesting things in that scene: 1) Hinata is serious about sticking up for Hayami, even in school; 2) Hamaji and Maki were there, but for what purpose? Whose side are they on? What do they want to see happen? 3) Yui confirms that Hayami's family did do something, something that makes Yui hate Hayami immensely. But Hinata insists Hayami had nothing to do with it.
- After school the three head to Hayami's place. Hayami shows them the handy dandy features her "house" has. Then some humor at the lake, Takume gets called a perv, etc.
- For the first time we get a concrete idea of why the Kohinata family was so hated. Yui's grandfather was dying, and the medicine he needed was unavailable. Hayami's father was apparently a doctor, and he would not treat Yui's grandfather without being paid. Because of this, he died. At this point I'd say "well, that's the health care system for you", but it sounds like it was more widespread than that. The Kohinatas abused their power systematically, driving the townspeople into hardship. Eventually they rose up, led by the Kagura family, and drove the Kohinatas out of town, breaking up the family and leaving Hayami an orphan.
- At the very least, that's the story from one side. We haven't heard Hayami's take yet, though given how resigned she is to fate, I have a feeling what Yui says may well be true at least in the broad outline (Hinata seems to confirm it too). It certainly puts Yui's anger in perspective, and this is actually a heck of a lot better an explanation than I expected they'd come up with. But, someone needs to smack Yui silly and make her understand that Hayami herself had nothing to do with it.. And I have no doubt that old man Kagura was manipulating things from behind the scenes as well... he certainly is right now.
- Yui, Maki and Hamaji head into town to shop, but run into Hinata, Hayami and Takuma. And we see Hayami in a dress... with twintails! Yes!
- The eyecatch is fucking awesome! "ツインテールã�¯ã‚�ã�Ÿã�—ã�*ã�‘よï¼�" (translates roughly to "Twintails are only for me/are mine!" Second part.
- Well this is awkward. Maki and Hamaji, for all their acquiescence to the anti-Hayami faction, don't seem to actually hate Hayami. They're really sort of indifferent, and Hamaji in particular treats everything like it doesn't really affect him/her. So right now Yui is stuck with Hayami and four people who either like her or at least don't hate her. They go to a cafe and it turns out Hayami and Yui ordered the same thing. And so we get a rivalry between them to find out who can finish first. I'm sure they'll work this angle more as time goes by, but at the moment putting Yui and Hayami into a slap-stick comedy situation feels really... awkward. But I do think it indicates that Maki and Hamaji would like to see everyone be friendly again.
- SUDDENLY, OTOHA! She comes to remind Takuma that his time is limited. Good, instilling a bit of dark urgency into this sudden burst of silly comedy is welcome.
- I think my issue with this Yui-Hayami rivalry is that it would be perfectly appropriate in most shows, but H2O has set up a more intense situation than the norm. With actual physical violence being visited upon Hayami at Yui's command, it's something of a leap for them to get into these comedic situations. Still, I guess that's the kind of character Yui is. And seeing Hayami punch the strength game was great. Takuma realizes he's been hit by that punch before XD
- Yui runs off, dropping her wallet. But when she realizes at the bus stop, she's too proud to go back for it. She takes a path through the mountains to the village instead. As the others look for Yui, Hayami goes after her alone, because she knows that path better than the others.
- Hayami finds Yui at the remains of Hayami's burnt home. And she seems to confirm that what we heard from Yui is in fact true. The Kohinata family DID abuse the villagers, profit off their misery, etc. Hayami tells a furious Yui that all she can do is accept her hatred, because she has nothing else left to give. Her family, her home, her life, they're all gone.
- The next day at school it's Yui's turn to do lunch again, and this time she gives Hayami a leftover piece of omelet...

Good episode, though I know it'll annoy some people. I did have my problems with it too, but I still like how things are moving. It's a bit too quick in bringing Yui around, certainly. And I do really hope they're cleaning up the off-model character art in the DVDs though, it was particularly bad in this episode.

Still, we finally get the backstory on the hate for the Kohinatas, and I think it works well. It explains why Hayami doesn't fight back much, but also why some of the students are okay with befriending her again (i.e., Hinata, Maki, Hamaji).

[Suwako Moriya]

While I am still a bit angry at Yui, I do feel a bit sorry for her given what the Kohinata family did. Actually truth be told I'm glad they gave the Kohinata family some flaws. Having them flawed makes it easier to believe the other side can have some good points. Hopefully Yui will come around because she's the type of character I want to be able to like. Thankfully there is potential for this to happen.

In terms of Takuma's time being limited. It definitely has to run out before the series ends. As his actions before that time will effect what the others do later when that time comes. Hinata going from avoiding Hayami to trying to be friends with her again is just one example.

[HitokiriShadow]

So we finally get the real reason why everyone hates Hayami and her family, particularly Yui. On the one hand, I feel sorry for what happened to Yui. On the other hand, Hayami had nothing to do with it and what Yui was doing to her was pretty extreme. Hayami already lost her family and has been ostracized by virtually the entire village and Yui was adding beatings on top of all that. So, Yui has her motives and understandable, if not entirely justifiable, reasons for hating Hayami, but she's still a bitch.

On another note, Hayami is a fucking saint. At ruins of her house, I wanted to see Hayami yell at Yui or say something about her having nothing to do with it and everything being unjust. But she just stands there and says that she can only accept everyones hate. I've got mixed feelings on that.

[HitokiriShadow]

In terms of Takuma's time being limited. It definitely has to run out before the series ends. As his actions before that time will effect what the others do later when that time comes. Hinata going from avoiding Hayami to trying to be friends with her again is just one example.

I certainly hope it runs out he doesn't get a magic fix. I expect him to return to being blind but with a new outlook on life or something like that due to his experiences with Hayami and the others. It would be a reasonable way to end things. I'll be a little disappointed if he comes out cured, particularly after they made sure to emphasize him having limited time in this episode.

[Suwako Moriya]

I'll be a little disappointed if he comes out cured, particularly after they made sure to emphasize him having limited time in this episode.

Regardless of whether or not his sight gets restored in the end, he'd be required to lose it anyway. In the case of restoring it in the end that would follow the classic "loss" before "gain" story. Also if his sight does permanently restored it won't likely be until the final episode.

The only questions would be the following. During which episode will this loss period start? It might be a good idea to have at least 3+ episodes having him deal with the problem of getting used to not being able to rely on his sight anymore.

If his sight does get restored which excuse will they use? Will it be treated as a simple miracle? Will he be told he's earned a permanent gift because he used the temporary one for the right purpose? Will we get some uh talk about self confidence and other such sappy stuff where he's the real reason his sight came back?

[something]

Will he be told he's earned a permanent gift because he used the temporary one for the right purpose?
That's my guess. Otoha can only give him limited time, but if he uses it wisely, his reward will be to keep his sight.

Also, since we were speculating on how Hotaru (who we think is Otoha) died, this thing about withholding medicine without compensation makes sense. It could be a similar situation to Yui's grandfather.

And as a side note, Grandpa Kagura asked Hinata once again "Are you not Hinata?" which seems to be pushing more and more the idea that she isn't.

[Ashyukun]

I've been thinking much along the same lines- that Hinata as we know her was actually once Hotaru, but when the real Hinata died she was forced to assume her role & name (as her family obviously puts a truly stupid- at least from a Western standpoint- emphasis on the importance of names...). That what the Kohinatas did was the cause of her sister's death (or at least didn't prevent it...) seems also pretty assured.

I'd agree he'll have to lost his sight again before long... but I'm not sure if Otoha will have anything to do with his getting it back permanently (if he indeed does...). I believe that they said that there wasn't any physical reason for his lack of sight- that it was something psychological. There was also a scene a ways back where he flashed back to something like a railway crossing that I imagine has a connection to his loss of sight- I imagine his back-story involving his loss of sight will come up again before long (likely when he loses it again...). My guess would be he'll have to face/overcome whatever it was that happened to cause his loss of sight in the first place to get it back permanently- I'll speculate it'll happen because he has to do it in order to be able to go rescue Hayami (potentially from what's happening in the very first scene of the show...)

[Isuzu Inugami]

Episode 6:
The Kohinatas abused their power systematically, driving the townspeople into hardship. Eventually they rose up, led by the Kagura family, and drove the Kohinatas out of town, breaking up the family and leaving Hayami an orphan.

So... rather than Hayami being a commoner, not fit for Hinata to associate with, it looks like Hayami's family were the lords of the village. I wonder if half of Hinata's grandfather's issues have to do with usurping that position. His whole fixation on upholding the family name and all....

But, someone needs to smack Yui silly and make her understand that Hayami herself had nothing to do with it..

To Yui, Hayami is part of the family, and is therefore tainted--and merely by being part of the family, Hayami benefited from their abuse of power, even if she wasn't responsible. And there's no one left but Hayami for Yui to take out her sorrow and anger on.

And Hayami--she seems to have a bit of the same attitude. She may feel she has to make some sort of restitution for what her family did, and all she can do is accept Yui's anger. In a twisted, unhealthy sort of way, they may be giving each other what the other needs.

And I wonder if Hayami, who does have this proud streak, is afraid that if she ever did stand up for herself, she'd revert to family type and become monstrous.


- The eyecatch is fucking awesome! "ツインテールã�¯ã‚�ã�Ÿã�—ã�*ã�‘よï¼�" (translates roughly to "Twintails are only for me/are mine!" Second part.

This show is almost worth watching for the eyecatches alone.


- SUDDENLY, OTOHA! She comes to remind Takuma that his time is limited. Good, instilling a bit of dark urgency into this sudden burst of silly comedy is welcome.

I'm kind of hoping he'll be blind again within an episode or two.


Good episode, though I know it'll annoy some people. I did have my problems with it too, but I still like how things are moving. It's a bit too quick in bringing Yui around, certainly.

Oddly, I had an easier time with this than the Hayami/Hinata reconciliation, even though the Hayami/Hinata one should be easier, since they both want to be friends. Yui's grudging gesture to Hayami is more in the nature of a truce than a declaration of friendship.

[HitokiriShadow]

This episode confirms what we've suspected about Hinata for a while: She's actually Hotaru. Though it still isn't quite clear why she needs to pretend to be Hinata.

They inserted the ED to good effect in this episode. Also, a good amount of young Hinata/Otoha. And the end of the episode was great, though once again, I really would have liked to see people reacting to it a bit more. In one scene she's reintroducing herself and the next, its like she's always been Hotaru.

Still, the whole scene with Hotaru signing the book with her real name and then walking to school, refusing to acknowledge Hayami and Takuma calling her "Hinata" and then introducing herself as Hotaru, then everyone calling her Hotaru (despite my issues previously mentioned) .... it was beautiful. So much so that I had to go back and watch it again.

[Suwako Moriya]

Wow now that was an awesome episode. Although now I have to wonder if we should start calling "her" Hotaru from now on. As for the issue of how quickly it seemed they accepted the "Hotaru" thing, I guess one issue with the series is the short run time forces time jumps and some things to be rushed. Ah well.

In any case Otoha aka the real Hinata may end up being one of the best girls of the Winter Season given her personality and what she's trying to achieve with help of course. Hopefully she'll be completely successful. Although I suspect the real challenge will come soon. Especially if the "grandfather" gets tired of people being happy. Yeah I'm still expecting a true form revealing to come from him.

[something]

Episode 7:

- There we go, right from the start. "Hinata" and her sister Otoha. And as Otoha narrates, "She wants to scream out, 'My real name is...'". Ahhh. So perhaps we should say Hotaru and her sister Hinata? As Hinata meets Takuma and Hayami and walks to school, Otoha watches.
- Huh, even nameless classmates are warming up to Hayami already. I guess it really was the Kagura name that scared them all so much. As long as Hinata was avoiding Hayami, they took that as an indication that her powerful family put Hayami off limits. With Hinata now friends with Hayami again, they can drop the cold shoulder facade? Even so, it's all been happening so fast. Hinata in 5, Yui (sort of) in 6, and now everyone else in 7. Given how bad things were, it's a bit drastic a turnaround. Then again... high schoolers are a fickle bunch.
- "All the girls wear handmade yukata." "All the girls?" "Yes!" ...It's hilarious when you know it's Hamaji/Takuma/Hamaji.
- As everyone else seems to be in good spirits, the mood seems to escape Hinata. Either because she's increasingly self-conscious about being called by a fake name, or because she knows her grandfather is going to bring his wrath down upon her sooner rather than later.
- At home she enters "Hotaru's" room. She takes a box from under the bed and flips through the sketchbook in it. Presumably the same sketchbook a younger her was looking through before the OP. And now we find out why Otoha calls herself a spirit - the sketchbook is a story entitled "Tale of the Spirit of the Sounds of Time", and the images in it are basically a summary of what's happened so far.
- But then her grandfather finds her. He calls her a disgrace for being friends with Hayami. She says "Hinata wa... Hotaru wa... Hotaru wa mou-", finally using her real name. Unfortunately she gets cut off as her grandfather fucking drags her by her hair straight into the shrine to her dead (older, in reality) sister, and asks her how she's going to keep Hinata's last wish - to protect the Kagura house and help it prosper.
- Nonsense, of course, the real Hinata would have wished no such thing. But the old men surround Hotaru and tell her, she must become Hinata, that that's what her older sister wanted. And that the villagers would never know.
- And so it was. She cut her hair and became Hinata. Does it really get more traumatic for a little girl than to have to assume your dead sister's identity and watch a funeral held for yourself? And ever since, her grandfather molded her into the perfect heir. Into something completely different from what she really is.
- We also see more about the picture book, and find out where the name Otoha comes in - it's the name of the fairy, and thus Hinata is assuming that name as she talks to the Promised One, another element from Hotaru's story.

[Hmm, so what name do I call her from now on? I suppose, in the spirit of opposing her grandfather, I'll be referring to her as her real name from now on]

- It's been three days since Hotaru came to school. Takuma and Hayami worry about her, but Hayami tells him there's nothing she can do. Takuma counters with what Otoha/Hinata told him: "It's not that you can't do it. It's just that you think you can't."
- A montage of Hotaru's memories come next set to the wonderful ED. It does a wonderful job of driving home just how painful this all had to be for Hotaru, living as Hinata, hearing people say they're glad it was Hotaru who died.
- Hamaji, Maki and Yui bring Hotaru her class notes, but also in the bag is her yukata, finished by Hayami. And in the note, the same quote Otoha told Takuma, that Takuma told Hayami, and also that Hinata told Hotaru...

Courage renewed, she takes the sketchbook and finished the story. The next day on the way to school she doesn't respond when Hayami and Takuma call her Hinata. Then she gets up in front of the class and says "I am Kagura Hotaru!"

In typical H2O fashion they accept this unnaturally easily and are calling her Hotaru before the same day is over, but let's put that aside for now.

Really, it was a fantastic episode. H2O has gone well beyond my expectations at this point. And even if the pacing seems fast at times, that just means we have a lot of time to deal with the aftermath of all this turnaround. H2O may be my #2 show of the spring season after Spice and Wolf.

[Suwako Moriya]

Really, it was a fantastic episode. H2O has gone well beyond my expectations at this point.

The show is certainly better than the trailer indicated. Then again the fact the trailer felt silly probably helped make some like me curious. Still they weren't kidding about the rocking soul part.

[Ashyukun]

Really, it was a fantastic episode. H2O has gone well beyond my expectations at this point.

Completely agreed- this episode was just incredibly good. In some ways, I think it worked to H2O's advantage that many of us went into it with lower expectations in that it feels all the better as a result of it.

Still, as the episode came to an end I found myself sitting here going, "Wait, this is episode seven, and they've essentially covered almost everything I thought would take the whole series. Just what are they going to pull for the last half of the show?" Obviously dealing with the grandfather will be a large part of it, but I can't imagine that getting dragged out for 5-6 episodes. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens next (and that preview sure didn't give any hints... you know, I think the actual content of this show could blow goats and I'd still watch it just for the eyecatches/previews...)

[HitokiriShadow]

Yeah, I was watching this episode and thinking "This is 12 episodes, right?" I didn't expect them to cover everything they've covered so far until episode 9 or 10. Here's hoping they spend the extra time on character and plot development and not poor attempts at fanservice like the beach episode.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Episode 7:

- There we go, right from the start. "Hinata" and her sister Otoha. And as Otoha narrates, "She wants to scream out, 'My real name is...'". Ahhh.

Well, they didn't play it out into a huge revelation after all. At first I thought, it's just a name, it doesn't mean you aren't you, but as things played out it kinda started to mean exactly that.


- Huh, even nameless classmates are warming up to Hayami already. I guess it really was the Kagura name that scared them all so much.

It's the magic of twintails? Actually, I don't like Hayami in twintails--I hope she isn't staying like that for the rest of the series. That gloomy arched curtain of hair suits her best. Twintails belong only to Yui!

Even so, it's all been happening so fast. Hinata in 5, Yui (sort of) in 6, and now everyone else in 7. Given how bad things were, it's a bit drastic a turnaround. Then again... high schoolers are a fickle bunch.

I liked Hayami blowing off Yui's attempt to phrase a plea for yukata help as a magnanimous offer to let Hayami assist her. Still a bit of friction between the two of them.

This series does some things so well, and gives such short shrift to others... I wish they had an extra five or ten minutes for each of these episodes to play out the reconciliations better.

And I know it's back story to be quickly dispensed with, but what's with spontaneously drowning First Hinata? At least show us her head hitting a rock or something when she slips into the pond. She's good at everything except drawing--and swimming!

Anyway, at this point I don't know where the show is going. Some pushback from Hii--otaru's grandpa I guess, but at the rate this show goes....

Heh, maybe Otoha wasn't exaggerating and we'll have magical girl wars!

[Ashyukun]

Anyway, at this point I don't know where the show is going. Some pushback from Hii--otaru's grandpa I guess, but at the rate this show goes....

Thinking about it a bit more, I'm thinking the remaining things to be address will be a) the grandfather and the villagers and b) Hirose's sight. And potentially something we've not even though of yet... but those two pretty much have to be addressed.

Heh, maybe Otoha wasn't exaggerating and we'll have magical girl wars!

True, they could pull a Disgaea and have the preview actually be accurate for once to throw people for a loop...

[Ty]

I was toying with dropping this after the beach episode, but it's coming back strong now. I loooove the music they use in some scenes. Once a show's music has hooked me the content can be pure garbage and I'm still along for the ride. Thankfully the show itself is holding it's own too.

What's left to find out is why crazy asshole Grandpa felt it was so necessary to have Hinata as the face of their family. Why was such a thing necessary to ensure the survival of the family?

[Ashyukun]

I'd imagine that it wasn't really truly necessary, but that he and the others involved felt that if the villagers knew that the family had lost their 'good' successor and were just left with the shy, introverted younger daughter that their family would be seen as being weaker and/or lose some of their power and prestige, which the grandfather has very much shown that he thinks matters a lot (re: the discussion about Hirose's family's background).

I got to thinking a bit about how readily her friends seemed to accept the whole name-change thing, but I realized that to them it probably really doesn't matter that much- she hasn't really changed at all, and her friends don't really give that much of a damn who she was or is supposed to be- just about who she is, and other than what they call her having changed she's still the same person. From the flashbacks it looks like at least in the case of the kids her own age they've always known her as Hinata so it wasn't like they had known the 'real' Hinata and then she'd shown up and been deceiving them (which likely wouldn't have worked anyway). The adult villagers though will likely be another matter- but you'd think (or at least I would...) that they'd be more upset with the grandfather for the deception than with her, and ultimately it shouldn't matter that much- Hotaru (as Hinata) has proven to be a strong and worthy heir for the Kaguras.

[something]

Episode 8:

- With so much seemingly settled, Hinata thinks back on all Takuma has managed to do for her, and wonders how she can repay him. OP time. (Note: as before, throughout the post I'm using "real" names, so read accordingly. So Otoha = Hinata and Hinata - Hotaru)
- Wow. The OP ends and a romantic comedy begins. Takuma comes in for breakfast and greets his "onee-chan" Hayami. Hotaru comes running in (cleavage all busting out) and yells at Hayami-onee-chan for not waking her up. Then boob jokes and blushing ensue, and we find they're sisters not related to him by blood, and his "uncle" in drag comes out and demands Takuma accept them as his sisters. Then running off to school he gets a faceful of Hinata/Otoha panties. Too bad she wasn't holding toast.
- ...I'm still waiting for someone to wake up from a dream here. :sd: I wonder how much of this is real, a result of Hinata/Otoha's powers, and how much is just a "what if..."?
- Hah, it looks like Takuma is the only one confused as to wtf is going on, so if it's a dream, it's his. A dream given to him by Hinata I assume. When Hamaji comes up and starts talking to him, Takuma thinks to himself "So this one's a childhood friend type, huh?"
- Heh, in this dream world, Maki is trying to get in the scene but her friends hold her back saying "You're just a background character, aren't you?" Then Yui shows up as a transfer student, only to be knocked out the window by Hinata (Otoha) who is also transferring in. I wonder how long this will go, heh.
- AHAHAH! Hinata/Otoha (damnit, calling her one or the other isnt as straightforward since we're in this dream world!) is introduced as Takuma's fiance. The teacher says "So instead of finding a new seat, you're okay with sitting on his lap, right?" Haha, whaaaaaat the fuck. This is awesome.
- So she does, and the entire class cheers and congratulates them, and Takuma looks utterly horrified.
- Oh wow. I don't think she was kidding about the magical girl wars. She says the spirit world is out of wack, and only Takuma, the Promised One, can set the world right! Basically, he saves the world by playing the tsukkomi role and pointing out all the absurdities around him. She whips out a magical wand and shows the power going up when he does so.
- AHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh my god. It really IS magical girl wars! They get to school the next day and it's been turned into a farm. And laughing from the rooftop is... MAGICAL FARMER YUI!
- I'm fucking dying here. As the absurdity rises (Hayami's idea of a handcooked meal is instant ramen XD) Otohinata hands Takuma a harisen, and he starts tsukkomi-ing everyone he can to charge her magical wand. Finally it fills, and Otohinata says she can use magic now.
- And so, naked transformation! Magical girl Otoha faces off with evil magical farmer Yui, and wins.
- Hoooooooooly shit. Magical girl Otoha even gets her own OP.
- Second part :sd:
- Takuma wakes up. But... it's still the dream world. Or maybe it's not a dream after all. Day in and day out, he's a constant tsukkomi machine and it's running him ragged. So the girls decide to perk him up a bit. He gets home and they're all in maid costumes. Ohhhhhh yeahh. We really gotta get Takuma's uncle (or was it dad... who cares?) out of this show though. Then Otohinata molests him in the bath.
- Afterwards, things calm down and they talk. Otohinata apologizes, saying she seems to have gone overboard with this world she created. He thanks her anyway, because it is a fun world, just tiring. She agrees but says it's now time to end all that.
- He wakes up and finds himself underwater. He manages to swim to safety, but the next minute finds himself in an earlier scene with Hayami and the goons. He tries to change the course of events, but winds up alone in an empty space again. Suddenly, there's magical girl Otoha looking beat up. She gives him the wand and asks him to destroy the villain standing before them. He does so - and inside is Otoha/Hinata. He tells her that as long as you believe you can do something, you'll be able to do it.
- The music I so, so very love starts and Otohinata and Takuma stand on a beach. She asks him when he figured it out, and he simply mentions the title of Hotaru's story. Except, the script was changed a tad. =P He asks (states, really) if she's Hinata, but she dodges the question and smiles. She says it's time for her to go - someone who is no longer in this world can't remain bound to it forever. She walks up to him, and kisses him. Then she disappears, leaving only footprints in the sand.

Back to the real world.

I can't be alone in thinking this was a brilliant way to go about this. I mean, we have a LOT of time to end this show, so why not have some fun first, and tie it into the larger plot beautifully at the end? Fanservice, magical girls, maids, a fleeting dream world. Takuma has to find the truth, and when he does, Otoha/Hinata says goodbye. And now, the real struggle begins, because we have 4 episodes left, and grandfather Kagura (and many of the adults I imagine) still remains to be dealt with. <3 H2O.

[TheFly]

I can't be alone in thinking this was a brilliant way to go about this. I mean, we have a LOT of time to end this show, so why not have some fun first, and tie it into the larger plot beautifully at the end?
At first I was thinking "OK, it seems every fourth H2O episode is going to be dumb and stupid". But then this episode turned out to be hilarious. It was so ridiculously over the top (intentionally so) that I couldn't help but laugh along at the absurdity of it all.

As long as we're back to the drama next episode, I'll remember this fondly as a bit of light relief (unlike the beach episode which just sucked).

[Suwako Moriya]

So this episode was essentially a break from the drama and a chance to see what this series would have been like if things were less "serious". I'm thinking spin-off. Yui vs Otoha should be interesting. Speaking of Hinata-Otoha, I guess we'll have to say goodbye to the fun one.

[HitokiriShadow]

....... o_O WTF?

That was my reaction to most of the episode. But it was certainly worth it for seeing SD Hotaru and Hayami (especially in the first scene), magical girl Otoha, and lots of screentime for Otoha in general. And they sure seemed to have fun taking jabs at dating sims. I particularly liked Otoha's seat "Well, we won't bother giving you a seat, you can just sit in Hirose's lap." Lawl. I was glad to see it all had a point and logical (within the context of the series) explanation and purpose for it though. I would have been annoyed if it was all just a dream and served no point. Still, it would have been infinitely better than the beach episode. *cringe*

[HitokiriShadow]

I can't be alone in thinking this was a brilliant way to go about this. I mean, we have a LOT of time to end this show, so why not have some fun first, and tie it into the larger plot beautifully at the end?
At first I was thinking "OK, it seems every fourth H2O episode is going to be dumb and stupid". But then this episode turned out to be hilarious. It was so ridiculously over the top (intentionally so) that I couldn't help but laugh along at the absurdity of it all.


Yeah, I had mixed feelings at first because it looked like it might get really stupid and for stupid reasons. But after a few minutes, I stopped caring much and just enjoyed the absurdity (while in the back of my mind hoping there was a good reason for it; but in the end, even if it was all just Hirose dreaming, it would have been worth it).

[Ty]

At first I was thinking "OK, it seems every fourth H2O episode is going to be dumb and stupid".
We better hope not because that would make the final episode dumb and stupid. ;)

[Suwako Moriya]

We better hope not because that would make the final episode dumb and stupid. ;)

What if they conclude the story in episode 11? Or if they really want a third silly episode save it for a bonus episode. Sure it would break the pattern, but people would live.

[LimePie]

- Hoooooooooly shit. Magical girl Otoha even gets her own OP.

Did you catch the Hatsune Miku parody in the OP? Miku's first anime "appearance", albeit in the form of Magical Farmer Yui. :sweatdrop:

[something]

Did you catch the Hatsune Miku parody in the OP? Miku's first anime "appearance", albeit in the form of Magical Farmer Yui. :sweatdrop:
Yeah, surprised it took Miku this long to break into an anime. Thought maybe Hayate no Gotoku would get to it first. If only Lucky Star were running now, they would have been all over that.

[Ashyukun]

O.M.F.G.... they actually did it. This episode was just fantastic- lots of absurd and over-the-top fun leading up to the touching, serious ending. This show just keeps reaching high and higher levels above what I originally expected out of it.

That the next episode seems to be about Hirose's caretaker (I think it was his uncle...) looks quite intriguing- I've been wondering where exactly he falls in the whole situation with the village and Hayami's family...

[Suwako Moriya]

Did you catch the Hatsune Miku parody in the OP? Miku's first anime "appearance", albeit in the form of Magical Farmer Yui. :sweatdrop:

I have to confess that in my case I kind of missed it. Although when I re-watched the thing, I figured out where it was. I guess it's a sign I need to pay better attention sometimes.

[Ashyukun]

One other thing I finally confirmed with this episode (though I'd not be surprised if everyone else had noticed it earlier...) was that the silhouette of the girl behind the series title screen changes based on who is the focus of the episode, since it was quite clearly Otoha/Hinata this episode. I'd suspected this in the past, but thanks to her very distinctive hair I was able to confirm it this time around.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Did you catch the Hatsune Miku parody in the OP? Miku's first anime "appearance", albeit in the form of Magical Farmer Yui. :sweatdrop:
Yeah, surprised it took Miku this long to break into an anime. Thought maybe Hayate no Gotoku would get to it first. If only Lucky Star were running now, they would have been all over that.

Did Otoha's transformation theme music echo Wedding Peach? And for that matter was the opening line an echo of Nanoha's "only a small wish" line?

Loved Otoha's second opening theme--notice most of the credits were her?

Anyway, the whole episode left me going "Oh... my... God...." And then managed to make it all touching, as you realize this is Otoha's final little fling, since she sees her work is over and it's time to leave.

[Ty]

Wow, this was much better than episode 4 was. Probably because the show made a lot of progress during 5-7 and is more established now. Ep.4 was just too early for a pointless fluff episode, good or not. Even without the last part it was decent, but of course the final scene with Otoha was wonderfully done. Short and sweet with no wasted words. They used the musical piece that I was really hoping to hear too which easily made it twice as powerful for me. I could listen to that piece of music on repeat for hours and not get tired of it.

It's certainly been, unique shall we say, but I think I can say that H2O has rocked my soul now. It's a season favorite at least.

[Suwako Moriya]

Wow this was a pretty nice episode. We get to learn a bit about Takuma's mother. There's some misunderstandings involving a bell. Which partially leads to a blushing Yui who gets some wrong ideas among other things.

Still the real fun is progress with Takuma and Hayami. Hayami ends up needing to live with Takuma for reasons you'll see in the episode. In any case near the end you have a "confession" scene involving the two of them. Nice to get it earlier than expected, but since there's still three episodes left.

Oh yes next episode has an interesting title and oh yes it's quite clear the people who made this preview know their audience very well. And I mean that.

[Ashyukun]

This episode really was quite good. Things definitely are progressing along faster than expected, and it remains ever harder to get a good bead on where things are going to end up. It's especially difficult to figure out exactly what's going on with Hotaru's grandfather- I can't tell whether he's really being somewhat repentant and coming to accept Hayami's being increasingly accepted or whether he's actually up to something sneaky and is just putting on an act.

The ending scene was really good though... especially the music. It never fails to impress me how incredibly good and moving so many of the opening themes to shows sound when you make them instrumental and slow them down a bit...

[Suwako Moriya]

I can't tell whether he's really being somewhat repentant and coming to accept Hayami's being increasingly accepted or whether he's actually up to something sneaky and is just putting on an act.

Yeah one does have to wonder what's up with the Grandfather. Maybe Hotaru's higher level of confidence in herself humbled him? Maybe Hayami's twintails have impressed him? Either way I'm sure we'll find out soon enough or maybe not.

[HitokiriShadow]

It's nice to see that he seems to be having a change of heart, but seems awkward considering what we've seen of him up this point.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Yeah one does have to wonder what's up with the Grandfather. Maybe Hotaru's higher level of confidence in herself humbled him? Maybe Hayami's twintails have impressed him? Either way I'm sure we'll find out soon enough or maybe not.

I don't trust him a bit. He's planning something for her, mark my words. In the town meeting he wouldn't let them drive her out of town, but he wasn't too concerned with investigating the fire that burned down her place (since the village wasn't damaged.)

Speaking of the effect of living in a couple of abandoned railcars, Hayami seems to have some trouble with modern plumbing.... :sd:

[untoldsorrow]

Yeah one does have to wonder what's up with the Grandfather. Maybe Hotaru's higher level of confidence in herself humbled him? Maybe Hayami's twintails have impressed him? Either way I'm sure we'll find out soon enough or maybe not.

I don't trust him a bit. He's planning something for her, mark my words. In the town meeting he wouldn't let them drive her out of town, but he wasn't too concerned with investigating the fire that burned down her place (since the village wasn't damaged.)

Speaking of the effect of living in a couple of abandoned railcars, Hayami seems to have some trouble with modern plumbing.... :sd:



Well, he sure did plan something. Episode 10 is a real shocker. The ending scenes of the episode is also the beginning scene of episode 1 where she Hayami was getting beat up in the rain, so with this hint, you can see how bad 10 turned out.

Also, if Hirose said that they were poor and what not, why would the grandfather was him in the family, and call him -sama?

[something]

Episode 9:

- Rabu rabu triangle... I wonder if this will be the main conflict in the end, rather than grandpa Kagura? Both girls seem to assume it's the other Takuma is interested in though.
- Oh the misunderstandings. And I almost, almost feel bad for Yui, waiting behind the school alone :sd: Damn bells.
- Though the real focus of the episode is 1) Hirose's past and 2) the adults in the village clearly aren't as willing to accept Hayami as the adults. Also, fuck Yui's goon and his "She's nice one you talk to her" bullshit. You're totally not one to talk.
- Jesus, that's one way to inject more drama into the story. The goons' dads set Hayami's house-thing on fire. But not before we see her bathing, and Hotaru join her =D Wtf at wearing towels while bathing in the middle of the woods though. Gimmie boobies!
- Anyway, fire. Bad fire! Hotaru took the time to get completely dressed again. So, like, what does Hayami do now? Maybe she'll go live with Takuma? Hotaru's house is of course right out.
- Yeah, Takuma's house it is. Uncle is perfectly fine with it, but now he's off to a town meeting, which will undoubtedly get ugly. I bet the assholes blame Hayami with the arson, saying she just wanted an excuse to move in with Takuma.
- Oh god, the meeting is led by grandpa Kagura. This douche is making the decision? But for some reason I cannot understand, he actually sets the matter aside and rejects calls for her to be rejected from the village. Huh? Maybe he feels he has to be careful around Takuma's guardian, because he still hopes to marry into that family.
- "There's a roof." XD! She's not used to that sort of thing, poor girl. She's also not very used to running water... she accidentally puts the shower on hot and can't get to it to turn it off. And of course he lands half in the bath and gets a nice look at Hayami boobage.
- Ohhhhhhhhh shit! So afterwards Hayami asks Takuma again about his mother, but he's reluctant. She complains that she knows nothing about him, and asks if he doesn't need her. Then he tells her what happened - his mother committed suicide. Committed suicide and left him all alone. Ouch.

And the night of the festival, Hayami is going to give Hotaru the bell to hand back to Takuma, but she tells her that he was just there and said he would be waiting on the hill for Hayami. And so Hayami is convinced to go, and she meets Takuma and he offers her the bell, asking her to stay by him forever. And they kiss! Wow, so much for the love triangle being the main thing remaining... he totally just made a choice!

That's pretty awesome. There were some bits in this ep that felt a little awkward, and H2O has always moved verrry quickly through plot points, but I really enjoyed it anyway.

HAH! Preview was awesome! "Are you after Kohinata!?" Ahahahah! That... that makes sense actually.

[something]

Episode 10:

- Oh god, Kagura-ojiisama ga Miteru! This is going to get awkward.
- Ahahaha, Hayami is a great cook. Fried chicken! Where from? The rice paddy? ...kerokerokero...
- So before and at school the reactions pour in. Takuma's uncle laments Takuma got a girl before he did. Hotaru looks genuinely happy. Hamaji and Maki want to hear the juicy details. Yui swears off men and renews her vows to her rice paddy. Her ex-goons seem uneasy.
- Grandpa Kagura seems unconcerned. He is utterly confident that Takuma and Hayami will never stay together, though because he knows something we don't, or because he plans to make sure that's the case, I don't know.
- Uncle leaves the youngins alone and they turn to cleaning the house. Hayami vs vacuum cleaner, go! Ass thrust!
- Hayami vs clothes washer, go! Mmm, panties.
- Picnic, happy music, fond childhood memories, yadda yadda. Clearly evil will be following.
- Sooner than I thought... Hayami and Takuma run into grandpa Kagura, who is waiting on the road with a car. And DUN DUN DUN, the ones who drove Takuma's mother to suicide were the Kohinatas! This revelation is done pretty awkwardly, but every scene with grandpa Kagura tends to be a bit crap.
- Uncle confirms the story, however. Takuma's mother was going to marry a Kohinata, but then met Takuma's dad and eloped. Takuma was born, and the Hirose family had to cancel the marriage withe the Kohinata family. The Kohinatas never got over this slight, and hounded Takuma's mother incessantly, until she killed herself. Damn, they really were pretty shitty people. I actually sort of like that -- we have a group that is hated for good reasons for once. Of course, that should not apply to Hayami, but it does make the overall Kohinata hate understandable.
- Oooooh. Takuma's sight just got blurry. And then again later when Hayami asks him if he's really okay with being together after that revelation. He tells her not to worry but he's clearly pushing himself, and she's concerned.
- School is canceled the next day due to a typhoon. Takuma looks out the window and his vision blurs again and he slips into a bit of a daydream. He's waking with his mother near a railroad crossing, when Hayami jumps in, grabs his mother's hand, and pulls her in front of the train. He wakes up screaming at Hayami, who steps back and apologizes. he snaps and says asks her why she's apologizing - it wont change the fact that his mother is dead. Hayami is taken aback, and runs away. Ouch, that sucks.

How quickly things fall apart. This show has such violent mood swings. Hayami runs out into the typhoon, ditches the twintails, and starts beating up a levee with a sign. Goon 1 and Goon 2 take this as a sign that she's "going to destroy the village" and proceed to beat the shit out of her as seen in episode one.

And holy shit, the preview is serious this time. I really hope they can pull a properly dramatic and emotional ending out for this show. It's been a bit awkward at times, and the animation really is bad most of the time, but it's far exceeded expectations nonetheless.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah so Hirose no longer has the "advantage" of being an outsider. Things are definitely going to be quite tough now. It's quite clear he's going to need help now. The question is who and how will he be helped.

[HitokiriShadow]

Most of the episode just rubbed me the wrong way, between the crummy execution of, uh, just about everything, Il Teatrino level animation, and Hayami's continuing martyr complex, but the end scene was pretty good. On another note, Hotaru's grandfather sure made a big deal about her using her sister's name, but he sure didn't seem to care too much once she changed back nor have we gotten an adequate explanation as to why it mattered.

[something]

On another note, Hotaru's grandfather sure made a big deal about her using her sister's name, but he sure didn't seem to care too much once she changed back nor have we gotten an adequate explanation as to why it mattered.
For the first part, I think that's just more of his supreme smug confidence that he's still in control. Hotaru may resist, but he has no doubt he'll break her and win control of the Hirose name anyway.

For the second part, I always felt like the implied explanation was good enough - Hinata was the one everyone respected, Hotaru was the failure. As Hotaru, she would have never been given the chance to gain her current social position. Yes, she has worked hard, very hard, to live up to the name she took on, but the results were only accepted because of that name. And now that she's already established herself, and grandpa Kagura has maintained his dominance of the village, even the revelation of what really happened doesn't change that.

Probably a better question is why none of the other adults think what he did was fucked up and quite simply systematic child abuse. :sd: But then they're all his mindless lackeys anyway, and haven't exactly shown much concern for the welfare of children.

[HitokiriShadow]

Probably a better question is why none of the other adults think what he did was fucked up and quite simply systematic child abuse. :sd: But then they're all his mindless lackeys anyway, and haven't exactly shown much concern for the welfare of children.

And it would require them to actually think and react to such a huge revelation and change in someone. But so far, its gone something like this: "I was blind yesterday, but I can see now!" "Oh look, a butterfly! I'm sorry, did you say something?" "I'm actually my dead sister." "Oh. Wow. Um, by the way, I forgot to do my homework, can I copy yours?" The entire village probably started calling her Hotaru and promptly forgot that she was ever called anything else.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well H20 is the master of "Let's just skip past that part" when it comes to dealing with issues. Still I'm even more convinced that Grandpa Kagura doesn't give a damm about anyone, but himself and essentially took advantage of the "evils" of the Kohinatas.

[Suwako Moriya]

Oh yes I'm going to make a prediction. That one of the other characters will chew out Takuma Hirose and give him such a lecture that he learns the very same lesson he was trying to teach the others. The only question is who it will be? Hotaru with renewed confidence? His uncle showing a mature side? Yui being stern and bossy in a good way? Several choices including a combination attack.

[Ashyukun]

I'll be hoping it's Yui, simply for the fact they've turned her character around quite well.

But overall.... damn. Two episodes left to get things between Hayami and Hirose resolved, snap the villagers out of their Kohinata-hating mania, find Hamaji a pair of pants, and throw Hotaru's grandfather off a very high bridge. I'm hoping that things are mostly resolved in the next episode and we get a good epilogue...

[Isuzu Inugami]

Probably a better question is why none of the other adults think what he did was fucked up and quite simply systematic child abuse. :sd: But then they're all his mindless lackeys anyway, and haven't exactly shown much concern for the welfare of children.

Perhaps they think Hinata is suffering from exam stress, and for now it's best to nod and smile as she pretends to be the happy-go-lucky dead sister Hotaru.

Anyway, RE ep 10, it seems twintails are the sign of a happy Hayami, and straight hair is gloomy Hayami, so I'm bad for preferring her straight hair. Also, I love Hayami's I didn't have modern amenities and don't understand these gadgets shtick. And the frogs--of course she hunts up food!

So I was right last time that old man Kagura was merely biding his time; but why keep Hayami around when the village wants to drive her off? I figure at this point he sees driving her off might make Takuma leave with her, so the plan is to keep her around, but drive that wedge through the relationship so that Hotaru can pick him off in the aftermath. Perhaps he isn't making a big deal over her name change in order to keep her pliable for the bigger plan here. (Since the Kohinata family wanted a marriage with his father, and the Kagura family wants a marriage with him, he must be part of an important family, although they've not made it clear just how. Or are those elements obvious to a Japanese viewer without being mentioned?)

Anyway, poor Hayami runs away (too hastily, I think, but she's been trained to believe people hate her--she expects it), and takes out her aggressions on the first obstacle she finds (but she has nowhere to go anyway, right?) and basically has an emotional blowout in front of the wrong people.

AaaaaaaaaaaaaaGGHHHHHHH!!! Need next episode NOW!

[Ashyukun]

Actually, the Evil Step-Grandfather at one point a ways back explained that the Hirose family had been very influential throughout the history of Japan and that was why he wanted a union between his family and theirs.

I seriously hope he doesn't survive this series... Yui was worse in terms of physical abuse, but she at least was straightforward and direct about it and had no ulterior motives behind her actions (i.e., she wasn't trying to keep Hayami down because she wanted power or anything, she just hated her for what happened as a result of her family). The Grandfather is obviously purely doing this to try and increase his own family's power and prestige, and doesn't mind stepping all over others (including, ironically, his own grandchildren...) to get there, making him at least as bad as the Kohinatas were...

[Gatts]

So I was right last time that old man Kagura was merely biding his time

While reading through this thread, I can't help but imagine the grandfather as Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. When I get a chance to actually watch the show, I'm sure I'm going to be very surprised when he doesn't say "Excellent".

[Suwako Moriya]

All right then I'm sure something will eventually summarize things so I'll just make a few random comments in regards to the episode. So here goes nothing.

Takuma definitely has well issues. Made even worse by finding out the truth behind his so called sight. Which just makes him fall apart even more. One thing is made clear by this. He's very attach to Hayami and needs her. Perhaps even more than she needed him. On a side note, it's nice that Hotaru slapped him.

Oh yes Hayami needs to go back to twin tails mode because it's the main thing that keeps her angsting in check. Hopefully everything will work out for her. Just has to deal with Demonic Grandpa Kagura.

Who by the proves he is the most evil of the villagers. At least the other two were willing to hesitate. He didn't give it a second thought. Plus even if you ignore the Kohinata factor and whatever reason he has for hating Hayami. Well there's still the fact he treats Hotaru like crap and proves he cares more about family power than the actual members in it.

The others at least had some redeeming value to them or hope they could get better, but I'm sorry at this point, nothing aside from an inane plot device can do anything to change the fact Grandpa Kagura is pure evil. I really hope Takuma's uncle does arrive in time and give him the proper lack of respect he deserves.

[Ashyukun]

And by 'proper lack of respect' I'm hoping you mean 'throws him into a ravine'.

Waiting for the final episode is going to suuuuck...

[something]

Episode 11:

- Hayami is a masochist. She needs to stop taking the whole Kohinata family burden on her shoulders. It was nice to see Yui save her. It's like Yui has finally come full circle.
- o_O Holy shit. The railroad crossing warning, the lightning, the thunder, Takuma's pathetic girly flailing, unconscious Hayami. That was a pretty crazy scene. ...I bet Hayami came.
- O_o Holy double shit. She looks like she got run over by a train (har har). Arm in a sling, eyepatch, bandaged nose and neck. This show doesn't hold back :sd:
- Oh god what the fuck is going on. First he has a dream where he watches his mother die over and over, then he wakes up and... can't see anymore! But that's not the strange part. What's strange is that everyone talks as if he never could see in the first place. As if he's always been blind. Otoha's influence again? o_O
- Oh wow. I need to stop starting every sentence with Holy Shit or Oh God or Oh Wow but really, what else is there? We're being led to believe that the entire series so far hasn't happened, or at least not nearly in the way we saw. He shows his uncle notes from class - all chicken scratch. He shows him his sketch from art class - random blobs of ink and paint. Fuck, this is so weird.
- Gah, Grandpa Asshole goes over Takuma's uncle's head straight to Takuma's father. And I still have absolutely no idea what is going on with Takuma...
- BITCHSLAP! So it looks like we are supposed to take everything that happened so far as real, except that the idea that Takuma could see any of it was an illusion. But he has clearly, beyond any doubt, done many things a blind person could not ever possibly do. It's not even a matter of suspension of disbelief, it's just not possible. But, this is H2O, so I shouldn't think about such things.
- I can't stifle this nervous laughter. I'm a mix of amused and horrified. I mean, Hayami having men with guns chasing her down is bad enough, but then evil background music plays while a blind Takuma stumbles about outside, laughing as if he's clearly lost his mind... even with his face in the mud under water.

Jesus christ. What the fuck just happened? Grandpa is about to shoot Hayami and Takuma runs up and stops him and says he's going to protect... his mother!

Everyone has lost their minds.

Fuck the fact that none of this makes sense at all, and that everything was batshit insane, it was completely awesome anyway. Hell who am I kidding, that's exactly why it was awesome!

Edit: Heh, Aya, I didn't decide to actually do a summary as such, mostly because I was too busy screaming "WTF" inside my brain.

[Suwako Moriya]

Everyone has lost their minds.

Well that's one way to describe it. We just have to hope one episode is enough time for them to find their minds. Here's hoping we'll get the ending I've been hoping for. Although I'm sure be it a happy or sad ending, we'll be confused.

[HitokiriShadow]

Sooooo.... Takuma's sight was all in his mind (or rather it was all by Otoha's power, but same difference) and no one else ever thought he could actually see. And then he goes off his rocker. He has serious issues and they just escalate after he suddenly decides to beat down Hayami. I cheered when Hotaru slapped him, but then he just laughed and enjoyed it.

Most of the people that have abused Hayami thus far are given a chance to show that they still have some conscience and have their limits, if nothing else. But Hotaru's grandfather is just an utter bastard.

Also, the horrible beach episode now has some minor plot relevance.

This episode was pretty crazy and I'm really not sure what to think about it right now.

[Ty]

Everyone has lost their minds.

Heh, that's been my impression of this show from episode 1 onward. It flip-flops between amazingly sincere and emotional and just plain weird and dumb, but through it all there is this odd vibe I just cannot put my finger on.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Sooooo.... Takuma's sight was all in his mind (or rather it was all by Otoha's power, but same difference) and no one else ever thought he could actually see.

Jeez, everyone in this town just goes along with whatever someone does. Oh, you two are friends now? Okay. Oh, you're actually Hotaru? Okay. Oh, you're pretending you can see? Okay. There must be some fly-by-night Prozac factory upriver dumping illegal runoff in the stream. It'll turn out Hayami's family never did anything to the village, and everyone was just going along with her fantasy of being hated. :crazy:

And then he goes off his rocker. He has serious issues and they just escalate after he suddenly decides to beat down Hayami.

I'm pretty unhappy about that, actually. I don't quite buy into him actually doing it, and its all just a really depressing betrayal.

(Plus she just goes along with it, even in the bandaged up aftermath.)

I cheered when Hotaru slapped him, but then he just laughed and enjoyed it.

I don't think he really enjoyed it, I think his mind has simply snapped.

What's up with Otoha's "accept everything" cameo? Up to now, I thought he had been, but his "It's not Hayami's fault my mother died" talk seems to be at odds with his subconscious feelings.

And the blindness thing--early on didn't they say there was no physical reason for his blindness? So he's not really blind, but he was blind, pretending not to be blind (but still actually blind, in spite of not really being blind at all)...? Can anyone explain what I just said? :sd:


This episode was pretty crazy and I'm really not sure what to think about it right now.

Yeah... definitely left me in some turmoil.

[Ashyukun]

I think it's not that he was pretending to be blind- but that there was no physical reason for his not being able to see. I.e., his eyes and everything associated with them are perfectly healthy- his reason for being unable to see is purely psychological. I.e., he lost his sight after witnessing his mother's suicide (and its aftermath), probably because he couldn't accept what he had seen.

He's been able to 'see' up until now via Otoha's powers, but his underlying problem that had prevented him from seeing of his own accord was not resolved- and the shock of things in the last two episodes broke that spell. He'll have to face up to and truly accept his mother's death and all that's associated with it before he'll truly get his sight back so he can find Hamaji a pair of pants, throw Grandpa from a bridge, and live happily ever after with his village harem.

[Suwako Moriya]

throw Grandpa from a bridge,

And watch Grandpa Kagura reveal his true form...

[HitokiriShadow]

Sooooo.... Takuma's sight was all in his mind (or rather it was all by Otoha's power, but same difference) and no one else ever thought he could actually see.

Jeez, everyone in this town just goes along with whatever someone does. Oh, you two are friends now? Okay. Oh, you're actually Hotaru? Okay. Oh, you're pretending you can see? Okay. There must be some fly-by-night Prozac factory upriver dumping illegal runoff in the stream. It'll turn out Hayami's family never did anything to the village, and everyone was just going along with her fantasy of being hated. :crazy:

Yeah, that development was interesting but a little hard to swallow. He did way too much that he couldn't have done if we was just "pretending" to be blind. But at least this development can be blamed on Otoha's magic. I guess as her magic goes away, it affects more than just Takuma's vision, it also affects everyone's perception and memory of it. Uh, and also what he actually did, like drawing and having photographs taken. .... yeah, that's a stretch, but its at least somewhat plausible. Unlike many other developments in the series.

And then he goes off his rocker. He has serious issues and they just escalate after he suddenly decides to beat down Hayami.

I'm pretty unhappy about that, actually. I don't quite buy into him actually doing it, and its all just a really depressing betrayal.

I agree. I don't like the general direction he went, and it felt really, really forced. He was always the voice of reason, and I find it hard to believe he suddenly hates Hayami or even subconsciously blames her for anything after everything we've seen him do so far. Now, if he had started losing it and blaming Hayami for things after the stress of losing his vision (and everyone thinking he was just pretending), I could buy that if it had been handled better. But I still can't buy him actually blaming her and then proceeding to beat the crap out of her.


(Plus she just goes along with it, even in the bandaged up aftermath.)

I've also long been annoying at Hayami's personality and her whole "My parents were the ones who screwed you guys over, but I'll just take your hatred because, uh, that's all I can do or something and I guess I don't have that much of a problem with it. Oh, and Takuma, you have no reason to hate me, but I insist that its somehow my fault and you should hate me." But at least that's an established personality issue of hers, as crummy and annoying as it is, and not some sudden moodswing out of left field.


I cheered when Hotaru slapped him, but then he just laughed and enjoyed it.

I don't think he really enjoyed it, I think his mind has simply snapped.

Yeah, he's definitely snapped, but he still seemed to take pleasure in it.


What's up with Otoha's "accept everything" cameo? Up to now, I thought he had been, but his "It's not Hayami's fault my mother died" talk seems to be at odds with his subconscious feelings.

That's what they seem to be trying to get at, I think, but they aren't handling it very well. And even if he subconsciously blames her, I still can't buy him suddenly beating the shit out of her.


And the blindness thing--early on didn't they say there was no physical reason for his blindness? So he's not really blind, but he was blind, pretending not to be blind (but still actually blind, in spite of not really being blind at all)...? Can anyone explain what I just said? :sd:


Yeah, I'm pretty sure they said it wasn't a physical issue at some point. I'm guessing this is going to be linked to the acceptance of his mother's suicide and once he accepts that, he'll be able to see. He's been willfully blind or his mother's suicide and its been affecting him physically as well... I guess.

On another note, there's that story from the first episode about walking in the sand. I'm assuming this will be related to Takuma's sight and/or his mother's suicide. I'm curious how they'll end it as it was originally a Christian story (or at least I think it was; if not, its at least been converted into one) and since there has been no mention of god (any god) or Jesus up to this point, I don't think they will be using that version.

[Suwako Moriya]

He was always the voice of reason, and I find it hard to believe he suddenly hates Hayami or even subconsciously blames her for anything after everything we've seen him do so far.

Well one thing to keep in mind is that before he had the advantage of being an outsider to the situation. In a very real sense 10 and 11 shows what happens when he loses that advantage. And apparently the answer is not pretty... Still perhaps in the long run he needs this challenge to overcome and hopefully have it so his words will ultimately hold deeper meaning than they did when he first said them.

[something]

He was always the voice of reason, and I find it hard to believe he suddenly hates Hayami or even subconsciously blames her for anything after everything we've seen him do so far. Well one thing to keep in mind is that before he had the advantage of being an outsider to the situation. In a very real sense 10 and 11 shows what happens when he loses that advantage. And apparently the answer is not pretty...
I do think that's part of it. There are ways that I could see Takuma really snapping and beating the shit out of Hayami, and of course completely regretting it later. It's just that this is H2O, and like a shark it dies if it stops moving, so they fling insanity at us every chance they get.

I don't mind though. I know, objectively, that none of this makes a damn bit of sense. But I stopped watching it for that at some point and just enjoyed the raw emotion. So I rather liked 11... just, so long as I don't think too much about it.

[HitokiriShadow]

He was always the voice of reason, and I find it hard to believe he suddenly hates Hayami or even subconsciously blames her for anything after everything we've seen him do so far.

Well one thing to keep in mind is that before he had the advantage of being an outsider to the situation. In a very real sense 10 and 11 shows what happens when he loses that advantage. And apparently the answer is not pretty... Still perhaps in the long run he needs this challenge to overcome and hopefully have it so his words will ultimately hold deeper meaning than they did when he first said them.

That is true, but the way it happened still rubbed me the wrong way and felt really forced. It is perfectly consistent with all the other illogical actions (or lack thereof) and mass memory loss, but that doesn't really excuse it.

[Suwako Moriya]

It's just that this is H2O, and like a shark it dies if it stops moving, so they fling insanity at us every chance they get.

I can see it now! In the final episode Hinata will descend from the Heavens, slap Grandpa, glare at the entire village, and scold them into submission. Insane enough?

[Ty]

Slap Grandpa? Heck, shoot him about 50-60 times with a nail gun then throw him off aforementioned bridge.

Of course what will happen is some stereotypical speech where he realizes the error of his ways and apologizes and it will be incredibly unsatisfying after watching him try to shoot Hayami in the face with a shotgun.

[Suwako Moriya]

Of course what will happen is some stereotypical speech where he realizes the error of his ways and apologizes and it will be incredibly unsatisfying after watching him try to shoot Hayami in the face with a shotgun.

You may end up being right, but the question is what will the speech involve and who will be the one to say it? Granted no matter what it will be hard to swallow since he's proven he has seven mouths and no ears.

[Ashyukun]

I seriously doubt it... I'll put my bets in that Grandpa either dies sticking to his guns (perhaps literally) about Hayami or is forced to leave the village himself. He's just too evil and blinded by his own ambition/hatred... in that respect, Hirose can see far better than he can even when blind (when he's not going nuts and playing Super Punch-Out with Hayami's face, of course -_-;;)

[HitokiriShadow]

Ugh, not only did Takuma go nuts, they pulled the memory regression plot device. It was nice to see Hotaru stand up to her grandfather, but the payoff wasn't as good as it should have been.

Also, well, let's just say I didn't care for just about anything that happened with Hayami and Takuma this episode. Most of it was tainted by the Memory Regression and then there was the whole train thing. Head, meet desk. Repeat x 10. She didn't even push the kid out of the way! Then she just stands there. If she had just tackled the kid they would probably both been fine. Normally, I would hate random revival of dead people, but in this case I'm actually glad they did it.


On the more positive side, the side characters stole the episode. Dart kick! Yui, Maki, and Hamaji to the rescue! In addition, we get to see everyone some 5+ years in the future which was nice. Yui hasn't changed at all, Hotaru has become the village leader, and Maki and Hamaji shacked up and have a kid (though that hasn't changed Hamaji's ways of the trap). And then at the end, we got to see a cute little Otoha. And the boar.

On the whole, the series had its some really good moments (like Hotaru switching back to her real name) but they were overwhelmed by shoddy execution. And the mediocre (at best) visuals certainly didn't do it any favors.

[Suwako Moriya]

and Maki and Hamaji shacked up and have a kid (though that hasn't changed Hamaji's ways of the trap).

Ah yes that was one of those moments that took me by me surprise, had me thinking "wow just wow", and then thinking I should have realized it sooner. In any case I still need to seriously re-watch the episode, but over all I'd say say the series could stand a massive overhaul, but it was at least decent in some regards.

[something]

And the crazy, crazy shows come to an end...

Episode 12:

- What the hell happened to Takuma. o_O He seems to have reverted to a younger mindset - before his mother died. So that's his answer... escape from reality. This must be the source of the "Ugh" the post I clicked "reply" to started with (wasn't even trying, but caught it from the corner of my eye). I know that's a major pet peeve of yours. :sd: I don't think it's great or anything, but it doesn't bug me unless it's not concluded well.
- Shit yeah! Hotaru stands up to grandpa jerkoff. She calls the police, says she'll reveal everything, and tells him "The village doesn't belong to you!" Yay! Jail isn't as good as getting eaten by a bear or something else gleefully sadistic, but it's certainly not getting away with it. Just goes to show he finally crossed the line.
- Haha oh god, they're at the hospital talking to the doctor, and Takuma pops in from behind looking very silly. So now Hayami is his mother. In H2O logic, it makes perfect sense! Also, is grandpa out of the picture already?
- Holy shit. She'd already mostly redeemed herself, but Yui just completely and finally overcame my last lingering hesitations about her when she jumpkicked the reporter in the head. Grandpa gets thrown in jail and Hotaru gets mobbed by reporters, and Yui lets them know they aren't welcome. Hamaji yells that he... it's been inappropriately touched, and Maki breaks a guy's camera. Then they utterly wreck everyone's shit. Sweet. Awesome scene.
- Oh snap. So Takuma is going to go back to Tokyo, so he's in an environment closer to what things were like when he was with his mother. And Hayami will be going with him.

By the way, I need to stress that we're only SIX AND A HALF MINUTES into the episode right now, and that's counting a minute and a half worth of OP. Yeah, that's just how H2O is :sd:

- And it looks like Hayami and Takuma have to do this alone. The Hirose family wants nothing to do with it - they don't care about Takuma, they just don't want word to leak out and mess with their reputation. Nice people!
- Packed up and ready to go, Hayami takes one last walk through the village she is going to have to leave behind. She even takes a bath in the lake by her now burnt-out shell of a home.
- She ends on the hill that has played a part in so many important scenes, and Hotaru is there. They reflect on their turbulent relationship and then confess their love say goodbye one last time.
- As Hayami and Takuma get in a taxi for the ride to Tokyo, the two incredibly goofy looking goons stop by and apologize for everything. I was hoping Hayami would walk up, smile, and then with each hand just rip off both their dicks, but alas.
- Second part.
- They settle in Takuma's old home. He lived in a cramped little apartment. Hayami takes up a job delivering newspapers (which made me laugh quite heartily, and I don't know why). She complains that roads in the city are confusing. :sd:
- While Takuma's condition doesn't improve dramatically, he does start to remember some things. A person named Hayami exists in his memories as someone he met, but he still doesn't have all his thoughts sorted out.
- Yui ditched twintails! Gasp! She does for... quad-drill-tails!
- Hayami in her bra. Poor Takuma, being blind right now is really inconvenient, huh? She comes back from work and is about to do some shopping, but he asks to come along. Should she really be bringing him outside?
- Hayami seems to believe in shock therapy. While walking back, she asks him if he really thinks his mother left him behind. He protests that she's his mother but she cuts him off, and asks about his real mother. And she does this at, of all things, a railroad crossing. The warning sounds, and she's trying to get him to open his eyes (well, metaphorically) and see that she never would have left him behind.
- But then a young boy runs onto the tracks following a ball he lost. Hayami runs after him, and as she releases Takuma's hand, he finally snaps out of it, opens his eyes, and as Hinata says, accepts everything. His mother didn't commit suicide - she died doing what Hayami is doing now. Saving a young boy on the railroad tracks.
- And holy fuck they can't be serious. The train blows past, and the next thing we see, Hotaru looks like she's in mourning clothes. With her friends, she unearths a diary of some sort Hayami had hidden in a box in her burnt out former home. But, no, seriously, did they SERIOUSLY just kill Hayami? H2O, crazy to the last drop.

Holy shit time skip. Hotaru is HOT. And the village elder. Yui is arguing with her about water rights. Maki comes in with her child, which "looks like its father". They meant... ...Hamaji!? ....O________O

Takuma has moved back to the village, and is completing a windmill with his uncle. His uncle heads back, and Takuma is alone. Suddenly a younger Hinata/Otoha, of all people, comes running out of the bushes, chased by a boar. She jumps on him, and he's stunned. She grabs his face and says "It's been awhile, huh? It was hard convincing the Spirit Committee to do this, so take proper care of her this time, alright?" And who walks out... Ha-fucking-yami.

Woooooow. Normally I have a problem with convenient resurrections, but her death was so sudden and uncalled for the first place that I don't actually mind at all. And the REAL reason I thought this was a fantastic ending is because, if nothing else, the show has always been true to itself. Which apparently means batshit crazy.

Yeah bitches, H2O rocked my soul. I thought this was an awesome, hilarious, absurd way to end it. Just like the rest of the show. Precisely why I've liked it so much.

Thumbs up! Not many shows can get away with such an inane way of structuring and progressing the plot, but I really think H2O succeeded.

[Suwako Moriya]

Woooooow. Normally I have a problem with convenient resurrections, but her death was so sudden and uncalled for the first place that I don't actually mind at all.

One other thing to take into consideration is this. If you take both what Otoha says into account and the time jump. It's quite clear it's not exactly an instant scenario. It's one that took time to happen. So it can be considered a revival that had to be worked for rather than simply dropping a feather on a corpse.

[something]

One other thing to take into consideration is this. If you take both what Otoha says into account and the time jump. It's quite clear it's not exactly an instant scenario. It's one that took time to happen. So it can be considered a revival that had to be worked for rather than simply dropping a feather on a corpse.
Agreed. I think a lot rested not just on any passage of time or magical wand waving from Otoha, but on how Takuma used the time and opportunity given to him. After years had past, he had completely accepted everything and made amends for any wrong he committed, after the village came to prosper and everyone was happy, only then could Otoha lobby the committee and bring about the change.

I just want to know what Hayami was doing all that time. We need a spinoff with Hayami and Otoha in the spirit world!

[Suwako Moriya]

Agreed. I think a lot rested not just on any passage of time or magical wand waving from Otoha, but on how Takuma used the time and opportunity given to him.

True there is indeed the Takuma factor in terms of the timing. Better to reward him with Hayami's revival later after he earns it, rather than use her revival to bribe him into becoming better. Or something along those lines.

I just want to know what Hayami was doing all that time. We need a spinoff with Hayami and Otoha in the spirit world!

Clearly they were spending time in a massive cross over series with other anime spirits. Actually a spin-off series would be nice. That along with Magical Girl Otoha.

[HitokiriShadow]

- What the hell happened to Takuma. o_O He seems to have reverted to a younger mindset - before his mother died. So that's his answer... escape from reality. This must be the source of the "Ugh" the post I clicked "reply" to started with (wasn't even trying, but caught it from the corner of my eye). I know that's a major pet peeve of yours. :sd: I don't think it's great or anything, but it doesn't bug me unless it's not concluded well.

I'm not sure I'd quite put it at pet peeve level, but I'm not fond of it. It's not a big deal if its handled well (like one example that starts with a K) but it often just rubs me the wrong way (like a series that starts with a U). This series has handled a lot of things poorly, this included, so its just one more item on the list. I think they probably could have done this one in way that was acceptable, given the situation, but... they didn't. The problem with this plot device is that I just don't like seeing adults (or even teenagers) act like 5 year olds.



- Holy shit. She'd already mostly redeemed herself, but Yui just completely and finally overcame my last lingering hesitations about her when she jumpkicked the reporter in the head. Grandpa gets thrown in jail and Hotaru gets mobbed by reporters, and Yui lets them know they aren't welcome. Hamaji yells that he... it's been inappropriately touched, and Maki breaks a guy's camera. Then they utterly wreck everyone's shit. Sweet. Awesome scene.

Best scene in the whole episode.


- Yui ditched twintails! Gasp! She does for... quad-drill-tails!

She's preparing for her upcoming role in My-HiME.

Maki comes in with her child, which "looks like its father". They meant... ...Hamaji!? ....O________O

Somehow, this alone almost makes up for all the other shit in this episode. yeah, its not even an issue of poor execution, I didn't like what they did to Hayami.



Woooooow. Normally I have a problem with convenient resurrections, but her death was so sudden and uncalled for the first place that I don't actually mind at all.

Same. I hate random/convenient resurrections but I was actually glad they did it. That's how retarded her death was.



And the REAL reason I thought this was a fantastic ending is because, if nothing else, the show has always been true to itself. Which apparently means batshit crazy.

Yeah bitches, H2O rocked my soul. I thought this was an awesome, hilarious, absurd way to end it. Just like the rest of the show. Precisely why I've liked it so much.

Thumbs up! Not many shows can get away with such an inane way of structuring and progressing the plot, but I really think H2O succeeded.


When you look at it that way, it wasn't a bad show, but it certainly was frustrating for me. I should have stopped caring about the... issues... around episode 4 or 5 but they just continued to bug me.

[HitokiriShadow]

I just want to know what Hayami was doing all that time. We need a spinoff with Hayami and Otoha in the spirit world!

Clearly they were spending time in a massive cross over series with other anime spirits. Actually a spin-off series would be nice. That along with Magical Girl Otoha.

I want a magical girl crossover between this and School Days (which is actually getting a magical girl spinoff). That would be the most fucked up magical girl series ever. .... probably.

[Suwako Moriya]

That's how retarded her death was.

It wasn't just a death, it was also MURDER! See it's the same little brat in both cases. He's actually a demon who purposely planned it out so he could kill Hirose's mother. Hayami was just a secondary victim because he was afraid of her becoming too close to him. Granted his evil plans ultimately failed in regards to Hayami. However that brat won't give. Once Hayami and Hirose have a child and she becomes old enough, he plans to use his partner the train to kill her as well. Yeah clearly you can believe what I'm saying here.

[TheFly]

H2O was the ultimate example of a show that manages to be more than the sum of its parts.

There were many things I disliked about this show: the mediocre-at-best animation/art, unlikeable characters (at first anyway), nonsensical plot developments...

And yet, at the end of it all, I realise I quite enjoyed it. As something said, it did always remain true to itself in its absurdity, and at least they resolved everything at the end (even if the resolution was mostly insane).

Looking at Hayami's "death" scene again, if she got crushed by the train, so did the boy. Killing her off - especially like this - was really dumb, and yet somehow I am able to forgive it because of the scene at the end. Like other have said, normally these magical resurrections would just irritate me, but H2O somehow has a way of making the insane acceptable.

So overall, although I can't find any good reason why I liked this show, the fact is that I definitely did enjoy it. That beach episode is still crap though.

[Suwako Moriya]

I want a magical girl crossover between this and School Days (which is actually getting a magical girl spinoff). That would be the most fucked up magical girl series ever. .... probably.

I'm not even sure I want to know what a School Days Magical Girl show would be like. I'm already too scared to watch School Days itself.

[Draneor]

I just want to know what Hayami was doing all that time. We need a spinoff with Hayami and Otoha in the spirit world!

I haven't played it, but Makura did make a sequal to H2o, √after and another (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_After_and_Another). I do know it basically has the same cast in it. Well, Hotaru has dog ears.

[untoldsorrow]

Looking at Hayami's "death" scene again, if she got crushed by the train, so did the boy. Killing her off - especially like this - was really dumb, and yet somehow I am able to forgive it because of the scene at the end. Like other have said, normally these magical resurrections would just irritate me, but H2O somehow has a way of making the insane acceptable.

So overall, although I can't find any good reason why I liked this show, the fact is that I definitely did enjoy it. That beach episode is still crap though.


That boy thing also rang in my mind after I watched it. He must have died also along with Hayami since she's so close to him. Also, her reaction to get him off the tracks was lacking.

I'm just glad that ending made up for that poor judgment in deciding to kill her that way, if at all. Otoha is still the best, she's even cuter as a kid, :notworthy: .

All in all, I enjoyed the series quite much. It did make me want to throw something at the tv while watching it but overall good series. If it was licensed, I would think long and hard if I would pick it up but most likely will end up doing so.

[Suwako Moriya]

If it was licensed, I would think long and hard if I would pick it up but most likely will end up doing so.

I'd lean towards going for it, but not sure if I'd make it a high priority. Granted the 12 episode counts means volume 1 would end at episode 4. Which many are negative about. Perhaps if they were smart it would be two volumes with six episodes.

[something]

It wasn't just a death, it was also MURDER! See it's the same little brat in both cases.
Heck, at first I almost thought Takuma's recollection was really off - it was actually him on the tracks, and his mother saved him and threw him out of the way of the train, dying in the process. That would have better explained his trauma and guilt (not that "mommy got mangled by a train in front of my eyes" isn't already traumatic or anything). Seeing Hayami also throw the kid out of the way would then have helped. I mean, sure we assume she did, they just didn't show it, which was a strange choice. But then her death was so sudden and WTF anyway it didn't much matter.

[something]

If it was licensed, I would think long and hard if I would pick it up but most likely will end up doing so. I'd lean towards going for it, but not sure if I'd make it a high priority.
Even if I didn't as a rule pick up every single series I watch in full regardless of quality (except obviously anything licensed by BV), I still wouldn't need to think twice about getting H2O. It's still one of my favorites from its season. It's no Spice and Wolf, but I still might put it second for Winter 2008. Granted Winter is a small season so there wasn't a huge amount and I have to refresh myself on what else started then, but I still really liked it.

[Suwako Moriya]

Even if I didn't as a rule pick up every single series I watch in full regardless of quality (except obviously anything licensed by BV), I still wouldn't need to think twice about getting H2O.

For me it's less a matter of if, but more of a matter of when. Some series I get right away and others I put off until later. That's just how things work in the long run. I guess the more one has to pick and choose the harder things get. Still I can say it has a much better chance than some other series which I couldn't even stand to finish.

[Isuzu Inugami]

its not even an issue of poor execution, I didn't like what they did to Hayami.

Apparently she really does exist just to get whacked around. I had hoped for something more for her (like a resolution that didn't involve getting killed!)


I hate random/convenient resurrections but I was actually glad they did it. That's how retarded her death was.

Same here, but it's still a bit unsatisfying. At least we know, given the rest of the series, no one is going to be overly freaked out by her revival. :P


Edit: They referenced the footprints in the sand story again, but just how is it supposed to apply?

[something]

Same here, but it's still a bit unsatisfying. At least we know, given the rest of the series, no one is going to be overly freaked out by her revival. :P
Haha, so true. I didn't even think for a second "Wait, won't this weird everyone else out?" because hey, nothing strange about a dead girl getting revived, right?

...I guess I slipped into the wacko H2O mindset myself. :sd:

Edit: They referenced the footprints in the sand story again, but just how is it supposed to apply?
I think the whole "god was always beside you" part refers either to Otoha being there for Takuma, or more likely Takuma's mother always being there with him in spirit, if nothing else - even when he felt she abandoned him and killed herself, she was always thinking about him. Or something.

Or it could just make as little sense as everything else, but that's totally okay too.

[HitokiriShadow]

Apparently she really does exist just to get whacked around. I had hoped for something more for her (like a resolution that didn't involve getting killed!)

I agree, it would have been nice for some remotely reasonable resolution and growth. Like her growing out of her love of getting beaten by people.

I always hated how Hayami just took everyone's shit, never blamed them for it, insisted she was to blame, and even asked them to beat her. At first I saw it as her way of telling the villages to shove off, but as the series went on it became apparent that she was really just a glutton for punishment. Maybe she's a masochist, maybe she felt morally superior, or maybe she just came to have a sick twisted obsession with being hated and beaten. Her throwing herself in front of a train is an extension of that.

No one was beating her anymore and she just couldn't take it; if no one was going to hurt her, she'd just hurt herself. And after months of not being beaten or hated and on one in sight to indulge her sick desires, only death would suffice. And to insure that someone would hate her, she'd take a child with her. Saving the kid was just a cover and she blew it when she not only failed to push him out of the way but held him in place, insuring his natural instinct to run like hell would be for naught. Really, if she had time to kneel down and hug him, she had time to at least shove him out of the way. But no, she stops and holds him. Several seconds later (plenty of time to move five more feet) the train kills them both. Looks like a murder/suicide to me. She got back Takuma for not hurting her more and she insured the child's mother would hate her guts. Way to go, Hayami!


Same here, but it's still a bit unsatisfying. At least we know, given the rest of the series, no one is going to be overly freaked out by her revival. :P

Heh, that's true, I didn't think of that. As for it being unsatisfying, well, yes, but less so than just about everything that's happened since Takuma indulged Hayami's masochism at the end of episode 10.


Edit: They referenced the footprints in the sand story again, but just how is it supposed to apply?

I'm honestly not sure. They way the stuck it in at the end didn't make it very clear exactly how it was supposed to apply. "god" implies something spiritual or not human, so Otoha would be the logical choice but her role in the story and relationship to Takuma (or anyone else) doesn't seem to work out. Takuma's mother or perhaps Hayami after she offed herself ("I just wasted my life and failed to even save the kid, but don't worry, I'll be watching over you!") seem a better fit. But frankly, I'm not really sure. It's a nice little feel good message but they failed to make it clearly applicable to anything that was going on. It felt like they suddenly remembered they mentioned it in the first episode so they shoved it where they felt it would be the least awkward. As it stands, it doesn't really work as symbolism so just take it as an uplifting message after a series full of people being in shitty situations.

[Ashyukun]

There's some considerable irony in the fact that I didn't get around to watching the final episode until now due to... being at an anime convention. Though I did seriously consider hijacking Main Events and hooking up my laptop to watch it on the reaaaally big screens.

H2O should really have a warning at the beginning of almost every episode that reads: "You might want to hold your jaw shut so it doesn't cramp from hanging open in disbelief".

You would think after all the completely absurd shit that they'd pulled in the first 11 episodes that I wouldn't be shocked at them killing off Hayami... but it still surprised the hell out of me. That wasn't an option I had even considered as being a possibility.

I agree with everyone else in regards to (at least apparently... we're presuming she's not just back in spirit form like Otoha was) bringing her back at the end. Frankly I would have been happier with it if we'd gotten a scene of everyone else seeing her back alive as well to confirm that it wasn't just temporary/something only Hirose could see/know about. Getting to see everyone else grown up though was worth all the rest of the crap- as well as the beatdown of the reporters.... I can't overstate how happy I am that they turned Yui around from where she started off.

It's been a wild ride, but I'd also have to agree that in the end H2O rocked my soul- but largely because it kept kicking it around all over the place with how utterly random and unpredictable it was.

And count another vote for them making a Magical Girl Otoha spin-off series...

[Buster Blader 126]

So, I finally got around to watching the last three episodes of H2O just now. And damn, did I pick the wrong time to put the series on temporary hiatus.

Honestly, I had to read all the comments posted regarding the last two episodes to get a semblance of what the hell happened. From Takuma's sudden beating of Hayami in Episode 11 to Hayami's death, I couldn't help but think, "What the fuck?". It's like the series just suddenly went on a downwards spiral, with no end in sight. I was utterly confused (for the most part) over the course of the episodes, wondering "how is this going to end??"

As for the ending, I did like it, but as HitokiriShadow mentioned earlier, it was moreso because of how Hayami's death played out. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have been as satisfying. Hotaru's looking fine though, so that made me feel a little better. And I still refuse to believe that Hamaji is a trap. =/

Overall, I did enjoy the series, but unlike every other romantic drama I've watched (adapted from a dating sim or otherwise), H2O never really hooked me. I can't really explain it well, but it just felt like the hook factor for this series was missing for me. This can be attributed to the fact that I didn't start watching H2O until 7 weeks after its initial broadcasting date, and that I didn't watch the last three episodes until now. I've never intentionally delayed the watching of a romantic drama title prior to H2O, so something's not right here. =/

Now all I need to do is to finish SnS 2. =/

[ronq]

I was utterly confused (for the most part) over the course of the episodes, wondering "how is this going to end??"/

I just finished watching the series too, and the ending does not get me.
Confused and annoyed. :anger200:

[Suwako Moriya]

I just finished watching the series too, and the ending does not get me.

The best thing to do is just think to yourself "Wow the ending is insane just like the rest of the series" The whole thing is chaotic.

[HitokiriShadow]

Yeah, H20 had one of the most retarded endings in recent anime history, but it does (unfortunately) fit with the spirit of the show.

[Fencedude]

Yeah, H20 had one of the most retarded endings in recent anime history, but it does (unfortunately) fit with the spirit of the show.

If there is one thing you can say about H2O is that it was never predictable.

Of course, that doesn't mean it was GOOD either.

Though I rather enjoyed its peculiar brand of BATSHIT INSANITY

[something]

If there is one thing you can say about H2O is that it was never predictable.
Of course, that doesn't mean it was GOOD either.
Though I rather enjoyed its peculiar brand of BATSHIT INSANITY
Exactly. Do a lot of other bishoujo (broadly defined) anime do a lot of various things a lot better? Sure. But they're good for what they're good for. H2O is good for what it's good for, and that's being bizarre and hilarious and crazy. It's certainly not the best bishoujo show but it offers something pretty different. Different and highly enjoyable for me.

[Fencedude]

If there is one thing you can say about H2O is that it was never predictable.
Of course, that doesn't mean it was GOOD either.
Though I rather enjoyed its peculiar brand of BATSHIT INSANITY
Exactly. Do a lot of other bishoujo (broadly defined) anime do a lot of various things a lot better? Sure. But they're good for what they're good for. H2O is good for what it's good for, and that's being bizarre and hilarious and crazy. It's certainly not the best bishoujo show but it offers something pretty different. Different and highly enjoyable for me.

I hope they animate Root After and Another.

If even half of what I've heard about it is true it'll be a riot. Especially the bit about Hamaji's sister.

[HitokiriShadow]

If there is one thing you can say about H2O is that it was never predictable.

Mostly. The thing with Hotaru's identity was easy to see coming, but otherwise, you are correct.

Of course, that doesn't mean it was GOOD either.

Though I rather enjoyed its peculiar brand of BATSHIT INSANITY

It's almost random plot contortions and disregard for sense were certainly enjoyable on some level. At the same time, those moments that were actually good make the batshit randomness disappointing at the same time. For better or for worse I stopped caring much about what happened to the characters after Takuma started beating the shit out of Hayami, which made the last episode's bullshit somewhat entertaining. It was still disappointing to see a show that had to potential to be decent piss all of it away in the last 3 episodes. Hayami's suicide was at least amusing in its stupidity.

But my biggest disappointment is that Grandpa just got arrested. No one even slugged him much less give him the face stabbing he deserved.

[Ty]

If there is one thing you can say about H2O is that it was never predictable.
Of course, that doesn't mean it was GOOD either.
Though I rather enjoyed its peculiar brand of BATSHIT INSANITY
Exactly. Do a lot of other bishoujo (broadly defined) anime do a lot of various things a lot better? Sure. But they're good for what they're good for. H2O is good for what it's good for, and that's being bizarre and hilarious and crazy. It's certainly not the best bishoujo show but it offers something pretty different. Different and highly enjoyable for me.

I hope they animate Root After and Another.

If even half of what I've heard about it is true it'll be a riot. Especially the bit about Hamaji's sister.

Interesting. The name certainly tells you nothing, but then again neither does H2O. It wasn't about water. We certainly agree on the nature of the show though. It was like a trainwreck. Terrible, yet fascinating and captivating all at the same time. Still, the magic reset ending was a bit much to swallow. I think my mouth was open when the credits were done.

About the only truly good thing I got out of the show was that one piece of music they played in the scene at the beach where Hirose and Otoha say goodbye while she "disappears." I tracked down the OST just to listen to that flute piece in higher quality.

[Fencedude]

Interesting. The name certainly tells you nothing, but then again neither does H2O. It wasn't about water. We certainly agree on the nature of the show though. It was like a trainwreck. Terrible, yet fascinating and captivating all at the same time. Still, the magic reset ending was a bit much to swallow. I think my mouth was open when the credits were done.

About the only truly good thing I got out of the show was that one piece of music they played in the scene at the beach where Hirose and Otoha say goodbye while she "disappears." I tracked down the OST just to listen to that flute piece in higher quality.

Speaking of names, "Root After and Another" is actually written using a "Square Root" sign. Which is hilarious.

Its also apparently a direct sequel, though I have no idea which ending it follows.

And the H2O anime leaves out lots of stuff from the game, including a lesbian scene between older Hayami and Yui. No I don't know how or why this happens, just that it does.

[Ty]

And the H2O anime leaves out lots of stuff from the game, including a lesbian scene between older Hayami and Yui. No I don't know how or why this happens, just that it does.

Lesbian scenes tend to automatically excuse a lot of plot holes.

edit: and speaking of strange game names - Aquanauts of a Morning Calm. I cannot read that without laughing out loud. Every. Single. Time.

[HitokiriShadow]

And the H2O anime leaves out lots of stuff from the game, including a lesbian scene between older Hayami and Yui. No I don't know how or why this happens, just that it does.

If the anime was in any way representative of how the game played out, it probably happened at random and for no good reason. But you don't need a good reason for that and the absence of that is just another failure on the part of the anime.

[Isuzu Inugami]

I hope they animate Root After and Another.

I'm curious just to know where they go after H2O.

If even half of what I've heard about it is true it'll be a riot. Especially the bit about Hamaji's sister.

Okay, I'll bite. Is she a reverse trap or something? Or futa? That would be kind of awesome, in a messed up way that's wholly in character with H2O....

[Fencedude]

Okay, I'll bite. Is she a reverse trap or something? Or futa? That would be kind of awesome, in a messed up way that's wholly in character with H2O....

Futa, supposedly though I've been unable to get confirmation, but its crazy enough that I can buy it.

[Ashyukun]

Sheesh. And I thought it was messed up as it was...

[Isuzu Inugami]

[
Futa, supposedly though I've been unable to get confirmation, but its crazy enough that I can buy it.

God, I so want an anime of it now! If only because you never see those characters outside of hentai.... Is that evil of me, I wonder...?:devil:

[Fencedude]

[
Futa, supposedly though I've been unable to get confirmation, but its crazy enough that I can buy it.

God, I so want an anime of it now! If only because you never see those characters outside of hentai.... Is that evil of me, I wonder...?:devil:

Indeed.

I've always hoped that they'd animate Boku no Futatsu Tsubasa someday.

[pianocello]

I really wanted to like this. But while I wasn't bored, in the end I thought this show did not reach its potential. Several reasons(may include spoilers):

(1)I don't mind incredible plot twists. Kanon had them and they were done in more believable ways. This show had twists just for the sake of having them without bothering to care if the audience could believe them.

(2)I can't stand Takuma Hirose. In a major portion of the show, he acts like your generic harem lead - he tries to act like a nice guy to all the girls and ends up being like a wimp and a pussy with no balls. Then, eps 10-11, he acts angsty and then abusive and then moronic where all the problems are because he cannot move on due to certain issues. I also think that he should have been voiced by a male VA since while his VA usually does a good job in female roles, this role just wasn't for her.

(3)The cruelty and brutality were way too excessive without convincing reasons. In anime, when bad things keep happening to someone, it only works if in the end that person triumphs over all adversaries and has a supremely happy ending as in Daphne in the Brilliant Blue. Not here, Hayami has too many unhappy things happen to her. What's worse, the people who torment her get off too easily. I wish those goons, their dads and the Kagura old fart had their balls ripped off on screen by a pack of hounds.

(4)Yui was a great opportunity to have an antagonist do a complete turnaround. They should focused more on that. And included the yuri scene from the game.

[something]

(2)I can't stand Takuma Hirose. In a major portion of the show, he acts like your generic harem lead - he tries to act like a nice guy to all the girls and ends up being like a wimp and a pussy with no balls.
Er, the whole reason I liked him early on was because he DID have balls. Way more than a "generic harem lead", for damn sure. He was one of the best things about the show initially.

[pianocello]

(2)I can't stand Takuma Hirose. In a major portion of the show, he acts like your generic harem lead - he tries to act like a nice guy to all the girls and ends up being like a wimp and a pussy with no balls.
Er, the whole reason I liked him early on was because he DID have balls. Way more than a "generic harem lead", for damn sure. He was one of the best things about the show initially.

Oh and I forgot to mention that I hate hate HATE male characters that freak out at the slightest bit of female nudity. Takuma Hirose is even worse than Chobits' Hideki Motosuwa.

Having come across a nice pic (I think it's from the game) of Yui indulging in some rug munching, I think the only thing that would have saved this show would have been some yuri. :P

[Fencedude]

Having come across a nice pic (I think it's from the game) of Yui indulging in some rug munching, I think the only thing that would have saved this show would have been some yuri. :P

Game is weird....even compared to the anime. I can't for the life of me figure out why Yui would lez out with Hayami of all people.

And by all accounts the sequel "Root Another After" is even crazier.

Remember Hamaji's sister? Well, supposedly that while she really is his sister, she also has some extra "equipment". I have yet to be able to confirm this, however.

[magicalgirlj]

this show was goregous, not an air but it is pretty close. I think yui was really annoying. the darkness in this show was sad. I give it 4 stars. I love the ending song.

[Fencedude]

this show was goregous,

What?

I mean...I liked the show and all, but gorgeous?

[something]

What?
I mean...I liked the show and all, but gorgeous?
When it wanted to be, anyway. It had some pretty nice looking moments. But it spent far too much time off-model for "gorgeous" to apply very often at all, unfortunately.

Unless they mean it figuratively, like, beautiful in theme and tone or something.

[Zalis]

I recently finished this as well, and had some mixed reactions to it. It managed to be different from a lot of the "based on game" romance anime out there, particularly with the blindness element and all the abject cruelty going on. And the ending...I can tolerate one "cheap trick," but two is pushing it. Specifically, Hayami dying to save some random dumb-ass kid was bad enough, but they ruined what little drama came out of that to resurrect her. And I could tell that they were going for AIR levels of drama when they invoked that insert song, but it just didn't quite work. At least that alternate reality episode was a riot...it felt like it was deliberately taking shots at "typical" games and the characters in them.

[something]

And the ending...I can tolerate one "cheap trick," but two is pushing it.
But in this case, it's the second that made up for the silliness of the first.

[Isuzu Inugami]

And the ending...I can tolerate one "cheap trick," but two is pushing it.
But in this case, it's the second that made up for the silliness of the first.

Ahhh... [snorts the village air] nothing seemed odd about it to me. :noodle:

[Suwako Moriya]

Ahhh... [snorts the village air] nothing seemed odd about it to me. :noodle:

The number one rule of H2O: Sanity is banned.

[Draneor]

this show was goregous,

What?

I mean...I liked the show and all, but gorgeous?

I agree it was gorgeous (the backgrounds). I also thought they animated rain very well. Then again, I have the improved DVD version.

[tadakichi]

Saw that Crunchyroll had added this and blew through it over the past few days. Consider my soul rocked. I guess watching the whole thing in three sittings helped me buy into the general craziness of the plot; had I watched an episode at a time with long breaks in between, I probably would have started to question it more than I did. As it was, for the first nine episodes, I kept wondering when the trainwreck was going to start. Then I heard Hayami's ominous narration in the pre-OP portion of episode 10 and became convinced that everything was going to go to shit and there was no way it could end well. Well, I was correct about the going to shit part, but I don't really mind that so much since it did end pretty well, with the admittedly significant exception of Hayami getting run over by a train and then magically brought back at the very end. Take that away, maybe have the train barely miss her and Takuma thinks she's dead for a few moments and realizes the truth about his mother's death, then I've got no complaints about the ending. Even letting her stay dead would have been preferable to what we got, IMHO.

Stuff I liked:
-Hayami. Favorite heroine in a bishoujo game adaptation since Clannad, probably.
-The OP. You could call this the initial spark for my interest in the show, as I first heard it while exploring Sakakibara Yui's discography several months back (though I didn't find out it was the H2O OP until later). Yeah, it's kind of a typical overwrought Elements Garden composition, but I like that style dammit.
-The soundtrack. I don't really pay a lot of attention to the BGM in anime anymore, but there were a lot of nice pieces in this show. Definitely helped to heighten the emotional impact.

I guess H2O wouldn't hold up that well if I looked at it with a critical eye, but otherwise it beats out just about every current season show I'm watching, and I'm not looking at most of those with a critical eye either. I'd happily buy the DVDs if it were licensed in R1.

[Draneor]

H20 is actually one of my favorite shows (bought the R2s). My favorite girl is Hotaru though. I found her arc extremely touching, and how unfair her grandfather treated her. In particular, I still cry every time I hear "Kazahan" because of how it was used as an insert song. Actually, I found Hayami's arc pretty touching too. Pretty much the entire show feed my misanthropism because of how unjust the village, Japanese society, and the world in general is. The ending was a bit rushed, but the rest of the show more than made up for it.

As always, I don't see the point of applying a "critical eye" to anime rather than just enjoying it as it is. Who cares what people think of say "Elemental Garden"? I like that kind of music. If they think it sucks, they can go fuck themselves. Pretentiously, of course.

[pianocello]

Urgh. This show brings back bad memories. As I've already elaborated above, this was one of my most hated shows of the year.

[something]

As it was, for the first nine episodes, I kept wondering when the trainwreck was going to start.
Haha, when did it ever stop? This show is utterly ridiculous and stupid on so many levels, but that's precisely why it's so charming. It decided to be batshit crazy and just totally ran with it, which is certainly an achievement.