It's time for winter uniforms as the seasons are changing. Akira doesn't look like she really wants to get up though. Much more comfortable to stay in bed.
What They Say
In the blink of an eye, summer has past and fall has sunken in. Yasuko's basketball team has begun to excel pushing them into the national tournament. However, a rumor about Yasuko going to study in England after graduation begins to spread, which comes as a shock to Kyoko. In the meantime, Fumi runs into Yasuko at the train station, and looking at each other together…
The Review!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
And so with winter comes menial tasks. Fumi, as a member of the Literary Club, is asked to help remove unwanted books from the Library. It's one of the tasks that the Literary Club must do since they make use of the the Library so much. But for Fumi, hanging around the Library is a small trial, since there are memories of her first kiss with Yasuko lingering there.
The tension only heightens a bit when Fumi briefly sees Yasuko at the train station platform while waiting for the train to go home. She does not board the train, since she's waiting for Akira, but the sight of Yasuko strikes a far stronger chord inside of her than she had thought it could. Akira does finally show up, and the two talk at a local cafe, with Akira suggesting that the best way to forget Yasuko is to eat something. That's Akira for you, always practical in the face of emotional distress.
Besides, Yasuko looks like she is going out of the picture for good.
Later on, Akira helps Ko pick out a gift for Kyoko. Fumi sees the two of them, but gets the wrong idea in her head, slightly. That gets sorted out later, when Akira reveals to Fumi why she was with Ko at the store. Akira throws a Christmas party with Fumi and the Drama Club Trio invited. Afterward, Fumi stays over at Akira's house, but the two of them can't sleep, so they venture out in the snow to visit their old elementary school, which is slated to be torn down and replaced. While there, Fumi has a very special memory, which you'll have to see for yourself.
Series Retrospective: (Please note, this summary assumes you have seen all previous episodes)
Aoihana–Sweet Blue Flowers, is certainly not something we have seen before, or at least not on any regular basis, in North America in any legal form: a serious, honest look at a young woman whose preference is for other women. Most of the yuri-themed shows that have made it to the Region 1 market previously have largely been either heavily comedic in nature, or have disguised the relationship in one way or another. This show has presented the tale of Fumi Manjome in a sincere and open way, showing some of the troubles she has faced playing the game of love without any gimmicks.
It got off to a somewhat rocky start, in my opinion, since the story had a hard time making Fumi a character that one could sympathize with to any great extent. This was because she seemed to be crying incessantly, and that appeared to be the sum total of her being. Over time, however, it quickly moved away from that, and Fumi's layered personality, which revealed hidden strengths beneath the tears, made her a much more interesting character. In contrast, the much stronger personality of her old childhood friend Akira Okudaira was far more effective in stimulating the viewer's interest.
Over time, more characters were brought in, who instead of distracting the viewer, actually added to the enjoyment of the drama by giving it a complexity that more closely mirrors that of real life, which is never so simple as the story of two people told in isolation. The romance that Fumi has with Yasuko Sugimoto, her first "adult" relationship (since Fumi's earlier relationship with her cousin was more exploitative (of Fumi) and unbalanced), gave an honest and open look at a same-sex relationship that was not being played for laughs, nor for pure sensationalistic value. That the romance was doomed, one could tell from subtle clues strewn about.
I give high marks to Aoihana for avoiding the easy path of constant waterworks and histrionics, shouting matches and broken china. Instead, we have people who live and love, lose and learn, but do so in an adult and understanding way. The drawbacks may be that in the end, even though Fumi became far stronger and more memorable a presence, there was still something lacking in her. While I do not consider the time spent watching this in any way to be a waste, I am not sure this show will really have any replay value for me. The situations have a certain air of authenticity, but at the same time lack a certain amount of compelling drama that makes for a truly memorable experience that one wants to watch again and again. It is a good show, well executed, but it does not rise to the level of greatness.
Features
Japanese 2.0 Language, English Subtitles
Review Equipment:
Apple Mac Mini with 1GB RAM, Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.
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