When faced with choices at this age, how could any young man really make one between the three women who have interest in him?
What They Say
Manaka and Nishino's unclear relationship continues. One day, Nishino calls Manaka to meet up. Her voice over the phone sounds like she is crying...
The Review!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Nishino's reasons for going to another school was definitely interesting when she revealed them, indicating that she knew she couldn't compete with Tojo while being in the same school and not wanting to see that play out in front of her. The idea of going elsewhere so she can become the person he really wants at some point is interesting, as is the general idea that most high school relationships fail at some point anyway. So why not avoid it entirely and pin your hopes elsewhere? Speaking from experience, it's certainly an interesting idea and it can work and there's always the strange potential of meeting someone from high school twenty years later and finding them to be the love of your life.
Nishino's obviously not looking that long term and the separation of the two is definitely having an impact on her. Of course, she ends up getting very needy (yet in a realistic and small way) when her birthday rolls around and she wants to see Manaka again. So much so that when the two do end up talking on the phone late at night, she almost sounds like she's in tears, something that spurs Manaka to action to go and see her. The two have a really wonderful series of quiet moments together outside, initially with her holding two pieces of cake from them, but what she wants in the end is to just shake his hand, a sly way of holding his hand at this stage when she knows she can't really have him because of the circumstances. It's a moment that leaves a strong impression on both of them, which of course causes Manaka to think about things even more.
All of it causes him to question things, which isn't helped when he knows that Tojo may be saying some things about her interest in Manaka via a novel she's writing, which has him wondering if her feelings are real or not. Kitaoji's participation in his high school life is confusing things as well. What I really like is that, while there are definitely attractive characters in the show with the leads, they're really not drop dead bombshell goddesses. Nishino has a definite appeal, especially with her blonde hair, and both Tojo and Kitaoji have different looks and personalities to go with them. Tojo certainly is very attractive as evidenced from the way others react to her, but she's not drawn and designed in a way that screams huge sex appeal that's inappropriate for the age of the character. It's a real rarity among shows these days and from when this first aired in 2005.
In Summary:
Manaka's choices in front of him are fun to watch, though what you think about is whether any of them would appeal to you more than to Tojo, since that's typically the relationship you want to see succeed. After just the first six episodes, as much as I like all three girls, I find the most appeal in Tojo since she's the only one with a really defined personality in terms of having goals and interests. The other two feel a bit hollow in their personalities, more focused on Manaka as someone of interest without a clear idea why, though a good deal of that is normal for the age. But the characters haven't been developed enough to really make them completely likable as someone you'd want to know a lot more. This episode forces Manaka to really think about all three of them, but invariably he ends up making things even worse for himself in the long run. Such is a young man's life.
Features
Japanese 2.0 Language, English Subtitles
Review Equipment
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70" LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
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