Rokka was clearly facepalming already.
Well… Hazuki certainly doesn’t beat about the bush, does he?! And, thankfully, neither does this show. Four episodes in, and great to see such significant character and plot development, plus some very fangasmic moments courtesy of young Mr. Carpe Diem. And when I’m referring to a 22 years old man as ‘young’ in anime, you know this show has depth and subtlety in its characterisation. In short, a great episode with some quietly intense, but pretty romantic moments, and some rather funny and dramatic ones too. In not as short, read on…
You say it like it’s a bad thing, Rokka.
Firstly, knowing that the all important amusement park/ first dayto moment was coming, it was nice to see the flashback of Shimao’s date with Rokka from his point of view. Not least of all because it was a welcome change from his face-pulling antics from previous episodes, which were in danger of becoming a bit old, but this was also interesting because of our discovery that Shimao didn’t originally want to go and Rokka seemed to be the more pro-active one in their relationship. Unless, of course, Shimao was feeling progressively worse due to his illness. Either way, Shimao’s uncustomary silence while Hazuki arranges the date and then Hazuki’s nervous smoking were a good way of building tension and conveying their anticipation.
Moving on to the date itself, this was the focus of most of the episode, which was peppered with flashbacks and more lighter/ squeal-inducing moments. I particularly liked the random hats, which clearly meant more and less to Hazuki and Rokka respectively, and the hand-holding. Given the significance of the idea of taking someone’s hand, Hazuki’s active desire to take Rokka-the-grieving-widow’s hand was a bold, and thankfully reciprocated, move. And, er, a lot smoother than some of the other things Hazuki did/ said:
The merits of dating younger guys.
Anyway. Going back to the ‘willyouhavesexwithme’ comment… Um, yeah. Wasn’t sure what to make of that at first, given how unromantic and rushed it seemed to me at the time, but, on the other hand, it clearly shows how passionate Hazuki is about Rokka. On the flip side to such OMG/ facepalm/ comedic moments, Rokka’s quieter observations and memories conveyed a more thoughtful undercurrent to the proceedings, with lines such as these adding more of a sense of reality, or of a ‘reality check’, as it were:
Finally, the pair, of course, return to the flower shop and it all seems to get a bit too much for Hazuki, to whom Rokka has made it clear that she isn’t going to have sex with him… and yet invites him back to her place for a cup of tea… all under the watchful gaze of a moody dead ghost-husband. Well, perhaps you can’t blame Hazuki for requiring a bit of Dutch courage at that point. As for Dat Ending, it remains to be seen what satisfaction (if any) Shimao expects to get from Rokka while possessing his young rival’s booze-soaked body. However, hopefully the silver lining will be that Rokka decides to encourage or reject Hazuki’s advances, and not just hold on and be held back by her memories of Shimao…