Kimi ni Todoke – 22

A nice, warm cap would be pretty awesome right about now . . .

Is it just me, or does Kazehaya take a level in Smooth this episode? He’s assertive in letting Sawako know she HAS to come to his party, he basically encourages Sawako to rebel against her parents (FIGHT DA POWA) and he doesn’t hesitate to tell Sawako’s mom that he wants her daughter at his party. All moms know there is only one thing hot teenage guys want with their daughters at parties, and it doesn’t involve drinking tea, although tea might enter the equation at some point . . .

My guess is Kazehaya noticed how Ryu handled his business with Chizuru, and he realized he had to step up his game if he didn’t want to look like a loser next to his (seemingly) lazy ass friend. And step it up he does! There’s no confession, of course, but there’s no awkward bumbling either, at least not by Kazehaya. Good man.

Once again after a dramatic arc, we get a solid episode of fun and frivolity to smooth things out before the next story. Despite the drama tears that fill the episode, I think it is kind of funny. Sawako’s dad is determined to make this a Very Awkward Kuronuma Christmas. It is pretty clear from the start that Sawako will run into some hurdles in her mission to attend Kazehaya’s party and go clubbing with his buds, but man, Pops lays it on thick throughout the episode!

Not too surprising that the family would be excited about spending Christmas together, of course, but then the whole Santa thing and reminiscing over the miracle of Sawako’s birth . . . not to devalue it at all, but I laughed a bit. Parents have the best timing for these things. (Not that I blame Sawako’s dad at all, mind — one of my ambitions is to be to my kid as Calvin’s dad is to him. Plus, Sawako’s dad is clearly a huge goofball.) Sawako’s dad swooping into Sawako’s room, assuming the knitted cap is for him and parading around in it, much to Sawako’s horror, is the icing on top of a multi-layered cake of awkward.

It’s easy to say Sawako should be more assertive in this situation, but I think most people can identify with the awkwardness in which Sawako finds herself. Sometimes you just don’t want to bring people down, even if you believe you have to take one for the team for this to happen. Her parents probably would have been understanding had she brought it up from the outset — her mother would have been able to talk her father down, at least, though he might have huddled on the roof for a few hours — but that’s not really what most people think about when these problems crop up.

The end to the episode is fairly sweet, even if Kazehaya doesn’t receive the gift Sawako intended for him, but if I may offer Sawako some advice, I think she has a good opportunity here. She definitely needs to ask Kazehaya to try it on and see if she knitted it to his exact specifications. With Kazehaya’s increased Smoothness Rating, there’s no way he doesn’t come out shirtless, since he is now apparently eagle-eyed in spotting opportunities to coax Sawako to his side. Sawako gets to see a shirtless Kazehaya and become flustered, while Kazehaya gets to show of his rockin’ bod to Sawako. Meanwhile, the men in the audience get to see Sawako all moe and what not, and the women in the audience get a topless Kazehaya. A win-win situation for everyone involved.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that, according to Omni, Kimi ni Todoke will be 25 episodes rather than 24, which was the number announced way back when. A three-episode final story sounds as if it will wrap things up better than a two-episode story, anyway, so I approve. Also, I hope Kurumi gets more than a token cameo in the next episode. I miss her and her gangstalicious awesome.