Kimi ni Todoke 35 – FINALLY.

And they raised a gigantic herd of baby raptors together . . .

So, hey, the moment the series has built to from the very beginning has finally arrived! I’d probably happier about it or in a pile of sentimental goo if there hadn’t been so many dumb, frustrating stalling tactics earlier in the series, but the actual moment is fairly sweet, and I like the way Sawako steels herself beforehand. It really does feel as if she has changed, and it’s not just her saying she’s changed because the plot demands it to be so. Go Sawako!

And thankfully there was no wishy-washy bullshit pulled on either side. Sawako is all, “OK, we’re screwing this up, so let’s just start with a blank slate!” and Kazehaya is immediately like, “Yo, baby, I like you!” (I’m paraphrasing ever so slightly here.) She didn’t see that one coming! And neither did anyone else aside from Ayane, Chizuru and Ryu. I’m shocked Sawako made it out of the school alive after that. You’d think that the more obsessive girls would have torn her apart. Maybe their craziness was kept in check by the presence of adults.

Speaking of craziness (more like idiocy, but I needed the segue) being kept in check . . .

AHAHAHAHAHA You can almost hear Joe’s poor little heart breaking in this scene. How delicious.

Kazehaya shooting Joe down is basically the Kimi ni Todoke equivalent of bellowing, “PIPE THE FUCK DOWN, JOE, I’M TALKING TO SOMEONE HERE, YOU FUCKWIT.” So very glorious. Joe is like a chihuahua: Ugly, annoying, stupid and you feel great when you kick him. Why does he have friends again? Has he ever brought an ounce of positive worth to anyone’s life for even one second in this series? Seems like every time he is on screen, he’s stalking Ayane, doing something retarded while another friend laments what an utter fuck-up he is, or he’s pissing off Kazehaya.

Just go away, Joe. Go away forever. Nobody likes you, and you should die alone. Or, better yet, with the cast of Shuffle! Just blow them all up at one time. That would make me quite happy. Ideally, I suppose Joe would suffer as he has made so many others suffer, but beggars can’t be choosers. As long he dies.

Just a few other random things . . . like Chizuru’s Madonna ponytail. That made me laugh. Not sure why she needed that to be a snake, but OK. I suppose it’s fitting, though, since I believe Madonna sheds her skin every so often as well. I would have liked to have seen Chizuru in hot pink leggings for no reason at all. May as well go all the way with the look. (Maybe someone can dress up like Philip Michael Thomas like I did for a high school project. There has to be someone here dark enough, right?)

Even when Ryu is in the background, he is one of the best characters in the show. I love his unfazed reactions to everything that goes on. Kazehaya confesses to Sawako in front of the whole school? Ryu’s got his stone face on. Sawako climbs out of a well and freaks the fuck out of her teachers? Ryu don’t give a fuck. Joe trying to fuck things up for Kazehaya and Sawako yet again? Ryu will step in and take care of business, but don’t ask him to get all emotional about it or anything. Ryu is the best.