My first post of the year also marks the first series I have blogged through to completion. A good sign for 2010, I say!
Sasameki Koto ends similarly to many other series — the ol’ “life goes on with a hopeful future” episode. Sort of disappointing, although probably not as much as it would have been if I weren’t already used to it, haha. The episode also works decently as a metaphor that sums up Murasame and Ushio’s relationship up to this point.
Kind of strange for this to be the penultimate episode of the series, but it’s not bad at all — actually, it is a pretty fun watch.
In a weird way, this reminds me of a good K-On! episode (you know, when that series was fun and not repeating every story it had already used in the first half). Not too much character or plot development in this episode; instead, Murasame and her friends have a good time with a treasure hunt of sorts during a rainy day. Even though there are no big dramatics in this episode, the story, such as it is, makes me appreciate that much more the approach Sasameki Koto takes: It never allows itself to forget that these girls are in high school, and because of that, they just want to have a good time every day.
OH MY GOD SHE HAS THE YANDERE LOOK RUN AWAY RUN AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
Haha, nah, Aoi takes the sudden revelation of Murasame x Ushio in a fairly mature way. Her devotion to idealized love has taught her to appreciate the real thing when it is made plain and obvious, I suppose. Or maybe she just wants to be the first to ship this relationship on the ‘net. Who knows.
I like that Murasame is allowed to be selfish in this episode.
She’s sitting at a table with a crazy girl methodically putting together fanzines (all for nothing, as the after-credits scene shows), and all Murasame can think about is how great it looks outside, how she wants to be at the beach with her friends and how much she wants to catch an eyeful of Ushio’s enormous jugs. Murasame made a promise (in a roundabout way, and she had to be guilted into it, but it’s a promise nonetheless), and yet all she does for a while is lose herself in frustrated, horny thoughts. And you know what? I don’t blame her at all. Only the truly saintly among us would be sitting there, concentrating completely on work. The rest of us would be staring out the window, concocting ways to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible, along with Murasame.
Agh, I’ve seen so lazy lately — should have put this post out a couple of days ago (and the Monster post should have gone up yesterday). Tsk tsk @ me.
Aoi really needs a reality check. I laughed a bit at her assumption that finishing her first novel is a step toward adulthood, because while that is a momentous occasion for sure, Aoi still has a lot of developing to do. She tends toward fantasy so much that her emotions seem to have developed a hypersensitivity — her memory is probably more than a bit biased (Aoi was likely turned down a bit less harshly than she remembers), and when Murasame cannot recall agreeing to help Aoi with the fanzine (because she was too busy doing frenzied sign language with Ushio to notice Aoi going on and on and on), Aoi takes it way too hard. Murasame doesn’t really come off to me like she is directly ditching Aoi; instead, she is more like, “Oh, wow, I agreed to help you? Talk to you later!” Not a completely clean response considering how Murasame was trying not to fall in too deeply with Aoi, but it’s ambiguous enough to not be a mean-spirited rebuke, too.
There is sometimes a tenuous line between fantasy and reality. Some people dance completely across that line because fantasy is preferable to reality; however, there almost always comes a time when a person needs to be yanked back into reality for his or her sake. But what is the best way to do this?
Aoi Azusa is lost in her fantasy. She likes girls, but her idea of romance is the delicate, secretive type of romance expounded upon in the Maria-sama ga Miteru-esque books written by her favorite author, Orino Masaka (the pseudonym of Ushio’s brother). In Aoi’s mind, romance is best enjoyed when only the two people sharing it know about it — when she describes a fantasy of two lovers meeting on the outskirts of campus, the voices of the other students both close and faraway, it’s easy to see Aoi has quickly developed a crush on Murasame, and is probably casting Murasame headlong into one of her fantasies at that very moment. (Ironically enough, the scene Aoi conjures somewhat mirrors the first scene of the series, where Murasame and Ushio stumble upon Tomoe and Miyako kissing in the classroom.)
Well, I got my wish for more Akemiya! And, uh, the poor guy needs some help pretty badly. Yeesh.
Like most Sasameki Koto episodes, this one is a boatload of funny with a few moments of drama that gain a bit more impact because they’re the isolated islands surrounded by an ocean of humor. In this story, the bit of drama I keyed in on most is Akemiya’s chat with Murasame at the clothing store. From the moment Akemiya showed up to their date in women’s clothes, Murasame pieced together that Akemiya’s sister is pulling the strings with the date, and is also butting in on most other aspects of Akemiya’s life. Murasame wonders out loud if Akemiya can tell that his sister is messing around with him. Akemiya’s reply is pretty telling.
Ayahi Takagaki’s delivery of, “A banana peel?!” had me cracking up so much. My oh my.
With each episode, I appreciate that much more how the comedy — silly as it is — keeps Murasame grounded in regards to her struggles with love of Ushio. It sounds strange, because the comedy is so over the top, but the exaggeration works to show Murasame as someone who is trying her damnedest to be proactive. She is completely silly and has no idea to how to approach Ushio, since it seems as if she is stuck squarely in the Friend Zone (albeit way up high in the Friend Zone), but nonetheless she’s tired of skulking in the shadows like a doof. If she has to slip on a few bananas on the way, then so be it.
Definitely have to agree with Xebek that Tomoe and Miyako have really livened up Sasameki Koto.
Not that I was not digging the series before those two became more prominently featured. But there is only so much that can be done with Ushio searching for cute girls and Murasame secretly pining away on the sidelines. They needed someone to crash the party, to shake things up in their lives. It is pretty obvious that if left on her own, Murasame would probably never work up the courage to approach Ushio in a romantic way. But the presence of Tomoe and Miyako validates Murasame’s feelings.
Haha, this might be the funniest episode of the series so far. The ending especially has perfect comedic timing. Well done.
What I love most about these characters in Sasameki Koto is that they are completely self-absorbed but in a way that is hilarious rather than annoying. Murasame, for instance, is completely focused on her love for Ushio. She makes all the classic, cliché sacrifices one would be expected to make for one’s love — if I cannot have that person, then I’ll make sure he or she is happy! — while at the same time completely stonewalling poor Akemiya. I feel sorry for the little guy, but that is just funny as hell.
