Token Asian’s Anime Blog

Will this angsty bunch finally hit American shores? Stay tuned…

Quoted from Anime News Network:

Funimation announced today that they have acquired the license to Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. The series will be released in North America as Rumbling Hearts. Volume 1 will be released in October 2006.

Funimation also announced they will be moving to a monthly schedule (4~5 weeks) for numerous new anime, including Desert Punk (as of volume 2), Negima, Moon Phase and Rumbling Hearts. Speed Grapher, Trinity Blood and Basilisk will be released every 7 weeks. The release schedule will be based on the manner in which Funimation receives the episodes.

About frakking time. I recall Media Blasters tried to license it a while back but I guess they fell short of their goal. I figure Funimation will do a decent job with Kimi ga Nozomu Eien… despite naming it “Rumbling Hearts.” Gotta figure out why they went with that name change…

In any case, this is a series that everyone should watch… if only to understand why one hates angsty romance anime. But I honestly think that Kimi ga Nozomu Eien was a decent anime that deserves some attention. The character development is great but I must say that one doesn’t watch this for laughs.

Forget what the heck the series was about? Check out my past entries on the series.

Edit: No, it’s not a hentai.

Takayuki holds the ring in his hand while he sits in the rain. Later, Akane sees him pushing Haruka’s wheelchair to the beach. He says to Haruka that he heard Mitsuki had come to talk to her. She responds that she hit her because she was sad. He says that’s sorry and to his astonishment, she stands up and goes down the stairs to the beach. Takayuki runs to help her. Haruka then kisses him and said that she thought they could always be friends but says “I guess it’s not possible.” He tells her that he loves Mitsuki and the reason he can be here is because she was there for him, but his heart was elsewhere and didn’t realize Mitsuki was suffering. Takayuki tells her how he wanted to heal Mitsuki’s wounds even if it took his entire life. With sadness in her voice, Haruka says that three years really have passed but that it can’t be helped and the man she loved no longer exists. She apologizes for making him experience painful memories, but thanks him for how their life together was a fun dream.

Akane then sees the book and picks it up. Haruka’s voice narrates the story of a fairy who lost her memory and plays with other children but aged slowly. The children grew older and forgot about her except the first girl. She grew up and couldn’t play but she could not forget her friend and comes to visit. The fairy gives the girl a gift: words of farewell. It turns out that long ago, humans knew no words of farewell. When reading these words, Akane begins to cry.

Haruka says that is the book of their meeting and she wants to say words of farewell. Takayuki says goodbye with tears flowing. The evil waitress is then seen yelling at him on the phone for taking the day off. Ishida is off at work and he comes to see her. He is told that Mitsuki quit her job. When he asks where she is, Ishida says he should know where she would be at a time like this and asks him what he will say at this point. He says he doesn’t know but he must talk to her. At that, Ishida says that she’s jealous of his pureness.

The manager calls Takayuki to tell him that his job will be at the main office from now on but Takayuki says that he has someone important to him that he hurt and they left him. The manager says he must not lose that important person. Takayuki then calls Shinji, who ignore the first call, but Takayuki calls again. This time he finally picks up and asks Shinju to tell him if she calls. He calls Takayuki an idiot and goes off to greet his girlfriend.

Takayuki then runs to the tree but Mitsuki isn’t there. Before he leaves, Mitsuki arrives and at the sight of her he drops the ring. He walks up to her but she begins to run off, causing him to grab her despite her efforts to break free. She asks why he’s doing this. She says she fine on her own but he says that he’s not okay and he wants to be with her. Mitsuki cries that she can’t replace Haruka but he says she’s not a replacement and he loves her. Takayuki tells her how he told Haruka goodbye and he won’t see her again. She says there’s no point in going back and she doesn’t want to. This inspires Takayuki to tell her how he survived only because of her so from now on he wants to be with her. He embraces Mitsuki and says he wants to start over from here.

Everyone at the hospital is seen cheering Haruka as she exits the building on her own two feet. Ishida is seen elsewhere with divorce papers and says it’s a fresh start for her. The manager is on the phone with Takayuki and MayuMayu says that’s it’s been lonely without him. Ayu, on the other hand, is still the evil blonde waitress and says that she’s glad he’s gone and hangs up the phone, shocking the rest of the restaurant employees. We then see Takayuki’s empty apartment…

The text on the screen then reads “a few years later.” Akane is going into a restaurant and sees Haruka discussing her next book with what appears to be a publisher. Akane asks Haruka if her book is finished yet and she shows Akane her new book “Hontou no Takaramono” by Haruka… with a different last name (pen name or married… hmmm). It’s a book about the main character trying as hard as she can. Quite appropriate for her ordeal, no?

The credits roll as we see Akane is at a swim meet. We also see Takayuki seeing the ad for Haruka’s new book. Akane is then seen in the newspaper for setting a new Japanese swimming record, and the interview reads that she owes it all to her senpai. The book reads on that the character tries hard and finds a true treasure.

Closing Thoughts:

I was pretty pissed at most of the characters in this series except for Akane. Why? Read on for my opinions on each character.

Takayuki: Typical male protagonist that can’t decide which girl he’s really in love with. What’s really annoying is that his situation could have been solved had he been more open with his feelings and less considerate about how others might have been affected. The truth may hurt, but prolonging a standoff only makes things worse.

Haruka: A really meek anime female that doesn’t exactly inspire viewers, though at the end of the series she does become stronger in her desire to get out of the hospital to be with Takayuki. I did admire her resolve and I felt that she really deserved to have a relationship with Takayuki.

Mitsuki: This is the kind of girl that needs a public flogging (think Heinlein), have her citizenship revoked, and exiled to Elba. While her feelings for Takayuki were genuine, stabbing your best friend in the back isn’t the way to go. One might say that she was just going on with her life and being with Takayuki was the next logical step. Meh, it still disturbs me.

Shinji: Generally, I found him to be caught in the middle, trying to help all sides. I felt that he was frustrated by all the other players, since they would not take action on their feelings. It still mystifies me why in space he would want to sleep with Mitsuki.

Akane: Okay, I actually liked this character. Most of my sympathy was directed towards her. She lost her big sister, saw her sister get stabbed in the back, have to deal with living a lie, and contain all that pain. If this was a dating sim, I’d have ended up with her (yes, I know this series was based on a H-game, that was the joke).

Waitresses of Doom: Besides providing comic relief in chibi form… why the heck are they even in the series? Aku provided some forward momentum for the plot but Mayu Mayu pretty much stood there and looked cute. What did Matthew (see link to his blog in sidebar) call this again? Ah yes, “Moe,” meaning a female character that is young and innocent. Not in a perverted way, this type is probably supposed to inspire paternal diligence.

Ishida: Considering she was getting a divorce, I don’t call that much of a role model for love. Heh, she still pulled through and helped Takayuki and Mitsuki have a happy conclusion. Go Ishida!

Well, I’m happy this anime had a decent ending that gave me some closure. Seeing how Haruka’s accident put her out of action, I’m not surprised to see Mitsuki ending up with Takayuki in the end. Despite being a “happy” ending, the feeling of tragedy still remains. While this anime tried to be serious, I had trouble taking seriously the troubles of the protagonists. The amount of sleeping around inspired some serious doubts about the sanity in the characters. However, I am glad that this romance was dealt with in a non-cliched manner. There was no “contrived happy ending.” For that, I am grateful. A tragic ending would have been taking it to far in the other direction. Still, I would have liked Takayuki to have ended up with anyone BUT Mitsuki. And considering her hair was the cutest thing since Henrietta and her FN P90 (Gunslinger Girl), you know I’m serious.

Final Rating: 8.9/10 Well worth becoming part of your anime purchasing budget. Just keep it away from the young children. Don’t watch it if you can’t take excessive sturm und drang (angst).

Micellaneous Notes:

1. “Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien” is translated as “The Eternity You Wish For.” (or “The Eternity You Desire”)
2. OP is “Precious Memories” by Minami Kuribayashi.
3. ED #1 is “Rumbling Hearts” by Minami Kuribayashi (in episode 2).
4. ED #2 is “Hoshizora no Waltz” (The Waltz of the Starry Sky)” by Minami Kuribayashi.
5. ED #3 is “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien” by MEGUMI (final episode).
6. The series was indeed based on a PC H-game with the same title.
7. “Akane Maniax” is the spinoff of “Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien.” Basically another game set in the “Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien” world.
8. There was also a three-part OAV based on the “Akane Maniax” game. General opinion seems to be that it was an unnecessary side story. As much as I enjoyed Akane’s character, I’ve already had enough closure.
9. Media Factory, the distributor of the series in Japan, formally requested that all series that it owns be removed from sites that provide links for downloading (i.e. AnimeSuki). This is the first distributor to request that fansubbing of its titles stop, regardless if the series has been licensed or not. Most fansub groups have complied with their wishes.
10. As of today to my knowledge, Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien has yet to be licensed and released in the United States of America. Phooey on Media Factory.

Haruka brushes her hair and Takayuki says it’s good that she woke up and that she’ll be able to catch up. She says she’s really happy that he’s no nice but not to overdo it. Three years have passed and things are different, so she wants them to tell her slowly all that had happened. But she wants to know if he’s dating anyone else and she just wants the truth. He says no, he’’ not dating anyone. When he says that, Akane’s hands begin to tremble. Takayuki tells Akane that it’s true, Haruka asks Akane what’s wrong and Akane says it was nothing. Haruka then tells Akane that she wants to see Mitsuki.

Later, Mitsuki is with Ishida when she sees Akane. Ishida tells her to go and Takayuki is seen agreeing to work full-time and Mayu Mayu is sad that he’s leaving while the blonde evil waitress is angry for some reason. Mitsuki goes to visit Haruka, who tells Mitsuki that she looks mature and that she heard she stopped swimming and asks why. Mitsuki says that she felt she’d reached her limit. Mitsuki tells her the truth about her and Takayuki and apologizes. Haruka says she must be lying and asks why she did that. Mitsuki says a lot has happened and they’d broken up and that it was all her fault, not Haruka’s fault. She tells Haruka how she had lost all self-confidence and Takayuki was there, not that she had any feelings for him. Haruka proceeds to slap Mitsuki and yells for her to get out. Mitsuki leaves and runs off crying. Haruka says it’s not Mitsuki’s fault because she couldn’t go anything for Takayuki for three years, but she still doesn’t like it, and Akane tries to comfort her.

Takayuki is walking and sees a real estate place, and has a flashback of Mitsuki saying she can’t replace Haruka anymore. He sees a guy run up to a girl and apologize for being late. The weird red-haired nurse pulls up and asks if he has any time and he says he does. She asks him out for tea because she’s mad that she was on an errand and the place didn’t give her a drink. She notices that Takayuki is spaced out and asks if anything’s wrong. He says no and she says that’s good. She says that she’s been busy since the other nurse quit and is in recuperation because she’s not that strong in body, only in mind, like Haruka. But she’s lonely and says that when a person you take for granted is gone, a big hole is created and running away won’t do any good.

Takayuki goes to work and asks the manager if anything is wrong, who responds that it’ll be lonely without him. The evil waitress taunts him by saying a worm like him would be sent to the farthest restaurant in Hokkaido with the penguins. He retorts that only a moron would say that because everyone knows penguins are only at the South Pole. He recalls Shinji’s scolding and the nurse talking about how running away won’t do any good. He then goes to the hospital with the intent to tell Haruka everything.

The doctor says that Haruka is in rehabilitation and that she really wanted to go after Mitsuki had come. They see Haruka working hard in rehab and Takayuki waves at her. She says it’s embarrassing because she was in an embarrassing position but he said that it’s amazing because she started so early and that she shouldn’t push herself. However, she says she will because she has never pushed herself before. Takayuki offers to pusher her wheelchair but she wheels off by herself. Akane sees him in the lobby and asks if he had something to tell her sister, but he says no. She says that Mitsuki came by to see Haruka and that she told her everything. He says that Haruka is now strong, not the timid person of before, the dreamer that was not part of the real world. She asks him if he really thought that as he leaves.

Takayuki hears Haruka crying about why her legs won’t move and how much she wants to see him and what’s so good about waking up if she can’t see him. She then asks why she is like this and wants her time back. Takayuki cringes and runs off into the rain, almost getting hit by a car. He has flashbacks of everyone’s advice (not to be so nice, to stop running, etc.). We then see Haruka in rehab and Takayuki comes to see her, and he wants to have a serious talk.

Mitsuki puts Takayuki to bed and cares for him. She has some flashbacks too, some good, some bad. She says that a lot has happened as she takes his hand. Takayuki then mumbles Haruka’s name, causing Mitsuki to let go of his hand. The next morning, Mitsuki greets him and says that he still has a temperature, handing him a thermometer. She asks him what he’s been doing and scolds him for not taking care of himself. Being the nice girl she is, Mitsuki cooks for him and feeds him. Takayuki thanks her for all that she’s done. They remark how it’s been a while since the talked. He takes her hand but she pulls away.

The doctor tells Akane that Haruka will be out of the ICU in a few days but can’t find anything wrong with her sister Mitsuki is then seen asking if Takayuki is doing okay. He tells her about the bad and she thanks him, while remarking that it was just like back in high school since he’s always caring for her. She says that she had figured that her feelings would end when Haruka confessed to him but then the accident happened, and though she was happy she felt bad inside. However, he was always by her side and says that he’s nice to her and Haruka. She says that she gave up a lot to be with him and was afraid he’d leave her and she’d have nothing.

During this moment of tension, she also takes the time to apologize because she was with Shinji last night, though it was not Shinji’s fault. She notices that he isn’t mad, so she takes off her ring and drops it into her cup. Mitsuki tells Takayuki that he should take care of himself and says that she can’t replace Haruka anymore. If you missed the point here, she noticed that Takayuki wasn’t mad about her tryst with Shinji, so she assumes he doesn’t care for her.

Akane is at the hospital and the nurse remarks that Takayuki hasn’t stopped by. The waitresses are seen complaining that Takayuki’s gone. Takayuki is seen at home wandering around, apparently in confusion. And then… (drum roll, please) Haruka wakes up, to Akane’s relief. At home, Takayuki holds the ring and picks up the phone. The manager says that there’s something that they need to discuss. He can’t reach Mitsuki’s cell phone so he calls Ishida, who says that Mitsuki is there, even though the audience can clearly see that she is present.

Haruka asks for a mirror and asks what’s going on. The doctor says that she can enter rehab but has regressed to the previous time and remembers nothing from the last time she woke up. The manager is then seen saying that Takayuki can work full-time now. The waitresses are eating and the evil one says that he should pay since it would be an honor to someone like him, eliciting laughter from him. Shinji stops by and asks if he’s talked with Mitsuki, also apologizing for what happened. He asks if Takayuki despises him, to which the answer is no. Takayuki says they broke up because she said so. Shinji calls him a fool because he’s not reliable. He reprimands Takayuki for just laughing when Mitsuki has so many painful memories. Takayuki says he knows she’s always suffering because of him but he can’t do anything. Shinji says that’s only true because he does nothing and since she always supports him, why can’t Takayuki support her? He tells Takayuki to think for himself about what to do, to which Takayuki responds that he’ll leave that to Shinji because Shinji loves Mitsuki. This prompts Shinji to punch him, saying that he’s no good and it has to be Takayuki for Mitsuki.

The manager comes and stops Shinji’s violence (though Takayuki deserved it). Shinji says that because he’s like this everyone is suffering and on that note, stalks off. Takayuki has more flashbacks of the pain he’s caused and asks himself what he should do. Akane leaves a message for Takayuki, saying that Haruka woke up and they’ve told her that three years have passes and Haruka wants to see him…

Things have taken a turn for the worse? At this point, I’m thinking Takayuki should end up alone…

And so we see Mitsuki trying to seduce Shinji… quite wrong, if you ask me. The nurse is then seen leading Akane away while Takayuki notices a sing marked “no visitors.” He then tries to call Mitsuki but her phone isn’t with her, and he recalls what happened earlier and says that it’s really all his fault. Mitsuki wakes up in Shinji’s room while he is in the shower. Her shoe is still broken and she starts crying (probably not because of the shoe). Shinji asks to see the shoe and she cowers in fear. He gets a call from Takayuki but misses the call.

Haruka’s parents come and Takayuki apologizes to them, they say that they should be apologizing for all the painful memories. They also mention that they can’t find Akane, so he goes off to search for her, despite his worsening cold. She’s actually sitting by the beach, but he doesn’t know that. He still has a fever and seems to be coughing quite badly.

Shinji is sitting in his bedroom silently. Mitsuki asks why he was there (at the hotel), he says because she “might have…” She says he should have stopped because he was pitying her. Mitsuki goes on to say that she’s lost everything because it was her fault for loving Takayuki, quitting swimming, and lying to Haruka. She asks if he’ll tell Takayuki what she’s said…

Takayuki calls off sick and the waitresses make fun of him (not that they do anything else). The doctor at the hospital says to Haruka’s parents that their daughter’s brain shut itself down to protect itself but it is hard to say anything because of a lack of data. When Takayuki comes to ask about Haruka, the doctor tells him to go home because he’s clearly sick, and Haruka’s parents say not to worry about Akane.

He walks on the beach and sees a pretty stone, after which Akane approaches him. She apologizes for worrying him, prompting him to tell her that Haruka is in intensive care. She says it was her fault for hiding things. He says it couldn’t be helped, but her mind is made up for she had said many horrible things. Takayuki, being the nice guy, says that it’s enough that he takes the blame for what happened, since if he had met Haruka on time, her sister would not have been hurt… not to mention he also betrayed Haruka. In any case, he says she shouldn’t worry though she says that he’s too nice that it’s cruel. On that note, she says she took care of Haruka because she thought he’d come again and she wanted him to be happy when Haruka woke up (is it just me, or does Akane seem to have a thing for Onii-chan… er, Takayuki?). Akane says that she needs to make up for what she’s done and thanks him.

Mitsuki meets Shinji at the park where he gives her new shoes. Instead of being grateful, she knocks the heel off her other shoe and leaves. Of course, she trips and when Shinji tries to help her, she gives him a “death glare.” She says she’s sorry and leaves. His girlfriend text-messages him… and I assume he has more worries now. Heh.

Ishida sees Haruka’s bag at work. When Takayuki comes by, she gives him the bag, eliciting some coughing in response. She tells Takayuki to listen to whatever Mitsuki has to say… and it might also affect their work. At the train station, he struggles to keep conscious. Akane is seen looking at her sister’s empty bed. Then the scene switches back to Takayuki, who has just collapsed into bed. Mitsuki goes to work and Ishida tells her that Takayuki came by and took her bag. She tells Mitsuki to go home because he looked sick. And sure enough, he’s taking the cold a bit hard. He collapses and has some flashbacks of Mitsuki and the good times they’ve have. When Mitsuki comes home, she sees him on the floor and screams his name.

After the credits, the chibi waitresses are watching television and a bizarre ghost version of the green-haired nurse pops out of the television. Bizarre.

Vacillating…

We’re taking donations for a new liver for Mitsuki!

Akane and Takayuki are on the beach, she gives him some pretty stones for Haruka. Whee, pretty stones. Meanwhile, Shinji calls Mitsuki and gets no answer, so he ditches his girlfriend (all to worry about another friend, how… kind?) and sees Mitsuki walk past with a guy. She steps up to a hotel with the man and Shinji asks her what she’s doing. She tells Shinji to leave her alone. The two guys get in a fist fight. For some odd reason. Mitsuki has a flashback about swimming and starts to laugh… then cry.

That… other girl.

Finally, some action in this series!

Haruka is staring out the window as Takayuki and Akane come in. She asks what day it is and how long it has been since the accident, this time demanding an answer. She says her hair isn’t this long and her fingers aren’t this thin either. Haruka begs for the truth, saying she hates Takayuki for not telling her. Akane then impulsively says that three years have passed. Takayuki tells her to stop but Akane goes on to say that he’s dating Mitsuki and that her middle school uniform is a lie too since she’s not in middle school. Akane proceeds to blame Haruka for everything sine this wouldn’t have happened if she had not been in that accident for if it had not occurred, nobody would have suffered. The doctor pushes the panic button just as Haruka slips into another coma (wow, another coma). While this drama is taking place, Mitsuki is being cared for by Shinji. For whatever bizarre reason, she embraces Shinji and kisses him.

In a coma for the second time.

And after the credits… we have the comedy routine of the chibis. Hah, the chibis are locked in a freezer. Maybe they’ll turn into popsicles. These ending sequences with chibis are getting a tad annoying…

Takayuki notices that the rain is coming down and briefly has a flashback regarding Mitsuki asking him about his relationship with Haruka. He later meets the doctor, who says that picture books are okay as gifts for Haruka because normal books would be tiring. On that thought, he goes to look for that picture book he wanted to get for Haruka (remember, earlier in the series?).

Later, he’s at the arcade, wasting his time away while Mitsuki is at the apartment, sitting there with sadness in her eyes. He lights up a cigarette, only to choke on it (hah!). Mitsuki is still at home and she hums a sad song. When Takayuki finally comes home, she tells him that she’s made curry but he says he just wants a shower and that she should go to bed. In the shower, he has a good, long cry (who says guys never cry?).

At work the next day, he drops a dish and the evil waitress scolds him for being all spaced out. To her surprise, he’s actually civil to her, causing a great deal of shock. On the job, Mitsuki helps close a deal but is also spaced out. Ishida says she can talk to her about her problems but she suddenly gets a phone call that sounds vaguely like a legal matter, probably divorce (geez, does everyone in this series have issues?). Mitsuki goes off and sees some teenagers who remind her of themselves and she runs off to the “special” tree. She thinks of the old days she wants to return to. She calls up Shinji, because she just wanted to hear his voice. He says that she and Takayuki are a clumsy couple. At that moment, his crush sneaks up on him, ending the call.

Takayuki is still working hard when the manager calls him over. A man from the personnel department is at the restaurant and wants to ask Takayuki about a permanent job. The manager says there’s no hurry, despite that fact that he recommended Takayuki, who then responds that to make such a decision, he will need more time. Later, when he is searching for the book, he notices in the news that there is a recession and people need jobs, but now he does have a chance…

On the street, he runs into Daikuuji (she’s the blond waitress of doom, Mayu Mayu is the cute one) who asks him about the employment opportunity. He gets mad at her and pushes her about the way. She asks him about the books he’s looking for and she makes a call. He tells her why he can’t decide about the employment and I suppose she sympathizes with him… a bit. Her servant finds the book and she gives it to Takayuki, but also asks him to be “normal” tomorrow in return.

<

He runs into Akane at the hospital, who apologizes for her behavior. She notices that he’s found the book and says that her sister will be very happy. She then says to herself that “this is for the best.” What does that mean?

Mitsuki gets drunk… and Shinji is there with her. She drinks and he worries for her. She says that they can’t go back to old times even though that it was so much fun, but now it’s all gone. Shinji says it’s not all gone because some things haven’t changed. She says even if Takayuki hates her, she still loves him.

Haruka notices her long hair as Takayuki approaches her room… does she realize the truth about her hospital stay?

*sighs* Why the chibiness at the end of each episode? Arrrgh!

Eh… yesterday the site was down. Who knows why… not that I had much to write about. It was mostly useless ranting about shoujo and smoothies. I went to try that new smoothie shop down by Subway. Some mad expensive stuff… and not enough fruit chunks in it. Oooooh, the injustice…

********

(for some stupid reason this week, I’m having trouble keeping straight everyone’s names…)

Mitsuki is cooking breakfast while Takayuki is still in bed, so she wakes him up. She notes that the soap runs out quickly when there are two people using one bottle. Mitsuki asks what he wants for dinner and how cooking is fun if someone else is eating it. But she hates how that it’s the “usual.”

Breakfast time!

The waitresses at the restaurant are worried about the manager, saying that he’s looking at them lecherously (not likely, no guy would ever look at them, no 10% gratuity for you!). Weirdness… Anyway, Takayuki gets off work and gets on the bus, only to meet Mitsuki and her coworker. She sees him get off at the bus stop in front of the hospital…

The nurse greets Takayuki and reprimands him for looking sad, saying that smiling will brighten Haruka’s life. He greets Haruka and says that he always wants to see her when she mentions how she was so worried when he didn’t come earlier. Takayuki expresses how all his worries disappear when he’s with her, causing her to become happy. However, he accidentally mentions “old times,” but explains it with the excuse that life has been hectic. He sits with her and she says she’d like to stay like this forever.

Oblivious to the drama outside her room…

Later, the waitresses notice that Takayuki is acting melancholy. The manager says that his daughter was also in the hospital, and she was around the age of the two waitresses. Life seems to proceed “normally” with Mitsuki and Takayuki together. But yet there is no happiness. On his day off, he goes to work overtime because he has more time now since he doesn’t go to the hospital. At home, Mitsuki cries because she is alone.

He tales out the trash at work and sees Akane and wonders if something has happened to Haruka. He gets a phone call from Mitsuki, who wants to talk about their problems, but he goes to visit Haruka, though nothing’s wrong. She asks why he hasn’t come recently and says that it must be hard for him with exams. Haruka says that she’ll pray hard for him. They kiss again and promise to go the festival together. While they’re kissing, he notices a scar on her chest and says that there’s no need to rush because she needs to rest.

Doesn’t he ever change clothes?

The series flashbacks once again to their school days. Akane is annoying Mitsuki and Haruka. Akane talks about learning from videos about swimming form. Then they get in some weird fight over the video and Akane ends up begging them not to fight. Mitsuki laughs and says they’d never fight.

Years later, on the same sidewalk where the fight occurred, Mitsuki is walking and is on the job. Haruka, at the hospital, asks Akane is Takayuki will come. Akane feels awkward about this for obvious reasons. Mitsuki then asks Takayuki if he will still visit Haruka to which he says yes. She also asks if he will tell Haruka about their relationship if she gets better. She say’s he’s the only one for him and he says it’s okay… so they kiss. Traitorous…

At the restaurant, the evil waitress is complaining about whatever it is that waitresses complain about. The manager asks Takayuki to cover a night shift but he says he can’t. He then goes to visit Haruka, but runs into Akane, who leaves and says he never learns. Haruka is happy to see him, but feels that the days are passing quickly (scary…). He does his best to make her feel relaxed and she asks to cast the spell again. He says to do it after she gets better but as she says, she was feeling time pass too quickly. Later, he leaves and her parents thank him, asking him to come again because Haruka needs him. He responds by saying that he’ll come every single day, saying how she’s the most important thing to him but later mutters how that’s changed.

Later, he talks to Mitsuki about how Haruka asked why she didn’t come. Mitsuki asks to stay overnight… rawr. A bit later, he meets with Shinji, who points out his crush to Takayuki, who tells him to go for it. They talk about Haruka and Shinji asks if it’s just responsibility (regarding Haruka) and says that betraying Mitsuki would be wrong because she’s weak.

Mitsuki goes to the hospital, but Akane stops her (“you’re just trying to forget about your own pain…” Akane is so right), though she asks to talk. Akane calls her disgusting and selfish, and then asks Mitsuki to suffer more and to go home. Takayuki comes and Akane says that he’s dedicated to his obligations despite a lack of feelings for Haruka. Stings, eh, Takayuki?

Haruka and Takayuki share an embarrassing story about happier times but she loves his smile, and asks him if his studies. She worries about him but he tells her to just heal. Haruka then wonders if he had forgotten the spell. Takayuki feels awkward and can’t seem to say it with her but they manage to say it together once more. He goes home, where Mitsuki left a note about how she had to go home early…

Again, there is a stupid chibi scene after the credits, where the waitresses chant the spell while dressed in witch costumes. Really tasteless, if you ask me.