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Impressions:

As a side note, ‘Happiness!’ has finally been subbed, but it’s over a week behind so I’ll still be blogging this show according to the raws. I understand enough anyway and there are other blogs I can rely on for plot clarification. Anyway, I’m liking this show more now even though the animation isn’t that great. Plot-wise it’s heading in a fun direction and it’s not just another silly harem/ecchi type romance series, but a more serious love story with a dash of mystery. Well, romance series involving childhood friends usually have some mystery too, but Happiness!’s mystery aspect is slightly greater and more important. Yuuma’s past and his relation with magic is currently unknown, though a few hints have been thrown out there now. I think the boy who saved Haruhi when she was small IS Yuuma, but something happened to make him dislike magic and stop using magic. Or, he somehow lost his powers, suppressed them or just forgot about them, and now having met Haruhi, they’re starting to return.

The thing I don’t get about this episode is what seemed to be a magical barrier around Yuuma during the day out to watch the cherry blossoms. If it’s an important part of the story (which I think it is), other characters would usually point out this strange occurrence out. After it is shrugged off by everyone, something happens later in the episode which refers back to this moment and everyone will be like ‘Ah, so that’s what it was!’ However, the characters take no notice of it; only the viewers. Another question is whose barrier was it. Could it be Takamine’s, the girl with the floating green thing? Or maybe it was Yuuma unconsciously generating it for whatever reason. I think it’s more likely Yuuma’s doing, being an indication of his magic power. Judging by his excellence in the field at such a young age (if the boy who saved Haruhi is Yuuma) I’d say Yuuma is most likely a natural when it comes to magic, and is probably one of the best mages of his age without even having to go to school.

In other news, I agree when people say there needs to be more Jun. I have no problem with thinking of him as a girl because he is basically 100% female, save for being a bit flat. She, er…he’s very energetic and very cute, not to mention has purple hair!! He can even speak like a genuine female – wow, what a skill! I still don’t understand what importance him dressing up as a girl is to story, or if there is any importance. She’s not one the front page of the website so does that make her a minor character? I don’t think so, as Yuuma isn’t on the front page and I think he’s a pretty important character. Jun should get more screen time too; I want to see what he has to do with everything or if he’s just a character there for extra entertainment. Maybe another childhood friend! Speaking of childhood friends, Yuuma’s step-sister (or whatever she is) is actually Haruhi’s childhood friend (and she calls her princess; wonder why…) We don’t know how she and Yuuma became siblings, which could be another complicated story that ties in with everything else, and might even be related to Yuuma’s magic mystery.

Plot Outline:

- Haruhi, Anri and other newcomers introduce themselves in their new class
- Haruhi learns that Jun is actually a guy after someone points it out to her
- As preparations are being made in the auditorium for the welcome of the freshmen, Anri tries to set all the chairs up with magic but moves them onto the ceiling accidentally
- She wants to try again but no one trusts her anymore due to her earlier performance
- The next day, the freshmen are introduced at the assembly
- Yuuma asks Haruhi to go watch cherry blossoms
- She (and the others) all decide to watch the cherry blossoms together
- Later as Yuuma and Haruhi are walking together, Haruhi tells him about the boy from her past who saved her with magic
- Yuuma makes it seem like he doesn’t like magic and Haruhi goes to bed that night thinking about this

- The next day, Haruhi meets Yuuma at their cherry blossom watching spot before everyone else comes
- She tries to ask him about whether he was the boy who saved her long ago but is too shy to do it
- Haruhi falls asleep on Yuuma’s shoulder
- Sumomo, Yuuma’s sister, appears and Haruhi wakes up
- It seems Sumomo is a childhood friend of Haruhi’s
- Haruhi discovers that Sumomo is Yuuma’s sister but they’re not related by blood
- The others show up and eat lunch made by Takamine, a senior at magic school
- It starts to rain and Anri tries to stop the drizzle, but only succeeds in intensifying it and turning the rainwater into alcohol
- Everyone gets drunk and passes out except for Yuuma and Takamine
- At the end of the day as Yuuma and Takamine are carrying everyone home, Takamine asks Yuuma whether he really hates magic or not
- Yuuma says he doesn’t hate it

Preview:

Next episode: # 3
I can’t make sense of any of the previews…

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