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Impressions:

Not quite as good as the last episode, and I’ve noticed that the quality has not been up to the standard that episode 1 set, but highly enjoyable nonetheless. I also can’t believe KyoAni used the same frame for Makoto’s prank as the time when she tried to put konyaku on Yuuichi’s face. Ah well, at least they make the effort to make everything as natural as possible, such as the slight swing of the shoulder when characters are walking, the different time settings for how often characters walking in one scene are different (which is indicated by the bobbing up and down, as well as the various feet shots while walking). I’m also a bit disappointed in Yuuichi. A lot of people started disliking him last episode, but I found his attitude then quite fine. However, I thought he crossed the line this episode. Him teasing Ayu like that when they were watching the movie was pretty cruel, and I doubt a mere ‘thankyou for today, it was fun’ would be enough to fix things in real life. And to think Ayu was looking forward to the movie so much in the morning. I also think he doesn’t treat Makoto too well, but he seems to be willing to listen to Mai’s advice and start treating her better soon. I was really hoping he would pat Makoto on the head and console her or something after the miso soup bath incident, but that didn’t happen. But Yuuichi is bound to start treating her better next episode…I hope. Makoto’s teary face at the end of the episode was so sad…

I have no idea where this show is going, but the ride sure is interesting. I guess some tragedy is bound to happen soon, and Makoto seems to be the first who will fall pray to this. Also, after Skane’s comment from the last episode about Mishio, I finally know who that girl in the OP is. I had been wondering who she was, as was the same for everyone else at the beginning of the series, but after most of the characters were introduced, I sort of forgot about her. Not to mention that I don’t watch the OP after the first time, unless I really like it. It looks like Makoto’s gonna get the centre stage the next few episodes, since all the clues are leading up to her now (including the preview). I think I bit too much was given away by the scene in preview where Makoto says she is the same as the cat (or was it a cat? I wasn’t paying enough attention) in the sense that they are both nuisances. It’s a bit sad really, and my hunch that Makoto is going to get very sick and maybe even die is getting stronger. I’m still waiting to see a little more connection between everyone’s past. The fact that Mai, as a demon hunter, has a hunch that Makoto will be needing Yuuichi, increases the chance of her being spiritual and a fox reincarnation or something is soaring. Ayu also has a supernatural aura around her, with her sudden appearances, unknown home and such. The main thing though, is the pre-OP sequence, where it looks like Yuuichi is crying over a dead Ayu.

Nayuki is meant to be a main character, but she has had only little appearances lately. Her constant drowsiness has been overly exaggerated and she looks too fat when that happens. I like her much better when she’s normal. So far, she seems to be the only one without a history as mysterious as the other girls. Shiori’s ‘looking for an answer’ appears to be more true than she lets on, and she’s getting more air time lately. Mai’s spiritual connection is probably the most blatant, but that doesn’t mean everything about her is known. In fact, the only thing about her that is known is the fact that she is a demon hunter. I wonder what would happen if she got to meet Ayu or Shiori. The addition of Mishio next episode, as everyone’s been stating, will hopefully add some new characteristics to the personality pool currently. I had originally thought Shiori would be the shy type, but she seems far more socially able while with Yuuichi (hidden predator?) Mai has taken a liking to Yuuichi, as it seems, since she’s speaking more when she’s with him. Nothing’s really changed regarding Ayu and Makoto though. Makoto has gotten much less energetic and the melancholies seem to be drifting in. Her fear of Ayu is pretty strange too, but it’ll probably have a good explanation later on (foxes fear ghosts?) Finally, Sayuri and Kaori don’t seem to be involved with anything mysterious, and the fact that she’s classified as a secondary character supports this. Too bad, they had such interesting intros.

Plot Outline:

- <flashback>Yuuichi meets up with Ayu and takes her out to have some taiyaki again
- During the conversation afterward, Ayu thanks Yuuichi, which makes him blush
- Ayu then asks him whether he likes his mother or not
- After Yuuichi answers with a yes, Ayu tells him that her mother passed away and left her behind
- Feeling sorry for her, Yuuichi invites her out to play again tomorrow</flashback>
- As Yuuichi is trying to sleep, Makoto comes to his room once again, and this time tosses a few firecrackers in his room
- He swiftly tosses them back outside, surprising Makoto and waking everyone up
- The next day, Ayu comes for breakfast and asks Yuuichi to see a movie with her, to which he agrees after a lot of reluctance
- During the day, Yuuichi finds a job application for Makoto so she can improve her social skills

- He later heads to school (it’s a Sunday) to see if Nayuki is training there, but instead comes across Shiori
- She admits that she had been waiting at the school since the afternoon, waiting for something that she doesn’t even know
- Yuuichi hurries to where Ayu is waiting for him to see a movie
- Yuuichi drags Ayu to see a horror movie, and she spends the entire time cowering under her jacket
- Afterward, the two have coffee outside, before deciding to call it a day
- Yuuichi thanks Ayu for the date (do you call something like that a date?), which is the opposite of what happened seven years ago (as it was Ayu who thanked Yuuichi)
- When the two bid each other farewell, Yuuichi notices Ayu following him instead of going home
- She reveals that this is because she’s scared of the night
- Eventually, she finds the courage to run home herself

- Back at home, Makoto reveals that she fell asleep during her job interview, but luckily Akiko manages to get her a job at her friend’s work
- Yuuichi makes his way back to school to meet Mai, who had just fought off a demon when he arrived
- She tells him that he should look after Makoto instead of visiting her
- When Yuuichi returns home, Makoto has already taken a bath and invites Yuuichi to use it
- Yuuichi enters the bathroom to find the tub filled with miso soup
- Of course, he scolds Makoto as Akiko and Nayuki drain the bath
- In the end, Yuuichi recalls what Mai had said and seems to rethink his attitude toward the teary Makoto

Preview:

Next episode – #7
Mishio appears? Makoto and the cat…

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