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Rating: 9.4/10

Impressions:

I was expecting Makoto’s arc to conclude this episode, but I’m glad it hasn’t. This prolonged occurrence of her reverting back to her fox form, or dying, is excellent material for arousing people’s emotions. This episode is rather sad, and who’d have thought, bright sunshine makes it sadder than rain. I’ve been thinking about how the mood of the episode would be if the setting had been a rainy day, and I feel the nice weather actually makes things more surreal and depressing. It gives the sense that ‘anything can happen, even on a day like this’. Yuuichi is probably the one who’s suffering the most, as I doubt Makoto is actually feeling any real pain. She is completely unaware of what is happening, so she at least can enjoy the rest of her human life in peace. Yuuichi, on the other hand, tries to remain strong, managing to spend the little time left with Makoto with a smile. His desperation makes this episode even more morose, if I must say, since his façade emanates that common sense of dread. Seeing Makoto slowly deteriorate is also quite hard, though for people like Akiko and Nayuki, this makes her past a little easier to believe. Although there’s no way a sensible person would believe such a story so readily like Akiko, if that’s how the plot goes then so be it. I don’t want to complain; no, I have no reason to. I am thoroughly enjoying this wonderful show.

Since KyoAni decided to present Makoto’s arc before any of the other girl’s, unlike the Toei version, I’ve been wondering whether the plot will digress from the original storyline (actually, I’m not sure how closely the original Kanon followed the game). It seems unlikely that such a main character will be killed off this early. Let’s not think about Air for a moment; there is still approximately two thirds of the show left – perhaps Makoto can somehow survive temporarily, or have her arc put on hold, until sometime later when another girl’s arc has begun. It’s not a likely idea, especially since KyoAni is more than capable of completely isolating characters and stories. This episode, Mai, Ayu and Shiori does not appear once; the entire time is spent on Makoto and Yuuichi. Although I believe this is the right thing to do for the last episode of a certain arc, the fact is this episode is not the last. These past two episodes, focused almost entirely on Makoto, could have easily been spread out a bit more, allowing Yuuichi to interact with the other characters once in a while, while Makoto is still strong. However, when Makoto’s degradation becomes apparent, the remaining time should be spent on her. After watching these consecutive episodes revolving on Makoto, I have grown to like her more, though I now miss the other characters further as well. I’ve read that Ayu’s and Nayuki’s arcs are the best, so I’ll be looking forward to them, but let’s not exclude Mai and Shiori. There’s also the question as to whether Amano is completely tied to this arc, whether she will get her own or just appear in other arcs.

Plot Outline:

- Yuuichi continues to spend more time with Makoto
- He reminisces about his past with the fox, who is now Makoto
- Yuuichi had found the fox when he was young and often played with it
- However, he was forced to abandon it when he moved
- Makoto’s health continues to deteriorate
- At night, Yuuichi sneaks out to Monomi Hill
- Makoto follows him and starts to remember her past as a fox
- Yuuichi yells at Makoto for her to not remember anymore than she has
- When they return home, Makoto develops a fever
- Even so, Yuuichi continues to play with and comfort Makoto

- Makoto, on the other hand, is acting more like a child
- Yuuichi goes to see Amano one night and asks about Makoto
- While conversing, Amano tells him about her own hard past
- She also explains how there is no hope for Makoto if she has another fever
- This is because she releases heat when changing
- Her retaining her human form is proof of her attachment to Yuuichi
- When he returns home, Yuuichi tells Akiko and Nayuki about Makoto being a fox
- This absurd explanation is somehow easily accepted by both Akiko and Nayuki
- The next day, Yuuichi once again stays home with Makoto
- After reading to her a romance manga, Makoto asks him to marry her so they can always be together

Preview:

Next episode - #10
Makoto’s final farewell?

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