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Impressions:

I have seen many articles and comments criticising the first few episodes of the series; about the quality, story and adaptation of the game. As I have never played the game before, I’d say my impression of the series so far is quite different from others. I agree that the animation and quality is not too good, but I’m fine with everything else. I just wish there will be more plot movement and character development next time. When (and if) the subs come out, I will write a full summary for the series.

Quick Recap:

In a dream, Konoe Sunao tries to kill Erika with a sword, only to be stopped by Kanisawa Kinu and Yashi Nagomi. Amused at the sight of Sunao, she reveals a gun hidden beneath her blazer. Sunao wakes up at the moment she fires. She finds herself in a bed at the school’s sick bay, dressed in her sports uniform. She then remembers about the athletics event that had taken place. Ok, rewind a bit – earlier in the day, Erika and Sunao will challenge each other during the competition. I THINK the reason for this is to determine whether the theatre club will be formed – if Sunao wins, it will; if Erika wins, it won’t. As Sunao is cheering her friends on during the race, she recalls the time when she had been in the school council building, where she was informed about the competition.

The episode features several events with (nearly) all the characters participating. First there’s the race between Nishizaki Noriko and Satou Yoshimi (and some other girls, but they aren’t important). Satou manages to win the race, but barely. Nishizaki claims second place. For the people who aren’t good with names, Satou is the blue-haired girl who helps out Erika (the princess of the school and head of the school council. Nishizaki is the aquamarine-haired girl who likes taking pictures. Next is the race between Kanisawa and Asada. Kanisawa manages to win by sabotaging the other competitors. Asada comes second. Kanisawa is the short, blonde girl with braided hair. Asada is the orange haired girl who names herself Sunao’s fan. The next race is between the boys – Leo (the guy from Sunao’s childhood) and Murata Youhei (the guy with short, blue, combed back blue hair). They must run up to the table, read the description on a piece of paper, find the matching object carry it to the finish line. Leo gets the description of ‘poniiteeru’, or ‘ponytail’, which refers to Erika. Murata’s one reads ‘tsuinteeru’, or ‘twintails’, referring to Sunao (hey, they’re meant to be objects, not people!). Erika and Leo win easily. Then there’s Kurogane’s volleyball game (the blue-haired girl with the katana). She performs a spike from high up, turning the ball into a fiery dragon. The impact results in the destruction of part of the court and forces everyone to surrender due to inability to continue. Next, everyone has lunch, followed by various competitions, where Erika and Sunao have their heated battle – Erika wins all of them.

The boxing match between Subaru (orange haired guy; has long hair, ties is back, and no, not the guy who wears glasses) and Murata ends in a draw. But how to decide who wins? To replace them, Erika and Sunao have a game of Taiman(?) dodgeball. An enormous t-shaped balancing beam is erected. The two stand at either end and attempt to knock the other off with a dodgeball (at least I think the aim is to knock them off the stand). Sunao puts up a fairly good fight and takes everything up a step when she is cheered on, but Erika is simply far too good, and the match ends with Sunao fainting of exhaustion. She is about to fall off, but Kurogane saves her. Now we go back to the scenes before the OP, where she wakes from her dream. Satou is standing beside the bed, holding up a maid costume. Now I’m really not sure what happens, but I think that because she lost, Sunao has to dress up and clean the sporting grounds. However, it turns out almost everyone has gathered outside to help her. The sight brings tears to her eyes.

Preview:

ED =)

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