While discovering she is not completely alone in the first episode, Sawako finds her status with her peers to be unchanged. Summer vacation has passed and the second year of high school brings a change of seating to the class. What should be a mundane event becomes something truly moving and marks the real beginning of Sawako’s quest to break free from the chains of her loneliness.
In manga and anime, there is a genre called “slice of life” that is more popular with the female fans in Japan. Rather than having a tightly plotted storyline, a more episodic format of following every day life is featured. Kimi ni Todoke is often classified in that genre and borders on being that, but there is an over all plot to it, albeit one that very slowly unwinds. If there was ever a story that relished the journey, it would be this one. Fortunately for us, it does so beautifully.
A gloomy gray sky spitting rain opens the second episode as we see Sawako Kuronama find an abandoned puppy in a cardboard box. Being pure of heart, she leaves her umbrella behind to protect the very hostile pup. Paying no mind to the falling rain, she is soaked thoroughly by the time she gets to school. Which, of course, makes her look even more like the villainess Sadako from Ringu!
This does nothing to allay the rumors and suspicions of her classmates. Though it is a new school year and the events at the end of the previous one have not been forgotten, Sawako is still suspected to have supernatural powers. Her lack of understanding on how her actions are taken only compounds the problem. Being oblivious to what is going on around her also is an issue, with rumors about her being rejected by Kazehaya are going around.
It occurs to me that I should explain how in Japan it is usual for a high school class to stay together for the duration of the three years spent there, unlike here in America. This class becomes a social unit and the only interaction outside of it with others in the grade comes through after school activities clubs. So you are pretty much stuck with the same people year after year. Fresh starts are few and far between.
Coming to the drenched girl’s rescue is Kazehaya, who has clearly not lost any of his interest in her. His invasion of her personal space causes an awkward moment. Sawako believes she has caused him problems in the past and still does not understand how he feels. Still, he plays the knight well and talks his friend Chizuru into loaning her some dry clothes. Dry gym clothes and those of us who remember high school know what that entails.
Flashing back to the end of the previous episode, we find out Kazehaya thinks he was rejected by her at the beginning of Summer. Confused by her odd reaction and behavior, the poor boy is not sure what he should do. But he finds himself unable to leave her alone and this is only the beginning of many misunderstandings as the teens fumble through life.
A show of gratitude by the lonely girl to those who helped her out that morning brings out a physical tic of Kazehaya’s, that of covering his mouth when flustered or emotional. For an extrovert, he does not handle deep emotions very well. It is an interesting aspect to his character.
A chance to bond with the object of his budding affections is made possible when they find out the other had stopped in the rain for the puppy. Going to check on him after school leads to an amusing scene between the two and a growing realization for Sawako that she is feeling a strange and new emotion. The puppy is another matter entirely, as we discover animals do not like her.
All of this is just a lead up to the main event the next day. It is time to change seats in the class and drawing numbers from a box is how things are decided. When her classmates openly talking about how cursed it is to be around “Sadako,” it wounds the girl deeply. After Sawako draws the first number, nobody is willing to sit next to her. Will her fledgling attempts to break out of her shell be crushed so soon?
Thoughts
Having been an outcast in elementary school, this episode brought back some unwelcome memories. The situation Sawako finds herself in is not unrealistic, as some would claim, though in my experience high school is not nearly as bad as grade school was. How much is dramatic exaggeration and how much is cultural difference, I cannot say, but it is more plausible than some would expect.
Coming out of her shell is not going to be an easy path for Sawako to take, as evidenced in this episode. All the petty things that adolescent girls do are not glossed over or avoided in the least and the casual cruelty of teens is normal no matter the culture. For a show that portrays mundane things, there is an air of tension that keeps pulling me in. Perhaps it is the slow dance between Kazehaya and Sawako, or the sympathetic characters that make you care for them that makes this so watchable.
Unbearably sweet at times and humanely amusing as well, there is more than just drama going on. The twenty plus minutes flew by, which is always a good sign when watching something.
But warning signs that bad things are to come are seeded in this episode, so keep your eyes and ears open.
BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!
I loved how Kazehaya started something bigger than he planned and how that ended up forming the group we follow throughout the series. It was a beautifully emotional scene. It was also a nice way to introduce Ryu. But it is Ayane who is the most fascinating of the group, what with her observing everything and deciding to take action.
What a subtly ominous first appearance this was. From her being seen only from behind during some of the gossip scenes to the lingering beat of her watching Sawako and Kazehaya, you know the pretty girl is going to be trouble.
The artistry of the final scene is splendid. I always appreciate the proper use of lighting in any medium and the rays of the sun were beautifully rendered. If evoked a feeling of being in the warm final days of summer at that magical time before sunset when the day has waxed long. What a joy Sawako’s smile is and the shared radiance is no coincidence, I think.
Oh I love Blu-ray for being able to see this in such high quality!
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