Kimi ni Todoke – 24

New Year’s unlike any for Sawahaya, when they reach each other with many spoken & unspoken words.

I immensely loved the current episode I’m about to review. :kissu I went crazy with gifs as well as imagery. Understandable with the fact that I’ve been waiting for this sequence for some time! Satte tou~

It all starts with a very surreal atmosphere—exactly where we left off in the last epi, when both Kazehaya and Sawako know that no one else is coming and they are somehow setup for an unofficial date. Coming back to the surreal atmosphere, you can almost hear the snow grazing Sawahaya’s feet, the ragged breath they take while trudging towards the temple. The snow swirls around them in rivets and falls steadily. Can you feel the breeze? The soft falling snow coating every surface possible?

Near the steps to the shrine, while climbing the first step Sawako’s almost slips when Kazehaya grabs her in time, to save her from falling.

Kazehaya to the rescue. Kyaaaaaa~

The silent atmosphere is broken and both of them fidget cutely.

In the bushes nearby, Yano-chin and Chizu are obsessing over the two, “what are they doing?!” while Ryuu is literally freezing his ass off. Poor bloke!

Chizu mind-reads Yano and calls Kazehaya to have him at ease and tell him that they informed Sawako suddenly that they couldn’t come. So, she really doesn’t know what to do. “Say sorry to her for me and take care of her, ok?”

Kazehaya to Sawako: “Aren’t you cold? Let’s go drink some Amezake?” He comes, stands besides her and fidgets waiting for her to take the next steps together. Awww, dawwness galore! :blush2:

Of course, Chizu and Yano-chin have to laugh manically and run off to clear other obstacles!

Ryuu really doesn’t care what they are doing (“What a terrible hobby,” he says condescendingly). He just wants Amazake… :sad5

Anyway, the way is still not clear; there’s the Bakka-Jo who could actually ruin the whole scene that these two setup after loads of scheming. Chizu and Yano take matters into their own hands and hurry towards Jo to distract him. (I hear the battle cry: “Engage!”)

They successfully entangle him and get the intel that none of his Bakka friends would be coming. The coast is clear! Yosh!

Though, Jo does notice Kazehaya with a pretty girl (Aho da ne!~) Chizu and Yano denies that he’s not going to come. No way! The pervert Jo wants to touch Yano’s boobies. :pfft She would kill him to an inch of his life, if he tries. :red:

Jo wants to drink Amazake with the trio and talk. As if they would ever let him go there! Yano flutters, “I hate Amazake!” No Amazake! Chizu nods while Ryuu, blabs on in his heart Amazaakeee~! *insert lots of drooling*

Going back to Sawahaya, they reach the Amazake stall and the lady shouts, “Two for the couple!” Sawako’s reaction is too cute to pass up!

She wonders, so ridiculous to feel so happy. What if Kazehaya was feeling annoyed? What she doesn’t know is that behind the Amazake cup, even Kazehaya is slightly blushing.

He tells her that this is the first time he liked Amazake. Before that he really didn’t like it that much. Sawako smiles and is happy to witness a first of his. The Kazehaya no one has seen before.

“My first time? Haven’t you already seen my many firsts?” He asks astonishingly. “Going to the shrine alone with someone, only the two of us. It’s my first time! While we are on the topic, for the first time I got a girl’s cellphone strap. And of course, for the first time, I’m wearing a stomach band!”

Kazehaya then asks has she made an email address. Both of them speak together for sending their email address to each other:

Sawako fidgets with her phone what to write; how could she write all the things she is feeling right now? But she somehow does.

“I was regretting why I didn’t ask for your number? Not just a bit, a lot. I should’ve done it forcibly.” Kazehaya entails. He gets her short message: “Thanks for everything this year. I’m glad that you are with me here today.” From her email, Kazehaya guesses her birthday being on the New Year’s.

“Barely safe!” He sighs and wishes her Happy Birthday, very earnestly. “If I knew earlier, I would’ve gotten something for you.”

Sawako simply replies, “But I’ve already gotten so many things from you. Your so many firsts.” Also, she thinks, I get to be with you, when I turn 16. (11:45PM, only 15 minutes to New Year’s).

Kazehaya asks, “How were you when you were a kid? Tell me from the beginning; 16 years ago, when you were born.”

“I was a normal kid. It’s very boring. Hontoni!~”

“But I want to know. Tell me.”

Sawako starts, “When I was born, I was 3kgs. I was 4 when I entered Kindergarten into the violet and lily classes. At that time my cousin Eiji started calling me Zashiki Warishi…” (Mythology of whatever prayed for would come true). She talks about which classes she entered and playing a lot of “solo” games: rubber jump rope, volley ball, cat’s cradle, Bridal robe, jasmine, bridge and speed. She finally stops, thinking he’s getting bored.

Kazehaya: “No, I’m not! When you joined high school, if you had told me all this then, I would say you enjoyed being alone but we got close and talked. I found out that you could have fun with anything and I thought you were good at finding out things to do for fun. It’s so fun to imagine.”

Sawako: “I entered middle school at 12. In third year I joined the closest to home Kitahoro high school when I was 15.”

Sawako flashes back to the spring when she turned 15 and met him. She goes on to herself, I wanted to become like Kazehaya. I wondered if that would change me.

Arrigato~ (Kazehaya’s voice resounds because he was the one who thanked her for the first time unlike being apologized to all the time.)

The one who always gave me a chance… was you. “This year was too different from the others… It will take too long to talk about.”

Sawako is overwhelmed with emotions remembering the year she spent with Kazehaya. Her 15^th year ended with her birthday being celebrated with him.

Soon a new year will begin

Sigh~ Such a beautiful episode! I could see every flake of snow and feel all the overwhelming emotions. ‘Tis too beautiful.  :kyaa: Let me impart another news, it’s not 26 episode but 25 episodes!!! That makes this epi second-last and the upcoming one last on March 31^st!  :shakesfist

But I don’t want to feel doomed right now because at least there is one more to go! I loved the whole pace of this episode. Started slowly but built up to a beautiful crescendo. From the scheming of Chizu and Yano-chin, the reluctant alliance of Ryuu and Bakka-Jo’s shenanigans to the heartfelt tête-à-tête between Sawahaya.

Just as Xiao-chan said in the last epi review, Chizu and Yano-chin are the BEST BFFs anybody could ever ask for! I simply lurved their shippiness! The extent to which they went to set this all up! Revel in their delight and their tactfulness of ambushing whoever came in Sawahaya‘s way. *glomps the two plushie BFFs*

Also, isn’t Sawako the best shoujo girl ever? Even being alone most of her childhood, playing solo games, she never lost the spunk and brightness of life. I was feeling Sawako’s emotions while trying to understand Kazehaya’s. We always hear Sawako’s monologue being the main character; unlike manga, we never get to hear what Kazehaya’s internal monologue is. Whatever it is though, this epi made it quite clear for the audience that these two have unparallel feelings for each other even if they will take time in getting their thoughts across. We will wait and root for them till the end because in our hearts, we are suckers for a good love story and this is one helluva shoujo! :thumb:

So, what were your thoughts on the second-last epi? I will highly miss KnT and would love it if Production I.G picks it up again to animate the rest of the Manga chapters. It deserves to and is worth it! :cute:

About Kyokai

The Boss lady of Metanorn, who makes it all happen. An animanga enthusiast, who watches/reads almost anything that strikes her fancy. Just beware of her Death Perception and always keep her happy. Regularly found at @KyokaiTM & #[email protected].