Jitsu wa Watashi wa – 12
“Hehhhh there’s no problem if I keep this, right?”
Can anything stop the awesomeness of Jitsu wa Watashi wa?
Getting Over the Awkward Silence
Another run-in with Akane for Nagisa
After last week’s uncomfortable silences between all the major characters, this week they finally resolve to do something about it. Having been forced to face her feelings by Akane, Youko’s been avoiding Asahi for a few days, and Asahi’s just not sure what he can do to get back to a spot where they’re more together. But as usual, Asahi’s got good friends who know when to encourage him, and are trying to get him back on the right track. But before that happens, there’s another mixup with Nagisa and Asahi that sets Youko back a bit.
Maybe for a vampire, having ice cream in your eyes is a sign of love?
The interlude with Nagisa and Akane that leads to the Nagisa / Asahi contretemps that scares Youko away again (whew) was another great example of the characters in the show acting like themselves. Akane has two clear motivations: to tease the kids and to get more of Nagisa’s chocolate cake. They’re consistent and authentic, and I think it’s fairly hilarious that her price for granting Nagisa’s wish wouldn’t have been her soul or something you’d usually think of in a deal with a demon, but a cake that was originally a fluke. But of course she introduces it with glowing eyes and big words. It just adds a sheen of ludicrousness to the whole deal. But the picture that is finally liberated from Akane, of Nagisa lying on Asahi, in full blush, just ends up adding to the confusion as all the rest of the characters find her with it, just as she’s convincing herself to keep it (and laminate it). And I’m gonna bet that she’s able to get it out of big class rep’s “stomach” after eating it.
Nagisa confronts her own feelings
Trying to Confess
By Any Means Necessary
After Youko misunderstands what she sees with Nagisa and Asahi again, finally Asahi is trying to get the opportunity to confess to her. And Youko has something that she needs to tell him too, which could be a reciprocal confession maybe? That’s certainly what Asahi has his hopes up for as he heads to his meeting with her. He certainly doesn’t want it to be what he saw in his dream, which was her saying goodbye to him. Nor does he want it to be what Oka says: That they shouldn’t be friends because he should be with Nagisa. So he’s determined to finally give her his letter.
I have to stop you, but I can’t tell you why
But Nagisa can’t let that happen. She knows she likes him, and Mikan has pointed out that she needs to make a decision soon before she regrets it. So she endeavors to stop him. It’s a typical action sequence for this show, fun and exciting, but this time there’s a different aura seeping into it as well. A desperation on both Asahi and Nagisa’s part, for him that he has to succeed and can’t let Nagisa stop him, and for her that she can’t let him confess to Youko, because that will be the end of her hope. And she can’t tell him that, because she’s not ready to confess. And she comes to realize that if she confesses first, and becomes a couple with Asahi, then she won’t be able to stay the same kind of friend with Youko. So she wants things to stay as they are for now.
… painful
But Asahi won’t be denied, and shows even more fortitude than Nagisa. This is his chance to shine and show how much he wants to be with Youko. And while he wants to try to help Nagisa, he can’t give up this chance to tell Youko. So he finally fights through to get to Youko… only for her to be carried away from in front of him. But he’s not giving up, and we’ll see that next week.
She wasn’t waiting for a confession…
I thought the transition in the action sequence from the lighthearted chase like in the 2nd episode to the serious exploration of feelings was great. It wasn’t out of place at all, and captured the feeling of the two characters involved well. It also didn’t go too far. Maybe some shows would have had Nagisa break down in tears, or get silly, but once it took that serious turn, it didn’t ruin it with anything silly. It kept that mood through the end, through seeing Youko fly away, and through Asahi asking for her help. I had thought this was going to be the last episode, but I’m so glad there’s one more.
That’s a look we haven’t seen from Asahi before
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Wow. I never even thought of that as an option.
That was a heck of a cliffhanger as well. I hope they can wrap up the show in a decent manner.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I do hope that the last episode isn’t too much of running around or being mopey. I don’t think it will, since Asahi seems to have decided very quickly what he was going to do.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I find myself wanting to let the plot take care of Asahi as it will. But, it failed to protect Nagisa’s smile. I want that smile back!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I don’t think we can blame the plot for that. Unfortunately for Nagisa, she got herself into a position where there was no good option for her. She even acknowledged the untenable position she was in. Ultimately, I think that the way things turned out in this episode have the best chance of bringing her smile back. Her heart may hurt now, but that’s something she will probably get over with time, and she will have the distraction of helping Asahi for a while.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Nagisa has to be working for the cheapest set of alien overlords ever. They can’t supply her with an alien super tech machine that shoots a mind altering ray? Instead when she wants to alter Asahi’s mind she has to rely on a shovel or a hammer? But that fits in so well when this show is running on its ridiculous track.
It has also done so well with showing the developing feelings between Asahi and Youko when it decided to be more serious. I have high hopes it’ll be able to stick the landing in the last episode, mixing both the ridiculous and the emotional.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I take that as part of the joke, that the aliens certainly don’t have any kind of mind control or memory removal devices either, but Nagisa reads about it in manga, so she thinks that they might actually work. I actually like the kinda sly insight that gives us into Nagisa’s personality, that she reads enough manga (or maybe even watches anime) to have picked up on that. Her ideas also help the show be serious and ridiculous at the same time, and you’re never sure how much of her completely believes that a hammer can be used as a memory removal device, or a shovel can be used as a sleep induction device, or how much of her knows that even if she wants it to, it’s just braining Asahi with a shovel or a hammer.
I think that if they continue to let the characters be themselves, the way they have through the whole series, that the ending will be good no matter what happens. There’s always a possibility they’ll mess it up, but I’m hoping for good things.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I know that was part of the joke. I was being facetious about the lack of an alien mind altering ray.
I think they will let the characters be true to themselves. They have so far and it’s been working. Why mess it up at the end with a big character change?