Amagami SS – Episode 13 – Ai’s Beginning

Ai Nanasaki. She’s mysterious to me. She looks cold and broken. Her eyes in the OP aren’t dead, but they aren’t full of energy. They’re full of mystery. Or at least, that’s how I’m seeing Ai so far. The first scene though does something strange with Ai’s character that has been subtly built up so far (the mystery character), it displays her in snow as a bright and cute girl.

Young Ai. Lively and happy.

No Summary

On my no summary scheme, here are some excellent summaries from elsewhere. THAT’s summary isn’t much of a summary. Random Curiosity’s summary is detailed though. Update: About ten minutes after I wrote this, Slugs published their summary. Lovely.

Bonus Summary: Junichi meets Ai one day in the park when he wants to use the bathroom. The he meets her the next day while in the lunch line unable to choose his dish. Ai’s about to take a practice swim when she hears the alleged black cat nyaaing outside. She finds Junichi snooping around the bottom of the steps – she accuses him of planning of being perverted again like at the park. She proceeds to tease him by asking if he wants to see under her skirt. She lifts it up revealing nothing more than her swimsuit – although Junichi nearly has a heart attack. The next day, Ai laughs at Junichi when she sees Miya’s red pen on his forehead. Since she’s short handed at the moment, she brings him to the grocery store to carry her household goods. She gives him some tickets and they win 500 yen. They spend it on some pancakes. They talk about some stuff and then the episode concludes with Ai smiling on the beach.

aI Don’t Know

Let’s get this out of the way. Miya’s up to her clever remarks. The allusion to a black cat of course brings back major memories from not too long ago.

Does that remind you of anyone?

I’m sure Miya is silky smooth. Absolutely sure. Now, on with the show.

Essentially, I’m cutting out a bunch of relatively boring stuff. The first arc brought us the fetish late, and the second was almost instant. The third toned it down by delivering the fetish through third party fish. In the first half of the first episode of Ai’s arc, we find the initial hints of a fetish: swimsuits under school uniforms.

Oh But - I am looking!

Junichi thinks it’s bad to look – that’s Junichi4 for you. Ai is really direct with perversion though. Haruka and Kaoru took their innuedno to new heights in the end game. Ai’s starting early.

If Hibiki saw her doing this - it would be the end...

Ai comments that it’s too bad it was just a swimsuit. And then she goes on to say, while Junichi is trying to hide his shame in thinking it was too bad that she won’t allow any groping. That’s almost admitting it’s okay to look!

Right.

Haruka of course, being close to Hibiki, shows up. I don’t really like Harkua anymore. Maybe I’ve been away too long?

What was that walked by? An american? No! It was Haruka!

The beach scene was nice. Here’s what we learned: Ai is in the swim club, enter a tournament soon, does after school community work, does all the house work for her working parents and is probably decent in school. Did I mention she was in the same class as Miya, again?

Cute.

Finally

Ai is mysterious. Her eyes are alluring but all scary at the same time. I don’t know what spin Junichi will be putting in on this arc, where the first was roleplaying, the second was being there and the there was oh-sensi-you’re-the-best.

Slender, perfect for a swimmer.

The ED of this arc is excellent too. It’s very fitting. It showcases her swimming club obsession first and shows off her mysterious grin, her eyes darkened by her hair and a shocked scene and and odd space scene. Her mystery is timeless?

I look forward to more. (I’ve said she’s a mystery too many times now.)

Committed.

Amagami SS – Episode 7 – Kaoru Arc III

Finally we can see what has troubled Kaoru so much. This episode was excellent, we had more glimpses of other arc heroines and of course more screen time with our male lead – but unfortunately without any strange and new methods of kissing.

A Quick Summary

Junichi is watching TV with Miya and snacking on their favorite rice chips. A commercial with a girl in a bikini comes on and he stares at her bellybutton remembering his evil-doings from just yesterday. Miya notices and hits with a pillow calling him a pervert and a bellybutton-kisser. Later at school, Kaoru does not show up for class. Concerned, he asks he girl who he gave to advice to a few days ago where she is. She tried to call, but never got through because no one answered. Then, he goes to all of the places she hangs out, and then runs off into the city ignoring the rest of the day’s classes. He thinks about her favorite candy in a grocery store, he meets the boys whose birdie Kaoru saved – they told him that she was crying down by the beach. He just misses her, and he walks off somewhere and eventually overhears Haruka and Hibiki talking about a waitress that spilled crab all over.

Junichi found Kaoru working at her restaurant. He tried to get her attention through the class but only managed to get a customers attention and is broke so he can’t walk in and order coffee. He waits outside the back door for a while, and Kaoru pokes her head out saying it’ll be 15 minutes before her next break – she also gave Junichi a scarf During her break, she spills the beans: her mother was with a man she didn’t know – her mom smiled in a way she wouldn’t do at home so she was angry and when got home, they had a fight. Kaoru didn’t want her mom to remarry, so she stayed out all night at an manga cafe after seeing her mom with some guy. Then she hurls Junichi over and returns to work, well, after some mushy stuff. She goes to call her mom. Miya and her friends are walking by, but luckily don’t see Junichi this time. Finally, Junichi gives Kaoru her present – her favorite candy. The next day she is full of energy and very cheery, she thanks Junichi.

That was longer than I expected, but it was easier to write because I paused halfway in each section.

A Tale Along A Scarf – Impressions Mixed In

She's right - he's a bellybutton-licking freak

Miya took a moment before the opening credits to roll out what possibly could be the naming calling insult of the year: bullybutton-licking freak. She witnessed the previous escapade of Junichi in the library so she has every right to say this. Miya doesn’t really shy around Kaoru at all, unlike she did with Haruka, and the reason for that is still unknown.

'I'm homeless... could I have some coffee... please...?'

Kaoru is found working and she notices him outside the window. She presents to him the scarf of his dreams, but I guess we don’t know if he keeps it or not. Anyway, he was willing to wait outside for her entire shift to end but luckily he’s not sly at all and is easily noticeable. Kaoru also showed her generosity by way of the scarf.

She should be careful - Junichi has hot coffee in his hands

The emotional dump upon Junichi was taken very well. Thinking about on it now after watching the entire episode, it wasn’t that emotional. She wasn’t screaming and crying and she was totally crazy either. She obviously calmed down a lot already before he even got there. She was stable enough to be working after all.

They had three colors of what?

I think every arc girl was in this episode. Of course Miya was with Ai and the other girl. Those three were talking about something, but they didn’t allude as to what it was. Something for Christmas perhaps?

'That was perfect.' - Hit By A Truck When Crossing Road

Junichi gave Kaoru her favorite chocolate and started to cross the road. I thought for sure something was going to happen in that time to make this entire arc totally win. But that wasn’t to be since no truck came out of nowhere.

That's how you walk when out on dates - not in school!

The day after brings Kaoru new life. Junichi offers to help carry a huge amount of paper for single class. That’s absurd. That school needs help.

And she called -him- a pervert!

It wasn’t the final scene, but seriously it was amazing. I never expected her to walk in while he was taking a bath. Since Miya called him a pervert earlier, I it was ironic she did that herself, so she’s more so than he is. Interesting for her I think. I couldn’t quite tell if she was honestly concerned about him in a hot bath and being all red and such.

Finally

Well, my impressions were above. Kaoru and Junichi have affirmed their relationship with each other, more or less. He vowed to stay with her. It’s kind of like the Haruka arc, she was lonely and he was going to be there for her. Kaoru wasn’t so lonely, she wanted to cherish her father’s memory and live with her mother alone. But as times change, she’s getting what is very much like a new guy in her life – making it more fair for her mother to also have new love in her life too.

Good episode.

Committed.