First things first, and only because I need to get this off my chest:
Bahahahahaa! REJECTED!! Mr. Know-it-all totally deserved getting his ego taken down a few pegs. Even if we all know that Chisaki really does have feelings for him, and that they'll end up together in the end should no one die next episode, but seeing his mug when Chisaki pushed him away and lied to his face felt REALLY REALLY GOOD!
Ahem.... enough vindictive childishness from me..... back to being a somewhat mature sunovagun....
I was and always have been an advocate of Kaname as the tragic hero, I always took his side before, during and after the time skip. I hated all those Chisaki Tsumugu shippers going all "He's so immature", "He should man up and just move on", putting him out as a sidenote/annoyance to their preferred couple, literally ignoring him and all the other trash talk.
Behind Akira, Kaname is THE BEST male character in this show. This episode just proved it. He knew from before the time skip that Chisaki had never looked his way, first with Hikari, then with Tsumugu, yet he persisted again and again letting his heart get torn to shreds over and over and over again.
He never forced himself onto Chisaki, understanding in the back of his head that with her it would never work that way, and being selfless in sacrificing his own feelings at the beginning of this episode to listen to Chisaki (the heartless one) rant first about Hikari, then about Tsumugu, and then going so far as to offer his advice to tell her not to be afraid to love Tsumugu (even as she was flat out denying it herself), at the expense of his own feelings for her. For those of you bashing him, I ask you this, could any of you here do the same? To ENCOURAGE the woman/man you loved for your entire life walk on with another whilst you still had major feelings for her/him and be so goddamn nonchalant about it? I think NOT. Hell I probably wouldn't be able to keep my own cool in that situation. People saying Kaname redeemed himself this episode only really need to go back and re-watch the entire series. He's been like this since the beginning! Second-best MC!
As a fan of his character, I have to berate myself for thinking too much in terms of his romantic interests and not in terms of his other feelings (i.e. his loneliness and his lack of someone to love/care about him) until that heart-rending speech of his in front of Sayu this episode. Hikari had Akari's family, Chisaki had Tsumugu's family, and Kaname....? No one, none at all. His loneliness did not just stem from not having a SO to love him back, nay, it stemmed from a loss of familial love and support that one can only obtain from those close enough to be considered "family". He was literally crying for a Home since he'd come back from hibernation, and up till this episode had never found it, much less someone to look his way and care for him.
This is why I believe that this is seriously the best outcome for him, to receive knowledge that Sayu has been looking his way all this time, and that given he had always known that his chances with Chisaki were next to none, that he could start trying to look Sayu's way (with two episodes to spare I might add!). Nice guys finally don't have to finish last!
Everyone has been praising Sayu since the time skip, I gotta admit that I had my moments of doubt with her due to her pre-time skip character, but her single-minded dedication to Kaname, her intelligence and maturity in dealing with various problems that arise, and her fearlessness in admitting first to Miuna and then openly confessing to Kaname has won me over.
She is so much better of a character than Chisaki ever will be and I sort of can't believe I'm saying that I'm actually glad that she'll end up with Kaname in the end. It's like both her and Kaname have endured all that heart-rending unrequited crap for so long that I'm so damn happy for these two to be able to find that best someone that they actually DESERVE.
Chisaki, well, we all know she has way too many serious issues and more baggage than Paris Hilton on a weekend trip. She refuses to admit her feelings for Tsumugu, its simple as that. First her open admittance to Kaname that she was justifying her rejecting Tsumugu by lying to herself about being in love with Hikari (which Kaname being the bad ass character he always has been, openly tells her that she's lying to herself), and then trying to justify herself by arguing that she doesn't deserve to take what Manaka has her heart set on simply because of survivors guilt (which, again Kaname rejects the notion of and simply encourages her to admit her true feelings for once). Even though I used to like her semi-ditzy character, my opinion of Chisaki sorta fell through the floor after this "n-th" denial, and then the suicidal suggestion to herself that maybe she should sacrifice herself at the coming Ofunehiki, in front of the two people who love her the most no less.
Ever think about how the people around you feel?
She just showed a too much selfishness and immaturity. I'm finding it hard to admit that I see her as anything more than a pretty face and a nice body now.
Even though I am not a fan of the "I'm all knowing, have a solution for everything, and everything I say is right" Tsumugu (I truly loved the rejection, sorry to say), but at this point in time I'm feeling sorry for even HIM that he'll end up with her and have to put up with her crap for the rest of his life.
Now back to the "Tsumugu has a solution for everything". Say what? All he did was make a suggestion that may or may not work, I don't get why some of you are already calling him a genius. It's probably comments and praise like that which irks me the most and probably lowers my opinion of him even more than it should be.
His suggestion that they throw Manaka's pendant back into the sea and trick the Sea God into believing she came back might sound like a smart move, but if I remember correctly, the last Ofunehiki Akari was suppose to be sacrificed and in the end Manaka took her place. Do they really think that they could "trick" a Sea God into believing a pendant with some of Manaka's feeling is the actual representation of Manaka? Do they really think that just because the Sea God has been tricked, that he would just give her back her memories and ability to love, given the chances that on regaining her ability that she would fall in love with another surface dweller and leave him all over again? Even Uroko-sama was doubting the plausibility of the plan. If something goes wrong (and given its the second last ep, so something probably will, to be resolved in the last ep), then way to go genius Tsumugu!
You really gotta pity Miuna, she may not be as mature as most of the characters, and she may irk a lot of viewers, but her feelings for Hikari are no doubt as strong as Sayu's for Kaname. The sad part of this is that we all know that she will never getthe same amount of closure/resolution as her friend. I never pegged her for the sole "forever alone" character in this story, but as we near the conclusion of the series, my premonition for her fate is becoming more and more bleak.
Lastly, to my main man, Akira! You are 5 years old and already know more about love than 90% of the entire cast, and have no qualms about going for your target, even though she's 9 years out of your league. For your courage and your bravery at facing the rejection head on (with mommy Akari at your side XD), I salute you!
So in conclusion, I'm happy that Kaname (and Sayu) gets the ending that he (they) truly deserves, I'm beginning to care less and less about Tsumugu and Chisaki (mainly due to the later, though I never really appreciated the former much), and I await resolution of the final questions:
1.) Will Manaka get her memories back? and
2.) Will she finally end up with Hikari in the end?
Bring on the next episode! Can't wait to watch the flags and boats burn! |