Status of soul: still not rocked

We learn more about Hayami this episode — where she lives and some more insight as to why everybody hates her. Takuma, with his miracle eyesight, doesn’t do too much with it right away. What’s weirder is how nobody seems to notice the difference. At least he gets some quality time with Hayami and how cute she looks.

Summary

Hayami likes her thoughtful moments on the hill. This time she has a pinwheel.

Takuma’s uncle (I mistakenly said father last time?) is weird as ever; oh well. After Takuma leaves home in the morning, Takuma finds Hayami on the hill again, inviting her to spend the day with him. This triggers some memory of a girl with candy. Hayami refuses him and leaves off on her own.

Otoha tackles him out of nowhere and chats with him. She says he’s gotten used to having eyesight, which is true. But it seems that everyone else has forgotten he was ever blind? Hinata and her friends show up and wave hello, and Otoha disappears for the moment.

As they tour the village, Takuma and company encounter Yui working the rice fields. Yui brags about how her family owns a bunch, but Hamaji counters by saying Hinata’s family owns a lot more on the other side of the village. We also see Yui’s two followers working the fields at her whim. She then trips and falls in the mud.

The tour continues, and Takuma spots a suspension bridge. He wonders what’s on the other side, but the girls say that no one must ever cross it, because a monster lives there. They go next into town, where Hamaji changes into a maid uniform and serves ramune. She goes off to look for near-expired food to share with them.

Hinata is still preoccupied about the bridge, but Takuma reminds her that monsters don’t exist. This however makes him curious enough to explore the bridge later on his own. He walks across and finds two old train cars made out to be a home; a school uniform is inside. He finds a small waterfall .. and a bathing Hayami. Cut to commercial.

We find Takuma hung upside-down from a tree like hunted prey. Hayami is sharpening a knife. She swings at him but cuts the rope instead. Takuma said he wanted to see the monster and brought ramune with him to thank Hayami for last time. While they eat, she warns him not to be friends with her; nothing good will come out of it. Takuma disagrees, but Hayami, pained by her past somehow, says that she can only be hated.

Takuma runs into Hinata on his way home, who tells him not to go near Hayami (earlier Hinata’s father was a little upset to know [somehow] that Takuma crossed the bridge).

The next day, Takuma left home early .. and went back to Hayami’s. He takes advantage of her grogginess to have a quick conversation about ramen, but she blushes when she finally regains her senses. …Takuma gets slapped anyway as we see later.

In school, Takuma continues trying to socialize with Hayami while everyone else in class ignores her and calls her ‘roach’. Hinata tries to insert herself but to no avail for now. Another classroom confrontation starts with Yui and her followers, and Hayami agrees to take it outside. The teacher looks on … and does nothing.

Outside, Hayami just allows herself to get beaten up. A flashback is triggered of a fire, with a young Hinata very upset about something that young Hayami probably did, whereas earlier it seemed Hinata was the girl who offered candy and friendship to a lonely Hayami.

Takuma comes to Hayami’s rescue and is labeled a roach, too, by Yui. But Hinata comes to deny that, saying that she’ll save him from Hayami; she swears so on her family’s name.

That night, Takuma spends time making pinwheels with Hayami, despite her telling him to keep away. She gives in, and they have a decent time together.

Impressions

Once again, soul is still not rocked.

This looks like a really silly middle school story right now. A lot of odd drama with Hayami being hated by the whole school — even the teachers don’t do anything. And she just allows herself to get beaten up every day? She appears to live alone; why would she even come to school? Who’s making her? And I was surprised at what Hinata said about saving Takuma from her. That’s a rather hateful thing to say, especially when Hinata appears so nice and timid otherewise.

The flashbacks give a little more insight to why the present is the way it is. I guess Hinata was one of Hayami’s first friends. But then Hayami was involved with some sort of fire, which made Hinata hate her. And perhaps Hinata’s family influence got everybody else to hate Hayami, too. That would explain all the prejudice at least; we just have to find out what the fire is now .. and if Hayami is really responsible or not.

Takuma’s doing his best as a peacekeeper. Since he’s new to the village, he has no grudge and no reason to hate Hayami. She seems like a normal girl after all, so he helps him — eyesight helping him to see things he couldn’t before. It’s a shame that all the other students are stubborn and willing to single out Takuma just like that, but Hinata seems to have some say in the matter.

I’ll keep watching for now, hoping for some soul rocking, but these characters really aren’t that special to me so far. Otoha has quite the loli voice for a face that isn’t so much; maybe I’ve become biased based on other series. Or I guess she sounds too happy for a character that has so little screentime so far.

Lots of Hayami fanservice in this episode, which looks nice. Takuma sure got an eyeful already at the waterfall, and he gets to walk in on her sleeping, too? Hayami really is a deredere girl at heart, I think; just her peers have caused her to grow that tsuntsun side.

I think this series is getting quite overshadowed by true tears. ^^;

~Crisu