I approached the second heroine’s arc of Amagami SS with both apprehension and excitement. If you’ve read my post on the first arc, it should be obvious why. The identity of the new heroine was actually not really on my mind, but she proved to be the one interesting bit in a story that felt almost sterile at times. Indeed, this arc was bad, but not spectacularly so like Haruka’s. And it was actually kind of good at times, which made it all the more painful to see it fall.
The Good: Sex Hair
Let’s start with the positives. Kaoru was a much better character than Haruka. She was energetic and playful without feeling forced. Her relationship as a friend with Junichi was fun to watch, as was the beginning transition into a romantic one, at least in the first couple episodes. Plus, she’s not called “Sex Hair” for nothing. That wavy hair was one of the things that drove me to this series in the first place, and it didn’t disappoint.
Yes, her hair was godly. It's what I'll miss most from this arc.
Having the path diverge immediately following Junichi’s failed Christmas Eve date 2 years ago to have Kaoru cheer him up was a pleasant surprise. If they were so bold as to change what was such a central element in the first arc, perhaps the stories would diverge so much as to leave the first arc but a bitter memory? Plus, it was much easier to cheer for someone who wasn’t still hiding in his closet from a singular event 2 years ago. Even if the star lined closet made a return in the final episode, not having the entire pretext of the story be of Junichi trying to get over that date by finding a new love made the story significantly easier to swallow.
In fact, the whole high level story of friends becoming lovers was handled pretty well for the first two episodes. The self doubts and struggles of emotions they went through seemed genuine, even if exaggerated. The second episode was kicked off by a refreshingly open and honest conversation between the two regarding the nature of their relationship (it’s a sad commentary on the medium that having a mature conversation about romance and friendship in anime stands out as exceptional). A shame that scene ended with the classic accidental kiss then embarrassment trope.
Even the fetish of the month – belly button this time – was handled much better. Under the context of these curious teenage friends and with Junichi basing it on the first thing he saw, I might even go as far as to say it was done tastefully. At the very least, it didn’t linger any longer than necessary and certainly wasn’t a key building block to their relationship as was the case with Haruka’s arc.
Was it because I was ready for something like this thanks to Haruka's arc? Or was this scene actually quite tolerable?
The Bad: The Entire Second Half
So that was the first two episodes. While nothing amazing, they were entertaining and provided a pair of protagonists we could really root for. It’s too bad that it all fell apart in the last half, where pretty much nothing happened.
Of course, this points to pacing – something that was also very problematic in the first arc – as the culprit. I could go on about its failures, stacking all the interesting parts at the front and leaving a pair of content free episodes to limp to the finish line. I could explain what a waste of time the third episode was and how the show lacked any sense of urgency given its unique time constraints and squandered what little time it had. I could get down to specifics, like how the entire set-up sequence at the start of the final episode was a complete waste of time.
But I think it would be most effective to sum it up concisely: All the interesting stuff happens either before or after the events shown in the anime.
Kaoru and Junichi have known each other for three years. The show is not shy about this fact and often references past events from their friendship, usually to hit on some sort of emotional note. The problem is that we never saw these moments. We caught the tail end of the friendship at the beginning of the arc, and it was fun. Hearing about these memories isn’t fun. Furthermore, since we weren’t a part of their history together, the impact on Junichi or Kaoru from being reminded of a past event is lost on us. You can’t shove years of character and relationship development into a few flashbacks.
This scene and others like it in the 7th episode would have been wonderful - if we had gotten to seen them first hand.
But at least we got to see their friendship, with some ear biting and imaginary German suplexing and belly button licking. As I wrote above, the start to this arc was fine. The opposite end, on the other hand, called in sick. All the fun stuff regarding their romantic relationship happens only after the arc is over.
The last two episodes – the entire last half of the arc – were aimless. I wrote about the first arc that I felt that the show suffered from its lineage i.e. that it emulated the storytelling of a dating sim visual novel to a fault. This could not have been more true in these 2 episodes. It is common to go through the mundane in visual novels. Most of the time, it is trying to insert you into the life of the protagonist, after all, and most of life is mundane.
Unfortunately, this translated to episode 7 being able to be summarized by, Junichi looks for Kaoru and eventually finds her, and episode 8 by, Junichi and Kaoru go on a date on Christmas Eve.
OK, there are some details I’m missing, but they were entirely superfluous. Kaoru’s problem with her mother proved to be a red herring. Its purpose seemingly was to have Junichi look for Kaoru and be reminded of her on the way, and then help her through this little conflict, but those things failed in having any impact. I already wrote above about how the flashbacks and reminders to past events were not effective due to us, the viewers, lacking a connection to those scenes. But having Junichi show up and solve everything by saying a few cliche lines was borderline insulting.
Silly girl, thinking you're strong enough to solve your own problems. You need a MAN to give you that strength!
And, of course, episode 8 had a very heartfelt conversation between Junichi and Kaoru as they stood on the glass at the top of the tower (psych protip: people tend to become more easily attracted when in situations that cause stress, such as being at a great height). Or rather, it would have been very heartfelt and sweet had it not been on their first date. When people on their first date declare that they want to spend the rest of their lives together, it’s more comedic than romantic.
And then, how did the episode (and by extension the story arc) end? When the day ended. Hey, that’s kind of like in a dating sim! There was no ending, no conclusion. The closest thing to a climax was the aforementioned humorous confessions of love atop the tower. Literally, the arc ended right after Kaoru teased Junichi with a climax before falling asleep. There was nothing of significance other than their first date. It was the start of something, and then, oh, The End. Kaoru deserved better.
The story of Junichi and Kaoru doesn’t end there. It’s just that our view of it does. We know that the two will go through the same things any romantic couple goes through. There will be fun times, sad times, angry times, happy times. Maybe they won’t make it past a second date. Maybe they’ll grow old together. Maybe they’ll marry each other, madly in love, at 20, then get divorced by the time they’re 30. These are the interesting stories that we are not privy to. Instead, we were served just the things leading up to it. And not even the good stuff like when they used to be just friends, but that magical, most boring moment in between, when nothing of interest happened.
They go on their first date, sleep - literally sleep - together, then it's over. Did no one in the writers' room notice anything wrong with this ending?
In Conclusion: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
While watching the aforementioned conversation atop the tower in the final episode, I thought back to the first 2 episodes and regretted the potential that had been wasted. Already, with so little time remaining, I knew that things couldn’t end well (I was hoping for a 10-years-later segment like in the first arc, at least, but we didn’t even get that). There was content in here to make a genuinely entertaining romance story. One that was both funny and emotional. The rooftop conversation at the start of episode 6 was a breath of fresh air in its mature handling of romantic emotions in anime. Kaoru was fun without being fake. That conversation at the top of the tower would have made for a very good climax to any other story about middle/high school friends becoming lovers. There just needed to be more leading up to it. They needed to have been together a bit longer. Junichi and Kaoru were afraid of getting together. It’s telling that the final episode was titled Development and started with their friends forcing them together. All that’s fine and natural, especially given their preexisting relationship, but when that takes over the entire story, you end up with one very boring story. Or rather, a very boring portion of a story. And that’s the portion we got to see.
My main takeaway from this arc: wavy hair needs to be the new thing for anime producers to latch onto and drive into the ground.
We’ve had 2 full story arcs now, enough to get a semblance of a feel for what to expect. I’m most surprised by how different the two arcs were. Haruka’s was back-heavy with almost all the content dumped into the last 1.5 episodes. Kaoru’s suffered from the exact opposite problem. Haruka’s fetish kiss was a hilarious disaster that proved to be a core part of the arc’s downfall, while Kaoru’s was barely a speed bump and actually kind of fun. What both stories had in common were that they both ended abruptly with a first date on Christmas Eve (though Haruka’s was kind enough to provide us with an epilogue), with all the good stuff of a romantic relationship left to our imagination.
Going forward – and I do intend to stick with this show all the way to the bloody end – I fear that that is exactly how every story will end. That this show will be all about the build up with no release. The first date is aptly named because it is the first of something. It is the start of something interesting. Certainly, the lead up to that can be entertaining – countless harem anime are proof of this – but when the curtain falls just as things get good, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Amagami SS has nothing up its sleeve besides the core romance story between Junichi and whichever heroine it is focusing on at the time. The comedy is banal and passable at best. The 4 episode limit per heroine leaves no time for other developments. It is with that romance story that this show lives and dies, and the show simply can’t afford to keep messing it up. A continuation of this ending pattern is a surefire way to guarantee failure.
Up next is Sae Nakata. Good luck, Sae! Seriously, you're gonna need it.
Eh, I mostly enjoyed the arc except for the close of the last episode, where it was clear the drama with her mom was left hanging and the ending was cut short by the network. Clearly they had a quota of character cameos to fill, so that’s partly to blame for not mentioning her mom again, and the network censoring the ending (apparently because her position while riding on his bike was too dangerous to be aired), leading to a still-frame and voiceover ending, was just unfortunate.
I may be in the minority, but the change of pace and mood in episode 7 onward suited me just fine. The events weren’t boring to me at all, just normal. The down-to-earthiness of her arc and character made them all the more relatable and likable. It was lower-key for sure, but the approach only made the intimate more intimate.
Episode 7 was different from 5 and 6, sure, but it wasn’t a waste at all to me. Friendship and romance isn’t all fun and games, we need a shot of somber in there too. I was able to connect with the slice-of-life flashbacks just fine. They only served to show how close they were and have been, and I think those happy images actually had more impact because of the gravity of the present situation. We _should_ be seeing this in real time, but we can’t due to the problem, so run Forrest run!
I didn’t find how Junichi is instrumental in helping resolve the crisis degrading to her at all. Really now. It pushed all the right buttons for me, and there was even that element of uncertainty when she flips him over (had to have quirks in somewhere to balance the relative realism I guess). He went above and beyond the call of duty for a friend there (because it’s not just the act of a friend, we know, even if he fully doesn’t at this point). Another blogger brought notice to the fact he remembered her favorite chocolate, of all things, and bought her that. It was especially telling of how deep his feelings for her were. And it’s no coincidence that chocolate is a lovers’ gift. He didn’t solve everything, since Kaoru and her mom make up off-screen, but he gets it going.
To me, the point of episode 7 was them finally opening up to each other in a way they never had before – admitting they wanted and needed to be with each other. Their official confessions in episode 8 are just reiterations of those, making explicit what was implicit with the I-love-yous.
You could even argue that the belly fetish kiss takes away from the real point of her story, given how much time they gave it. Sure they’re a little kinky (ear-biting and tickling and all) but that’s just cinnamon on the apple pie, over the comforting theme of support running throughout. But what else is she most known or notorious for, aside from her hair? (Her hair is also just the topping on the sundae of her being; I would not have minded if she had straight hair but the same personality.)
Episode 8 was relaxed (too relaxed in fact, due to all the unnecessary cameos) because it didn’t need to be anything else (and there was little else they could adapt from the game at that point.) Them declaring their love on the first date was an acceptable break from cold reality to me, and I think it was just the pot finally whistling after being left on a low fire for some time, with the flame growing stronger little by little. The arc slowed down and mellowed as it went, but I think it fits since they’re much at ease with each other and really didn’t have as tall hurdles to jump after they practically confessed to each other in episode 7. Sure Keiko and Umehara had to nudge them along but it was only hastening the inevitable. Again, the second half was different from the first half but that doesn’t make it wrong or bad to me. It may be slower, but it’s because the plot action got more internalized as it went.
The ending left me hanging but not as much as others (you?) because I read spoilers beforehand. In the game, when they do end up together they’re either living together in college (second-best ending) or they’re as the show left (or meant to leave) them as, but with the added epilogue scene of her taking him to meet her parents (best ending). She simply doesn’t have as big a timeskip as in the first arc. Still it’s too bad that the ending was cut then censored and so felt lacking and abrupt. It was just not in the stars for her fans, I guess. Conversely, since they’ve promised to stay together forever and their romantic relationship is built on ironclad friendship, not lust, people just can read between the lines so it’s not too bad.
The drama with her mom should have been deeper, true. They should have brought it up again and I was waiting for it to happen all the way to the ~fin~. It does run deeper in the game as can be expected. Though she makes up with her mom, she still feels insecure, getting hugs from Junichi. (In the game they actually do hang out and kiss more.) It’s rather more significant in the game also since Junichi being her “rock” only adds more fuel to their love. Even if they skipped some of those parts, we did get a fair sense of that anyway, I think. But during their first night she says she needs him just like her mom needs a new man. This plot thread-linkage with perhaps just one line of dialogue would have vindicated all the time spent on the drama for the naysayers and it’s much better than falling asleep (or pretending to) after kissing. But if you don’t take the game into account, the flaw isn’t as big. Would that there had been no flaw though. Yet, taking the statement of a complete recovery literally, it doesn’t seem so far out; she’s not called “the nuke” for nothing if she doesn’t have the tendency to be volatile. And since (as dialogue says) it was love for her dad that prompted her breakdown, I can’t fault her feelings in that situation.
Again, I wish the writers hadn’t given so much time to side characters. Their intimate moment by the restaurant lost some of its oomph by directly cutting to his little sister and the other tots. For all we know they could have been holding hands or so while they were chattering. The time management choices were baffling then, but it’s a minor quibble since the point of the sequence was made. But they were just frustrating in the final episode with all the cameos and all, leaving some things lacking.
All in all, the arc was great and satisfying for me except for the very end where it was only all right. Did more things right than did not. I have no interest in the others since her character just kills me, and more importantly their story of friendship and romance, based on being there for each other, hits the closest to home.
I forgot to explain the differences between the endings:
In the bad and normal endings, they’re still friends but nothing like the couples they become in the best endings. Her love is unrequited in the bad ending since Junichi stands her up to date another girl, but she forgives him after tossing him in a river. In the normal ending, she just hits him after Keiko of all people confesses to him.
The good ending has them living together in college, but they haven’t promised to stay together forever. There’s that element of uncertainty hanging over them, since theirs is a more casual relationship.
The best ending, as we know, has them still in high school but they’ve exchanged vows rather like a married couple, so there’s that seal to keep them in place. Of course marriages don’t always last, but that’s no fun.
I see. It’s interesting getting the perspective of someone who knew the story beforehand. And I appreciate the dissenting opinion. Makes me think harder about my own. I still maintain that the 3rd and 4th episodes dragged on needlessly, and that abrupt/laughable ending made for a poor ending to a poorly told story. But I can see how one would think otherwise.
Matsumae Ohana of Hanasaku Iroha has the same Wavy Hairstyle