Honey and Clover Ep 06

After the onsen trip, the group proceed to a zoo where they seem to be the only people around since it's not a public holiday or weekend. Yamada and Hagu ask Mayama for help in feeding the giraffe and he starts to talk crap about how pitiful the giraffee is because it has been brought to such a cold country alone. Yamada cannot stand his remarks and gives him a kick to make him shut up.

Hagu is looking intently at the giraffe and Takemoto realises that she is trying to remember its image for her drawing. He passes her a carrot to feed to the giraffe but Morita pops out of nowhere to gobble up the carrot. In order to pacify Hagu, Takemoto goes to buy another carrot, leaving Hagu alone with Morita who remains silent and looks at the giraffe. Hagu steals a peak at Morita and blushes when she thinks of how cool he looked when he used soy sauce for his drawings.

Yamada treats Mayama to some coffee to apologise for her kick and he tells her not to be so rash towards her future colleagues and superiors. Yamada says that she has not found a job yet and tries to ask him about his plans with Rika but Mayama evades the question and goes away.

Mayama comes to talk to Hanamoto who knows that Mayama has something to ask him. He asks Hanamoto whether he had lived with Rika after her husband died and the latter does not deny it. However, that was to stop Rika from committing suicide so there's nothing special between Hanamoto and her.

Hanamoto relates that he and Harada (Rika's husband) were very close friends since their university days and had lived together with Rika since Year 3. Mayama recollects that he had seen Rika's body which was covered with scars as a result of that accident which killed her husband and made her a cripple. That night, Rika was driving the car when they were going home after attending the opening party of a shop they had designed. Due to this, Hanamoto stayed with Rika so as to keep an eye on her. However, he found that it was too painful to be with her since being together would remind them of Harada. That is why Hanamoto got Mayama to work into Rika's company because Mayama's not the type to poke his nose into other people's affairs. Unexpectedly, Mayama fell in love with Rika. When asked how he felt towards Rika, Hanamoto says that both Harada and Rika are very important people to him and he doesn't know how to categorise their relationships since they are neither friends or lovers. Apparently, Hanamoto did ask Rika whether she would consider accepting Mayama's feelings but she says that she does not want to make use, rely and hurt him just because he loves her. Mayama is lost in thought about his feelings and Yamada looks on sadly. Morita looks at the two of them and seems to be thinking of something...

The submission dateline for the graduation project will be up in 4 days and Mayama and Morita are panicking over this. Yamada looks very relaxed as she has submitted her project. Morita pokes fun at her for not having found a job despite finishing the project and ends up being beaten by Yamada. In actual fact, Yamada will be staying in the university as a research student for another 2 years so there's no hurry to find a job.

Morita is working on his graduation project and his friend, Kaoru comes to ask him whether he loves money and he replies in the affirmative after some thought...

Mayama has finally finished his project and receives a job offer from Fujiwara Agency. Yamada hears about this and congratulates him. Just then, they hear that Morita has disappeared and his project which is a sculpture of himself has not been finished. When Morita returns, the bell signalling the submission dateline rings...

The graduation party for Mayama is held at Hanamoto's office and Hanamoto informs Mayama that Rika will be working with Mr Asai from ARTCRAFT for the time being so she will not be hiring anyone for the moment.

Hanamoto tells Mayama to carry the drunk Yamada home. On the way, Mayama asks Yamada why she loves him. Although Mayama feels that Yamada is a nice girl, he knows he has to reject her one day if she confesses her feelings for him. However, deep inside, he knows that he won't be able to take it if Yamada disappears in front of him. He feels quite upset whenever he sees Yamada because it's as if watching his own reflection in her where his feelings for Rika are not reciprocated. Nevertheless, he cannot seem to give up Rika and finds that he's really useless. Upon hearing this, Yamada starts to sob and keeps repeating that she likes Mayama who replies with a heartfelt "thank you".

I like this episode very much. Besides the scene where Mayama told Yamada about how he felt about Rika and Yamada, it seems that Hagu has some feelings for Morita from the way she is looking at him while they are at the zoo. In addition, Morita seems really disturbed when he sees Takemoto and Hagu together but it doesn't seem like he's making any move to show it.

Somehow, Harada gives me the impression that he's of the same type as Morita. As what Hanamoto says, Harada may appear to be frivolous on the surface, he can see through what people are thinking and this trait can be seen in Morita too. Morita can make you laugh when he says he loves money but when he is deep in thought or looking at Hagu, it makes me realise that he's not really as superficial or easy-to-understand as what it seems.

Talking about the scene of Mayama telling Yamada his feelings, I seem to sense that he regards Yamada as a special friend. Somehow, he's in turmoil about how he feels towards her. On one hand, he knows that he cannot love Yamada since he's in love with Rika but he's reluctant to let her go away at the same time. That explains why he's not very comfortable with Yamada when they are alone. He's scared that he has to reject her when she confesses her feelings for her and that could mark the end of their friendship. I wonder if things will change later on since Mayama will not work in Rika's company after his graduation.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 21 - Akai Kagayaki (The Red Shimmer)

Al is affected by Number 66's words about him not being in existence from the beginning. However, the taunting does not stop and they both see someone jumping over the wall into the 5th laboratory. Number 66 goes to attack that person who turns out to be Scar! He destroys Number 66's metal arm and the latter happens to see the drawings on his right arm. Scar questions Number 66 on what he knows about the drawings and while pretending to think about whether to tell Scar about this, Number 66 presses a button in the wall which causes an explosion. Al uses his body to block the impact of the falling debris and tries to stop Scar from heading into the laboratory to look for Number 66 but to no avail. As such, he has no choice but to follow Scar.

Meanwhile, the explosion results in Greed being freed from captive and he remarks that it's been 130 years since he tasted freedom. He goes to the prison and asks the convicts whether they wish to come with him to create havoc or stay as experiment subjects...

Ed and Number 48 are inside the laboratory and the latter informs Ed that there are lots of explosives around to destroy the evidence when required. The younger brother of Number 48 tells Ed to kill him but Ed refuses to do so since he regards their spirits as human beings. To the brothers, they will be executed even if they regain their past bodies so it makes no difference whether they remain in this stage or go back to being humans. The younger brother destroys his alchemy sign and the elder brother promises his brother that he will follow him once he directs Ed to the entrance of where to find Kenja no Ishi.

In the prison, the guards hear a series of explosions and one of the convicts, Kimberly remark how nice the explosions sound. It seems that Kimberly used to be a national alchemist too...

At the same time, Lust and Gluttony are waiting for Envy to come by and bring the elements for the Kenja no Ishi creation ritual when they discover a huge depression. Lust realises that they have to hurry now that Greed has been released...

Ed brings Number 48's head and walks along a corridor as directed. Suddenly, there are a number of kimeras coming after Ed and he is almost attacked if not for someone who stops them. Ed is shocked to find that Tucker is still alive and now takes on the form of a kimera himself after he was taken away by the millitary.

Al and Scar are searching for Ed and Al asks Scar to let Ed off but Scar refuses to do so. Al explains to Scar that they are after Kenja no Ishi just to regain their bodies and not to kill mercilessly. In actual fact, Scar's brother was obsessed with experimenting with alchemy during the Isbal war as he wanted to resurrect his dead lover. Even though Scar had tried to stop him, he lost his senses over this and was eventually killed in the war. At this moment, Lust and Gluttony appear before them and try to kill Al and Scar who identifies the two as those from the Homcrest tribe...

Tucker brings Ed to the experiment facilities and shows him that he has been trying to resurrect Nina with human alchemy but failed thus leading to his current state. Ed is in shock when he sees the huge tank containing the red water and Tucker tells him that the creation of Kenja no Ishi has not been successful so far due to the lack of a powerful alchemist. Ed says that he is no ordinary alchemist and makes his decision on something...

Some new characters and return of familiar faces. Suwabe Junichi-san's voice as Greed just reminds me of Atobe-sama so much but his appearance was kind of brief in this episode. And we have another mysterious alchemist called Kimberly who's in prison but no reason was given. The return of Tucker was a surprise though and I gasped when I saw him in that kimera form. He's still trying to resurrect Nina which either means that he's remorseful about what he did to her or he's just aiming to achieve his aim of doing human alchemy.

Scar keeps thinking of some woman by his brother's side whenever he sees Lust. As she's not human, could it be that she returned to life in another form but was actually acquainted with Scar and his brother in the past?

Honey and Clover Ep 05

Takemoto goes back to his hometown during the winter holidays and remembers how he had made up excuses not to go back for a long time. He goes to the hospital which his mother works in and finds that she is sick and currently resting at home under the care of his stepfather, Kazu-san.

On the way home, Takemoto sees some kites being flown and recalls his past. His father was a tall and skinny man who was sickly. He died when Takemoto was in primary school and told the young Takemoto to take good care of his mother. Ever since then, Takemoto worked very hard for his dream of buying a house to live with his mother. However, when he was in Year 2 of senior high school, his mother brought Kazu-san to see him and said that Takemoto would not have to worry about her anymore. This brought about a change in him as he seemed to have lost his goal overnight with Kazu-san's appearance and wasn't sure what to do in future. However, his interest in creating things made Takemoto decide to leave home and study in Tokyo.

While wandering around the streets, Takemoto is startled by Kazu-san who had come to look for him. Kazu-san brings him to the baseball centre and tries to liven up the atmosphere by playing with the batting machines. Takemoto does not really dislike Kazu-san but just feels uncomfortable being with him. Kazu-san gets the feeling that Takemoto is refusing to come home because of him and tells him to come home more often so that his mother will be happier. He says that he can never be a replacement for Takemoto or his dead father and tries to get his point across without sounding too forceful. Takemoto's mother is very happy to see him and content to hold his hand the whole night.

Takemoto goes home to find a note telling him to go to Hanamoto's place and he finds his friends there. He gets very happy when Hagu says "okaerinasai" to him.

Takemoto, Hagu, Yamada, Morita and Hanamoto go for an onsen trip together because Hanamoto had struck the lottery through the tickets given by Morita as a Christmas gift. As such, Hanamoto is treating everyone to go for the trip. Mayama is joining them later as he has to attend a job interview. Hanamoto realises that Yamada is in love with Mayama when she grumbles about Mayama's character. Yamada falls into a daze as she recalls how she found out about Mayama's feelings for Rika and laments how hard it is for her to stop loving Mayama despite him having eyes for someone else.

At the onsen ryokan, the students go wild with excitement and enjoy themselves very much. Morita accidentally damages one of the calligraphy pieces and uses soy sauce to draw some pictures as compensation. Hagu is stunned by Morita's talent while the rest of them continue to marvel at Morita's drawings. Mayama arrives at the ryokan and they do not understand why Mayama keeps going for interviews at big companies only. Morita points out that the low probability of Mayama making it will give him a perfect reason to stay in Rika's company. He asks Mayama to give up finding a job and form a company with him.

When Hanamoto's handphone rings, Mayama wonders if Rika is on the line and even checks his handphone to confirm his guess. However, he finds nothing and feels that he's thinking too much. Morita plays Mayama's handphone ringtone again to make fun of him and the latter ends up buying lots of desserts to stop Morita from talking about it.

Mayama and Hanamoto meet in the onsen bath and the latter tells him to decide for himself about his career instead of letting feelings rule his head. Mayama promises to take his suggestion seriously...

The first part about Takemoto's childhood is done in a nostalgic manner and I can identify with his feelings when he lost his aim in life due to his mother's remarriage. Maybe that's why he's still not sure what he wants to do with his life when he talked to Mayama in the first episode.

Morita is really cool when he was drawing at the onsen. When he's serious, there is this charm about him which is hard to ignore. Even though he may be playing the fool most of the time, who knows what he is really thinking about?

Mayama is really bent on staying with Rika and trust Morita to say it out bluntly in front of everyone. And Morita never fails to make me laugh when he keeps poking fun of Mayama with that ringtone.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 20 - Shuugousha no Tamashi (The Protector's Soul)

As what Ed expects, he finds that Number 48 is the same as Al where his spirit is contained inside the armour. Number 48 explains that this is his identification number on the list of convicts to be executed and he was supposed to be dead 2 years ago. Number 48's name was Slicer and he was caught for being a serial killer. Ed says that as long as he destroys Number 48's alchemy sign written in blood, he will not be of any threat but Number 48 is not scared of Ed's threats. Ed feels that something is not right with his arm and suddenly remembers Winry's words that the new metal limb is lighter than before thus will not be as powerful. As such, Ed has to find a way to defeat Number 48 as soon as possible or the situation would turn out to be not in his favour. However, he gets slashed by Number 48 on his left shoulder and is losing blood profusely.

In the meantime, Al is fighting with Number 66 who does not give up despite not being Al's match. Al does not have any intention to hurt Number 66 and discovers that they are the same. Number 66 reveals that he was Barry The Chopper and at that time, he was caught by the brothers and holds a grudge against them.

Armstrong, Ross and Brosh are conducting investigation work at the Central Library and Armstrong asks where the Elric brothers are. Ross informs him that the brothers have gone to the 5th laboratory and asks for help to go there and find them.

Meanwhile, Ed is having a tough fight with Number 48 and has to resort to trickery in order to remove the head from the metallic body so that Number 48 cannot attack him. However, it turns out that Slicer refers to 2 brothers and that the younger brother's soul is contained in the body of the armour. This results in Ed suffering from another slash by the younger brother. Just before Ed is about to be killed by Number 48, he suddenly remembers Scar and uses his way of alchemy by stopping at the second stage of destruction to overcome the younger brother. Number 48 refuses to tell them anything about the laboratory and asks him to destroy them but Ed does not agree to do so. This is because if he chooses to destroy them as things, he would be refusing to acknowledge Al's existence as a living human.

Number 66 refuses to give up his fight and says that Al is just a spirit residing in the armour and cannot be regarded as a living human. This shakens Al's belief in Ed and the fact that he does exist as a human being. In addition, he remembers that Ed had something to tell him when they were in Rizenburu but did not reveal this to him in the end. As such, Al starts to doubt whether he did exist in the first place and if the memories of his past were just his imagination...

That idiotic Number 66 is really a scum! Trust him to make Al lose faith in himself and Ed but I don't think Al will be deceived so easily. The brothers are bonded by a very strong relationship and if this trust between them is destroyed by malicious words by others, it would be really sad.

And in the next episode, Greed i.e. Suwabe Junichi-san finally appears! Wonder if he will get to speak to Scar though...

Honey and Clover Ep 04

Mayama has all along felt that older women would never sing for him. However, one night while working at Rika's place with other colleagues, Mayama woke up to hear Rika humming the song, Moon River which marked the beginning of his feelings for her. He remembers the words he spoke to Yamada about asking her to give up on him and quickly hides himself when he sees Yamada. Unknown to him, Yamada has already seen him and is secretly scolding him for avoiding her in such an obvious manner.

Suddenly, Mayama hears his handphone's ringtone and wonders why there isn't any incoming call. To his surprise, he finds Morita behind humming the tune and making fun of him. Later, Mayama does receive a call from Rika who has come to the school to look for Hanamoto and goes to help her return the chair she borrowed.

Hanamoto asks what she intends to do in future and she says that she will take a step at a time. He draws her attention to Mayama who is waiting for her downstairs but she does not say anything. Later, Hanamoto drives Rika out of the campus and she tells Mayama about an opportunity to know someone in the industry. Hanamoto asks Rika if it is fine to give Mayama up to a competitor but she says that it is better to give Mayama more choices and let him decide his future on his own rather than making him stay in her company.

Yamada is feeling down and Morita comes to make fun of her. In the end, he gets walloped by Yamada again.

Hagu is buying some snacks in the canteen when a male classmate asks her out. However, the female classmates remark that Hagu bears the expectations of many people and has no time to hang out with them. Upon hearing such words, Hagu gets rather agitated and works hard on her sculpture again. However, the wire snaps and she ends up scratching herself on the face. At this time, Morita comes to look for Hagu and finds her in a daze. Takemoto misunderstands that Morita has bullied Hagu again and brings her to the sick bay as she feels like vomitting.

Takemoto finds out from the medical teacher that Hagu has been under a lot of stress and constantly feels like vomitting under such situations. He realises how naive he was to admire Hagu for having talent without realising that it could also work against her when people do not want to befriend her or feel jealous about her talent. Hanamoto comes to bring Hagu home and thanks Takemoto for taking care of her. Unknown to them, Morita had overheard the conversation between Takemoto and the medical teacher.

December arrives and Takemoto feels very frustrated at the Christmas mood around him as he dislikes this season. Morita goes around inviting everyone to attend the Christmas party on the eve.

Takemoto and Hagu go around to buy food for the party and he does not feel too excited about the event. Hagu asks him why he doesn't seem too happy and Takemoto reveals that he used to spend Christmas alone as his mother was busy working at the hospital. Hagu tries to make Takemoto happier and he's touched by her concern.

Mayama goes to look for Rika and gives her a pack of coffee and snacks. He also mentions that he knows that she is going out with Hanamoto today and walks away without any impression.

The party begins and everyone starts to enjoy themselves. Morita makes fun of Mayama of being dumped. Mayama is also stunned at seeing Yamada but pretends that nothing is wrong. As most of the people are drunk, Mayama decides to leave the room and bumps into Hanamoto who reveals that he drove Rika to her husband's grave. Mayama reveals that he knows about Rika's husband but Hanamoto stops short of saying something to Mayama when Hagu appears.

Hanamoto sends Hagu and Yamada home while Mayama is in a daze and thinking about Rika. In actual fact, Morita is not drunk and gets Mayama to drink with him. They also remark that Takemoto is smiling in his sleep and must be having a good dream...

My liking for Morita is growing again. I guess the reason why he held the Christmas party is not just to gather everyone but also because he wants to get everyone to forget their troubles for the time being. He does think of everyone in a way which is not easily noticeable. For example, he's concerned about Hagu too but chooses to keep it under wraps, using his frivolous attitude to hide his true feelings.

It seems like Rika is aware of Mayama's feelings for her but she chooses to keep him at a distance. Is it because of the fact that she still misses her husband or she feels that she shouldn't be with Mayama given her age and crippled leg? Well, it also seems that Mayama thought something was going on between Rika and Hanamoto and it might be true after all. Hanamoto looks very concerned about Rika's affairs but I don't know whether he likes her after all.

Hagu seems rather pitiful when she's ostracised by others for being talented and different. Luckily, Takemoto is there for her and it seems that they are getting closer, though not in the romantic sense.

Takemoto may appear very happy most of the time but he has a rather unhappy childhood. And there will be more details on this in the next episode.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 19 - Shinjitsu no Oku no Oku (The truth behind the truths)

After finding out that one of the elements required to make Kenja no Ishi is a living human, Ed gets very discouraged and gives up trying to find it. Al tries to persuade Ed to read the research data to see if they have missed out anything but Ed throws a tantrum and refuses to do so. Ross decides to talk some sense into Ed and points out that Ed is just afraid of being disappointed at the end and chooses to escape from this possibility by giving up at this juncture. Ed finally makes up his mind to continue his quest for Kenja no Ishi much to the delight of Al.

According to Brosh's explanation, there are currently 4 national laboratories in use and Ed's attention is fixed on the 5th laboratory. He explains his reasoning as Kenja no Ishi requires live human beings, the prison next to the 5th laboratory would be the best source of this element. The person-in-charge of this laboratory was Grant who had been killed by Scar. Ed prepares to go to the 5th laboratory for a look but Ross stops him, saying that it is better for the adults to step in at this stage. Ed agrees to her suggestion but secretly goes out to the 5th laboratory with Al to investigate.

Ed and Al arrive at the 5th laboratory which is heavily protected with security features despite it not being in use. As they are not able to enter the building through the main door, Ed can only enter through the ventilation vent and Al has to wait outside.

Meanwhile, Scar enters the National Library to look for Ed and gets into a gunfight with the guards. Scar realises that Ed has found out about the 5th laboratory when Brosh and Ross enter the room. Scar has no choice but to leave the room immediately in order to prevent himself from being captured. Brosh and Ross also find out that the brothers had slipped out without their knowledge.

Wrath suggests to Lust that they should kill Ed in order but Lust says that Ed is of use to them and that it's better to keep him alive.

Ed discovers that there are lots of bobby traps in the building which suggests that someone is bent on stopping intruders into the laboratory. In the meantime, there are 2 people who are watching Ed and Al's moves and they prepare to kill the brothers.

Ed meets a guy in armour who calls himself Number 48 and is trying to kill Ed. Meanwhile, Number 66 attacks Al. In the meantime, Winry realises that she has forgotten to put in one screw into Ed's metal arm and Ed feels that something is wrong with his arm during the battle with Number 48. He also finds out that Number 48 is similar to Al where the spirit resides in the metal armour...

The fight continues in the next episode but I'm kind of worried for Ed's condition since Winry forgot to put in one screw for his arm and it's going to affect his powers. And this could mean that Winry might come to Central to repair his arm? Meanwhile, since Number 48 and 66 seem to be both spirits in metal armours, wouldn't it be difficult to defeat them since you can only destroy them through the alchemy symbol on the armour?

Honey and Clover Ep 03

Morita, Mayama and Takemoto are heading back to their apartments after going to the public bath when Takemoto receives a phonecall from Hagu who had returned to her hometown. Hagu asks him what souvenirs the trio want while Morita looks at Takemoto thoughtfully. Takemoto tells them that Hagu and Hanamoto will be bringing back soba as their souvenir and reminds them of the soba party at Hanamoto's place tomorrow night. Suddenly, Mayama receives a call and says that he is going somewhere. Morita reveals to Takemoto that the call was from a woman but he does not elaborate further.

The next morning, Takemoto finds Morita sleeping in Mayama's room where he had turned on the air-con, fan and played TV games all night just to make use of Mayama's electricity. Takemoto asks Morita if he will come for the soba party and the latter says that he will because he wants to see Hagu. Takemoto misunderstands that Morita is interested in Hagu so that he can take pictures of her again for the website. Just then, a man comes to Morita and tells him that there is a sudden assignment which would stretch to the day after tomorrow. On the way to work, Morita happens to see Hagu and Hanamoto walking along the street and his attention is fixed on Hagu...

Takemoto turns up at the party alone as Mayama has not returned home and Morita is nowhere to be found. To his surprise, he finds that this is a barbecue party instead of soba as mentioned previously. Hagu shows Takemoto her room and the clothes she has made for her dolls. Takemoto is very happy when he looks at Hagu obsessed with her dolls and offers to make a wardrobe for the dolls' clothes. However, he gets surprised when Hagu asks for a complicated design and wonders how he should go about doing it.

Takemoto sees Mayama coming to school with an older woman in a taxi and wonders about his relationship with that woman. Just as Takemoto is going to ask Mayama about this, Yamada runs out of nowhere and questions why Mayama is still involved with that woman. At this time, Morita returns to school and distracts Yamada which gives Mayama the chance to run away. Morita faints out of the fatigue and Takemoto brings him to the sick bay.

When Takemoto leaves the sick bay, he happens to see the woman whom was with Mayama just now and she goes to look for Hanamoto. Her name is Harada Rika and she walks with a crutch. Hanamoto asks about her condition and she says that she can cope with work with Mayama's help. Takemoto happens to bump into Hagu and has a snack with her but she runs off suddenly saying that she has a stomach ache.

Takemoto asks Hanamoto about Mayama's relationship with Rika and Hanamoto says that there is nothing special between them.

Yamada goes to look for Mayama and asks what he intends to do about Rika even though he likes her. Mayama then rebukes Yamada for chasing after him despite the fact that he will never love her and tells her to give up now. Yamada is stunned because she has never told Mayama about how she feels and yet he knows about it.

Yamada is working on her pottery creation and starts to cry when she thinks about her unrequited love for Mayama and his feelings for Rika. Morita offers her a drink so that she can replenish the water she has lost through crying. Yamada grumbles that Mayama also hides his true self in order to avoid being hurt or embarrassed. Morita then asks her why she likes him so much when she dislikes his character but Yamada says that it is an uncontrollable feeling...

The more I watch this anime, the more I like Morita. Initially, I did put Mayama as my No.1 character based on initial impressions but somehow, Morita has overtaken him as my No.1 character. He's funny and yet thinks more about things than what others can see on the surface. And he's more thoughtful than anyone can imagine like his buying of sandals for Hagu and giving a drink to Yamada but giving a not-so-romantic reason like you have to replenish the water you've lost. ^__^ What a sweet guy! I tend to think that he does feel something special for Hagu and he looked a bit sad when he saw Takemoto talking to Hagu on the phone.

My No.2 favourite character would be Yamada. No doubt she likes Mayama, she keeps pressing him to make a decision and buck up not because she wants to keep him for herself but because it pains her to see him agonising over his feelings for Rika. I think Yamada might be willing to give Mayama up if he can be with Rika and stay happy. That's how I see it at the moment but it is painful to see her being rejected in that way when Mayama made it clear that he would never fall for her. That's so harsh and frank but it's also the most direct and fastest way to convey your stand to the person who likes you. Mayama clearly doesn't want Yamada to continue wasting time on him.

I wonder why but Hagu seems to be the character who almost appears in the cartoon style all the time. It's better if they stop portraying her as a little kid. As for Takemoto, I think he's fine with me at the moment but I do think that he needs to realise what he is feeling for Hagu soon. Surely, he cannot be so lost throughout the anime?

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 18 - Marcoh Note (Marcoh's Notes)

In the Central Library's 1st branch, Lust and Glutton are looking for Marcoh's book where Scar also appears. Scar feels that Lust resembles a woman who used to be by his elder brother's side but ditches that association because it seems unlikely. Lust notices Scar's presence and tells him to stop targetting Ed as she hopes to use him to locate Kenja no Ishi. Scar refuses to do their bidding and gets into a fight with the two of them...

Ed, Al and Armstrong finally return to Central where they are greeted by Denny Brosh and Maria Ross. The duo explain that they are here to protect the brothers but Ed protests against this decision. Ross explains to Ed that Scar has been sighted in Central so Ed has no choice but to accept this order from the top. Armstrong and Al apologise for Ed's rude attitude to Ross and tells her to ignore his words.

However, bad news await Ed and Al as the 1st branch has been destroyed due to a fire last night and according to eyewitnesses, Scar had been spotted at the scene. Ed is very upset to see that his only clue to Kenja no Ishi is gone.

Meanwhile, Hughes is on the line with Mustang, boasting about his daughter again before he gets down to work matters. Hughes tells Mustang that Scar is indeed involved in the fire at the Central Library's 1st branch but there are signs of a fight and it is unlikely for him to have caused so much damage single-handedly. Besides that, there are rumours that Mustang might be transferred back to Central since Grant had died.

Ed and Al go to the Central Library's main branch to see if they can find any clues to Marcoh's book. As there are no records of the book, the staff suggests that they can look for Sheska, an ex-staff who was fired because she spent too much time reading books instead of working.

Ed, Al, Ross and Brosh are shocked to find Sheska's place flooded with books and she is even buried under a pile of them. Sheska says that she remembers that there is a book written by Marcoh and will be able to write a copy of the contents for them based on her memory. 3 days later, Sheska manages to come up with the book's contents but they are all cooking recipes. However, Ed says that this is exactly what he's looking for and decides to stay at the Central Library to decipher the contents with Al. Due to security concerns, Ross objects to Ed's decision to stay in the library but Ed refuses to listen to her and dares her to complain to the top brass.

Ed and Al know that Marcoh's book was written in a secret code so they would have to crack the code in order to know the exact contents. Hughes comes to visit Ed and Al who are trying hard to crack the code. Ross expresses her concern about security but Ed says that he will not give up until he finds out the truth. Hughes mentions that he is in a fix because criminal and case records have been destroyed. Ed brings Hughes to see Sheska so that she can help him with the re-writing of the information. In return, Ed will get extra protection under Hughes' orders.

That night, after the fierce battle with Lust and Glutton, Scar gets seriously injured and is saved by fellow Isbal tribesmen. He wakes up to find that there are quite a number of Isbal people around and says that he cannot stay on in the village.

In the meantime, Ed and Al finally crack the code and realise that a living human being is needed as one of the elements to create Kenja no Ishi...

Given the fact that a human being is needed to create Kenja no Ishi, it means that it's not possible for Ed and Al to create one on their own since they will never sacrifice someone to achieve their aim. Thus, the only way would be to search for an existing Kenja no Ishi or else it would be impossible to get their bodies back.

Scar mentioned that Lust resembles a woman who was always with his brother. I'm curious to find out what exactly happened in the past and why Scar said that Lust and Glutton are from the Homecrest tribe.

As usual, with Hughes and Mustang, you can never be bored. Those two are so funny when they talk nonsense but it's apparent that they are very good friends.

Next episode talks about the 5th Laboratory which is where unthinkable experiments were conducted. What could this mean? Killing of people to create Kenja no Ishi?

Honey and Clover Ep 02

Morita keeps coming up with funny ideas and chases after Hagu all day long for his new creations. Mayama and Takemoto feel sorry for Hagu and ask Hanamoto where she is. He replies that she's so scared of Morita these days and is coping herself up to work on her new creation.

Mayama and Takemoto express interest in Hagu's new creation and are shocked to find her making a sculpture. Hanamoto tells them about Hagu's potential and that she's been asked to make that sculpture for a new art gallery which is opening soon.

Takemoto tells Mayama that he feels quite lost when he sees Hagu's talents and that he doesn't know what he should do with his future. Mayama says that Takemoto is only a 2nd year student and still has some time to think about his future career path so he can take things easy for the time being. He also suggests that the tenants of the apartment block can have a barbecue party and they can invite Hagu to come along.

Takemoto and Mayama see Hagu making a scrapbook of the things she wants and Takemoto remarks that those are very expensive. Suddenly, a publisher's representative comes to look for the lecturer and exclaims when he sees Hagu. He informs the trio that he saw pictures of Hagu on the Net and they find out that this is Morita's doing. This makes Hagu very upset and she gets extremely frightened when Morita comes into the room. Hagu throws things at Morita before running away which Mayama remarks that Hagu's dislike for Morita is his own doing. Morita picks up Hagu's scrapbook from the floor and makes up his mind to do something.

Hagu happens to bump into Yamada along the corridor and resculpts her pottery work which is damaged as a result of that bump.

Takemoto asks Morita to take part in their barbecue party and the latter says that he will be out for his part-time job which will take about one week. Takemoto promises to wait for Morita to return before holding the party. Mayama bets with Takemoto that Morita will not return as promised but Takemoto has faith in Morita's promise.

Hagu goes to the pottery workshop to look for Yamada and since then, they become good friends...

After one week, Morita is still not back yet but Takemoto insists on waiting for Morita despite Mayama's objections. Meanwhile, Morita is walking along the streets in a tired state where he happens to see the pair of sandals in Hagu's scrapbook. Without hesitation, he buys the sandals immediately despite the high price tag and heads to the university with a smile.

Morita returns to school and offers his contribution for the barbecue party. Hagu is scared to see Morita again and hides behind the curtain. However, Morita is not taken aback by this reaction and gives the pair of sandals to Hagu which makes her elated. Meanwhile, Morita collapses out of exhaustion and Takemoto offers to carry him back to their dormitory. Mayama looks at the shoebox and realises that Morita spent a bomb on that pair of sandals.

Takemoto is happy to see Hagu looking very happy after receiving Morita's gift but feels a bit uneasy upon thinking of this. However, he does not think too much about this and continues his journey home...

Morita is really not what he seems to be on the surface. He may seem like a reckless guy but he remembers what Hagu wants and even buys the sandals for her without hesitation. I think he doesn't really mean anything special with this gift but it's more of a spur of the moment decision or he is trying to make up for he did to her. I tend to think that Morita doesn't consider a lot of things in his actions but he might be a deeper person that I think.

Mayama also seems to be hiding some things and he keeps thinking of a woman. Maybe the girl of his dreams will make an appearance from next episode onwards.

Hagu rarely speaks so a lot of her feelings are shown through her expressions rather than words. I won't say I like or dislike her at the moment since there could be more to her which is not displayed right now. Likewise for Yamada, there's not much mention of her other than the fact that she gets affected at the mention of Mayama and has become friends with Hagu now.

As for Takemoto, he is showing signs of his feelings for Hagu but it might take forever for him to realise it.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 17 - Kazoku no Matsu Ie (The home to wait for family members)

Ed, Al and Armstrong come to Rizenburu, the Elric brothers' hometown so as to repair their bodies. Al remarks that it's been 4 years since they returned and Armstrong asks why they did not return to their hometown. Ed says that there's no point coming back since they have no family members waiting for them here.

Pinako and Winry are happy to see Ed and Al back but Winry grumbles at the way they are now and scolds them for doing dangerous things. As it will take about 3 days to make new limbs for Ed, they would have to stay in Rizenburu for the time being. Al remarks that things have not changed much in their hometown and marvel at the beauty of the countryside.

Ed can't wait to go back to Central to look for Marcoh's research data but he has to wait for his new limbs to be fixed. Al asks Ed to visit their mother's grave since he can't move around freely now.

Al seems to have forgotten some of his old friends and asks Winry about it. Somehow, Al feels that he can't remember fragments of his past and feels sad. Ed goes to pay respects to his mother and remembers the past when he resolved to bring her back to life.

Winry is very interested in Ed's pocket watch which is the trademark of national alchemists but Ed refuses to let her dismantle the watch. Meanwhile, Al is brooding in the room about some of the things he may have forgotten but Ed tries to console him that it's inevitable as they grow older.

The next day, Winry and Pinako prepare to attach the metal limbs to Ed's body and Armstrong remarks at Ed's ability to tolerate the pain. Winry reminds Ed not to be rash and take care of his life since metal limbs can be replaced but he can only die once.

Ed prepares to restore Al's body and shows Armstrong that there is a alchemy symbol in the armour written in Ed's blood. If Scar had destroyed more of Al's armour and hit that symbol, Al would never have survived. After restoring Al's body, the brothers prepare to have a sparring match to get used to their bodies again.

Winry happens to spot Ed's pocket watch and gets excited at the thought of dismantling it. However, when she sees the words, "Don't forget 3 Oct 10" being engraved inside, she is stunned...

While Ed is having a shower, Winry comes to him with a serious expression and apologises for looking at the pocket watch without his permission. Ed says that he has to use those words to keep reminding himself of his aim and to keep himself focused. Winry says that the brothers still have a home and she and Pinako will always be here to wait for them to come back.

Ed, Al and Armstrong return to the place which used to be where their house was situated. Al remembers that their mother always used a flickering light at the second floor of their house to guide them home when it was dark. When they return to the Rockbell residence, the brothers are touched to see Winry doing the same for them...

Winry and Pinako send Ed, Al and Armstrong off. After that, Winry reveals that Ed had engraved the date when they burned their house and left Rizenburu in his pocket watch...

This episode focuses more on emotional scenes like the brothers remembering their past and what happened. It's usually in such episodes where you get to see the softer side of Ed. It was particularly nostalgic when you see Ed walking around their hometown and visiting his mother's grave and how focused he is on achieving his goal to regain both his and Al's bodies. The interaction between him and Winry is both humourous and deep at the same time. They can quarrel all day long but Winry knows how Ed feels and supports him in whatever he's doing.

Before Ed and Al can get to the Central Library, Scar, Lust and Glutton are already there. Does that mean they won't be able to find out about what Marcoh wrote in his research data?

Suzuka Ep 9: Shashin (Photo)

Despite Yamato's efforts to shorten the distance between him and Asahina, she still gives him the cold shoulder. Yamato cannot comprehend why Asahina adopts such an attitude towards him and feels extremely down. In addition, he feels that he has worked very hard in the athletics team and assumes that it is because he has not achieved any specific results in the 100m race which is why Asahina is rather nasty towards him.

Miki reminds Yamato that the athletics team will be conducting the heats to select members for the upcoming Tokyo championships and he resolves to work hard to prove himself. However, at the sight of his teammates' speeds, Yamato gets cold feet and wonders if he can do as well. Miyamoto assures Yamato that he will do well since he has practised very hard for the past two weeks. At the thought that Asahina will be watching his race, Yamato gets more worried but he makes up his mind not to embarrass himself in front of her. While watching the match, Asahina sees another guy's image in place of Yamato whch makes her stunned for a brief moment. Yamato achieves a record of in the 10 sec range for the 100m race which makes everyone in awe of his achievement. Miyamoto and the captain of the team remark that Yamato bears a resemblance to someone.

That evening, Yamato tries to emphasize his achievement to Asahina but she remains cold towards him. Yamato gets upset and grabs her arm to ask why she is adopting such an attitude but Asahina gets angry and says that she is irritated at the sight of Yamato. In addition, she says that she dislikes Yamato which makes him rather unhappy.

Yamato relates this to Hattori over lunch and the latter tries to console him by saying that it's better that Asahina hates him rather than have no feelings for him. Miki comes to their table and Hattori reveals that Yamato likes Asahina. Miki and Hattori start to bicker because Hattori encourages Yamato to quit the track team since Asahina dislikes him. However, Miki tells Yamato that Asahina dislikes people who give up halfway and he should not give up at this stage. In the end, Yamato decides to stay in the team for the time being since he has nothing to do and he wants to prove himself in running so that he still has a chance with Asahina.

Yamato puts in more effort during training so that he can prove himself. Miyamoto remarks to Asahina that Yamato resembles Tsuda Kazuki but she walks away without a word. During her self-training, Asahina fails to clear her usual height and Miki asks if she has any problems with Yamato. Asahina insists that she's just tired but her frustration at the thought of Yamato being linked to Kazuki heightens.

As training for the athletics team is cancelled for tomorrow, Yamato intends to ask Asahina out even though the possibility of her agreeing to it is remote. He sees Miyamoto and Asahina talking along the corridor and overhears that Asahina is going back to her hometown to see Kazuki.

Yamato is very disturbed about Asahina going to meet Kazuki whom he has no idea about. In order to get Gorou which has run into Asahina's balcony, Yamato happens to see a photo of Kazuki and Asahina in her room and gets her address via Miho. Yamato decides to go to Asahina's hometown, Yokohama to find out who Kazuki is...

The more I see Asahina, the more irritated I get at her. No doubt she rejected Yamato, couldn't she have adopted a better attitude towards him instead of being so nasty? I think Kazuki is someone very important to her but the way she is reacting when people say that Yamato resembles Kazuki is way overboard. Yamato really deserves a better girl than her.

Hattori and Miki look quite compatible together and it would be fun to see them being a couple (if that really happens).

We'll finally get to see more about Kazuki's relationship with Asahina and Yamato might really blow up if he finds out that Asahina is thinking of him as a substitute for Kazuki at least sub-consciously. Asahina may dislike the thought of people saying that Yamato resembles Kazuki but she is also one of those who feel this way no matter how strongly she tries to reject this idea.

Hachimitsu to Clover (Honey and Clover) Ep 01

Finally got started on this series which I have been reading rave reviewes about. The first episode mainly sets the background of the story, introduces the main characters and shows the first relationship's formation but I find it pretty enjoyable to watch since there's quite a bit of humour. One familiar voice actor I find is Ueda Yuji who plays Akutagawa Jiro in Tenipuri and he's playing another character who sleeps like a log and cannot be woken up easily. Maybe his voice gives people the impression that he's always sleepy but his role, Morita Shinobu doesn't seem to be a simple man. I feel that there is a mysterious streak behind Morita who has been in the university for 6 years and got retained just because he missed certain classes.

In the first episode, we see 5 students studying in an arts university namely Takemoto Yuta (2nd year, 19 years old), Mayama Takumi (4th year, 21 years old), Morita Shinobu (6th year, 24 years old), Yamada Ayumi (4th year, 21 years old) and Hanamoto Hagumi (1st year, 18 years old). Takemoto, Mayama and Morita stay in the same apartment block and Takemoto is always being fooled around by Morita who has a habit of disappearing for days to take up mysterious part-time jobs and end up dog-tired when he returns. Yamada is a very pretty girl who is always praised by teachers for her good results and talent but she gets distracted easily at the mention or sight of Mayama. Hagumi is a freshman at the university who is short and looks like a doll. It's obvious that Takemoto has fallen for her at first sight while Morita keeps making fun of Hagumi's height. The way I see it, Takemoto likes Hagumi but she might find that Morita is more appealing. On the other hand, Yamada seems quite interested in Mayama but according to the official website, Mayama is in love with a widow.

The pace of this anime is quite fast and not too draggy. I do hope that it can sustain its pace and feel throughout instead of being a long love story where people change partners very easily. Anyway, just based on first impressions, I like Mayama the most right now. As for Morita, he may appear frivolous but I have a hunch that he's not as simple as he seems. For Takemoto, I'm hoping that he won't be someone who can't make up his mind especially when it comes to the issue of whether to woo Hagumi later. Hagumi seems too much like a doll and I don't really like such girls most of the time when they appear in animes. Yamada seems an interesting person who is usually cool and collected but I think she'll be showing her flustered side when it comes to Mayama.

The OP and ED are rather catchy but I'll have to listen to them a few more times before I can say whether I like them. A lot of the times, I skip the OP and ED for animes if I've watched them a couple of times but there are always exceptions like some songs in Tenipuri, Fullmetal Alchemist and Slam Dunk. I have a slight issue with Yuki's voice being too high-pitched at times but the OP's visuals seem interesting so I'll have to decide whether I can stand the song and watch the visuals. As for the ED, this looks more promising to stay as one of the OP/ED which I'll watch every episode.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 16 - Ushinawareta Mono (Things we have lost)

Lust and Glutton go to the place where Scar had a fight with Ed where Glutton remarks that the Isbal dog i.e. referring to Scar is no longer around...

Meanwhile, Ed and Al return to the millitary's office in East City and wonder what has happened to Marcoh. Ed says that there's nothing they can do since the King has taken custody of Marcoh. He turns his attention to the piece of paper which Marcoh had secretly gave him telling him to look for "the geinuine truth behind truths" at National Central Library's 1st branch. Ed decides to hide this matter from Mustang as he is unsure whether to trust them anymore after hearing about what happened in Isbal.

The King decides to return to Central since Scar has been sighted in East City. Mustang asks the King to punish him since he withheld information on Marcoh but the King says that it's fine since he had intended to protect Marcoh in the first place despite Grand's objections. The King decides to make amends to Marcoh and tells Mustang not to take this matter to heart anymore.

Mustang and Hawkeye hears Al's screams suddenly and finds Armstrong trying to use alchemy to restore his metal armour but Al is very resistant to the idea. Mustang reminds Armstrong that Ed is the only person who knows how to contain Al's soul inside the armour so the most important thing is for Ed to get his right arm repaired as he cannot use alchemy with one arm. Ed and Al decide to return to their hometown, Rizenburu so that Winry can repair their bodies. Hughes askes Ed where he intends to go after the repairs and he reveals that he's going to Central to look up something from the library. As the brothers are not able to defend themselves during the journey home, someone has to accompany them but everyone gives all sorts of excuses to avoid this task. Finally, Armstrong decides to accompany them despite Ed's insistence that he doesn't want anyone to come along.

Hughes comes to send Ed, Al and Armstrong off at the train station and Al has to be put into the luggage carriage. Hughes reveals that 3 years ago, Nina was killed in the same way as what Scar did to his victims and Ed is fired up about taking revenge on Scar. In actual fact, Scar is hiding around the train station and threatens a little boy to eavesdrop on Ed's conversation with Hughes to find out where Ed is heading after repairing his arm.

Lust comes to look for Marcoh and forces him to reveal what he has hidden the research data but the latter refuses to do her bidding. Marcoh sees the symbol on Lust's chest and realises that she is not a human and cannot be killed. Lust and Glutton then hold a young girl as hostage to force Marcoh to tell the truth so that they can get hold of the data before Ed gets to it.

Ed finds that Al was left at a station before their destination and Ed and Armstrong return to the station concerned to get Al back. Meanwhile, Al's armour is taken away by a young boy who decides to use his armour for protection against a fight. Ed gets angry at Armstrong's relaxed attitude and tells him not to bother about their affairs. As Ed is looking around for Al, he is ambushed by a little girl who has stolen his left leg for her grandfather who is crippled. Al has no choice but to scare the young boy that he's a spirit so that he would not be taken elsewhere.

Ed is treated to some tea at the elderly man's house and offers to introduce him to Winry to make an artifical limb. However, the elderly man insists that he doesn't want to have a metal leg so that he can be reminded of what he has done there. Nevertheless, the elderly man says that he has gained something from what he has lost so he is not bitter about it. Ed refuses to listen and says that he has lost a lot of things but has not gained anything in return. He then leaves the elderly man's house and happens to find Al along the way. At the same time, Armstrong finds them and brings them back to the train station to head for Rizenburu again...

Lust and gang are not humans so who could they be? They should be from some organization which is so powerful and frightening that Marcoh shuddered at the sight of the symbol on Lust's body. What could their real aim be? Seems like besides Scar, Ed has another set of enemies to deal with.

And we finally see Winry back in the next episode so we can expect some bickering and humour between her and Ed. ^__^

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 15 - Isbal Gyasatsu (Killing of the Isbal)

Armstrong arrives in time to save Ed, Al and Marcoh from Scar which gives the trio time to escape. Scar has no wish to fight with Armstrong as his aim is to kill Ed and Marcoh first but Armstrong does not give him the chance to escape. When Armstrong happens to break Scar's sunglasses, he notices that the latter has red eyes which makes Armstrong realise that Scar is from the Isbal clan. Armstrong says that the Isbal clan should have been forbidden to use alchemy and points out that Scar's way of using alchemy is to stop at the second stage of alchemy i.e. disintegration instead of following the order of cooling down, disintegration and re-formation. The two then begin another battle of alchemy which results in a huge explosion...

Ed and Al try to bring Marcoh away from the eyes of the millitary and Scar. Ed says that it is not possible to get Mustang's help since Grand had appeared to capture him.

Mustang and his men find Armstrong under a rubble after his battle with Scar and he's seriously injured. Hughes also arrives to inform them that Grand had died and informs Mustang secretly that this is the work of Scar. Armstrong reveals that Scar is from the Isbal clan thus Mustang understands why Scar is out to kill all national alchemists. In the meantime, Scar is hiding along the streets to evade the millitary who is searching for him.

Marcoh explains to Ed why the Isbal clan hates the national alchemists so much. According to what Ed and Al understand, the Isbal clan had been fighting for independence but lost the war against the millitary resulting in lots of casualties. However, Marcoh explains that the hidden truth behind the war. The Isbal people had thought that alchemy was an unnatural way of changing the forces of nature and did not like the millitary or the national alchemists. As a result of this difference in thinking, the millitary and the Isbal people had clashes on a frequent basis. 13 years ago, a soldier accidentally killed a child which led to the beginning of the 7-year war at Isbal. Towards the end of the war, the millitary decided to get the national alchemists to participate so as to end this quickly.

At that time, Grand had told Marcoh to give him the uncompleted Kenja no Ishi so as to increase the prowess of the national alchemists when suppressing the rebels. Marcoh had no choice but to surrender the crystals of the red water. Following orders to use the crystals, the national alchemists managed to win every battle easily but resulted in a lot of damage and casualties.

Marcoh then reveals that he met a couple during the war who were doctors and treated the injured regardless of their identities. However, they were killed by Mustang under the orders of Grand who regarded the couple as rebels. Mustang was greatly affected by this incident and had intended to commit suicide but Marcoh stopped him in time. Marcoh then asks Mustang to let him go without saying anything and he had tried to save as many people as he could. However, the destruction was rampant and only a few of the Isbal clan managed to survive. Ed understands Scar's motive for revenge but that is not going to change anything especially if he kills innocent people in the process. Al says that he might do the same thing as Scar if Ed is harmed but Ed tells him to live on happily as revenge will not bring him back if that really happens.

Ed suggests that Marcoh go to their hometown to hide and says that he can look for Winry. However, upon hearing Winry's surname, Marcoh keeps saying that he cannot go there and even runs away from Ed and Al.

Mustang and his men then catch up with Scar and he tries to use his powers to fight with Scar. However, Hawkeye stops Mustang in time and reminds him that his fire alchemy powers are of no use in the pouring rain which makes Mustang rather embarrassed.

As Ed and Al have caught up with Marcoh, they are shocked to bump into Scar again. Scar destroys part of Al's metal armour which makes Ed so mad that he tries to hit Scar. However, Ed is no match for him and his right arm is destroyed by Scar in the process. Just as Ed is about to be killed, Marcoh uses the red water crystal to suppress Scar's right arm and he runs away in pain. He uses alchemy to run away again when he finds himself being surrounded by Mustang and his men.

Al scolds Ed for trying to sacrifice himself and tells him not to give up his life so easily. Marcoh has to go back with the King's men and he reveals that the couple who died during the war was by the name of Rockwell which means that they were Winry's parents...

Now that Ed and Al are in a bad shape because of their destroyed limbs, I think Winry will make her appearance again to restore their bodies back to original. And it doesn't seem that Scar will be friends with Ed and company since he is full of hatred towards the national alchemists. What's left to find out would be what happened to his elder brother and what does the drawing on his arm mean.

Peach Girl

To set the record straight, I wasn't even interested in this anime when it was still showing. What changed my mind was Kiuchi Hidenobu who is the voice actor of Touji. Oh well, to cut the story short, I was doing a search of the works he appeared in and I happened to see this title. And when I checked out the storyline and some reviews, my interest was aroused so I decided to see this for myself. In actual fact, my main motive was to hear Kiuchi-san's voice again ever since he made me swoon with Oshitari Yuushi and I kind of liked him as Tenma in Monster. ^__^

Basically, the story is about this senior high school girl, Adachi Momo who is tanned and her hair bleached. On the surface, she seems like a very wild girl but she looks like this as she was previously from the swimming team in junior high. She has been secretly in love with her ex-junior high schoolmate Toujigamori Kazuya (Touji) but has never told him about it. In addition, she heard from her friend that Touji doesn't like tanned girls so Adachi is trying her very best to make herself fairer so that she can confess to Touji about her feelings when the time comes. However, she has a classmate, Kashiwagi Sae who loves to copy her and snatch her favourite things. To prevent Sae from laying hands on Touji, she lies to Sae that she likes Okayasu Kairi who is a popular playboy in school and this marks the beginning of her turbulent friendship and relationship with Okayasu. Touji overhears that Adachi likes him and tells her that he likes her too so they start dating. Sae decides to spoil Adachi's happiness and drives a wedge between her and Touji. Things get really bad and they are even on the edge of a breakup. Touji manages to see through Sae's true colours through Okayasu and makes up with Adachi. Nevertheless, things do not go well as Sae is yet again jealous about Adachi. She sets a trap which she took compromising photos of Adachi and another guy and threatens Touji to break up with Adachi or she will leak the photos to the press. Touji has no choice but to do Sae's bidding and hurts Adachi badly. Through the pain, Okayasu supports Adachi through it and they even start dating. However, Adachi realises that she is only second-best in Okayasu's heart since he's in love with their school's medical teacher, Misao. Even though she tries to convince herself that she is content with this position as long as she can be with Okayasu, she is unable to bear it when he does not give a clear indication of his feelings and breaks his promise again. Under such circumstances, Touji and Adachi make up again much to Okayasu's shock when he finally realises how important Adachi means to him. However, Adachi shows no signs of returning to him but her stand is shaken when she realises that Okayasu did mean to fulfil his promise. As such, she is torn between Touji and Okayasu which means she has to make a choice between them.

Talking about the characters, let me discuss the guys first. Personally, I like Touji better and it's not really because Kiuchi-san is the voice actor. It's just that I find him more of my type and a very "otoko-mae" type of person. Besides, I like his looks better i.e. cool and yet very kind and caring. However, the only thing which I don't like about him would be his handling of the incident concerning Sae's blackmail. Well, I do understand his kind intentions about protecting Adachi and bearing the pain all by himself but when the cover was blown, it made Adachi rather guilty and it could have formed part of the reason why Adachi went back to him after Okayasu failed to make it for their promise. If I was in that situation, I would have preferred that both of us go through this together instead of going through such a painful experience. What if Touji had chosen to brave through this with Adachi instead of listening to Sae? This might not have brought about Adachi falling in love with Okayasu later. As for Okayasu, I just don't feel too secure with such a guy. He keeps too many things to himself, too distrusting and very unclear about what he wants to do. He only realises a lot of things when it's too late to make amends and I can't imagine trying to do a lot of guesswork in a relationship. It's simply too tiring. In addition, he seems too frivolous (although his real nature is not really like that) for my liking. With regards to Adachi's final choice, all I can say that it's logical but not really what I had wished for. And it's evident whom I was rooting for. Somehow, I felt that Adachi and Touji had love between them but Adachi and Okayasu seem to have begun on the basis of sympathy and being the substitute for each other's true loves. That is why I don't really like the idea of Adachi professing how much she loves Okayasu when it's evident that Touji still means a lot to her.

For the girls, Adachi is a kind person especially for her repeated attempts to help Sae despite the latter being a bitch but I was rather sick of her going to and fro in her relationships and moping around too much. I know there are 2 wonderful guys in front of her and it's hard to choose but by this changing attitude, it would have hurt a lot of people. As for Sae, I had the urge to strangle her when she kept irritating people with her antics especially when she forced Touji to break up with Adachi. Although she became a better person in the end after going through a relationship with Okayasu's playboy elder brother, Ryo, I really can't say that I like her.

On the whole, this anime is quite entertaining and I finished it in 2 days. However, I wouldn't say that this ranks in my all-time Top 10 favourite since I thought that the to-and-fro relationship was kind of hard to accept. Well, the biggest reward of watching this anime is getting to "know" Touji and hear Kiuchi's voice again... ^__^