If I had a shoe to fling, it actually would’ve been at Sawako Kuronuma and not Ume Kurumizawa. Why you ask?
Don’t get me wrong. I strongly dislike Ume Kurumizawa. She’s an awful human being, and she deserves whatever is coming her way. However. Shouta Kazehaya grabbed Sawako Kuronuma’s hand, and basically confessed to her, by asking her out. Kuronuma was so clueless, she didn’t even realize what was happening. Kazehaya seemingly satisfied that she at least doesn’t harbor romantic feelings towards Ryu Sanada, is okay to leave it as it is for the moment. But honestly! If I had a shoe to throw at Kuronuma I would have. How frustrating! How dense is she! On top of her thinking Kurumi was a friend. It is clear as day that Kurumi is manipulative and fake. But even so, she would’ve realized that Kazehaya was asking her out if she had been in Kuronuma’s spot! Sigh. I guess there’s next season of Kimi Ni Todoke to watch.
I’ve tried a couple times to watch Kimi ni Todoke, but the secondhand embarrassment was tangible and too real, too painful, and I never made it past the first fifteen minutes of the very first episode. So much cringing. However, Right Stuf had a promo, and seeing their ad made me want to give it another try. And I’m glad I did. I’m watching on Hulu and VRV/Crunchyroll.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Sawako Kuronuma (nickname: Sadako), is enjoying her high school life. Her character design reminds me of Sunako Nakahara from The Wallflower / Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge. Kuronuma’s fateful run in with Shouta Kazehaya, leading to their friendship and his positive influence in her life, energized her to take chances to interact more with her classmates and peers. He supports and encourages her to be herself. The scene on the stairs in the third episode, when they express their shared appreciation for each other’s positive influence, was touching. In real life, it’s not as easy being unfiltered with others, or sharing what we admire and appreciate about them. I feel comfortable expressing it, but it can be a challenge receiving it. Is one way easier or harder for you?
Ayane Yano, Chizuru Yoshida, and Ryu Sanada are in Kuronuma’s friend circle too. They, and Kazehaya, have all stood up for Kuronuma. She was the subject of bullying (especially the behind the scenes type of bullying girls are notorious for, if you’ve seen Mean Girls, or are a girl yourself, you’ve likely seen this behavior). I’m only on episode eight of the first season, but some of the ways they’ve stood up for her include; Kazehaya standing up to the class when they make rude comments about Kuronuma from the night of the Test of Courage, when he says aloud for the bullies to hear that he detests hateful gossip, when Yano, Yoshida, and Kazehaya move their seats next to Kuronuma when others avoided her (Sanada I suspect just wanted the window seat but he didn’t avoid her like the others), the girls stood up for her when she was cornered by the bullies in the ladies room, and when asked his thoughts on Kuronuma and the rumors, Sanada pointed out the unrealistic possibility of that being remotely true. Being a good friend to another person, means being a good friend to them even when they’re not around. Kuronuma’s close friends love and care for her, and they don’t give the opinions of others a second thought. Knowing all of the hurdles she’s overcome and how lonely she felt, especially with everyone calling her Sadako (from The Ring), it’s wonderful to see her finally happy. One other comment, about the bullying scene from the bathroom, sometimes intervention depends on a person’s comfort level. While Hirano and Endo didn’t feel physically, emotionally, or mentally capable of taking on the group of girl bullies, they did run to get help. Standing up for your friends can be expressed in various ways. Yes it might’ve been more helpful if they had directly intervened, but it makes me think of all the others who saw Kuronuma bullied over the years who did absolutely nothing. Seeing how Yoshida and Yano stood up for her, Kuronuma finally realizes they are friends, and have been friends all along.
I enjoy the moments when the friends are relaxing together and being themselves. Yano and Yoshida see the blossoming romance between Kazehaya and Kuronuma (even if Kuronuma herself is unaware). After intentionally making Kazehaya jealous (proving he liked Kuronuma), of course the girls can’t resist giving Kazehaya a hard time as he walks Kuronuma home.
Joking aside, Shouta Kazehaya truly is a gentlemen. He has integrity and is an authentic person. He is a leader without trying, he makes it look effortless. Everyone feels welcomed in his presence, and he “sees” those around him. He’s present. That smile puts everyone at ease. Do you know people like that in real life? I do. Their energy is positive and uplifting. They’re sincere in their words and actions. I aspire to be that way. I’m authentic, but I don’t know about uplifting and positive. Maybe one day.
This shoujo anime, Kimi Ni Todoke, has humor. Not as much as others I’ve watched in the past, but the parts that are funny make me laugh out loud. Try to overcome the hurdle of the horrible secondhand embarrassment that this show has so much of. I haven’t felt this much embarrassment since watching Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji. Here is a funny moment from episode eight of the first season. The class is discussing the upcoming Sports Festival with their teacher, Pin. I suspect if I was in their class, Pin would strongly encourage me to take a sick day (the nerve!).
Give the show a chance if you haven’t already. Or if you tried before, give it another opportunity? Maybe you will like it the third time, like I did. There are a lot of positive messages in this show. Perhaps there will be less drama and less secondhand embarrassment in the future episodes. I’m only on episode eight, but I’d prefer less cringing. Hoping everything works out for this group of friends!
Anyone who knows me in real life, knows I cannot cook. Cooking does not come naturally to me. If I can use a crockpot, it might be edible. Otherwise, the outcome is usually dismal. But! Having said that, I still wanted to try making Onigiri and Tamagoyaki since I’ve seen it in so many anime. To actual cooks, these photos may be horrifying. I did my best. I am not a big fan of eggs (my preferred way being poached, which to no one’s surprise I’ve been unable to figure out how to do it myself, despite buying gadgets online that told me I’d be able to). The idea of sugar in eggs sounded less than appealing. Happy to report, it was surprisingly delicious! I won’t say I followed the exact directions at the links below, however I did follow some of the advice mentioned, so I want to pay respect where it’s due. Please check out the links below from Just One Cookbook if you’re interested, as you’ll likely have more luck than me in following directions!
I made one plate of rice balls with pickled plum, a plate with spam, and a third plate with pickled radish. The Tamagoyaki had nori in the middle, but spinach or cream cheese might be nice to add. The pickled plum I selected was on the salty side, so I’d try a different type next time. And I probably should’ve removed the pits from the plums instead of just shoving it into the rice mold. D’oh! Ah, next time. Overall the rice balls and egg dish were tasty, so I will try them again in the future!
For dinner, I had one of each rice ball, and the Tamagoyaki. Wrapped the rest to share/eat tomorrow!
After seeing how Gou Matsuoka was oogling Haruka Nanase, and other swimmers, they may want to reconsider having her as their manager! Creepers can be ladies, not just men. Let’s be glad she didn’t get a nosebleed. Shameless!
When preparing to enter a potentially haunted area (I’d advise avoiding it altogether), if you’re relying on salt as a level of protection, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re not actually sprinkling…sugar.
I just started watching Free! on VRV / Crunchyroll. It’s a sports anime about swimming. When I was at Otakon last year, I met a nice Mother and Daughter who I ate dinner with (they were visiting from PA), and they recommended this anime. I’m only five minutes into the first episode. But is this fellow older now, and out of college? And available in real life? He can make breakfast for me anytime. I’ll eat fish on toast.
I started watching Say I Love You / Sukitte Ii na yo on Hulu. I just finished episode three. I may change my mind later, but my first impression of Yamato Kurosawa is not a good one. I can appreciate he wanted to know Mei Tachibana despite her being the school pariah, and not caring what other people think. I also appreciate that he saved her when she had that stalker from work. It’s a horrible, uneasy, and unsafe feeling having someone follow you or stalk you online. Having experienced degrees of this myself, I can imagine how Mei felt, so I’m glad Yamato came to her aid. That aside, Yamato’s character as a whole, is disingenuous to me. Even before he mentioned it himself in the anime’s third episode, it was obvious he goes with the crowd, adjusts himself to other people’s expectations, and caters to the whims and fancies of others. It feels like he’s always “on.” And I hate that he does things because “I just felt like it.” It dismisses the feelings of others, and it doesn’t give weight to the repercussions of his actions. He seems oblivious to the consequences of his behavior. The girls he strings along, who chase after him, who pine after him, he never right out refuses them. Thus they carry on thinking they have a chance to win his heart. Tachibana’s distrust of him is understandable. I like that she is direct with him, that is refreshing. I’m hoping as they enter this relationship together that they will both grow as people. But at the moment, I find Yamato to be careless in his interactions with others, and he doesn’t consider how his actions affect others, especially the girls he strings along.
I just started watching Gakuen Alice on VRV / Crunchyroll. It is absurd and hilarious. The main character, Mikan Sakura, reminds me of Sana Kurata from Kodomo no Omocha / Kodocha. In the episode I’m currently watching, Mikan is attempting to recruit members to play on her dodgeball team. Since students are able to use their special abilities in the game, her classmates are reluctant to join her team. They’re hesitant because the other team’s leader, Natsume Hyuuga, has the ability to use fire. Unfortunately with Mikan’s special ability being nullification, she is disheartened to know it may be useless in the game. As she reviews her list of players, it gave me pause to wonder what she would write about me if I was on her team! I guess curly-perm isn’t the worst thing to be called, but she needs to learn people’s names!
Empath Meets Anime 
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