Sora no Manimani Episode 04 – Space Camp

(Post is a week late, but I wanted to wait until it was out subbed so that everyone can get a chance to watch it. AonE was faster than the estimate they gave me, so good for them. Here’s to hoping 05 is out soon.) Discussions of an overnight astronomy camp during the summer come to fruition and the Astronomy Club packs up for the mountains. Although the plan for the trip goes as well as can be expected, a few choice words throw Saku through a loop and seem to shake up Hime’s resolve. Along with the great view and lack of light pollution comes some drama, a new ending song, and psychological warfare.

A day like any other as summer vacation approaches.

Opening this episode we have another typical day of Mihoshi hanging all over Saku while Hime continues to try and pry her away from him, discussing her frustrations with her two SakuxMihoshi shipper friends. But summer vacation is about to begin and the Astronomy Club begins to plan their first overnight trip of the new school year. Roma announces the plan to Mihoshi’s joy while Saku is rather concerned about the outdoors part and Hime plots and daydreams once more about having some alone time with Saku. Though with Fumie’s shadow hanging over their chances of getting the trip approved, Roma selects his brightest and most cultured diplomat Sayo, and for some reason Edogawa, to petition Her Highness for the funding and approval they need. Mihoshi is respectfully told to sit this one out.

If only I could photoshop. He needs a Zeon flag in the background.

The President’s gaze has the power to pierce all shadows of cloud, and earth, and flesh.

While Roma, Sayo, and Edogawa are away, Mihoshi feels left out and asks if she really needed to stay behind, then interrupts one of Hime’s daydreams with a box of camping gear to her head. All accidental, I assure you.  Saku awaits their return, trying to read the assigned literature reading for homework and Hime, in a blatant ploy, sits across the table reading the same book and tries to arrange some ‘study’ time with Saku to work on their book reports. Mihoshi deftly counters by interjecting that she had the same assignment last year and that the three of them could study together. The counterattack comes in the form of getting even Hime pumped up about astrophotography.

Awwww.

Yes, he’s sure you don’t need to accompany the others.

There’s a difference between seeing an opportunity and knowing how to exploit it.

Though that won’t stop Hime from daydreaming about it.

An easy mistake to make.

Do as Takumi did and follow the advice of Ryosuke Takahashi, in love as in racing. There’s a reason half the songs in Initial D have ‘love’ or ‘heart’ in their titles!

Mihoshi’s interference in Hime’s scheme hits a little too hard it seems, because Hime seems to crack under the pressure of competition and the uncertainty of Mihoshi and Saku’s relationship. She yells in frustration over always being interrupted, and has a Kitsu Chiri moment where she demands that Mihoshi properly explain how she feels about Saku. Mihoshi exclaims that she loves him, and Saku and Mihoshi are temporarily stunned until Saku realizes that she says that about everyone. Still, this moment plants some rather insidious thoughts into the minds of both Saku and Hime during the trip. Drama over for now, the envoys return successfully from the student council room with permission for the trip.

The decisive moment.

She would not approve of the ambiguity either.

Awwww #2.

Her love comes in the form of a devastating all-range attack.

Dealing with the student council, dealing with them never changes…

In transit to the vacation area Edogawa snaps several stylish pictures of Sayo. One day he will make a great fashion photographer, if he isn’t arrested for stalking first. After the train ride the club arrives at a lakeside resort in an undisclosed location somewhere in “northern Japan.” As they meet up with their club’s vice-advisor Muraoka-sensei, they are sarcastically wished a good day by the other visiting club, which just happens to be the Literature Club. Queen Fumie is there with her full compliment of royal guard and lackeys, though she’s on vacation so she keeps the menacing to a minimum. After touring the beautiful house that ends up being assigned to the Literature Club, the Astronomy Club moves into the decrepit old wooden house next door. Mihoshi proves herself to be an asset to the club by quickly cleaning the place up, and the club then takes a nap to get ready for a night of stargazing.

Moutains, and a beach. Good call Roma.

President Fumie, flanked by two members of her elite corps of megane bodyguards.

Affordable student housing.

She’s pretty quick with that broom, maybe she should take up naginata.

Yes, wear a helmet. That way your brain will be intact so you can fully experience the beating you’ll get if you try.

While everyone is resting, Saku is kept up thinking about what Mihoshi said earlier. He tries to ignore it, but it’s making his little tsundere heart all confused about how he feels in return should she be interested in him. Hime can’t sleep either, both due to what Mihoshi said and because she made a bit of a fool of herself by having that earlier outburst in front of Saku.

Get out of my head Charles Mihoshi!

Psychological warfare is taking its toll on Hime.

…

Aoi Hana in my Sora no Manimani?

Saku is the last one to awake from napping, and he joins the rest of the club outside for dinner before beginning their observations. Edogawa returns sunburned from a day of frolicking around with swimsuit clad girls and then uses the power of overdramatic to ready the camera to take a 30-second time lapse picture of the sky. The Milky Way is clearly visible from the lake shore and the whole club begins taking in the sight. Saku and Hime have a talk as well, where she’s both shocked and relieved to find out that Saku was too distracted by Mihoshi talking about frogs to hear exactly what she said during her outburst. While Hime seems to get a bit of an in with Saku here, he still thinks a lot about Mihoshi in the past and present. Some of the romantic tension is eased, but the issue is certainly not resolved.

Mountain lakes really are great places for observation. Wide fields of view over the water, little light pollution, and the higher altitude helps with some of the atmospheric distortion.

That’s a little dramatic. Maybe he’s trying to get a role in the next Fatal Frame.

Now she gets that moment alone.

A strange phobia, but it ended up helping Hime.

The first step towards curing yourself of being a tsundere is to admit that you are one.

A new ending song plays over the last bit of stargazing and the Astronomy Club campout, while Fumie looks kind of sadly or longingly out of her window, though showing no weakness to her thralls when asked about it. The next day she enters the dilapidated house and to her irritation finds the Astronomy Club passed out haphazardly on the floor, recovering from their night of stargazing. With all this Fumie at the end of the episode, perhaps in the next the Empress will strike back.

Final Thoughts: - More drama than comedy or astronomy info this time, which is nice for plot development and progression.

- I liked the new ending song more than the past one.

- Moving camera that led into the circular track shot of Mihoshi on the beach is the right way to do a circular track shot: when there’s something in the background to show off not just characters in the center of the circle. Japanese TV drama producers please take note!

- This show has reawakened the latent astronomy nerd in me. Going to start scouting out places north of the city for some good spots to go with friends at a later date. I already have binoculars, if I enjoy it enough I’m going to look at getting a telescope. Damn you anime-retail conspiracy!