SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE REPORT – RESTRICTED DISSEMINATION
SUBJECT: 1. ALLIANCE RELATIONS BETWEEN YOSHIDA CHIZU AND SANADA RYU.
……………2. DISSOLUTION OF YANO AYANE RELATIONSHIP WITH UNKNOWN LOSER, POSSIBLE NEED FOR RETRIBUTIVE STRIKE.
DATE: MID FEBRUARY 2010
1. STRONG FEELINGS ON THE PART OF RYU SEEMED TO BE PROGRESSING ALONG. HOWEVER SAWAKO HAS DISCOVERED CHIZU‘S FEELINGS FOR OLDER BROTHER OF RYU. ARRIVAL OF OLDER BROTHER TOORU IS REPORTED TO BE IMMINENT. ROMANTIC SITUATION EXPECTED TO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY WHEN BROTHER ARRIVES. AS BROTHER HAS BEEN AWAY FOR SOME TIME, POSSIBILITY OF HIM RETURNING WITH GIRLFRIEND IS HIGH, THOUGH WE HAVE NO INTELLIGENCE IN REGARDS TO THIS MATTER.
2. FIGHTING BROKE OUT FOR A SHORT TIME FOLLOWING THE DISSOLUTION OF AYANE‘S RELATIONSHIP WITH COLLEGE-AGED LOSER BOYFRIEND. VIOLENCE WAS NOT CALLED FOR IN THE SITUATION, HOWEVER A COUNTERSTRIKE WAS NOT UNDERTAKEN DURING THE INCIDENT. AYANE’S AMAZING AMOUNT PHYSICAL RESTRAINT WAS UNEXPECTED, HOWEVER SHE SEEMS TO HAVE CARRIED OUT AN INTENSIVE VERBAL RESPONSE. WILL ADVISE LOCATION OF EX-BOYFRIEND’S RESIDENCE FOR POSSIBLE FUTURE PREDATOR MISSILE STRIKE.
Now that the Kurumi Conflict has been laid to rest, this episode the focus shifts to Ayane and Chizu’s relationships. Something of the identity of Ayane’s boyfriend has finally been revealed: apparently he’s a college student…dating a high school student. And I think we all know what kinds of college students date high school students. As Kabitzin put it “college guys who date high school girls are losers (or perhaps perverts). Even if you’re doing it just to get laid, it means you can’t prey on easy freshman college girls.” He reveals the depths of his depravity by slapping Ayane in the face when she breaks up with him, and then runs cry False Tears on her shoulder like the pathetic little manchild that he is. Ayane’s casual acceptance of a guy who just tried to pick her up on the street was certainly a mistake, and while I would like to see some soul-crushing, evil-Ayane revenge exacted on this scum (or perhaps castration), at least at the moment she seems to be leaving the whole mess in her past. May he boil and lash out for all eternity in the Fifth Circle of Hell for his wrathful ways, never knowing rest, respite from his pain, comfort nor sympathy!
Chizu is especially energetic lately and greets Sawako with a surprise morning hug at the start of class. Once in homeroom she sees Chizu and Ryu acting really close and starts drifting off into thinking about how well the two of them would go together. That evening Chizu pays a visit to the Sanada’s restaurant/home, which is apparently a very frequent and casual thing. Ryu’s father even asks for her help with the shop and, to her slight embarrassment, wishes that Chizu was a part of the family. So casual is Chizu’s presence that she even walks in on Ryu changing and neither really seems to care, sitting down to play video games while Ryu teases her a little about how she used to talk in her sleep. Sawako spends some time out with Chizu as she looks for a suitable birthday present for Ryu (his birthday is 2 December according to the manga, which means that Sawako’s isn’t far off either, on the 31st.) All the while Sawako is thinking about Ryu’s feelings for Chizu, reinforced by her spending all her extra money on a catcher’s mitt bag for Ryu (initially she was going to be really cheap and only budget 500円, and what exactly could you buy with that, especially in Japan?) and the fact that she wants to buy some nice new clothes for the holidays. Walking home, Sawako keeps leading the conversation to find out more about Chizu’s feelings, only to get confused when the details stop matching. Asking directly, she finds out that the one Chizu wants to see over the holidays is Ryu’s older brother. Making things seem worse for Ryu’s chances, she thinks of him more as a little brother/childhood friend.
Poor Ryu, the next day in class Chizu even lets it slip to Kazehaya who she wants to get all dressed up for, in front of everyone as they sit during class. Despite her hurried attempt at pretending that she didn’t say what she said, the beans have been spilled. Later on he asks for advice from Kazehaya. While at first glance he might seem like the last person Ryu should ask for advice, and Kazehaya has been criticized as such, Kazehaya did indeed act more boldly and directly towards Sawako than Ryu has thus far. For instance, in episode 05 he directly addressed her fear that she was ruining his reputation by being friends with him, and in episode 08 he took the initiative and offered to help her practice soccer as a way to spend time together. While he hasn’t directly confessed, he has put in more effort than Ryu up to the point in time where they had their conversation. Perhaps this view has been produced by the lack of screentime that Ryu has had relative to Kazehaya, but I still believe that he’s not the worst person to ask. That evening Ryu visits Chizu’s home and seems ready to confess his feelings, only to be shooed out by Chizu because she left his gift sitting out in her room. The love triangle is not resolved then and there, but perhaps Ryu will unintentionally be in a better position to show off how great of a guy he is later on, after Chizu’s likely one-sided feelings for Tooru end up not being reciprocated.
Crusader’s Record of Kazehaya War
The 5th Fleet is kicking my ass, suffice to say I have to keep this short. I am at a loss for words, I am so torn… On the one hand I have to applaud Chizuru for laying some good ground work for a final offensive, but until her target shows himself I am not sure if I should be so hasty as to wish death and ruin to said target. On the other hand we have poor Ryu whose love is obvious but sadly he is not as bold, brazen, and decisive as Patrick when it came to an up hill struggle for true love. Well the course of true love never did flow smoothly, and it looks like trying times are ahead if Sanada the Elder proves to be a likable bloke instead of a Kurumi-class ass hole.
ExecutiveOtaku’s Unadulterated Adoration of Sawako and Current Intelligence Report
I approve of this greeting.
Start your day off right, with something easily misconstrued as Yuri.
New blazer, bed head
Sawako’s face is all turnin’ red.
She stares him down just as long as she can
Cause every girl is crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man.
EO’s DAAWWWW of the Week: closeup DAAAWWWW.
You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry.
Angry Ayane’s aura causes fear. Luckily Sawako and Chizu passed their command checks.
Fangirling about shipping her friends together.
Why don’t you join him? Bow chicka wow wow.
Chizu recounts the monsters she slew in her past life as Bellerophon.
This little subplot crashes and burns as ‘male Chizu’ gets completely blown off by the girl he pines over. All those attempted poetics and he never even talked to the girl before?
I loved seeing Sawako kyaaing over the thought of Chizu and Ryu together, even looking up to her as a sort of romance Kamina.
All in good time Sawako, all in good time.
Misunderstanding is right in front of us! Requesting clarification support danger close, repeat danger close!
Sorry Chizu, Personal Reality only works in the Railgun/Index universe.
There’s something funny about Kazehaya’s reaction faces that I can’t quite put my finger on. Like an old Disney character’s face or Morita’s reaction faces from Honey and Clover.
Ayane will not succumb to that Lonely Driver self-reinforcing crap after all the good it did Iketani and Itsuki! The whole failed Iketani X Mako ship is just too deep a wound to forget :*(
Ryu seems to have everyone’s support, GO BETA COUPLE!
Good, good, next episode should give Sawako and Ayane plenty of time to work on Chizu’s misdirected affections for Tooru.
Ryu was close, only to be thwarted by his gift being left out in the open. It was wrapped though, and Ryu knew he’d be getting a gift, so I’m not sure why Chizu was so afraid of him seeing it.
Such a need for surprise from Chizu points to unrealized feelings, methinks. In time she will realize who the superior Sanada brother is. As with Ayane’s ex-boyfriend, who would want that kind of college student that dates high school girls anyway?
7 Comments
Romance is even more in the air then usual. I’m suprised the characters can breathe!
Sucks for Ryu to be stuck in the point between the Friend Zone (Bromance Zone?) and the Relationship Zone… At least for Kazehaya it is more clear cut that he has a romantic interest in Sawako.
Interesting to see that there is at least some basis in the anti-Coalition propaganda concerning Ayane (a relationship based on casual pickup?), but based on her dumping that clingy guy, she was more likely to be the one wearing the pants in the relationship anyway.
Morning glomps FTW!!!
As with Ayane’s ex-boyfriend, who would want that kind of college student that dates high school girls anyway?
>high school girls?
neat episode. I really felt bad for Ryuu, but i dont get what he is trying to tell Chizu this episode… his brother is coming over? doesn’t she already know that?
There’s *major* misdirection here, I’m surprised you guys didn’t pick up on it.
Ryuu has *not* been trying to confess to Chizuru, Ryuu’s been trying to tell her that his brother is bringing a girlfriend home. He got a call earlier in the ep about that and he’s trying to protect her from the shock.
@Cloudstrife45
Seriously, we’ve got things going on with all the main characters now.
@ Kherubim
Her ex-boyfriend seemed pretty pathetic about it all even if you ignore the slap. Though since she thought she had found a more mature guy it would still disprove the rumors by showing that she’s looking for a serious relationship, she just went about it the wrong way/had a lapse in judgement.
@ Kwantum0
Well it was never established that he dated more than one girl or anything, just a way of phrasing it to show that such a loser would even consider dating high schoolers when he’s in college. If he is indeed so immature and depraved then Chizu would be wise to direct her interest elsewhere.
I’m thinking that Ryuu was trying to maybe warn her that his brother is coming back with a girlfriend or something, but that’s just wild speculation since there isn’t much info to work with. Kind of seems similar to Naota’s hesitation in telling Mamimi about his older brother’s girlfriend in FLCL.
@ anon000
I was thinking that he was going for something like breaking the news (whatever that might exactly be, though my theory is warning her that his brother has a girlfriend or something) and then transitioning into telling her his feelings. Though you very well might be right that he was only trying to tell her something about his brother instead of doing both things at once.
You know, I feel obliged to remind the readers that, what with differing birthdays and the fact that you can enroll in college/university directly after highschool, it is completely possible for a college student to be the same age as a highschool student. But then again, Ayane is 15-16, so…
“That’s what I love about these high school girls, man: I get older, they stay the same age.”
- WOODERSON (Matthew McConaughey) in Dazed and Confused (1993)
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