New year, new Sawako…
WOOHOO! Kimi ni Todoke’s back! However, we must issue the following warning: may contain DAWWWING. Lots of DAWWWING…..
Summary-in-a-sentence:
Our adorable heroine spends most of the episode trying to give the hero her homemade Valentines chocolates… but doesn’t.
Crusader
This is one pairing Kurumi will never dare to attack...
So now that the clip show, Ume 00, is over Sawako is getting ready for Valentine’s day, Sadly with the start of a new year means that Sawako and her friends are no longer in optimal positions as I suspect Ume has fixed the drawing to separate Sawako and Kazehaya. Sawako is still rather confused about her feelings, which I am more than willing to forgive her for, but Kazehaya has yet to man up to Patrick levels and thus we all suffer for it. If nothing else at least Sawako is forming friendships with other classmate who should be a of some help against Ume.
Ume refuses to accept defeat with dignity and grace and now seeks to make Sawako the new target of her attacks as Kazehaya was immune to her low ball tactics. It is the mark of a foul and unforgivable woman if she insists on interfering. I have no doubt in my mind that Ume seeks to keep Kazehaya lonely so that he will come to her out of desperation. Her direct assault failed for her methods were foul and she was duly punished for her insolence. Ume once again resorts to lies and seeks to harass Sawako in a bid to continue her unjust war on True Love. Since Ume wishes to remain unrepentant and altogether loathsome I wish her an unhappy life and a harem animu loser boyfriend.
Speaking of that spiky haired loser I wish the fucker choked after eating like a pig would have been great if he had choked on pink paper that he was too lazy to remove. Still Kazehaya gets none for himself but at least he scores a taste of Sawako’s chocolate that was so rightfully his. Ume may have won this round but I look forward to another one of her imminent failure and subsequent FAKE TEARS I just hope the resulting ELS kills her and Pin.
It seems that a new rival for Kazehaya has appeared but I do not like him his professed like of Ume makes me want to shoot him on sight. Hopefully he will see what that foul wretch has done to poor Sawako and will recognize Ume for being the trashy harlot that we all know her to be. This is a dangerous time for Sawako and Kazehaya, as Ume will try and break them apart. I hope Ayane, Chizu, and Ryu will mobilize now that Kurumi has broken the ceasefire and has already launched a surprise attack without a formal declaration of a shipping war. It is an episode that will live in infamy and with a bit of luck maybe they can cast Ume back into the depths of despair.
It should be a more interesting season now that another player has entered while Ume refuses to exit with what little dignity she has left, but I will enjoy pouring the haterade on her. I hope that the pace will pick up a bit since much of the slowness was in part due to Kazehaya and Sawako getting side tracked by Ume, but now that they have met and know each other one can hold out some hope. While I value my SawakoXKazehaya ship I hope this new guy takes direct action instead of scheming like Ume, because if it did he would slow things down immensely and then I will be calling for his head.
DAWWWWW Sawako in Wonderland...
May Sawako blow Ume away...
Except for Kurumi...
I am glad Sawako had the presence of mind to put them both together...
I Remembered Love.
One more friend to add to the list of honored allies...
Sawako you must seize this opportunity...
Correction, they are caused by Zeus when some idiot offends him...
Too bad he did not die...
Hell No, shit no, FUCK NO...RIGHT?
You vile liar! I hope Zeus personally sets you pants on FIRE.
I see that once is not enough to dissuade you...My thine heart chip and SHATTER.
Well at least she did not break down in tears.
Oh but you will regret this Ume...
Sawako might not blame you BUT I DO.
Sir, I warn you if you dare resort to Ume's tactics I will make it my mission to see that you never find happiness in this life or the next.
Fear not for your suffering will give your victory special menaing...
Sad bishie in snow.
Hana:
Yes, you’ve come a long way m’dear.
Firstly, I must say HELL YAY! to the return of one of the best feel-good shoujos of last year. Seriously, by the time I finished watching the new OP (sung once again by the brilliant Tomofumi Tanizawa) and the opening shots of our adorably happy heroine cooking in this epi (yeah, I’m clearly not counting last week’s fillerific recap epi 0 either, nuff said), the smile on my face was just as wide as Sawako’s. Skip to the next day and cue some moments with faces both old and new getting friendly with Sawakao, then a brief recap of the waters previously sailed by the SS SawakoXKazehaya, and the stage is set for more highly anticipated romantic and comedic high jinx.
Until we get the all DAT ANGST following the switching of the seats and concerning the dishing out of certain Valentines chocos…
…but fear not! For, while the plot and pacing have never been the most original or breakneck aspects of the show respectively, it’s all about the execution of the plot and character development. Thus, in this respect, Sawako’s inner dorama does nothing short of suck you right in. Yes, even though we were probably all screaming at her to just give those bloody chocolates to that poor boy too (seriously, even Pin got some! Pin!!) and even though we’d view such behaviour in most other girls as downright retarded, for the uber-shy and much wrongly-maligned SawakonotSadako, her actions (or rather lack of them) are both believable and empowering. Indeed, how can she possibly give her future husbando the same chocolates that she’s just handed out to everyone else as if he were just another platonic pal?
In short: she can’t, because they are too important to her to give him (I know it sounds lame, but bear with me), because she is realising that he means so much more to her and thus she wants to give them to him not just as a Thank You, but as an I Love You.
In shorter: this is a big deal for Sawako.
Overall, as an epi 1 of a second season that directly follows their unofficial first dayto, I have a largely positive impression of the epi. While the pace seems determined to remain (almost) as glacial as it was in season 1, and while you could argue that it was nonetheless kinda lame and insensitive spending a whole epi making and giving out Valentines chocolates to everyone except the guy who deserved them the most, I am satisfied that Sawako is making steady progress both in coming out of her own shell with more others and in coming to terms with her own feelings about Kazehaya. Speaking of which, I second comrade Crusader’s hopes regarding Kurumi and Master Kento as catalysts for more such development for Sawako and Kazehaya, and thus for SawakoXKazehaya.
And finally, how could I (we?) forget that such a feel-good and sweetly funny [oh Yano, Chi, Pin and co., hope I’ll have more to say about you rather than just LOL during your hopefully not so limited appearances next time] show could have so much dorama and angst, eh?! In short, I don’t know… but I look forward to spending the rest of this series finding out! 
Though not perfect, they’re certainly on the right track – ganbatte, Sawako!
39 Comments
Side effects of DAWWWW may include HNNNNG.
But these are good side effects.
YAY!!!!! I am so excited for this season and am glad that the two of you are blogging it. I look forward to a mighty good time. Go KazeKo! I’m also hoping to see some development between Chi and Ryu.
Long live RyuChi. Glad to have a second season, not so glad that Ume is being a bad loser.
Indeed, long live the 2TPs!
Sawako We are all with you and trolls ain’t gonna win.
Isn’t it hard to be a girl? The softness and the pinkness and the delicacy. I love them all Swako/Kazehaya make my day every day .
I don’t hate Kurumi that much but I do feel irritated at her presence and intervention. Isn’t it the same?
This too is hate comrade relish in it, hate will make you powerful…
I like seeing dual opinions in one post, even if it’s in agreement, different perspectives are always cool. I liked the fact that Pin got some chocolate love in this episode. While annoying, I can’t help but like his character. Now if only Kazehaya could’ve gotten some too… Since the first season I’ve liked the glacial pacing of this show, some of the reason being the lack of breakneck pacing allows the show to be relaxing to watch. More than that, the slow pacing gives a MUCH more realistic depiction of the start of a relationship (granted, they are now past being “normal slow”). I like seeing a relationship that doesn’t immediately from “see attractive person and find out their name” to “madly in love, confession and official gf/bf status” with no real pursuit phase whatsoever. Anyway, this comment is too long.
Hooray for the return of angst!
The only Pin Iwill tolerate one is a Pin that picks off Ume for good. They deserve each other.
Oddly enough, I can imagine myself enjoying that…
Well, at least Pin is as hilarious as he is annoying. I really like pacing too, feels more realistic, and thus more dramatic in a way.
RAGE rage rage!!! at Kurumi…Learn to give up!!
Really hoping for some development between Chizuru and Ryuu (but then chances are that it won’t happen since its only 13 episodes…)
=)
Even if Ume is waging an unjust war on Kaze-Ko Ryu-Chi is beyond her vile reach.
Really, I think it was FAR too early to hope that Ume would just go away, or at the very least change her cockblocking tactics. It’s impossible for a tiger to change its stripes, after all.
A tiger cannot change tripes, this is true, but a tiger can be hunted and to extinction too I might add.
Well, at least Kurumi’s backfiring tactics seem to work in Sawako’s favour in the end. I look forward to more of her Epic Failing!
Probably the only series I’m picking up for this season. Gotta catch up on S1 though…
Finally got myself a new laptop; new year, new stuff! And yes, I am very happy with it.
Grats on the new laptop.
Probably the one for me too, having been particularly drawn to anything else so far. Oh well, quality over quantity, I say!
That bitch again is fucking with my Sawako. Poor girl just trying to give chocolates but she keeps being cockblocked by two assets which is my two least favorites, Ume and Pin. And with the new guy it seems more cockblockers are gonna come. GO SAWAKO!
May Ume and Pin join in unholy matrimony so that Mazinkaiser can crush them both in a single stomp…
I think your hate of Ume is unwarranted. granted, you have to hate her for going against someone as hgnnn as Sawako, but there is no outright bad guy in this show (except the blond asshole). In another universe, if Sawako wasn’t so dawwwwww, i would totally ship Kurumi and Kazehaya. We know where she stands and what she’ll do, but her story is almost just as tragic as Sawako’s.
Ume is a lousy miscreant who would treat the only person that gave her with hostility. Regardless of Ume’s past treatment to turn around and do that to one who has never wronged her… well that is simply unacceptable. I know where she stands and she is but one step from eternal damnation due to her lack of civlity. She is a sneaky little rat who has endeavored to earn my undying hatred at every opportunity, perhaps she was a just and good person long long ago, but now she has lost the capacity for true love. She has become a monster that would attack innocent maidens when Kazehaya has made his feelings for her crystal clear.
Ah, she’s not so bad really, more entertaining/ mildly irritating than evil (anymore, that is). At least she got to say her piece and Kazehaya’s got her number, so it’s more a case of what Sawaka will bring to the table in the coming months and (no doubt further) obstacles. As long as there’s no real malice involved, nothing wrong with a little, good-hearted teasing to make you stronger – and then give back at least as good as you got in the enemy’s face later!
Oh, Sawako. Don’t let Ume get between you and your future husbando!
May Ume marry Pin.
Great episode with slow pace though…. Wut, we have Another bishie rival for kazehaya to reach sawako heart. Just wild guess since i never read manga (That blondie will teamed with ume to separate kazehayaXsawako)
Another rival appears but let’s hope this new foe is an honorable one and not a vile Ume in pants.
Im finding this blonde kid to be extremely insolent… He is nodoubt gonna become a issue, i pray that the gods may stike him down before he causes any harm…
Should he get out of line may Mazinkaiser crush him underfoot.
I was kinda hoping the gods would bring back Mr Ookawa to pwn his sorry existance just like he did his son.
Give him time. I hope he turns out to be both an entertaining and positive influence.
Sawako and Kazehaya can go stand around awkwardly and blush.
I’ll take Kurumi any day over those 2.
Then take her and keep that bitch out of my series then! She has lost, time for her to GTFO.
LOL – please do!
Poor Kurumi… I used to be so annoyed at her in S2 but she’s really actually helping this time around, despite what this particular instance makes it seem like. She just doesn’t deserve this much hate
Not to give out any spoilers but Sawako really needs to learn to man up already and left on her own, she ain’t gonna do it. Kurumi can’t stand stalemates – she’s just trying to get some action!
Also just for the record, that’s a mistranslation, so she’s not a liar. That’s not supposed to be “homemade chocolate”, it really means chocolate given with the intention of a love confession, which indeed, Kazehaya doesn’t normally accept.
Last I hear Ume lost the war and now is starting an insurgency… I would rather she get her “action” from Pin and make her exit with some dignity. However she persists in her evil ways. One a liar always a liar. Ume’s little interventions are as unwelcome as those of Celestial Being and Jihad-Jesus and she is just as hateful for she is without honor or dignity.
wait did you say action with pin and dignity in the same sentence… madness!!!
Ume 00…. oh my god I will never be able to see her face ever again without that popping in my mind and making me laugh.