Junichi faces his feelings and finally makes a decision.

Impressions:

Well no clue it was going to finish up like this. I mean we seemed pretty well on course for a Yuuhi ending or perhaps something a bit vaguer. Instead Jun really made a decision which is fine in my books. Kind of a rare event where the girl I felt myself cheering on didn’t end up losing. Perhaps I’m not such a cursed person after all. Still they finally had Junichi sit down and look within himself. Took both girls walking out the door to force him to stop acting the way he had been. The danger of being alone again like he was before Minato came back really shocked the guy. It may have also helped him think about how he had changed and who was responsible for that change.

No doubt he wasn’t an easy person to deal with when younger. Minato’s first meeting with the guy after years reflected this. Someone who believed he could exist alone and had pushed away many people. That guy even going to the extent of booting out the maid that had been assigned there. Though didn’t need to tell us that from the horrible state of the house he was living in. Guess it all started from that point on though. It is hard to resist someone that kind who could slowly warm your heart up. Before he knew it Junichi was really reliant on Minato and a strong bond had been forged. So perhaps it’s not a great surprise that he ended up choosing her in the end.

For the sake of those against that kind of relationship the parents certainly did hint at there being a lack of blood relation. Seems kind of likely that Junichi was adopted or something and thus it’s really not an issue. Time spent apart would have killed the feeling of it being wrong to care about a sibling like that also. Definitely some busy parents Jun has to be sure. They show up to rescue him after he walked into a kidnapping which was to be expected and then they flew right off again. But that definitely showed the bomb blowing up the other day wasn’t fatal.

At the end Minato really didn’t waste time getting things going. She kicked right into Junichi’s major school swimsuit fetish. Hard to say how things might have kept going if Yuuhi hadn’t come in. While she is around its clear the romance battle has passed. There is nothing wrong with the three of them living together now that things have finally been settled with Jun’s feelings. Of course it might be tough on Yuuhi sometimes since her feelings were genuine.

Final Words:

Well at the start I picked this series up since romance in a show is something I like to watch. Now in the end this one didn’t end up being one of my favourites all time. Average is probably a word that could describe it pretty well. They didn’t seem to have a firm focus on what they wanted to do. Sometimes this was a comedy, a drama, and a love triangle series. Then they even gave random episodes to side characters which was alright but also caused some trouble in terms of time. The ending as well leaves me wishing for a few changes. I’m fine with the girl that got chosen but it seems like they could have given Minato more development. She really didn’t seem to change much except in accepting her feelings for Junichi. Yuuhi was the character who developed the most over the entire series. Perhaps the same could be said for Junichi in terms of only accepting his feelings for Minato rather than having great character development.

In the end I think the major point was that Minato and Junichi just needed a push. Those two already had the strong feelings for each other that could have turned into a relationship. But the problem was that they were too comfortable with how things were. They had each other and didn’t need to go into dangerous waters at that time. Yuuhi could have been replaced with anyone in terms of a person. But her role was a catalyst that should up the calm household and suddenly made it impossible to stay the same. Junichi and Minato both had to grow and accept the feelings they had inside. There were plenty of hints that both were attracted to the other and cared about each other. Maybe they could have done more with Junichi for example in making it seem more than just a physical attraction.

In the end things weren’t too bad for the characters. Even without being with Junichi Yuuhi has grown a lot as a person. She doesn’t need the engagement since she is now more than just some naïve girl living in a big house. With friends around her, there is now freedom to be her own person. Know there are plenty of girls that would have liked to be with Junichi but he had to pick one at the end of the day. The rest will all be fine and continue being the way they always have. Well Karen may need some time to get over the shock of Jun ending up with his sister.

For Junichi and Minato it’s a pretty happy ending. If the major hints hadn’t been dropped in this one about them being non-blood related I might have been worried. I mean the world overall just won’t accept such a thing at the end of the day. But if they have no blood relations then they can figure things out. At any rate they love each other and that should make plenty possible. Though if Minato keeps dipping into Junichi’s fetishes then Yuuhi might walk into an embarrassing situation.

This was far from a perfect series. I’m still happy for picking this one up. While I had some bad moments with this show, I also had some fond memories. Really if you can look back on a show and be happy for watching then I don’t think it was a waste.

Junichi gets picked up by the men in black and the girls closest to him have an important conversation.

Impressions:

This episode did end up going in a direction I wasn’t completely expecting. Sure I knew there had to be some confrontation based on what happened in the last episode. But it ended up going in a nice direction that kind of fit the show as a whole. Too bad for those hoping Minato would snap and go on a rampage to eliminate the competition. But at the end she really did try to keep on carrying it inside after being able to let some emotions leak out in the previous episode. Proud of Yuuhi’s growth in this one managing to help Minato come out with it and handing it in a mature fashion. Really does go to show its not just Junichi that she’s formed a strong bond with. Her relationship with Yuuhi is also something that is important to her. Almost thought I was in the wrong show with the position they got themselves into. Really felt like we were moving towards some kind of yuri moment there.

They are definitely setting up for an interesting last episode. Honestly not sure if it’s going to be a concrete finish for either girl or something a bit more ambivalent. It certainly hints toward the vague ending with Yuuhi actually going and getting the engagement cancelled. Sure she puts the reasons as believing she doesn’t need such a thing to force her and Junichi together. But at the same time it does leave the possibility for a more open finish. Still if I’m calling for one girl that will win I’m almost seeing Yuuhi. Since her arrival she has shown quite a bit of growth from the naive angry girl that showed up in the first episode. Now she’s just angry. But seriously regardless of how it turns out this was a beneficial situation for her to walk into. Many of the characters didn’t get that much growth aside from an episode here and there.

I’m curious how Jun being picked up by the men in black in the episode will tie into episode 12. Are they really being sent by his parents or is it some trap for said parents? If so it does leave open some lovers rescue. Honestly getting picked up by that kind of group pretty much guarantees he isn’t being sent to have some nice heart to heart talk with his parents. On the positive this will leave open the chance for Minato to kick into serious mode and show off the skills she has picked up over the years.

Regardless should be interesting to see how the series finishes up overall. It has been a pretty solid series with some nice moments along the way.

Junichi and Yuuhi strengthen their bond while Minato continues to be hurt by that development.

Impressions:

You knew this was coming sooner or later. I’m surprised how quickly the relationship between Yuuhi and Jun has developed in this episode alone. Honestly thought they might fool around for a couple more episodes or never truly get them together at all. But now they have gotten a lot closer and yet are not out of trouble yet. Well Yuuhi definitely asked for a redo in terms of their first kiss. Yet Junichi kind of fell into the issue he had in the first place just kissing her out of the blue. Still that was the major step that helped them to get together. Instead of ignoring their issues they honestly started to talk about how they felt about each other. Though doing it in a pretty odd way even for them by talking about how troubled they were by these feelings. Still they reflected pretty well how tough it is when you like a person and yet have things you don’t like about them. Yuuhi at the start was quite troubled by the fact she didn’t want to be falling for a guy like Jun. And yet when it comes down to it you fall in love whether you like it or not. At least in her case it was with a pretty decent person who still has some flaws.

The major problem as expected comes down to Minato. Really a lot of this is her fault. She was the one who kept on pushing Jun and Yuuhi together like that. She should have realized she would be hurt by it when they did end up getting together. But that didn’t change the fact she has strong feelings for Jun and now is getting beat up inside as she watches him move away from her. Burning the meal is to be expected as she is losing her place as the most important person to him. But Jun also has some blame to be put in all of this. He should have realized what he felt for Minato as well and considered her feelings. The guy has constantly relied on his sister for so much ever since they were reunited. It really is a question of whether the guy can function without her. She cooks his meals and knows where everything he needs is. He really got shocked by the statement of being without Minato in his life. That kind of result is to be expected if he ends up with Yuuhi. He’ll end up moving out to where her family is and taking part in some way with that business. The question comes down to whether he can let go of Minato and settle with being with Yuuhi.

We’re hitting the climax for the end of this series. Yuuhi is going back for a while to report on the situation. She definitely won’t be fighting getting married to the guy at this stage. Yet while she is doing this there is a storm brewing at home. Junichi and Minato both have feelings for each other that can’t just be swept under the rug. Are they going to cut those feelings up and toss them aside or is something else going to happen? They are blood relatives so anything between them really can’t work out as it is. But the end of the episode showed Minato breaking in terms of being able to hold herself back. The obvious ending is JunxYuuhi and yet I don’t know how they plan to deal with Minato. She’s a kind person who has ended up hurting her own chances of happiness. Ultimate solution is marrying Yuuhi and having Minato living with them also. Can sneak good moments between them and society at large doesn’t have to know. But honestly don’t think the series will be doing anything like that.

After some laughs and some romantic moments we are getting close to the end of this series. Don’t know exactly how things will wrap up but should be a pretty good finish. Only a couple of episodes left to resolve another love triangle. Sorry to Tsukasa, Karen, etc but I don’t think they have any chance with Junichi now.

Jun’s birthday arrives and Minato experiences an uncomfortable emotion.

Impressions:

Well we’re finally getting into the romance part of the story. I was a bit surprised by Jun’s maturity at the cake eating scene. Normally I’d expect him to at least embarrassingly say it was an alright meal. But he actually stepped up and said something that most would call corny in that situation. Obviously it was a bad cake but guess when someone works that hard for your sake the least you can do is be appreciative for it. But this was a huge step forward for this couple. Honestly wasn’t sure if they were ever going to give up on the comedy and come into it like this. It’s a pretty important step when Yuuhi is actually being nice and not hitting Jun. Even if it meant being pushed into it she is definitely not as anti-Jun as she was at the beginning. That call to her mother definitely shows that she wouldn’t completely fight the marriage. Now she’s not going to admit yet to liking Jun, but that’s what her character is like. Interesting to see if she gives in and says how she feels before the end.

Sadly this situation was also expected for Minato. She should have known that constantly pushing those two together would leave her in this painful situation. Always knew she had the least chance of getting together with Jun for a few reasons. Her personality to support others would put her in a bad position when those two started to get closer. But also the fact she is a nice person who doesn’t take the initiative in getting what she wants. So now she sits there seeing Yuuhi get the smiles about the cake that she used to get. Only question is what will she do now? Jun is getting closer and closer to Yuuhi which doesn’t leave her in a good position. Even if she pushes towards getting closer to Jun now it doesn’t mean she has a chance. Hopefully it goes alright for her, but just feels like this will naturally go toward giving Yuuhi the win. The best she can hope for is an ending that is less that concrete.

This really is a turning point in the series. We’re moving closer to the end and now the romantic situation has to be resolved. I can’t see us giving another episode to a friend or side character at this stage. Only question really is whether it’s a concrete finish for JunxYuuhi or just something more ambiguous. Maybe extending the time Yuuhi has to decide or letting her live with Jun and Yuuhi indefinitely. Regardless we are definitely getting closer to the end.

Tsukasa goes after a career goal and remembers some good times with Jun.

Impressions:

Well this was a pretty good episode overall. A bit more on the serious side than the last few episodes, but that’s alright I think. This one was centred on Tsukasa for a change of pace. Was a nice thing to flesh out the relationship of Jun with the rest of his friends especially those from the years before he was reunited with Minato. It seems like Tsukasa could give some more serious advice back then. Also just felt like there was a good history between them. Before the later days where she was more of a source of teasing rather than someone you’d suspect to be a serious friend of Jun. Have to admit it was hilarious to watch them practice out moves similar to Sailor Moon back when they were kids.

A little bit of development on the romance side I suppose. Though that’s only if you can call Yuuhi being jealous and upset at Jun as development. At any rate Jun is at least including Yuuhi in his strange mental fantasy which is good for her chances. Though she wasn’t alone and was included with the other girls. So right now she hasn’t really made a ton of progress with Jun. But its still the situation where if anyone has a shot of getting together with the guy it is her. Will just have to wait and see if the series decides to give a decided finish or some kind of vague ending.

Regardless it really wasn’t a bad episode. Decisions on the future aren’t bad things to think about. Though I agree Yuuhi really doesn’t need to fill out such a form. Jun may not need to either since if he gets together with Yuuhi he’ll get some responsibilities in the large company. Found the board game they were playing kind of comical, in how it ending up pointing out the serious incidents in the series to this point. Marriage, attack by squid, giant robot falling apart, and finally a trip to hell. While that hasn’t happened yet it doesn’t seem like a positive thing for Jun. Though going to hell could mean marrying Yuuhi for all we know.

Also can’t believe I didn’t notice it earlier. But in the image selection you can pick out the Captain from Macross Frontier. I’m not one to normally make a big deal out of placing characters into series they don’t belong in. But honestly found it hilarious that he would actually be put there. Series can be fairly funny that’s for sure.

So will see what comes in the next episode. Looks like a birthday episode for Jun and more development on the romance front.

Yuuhi participates in cooking and cosplay at the schools culture festival.

Impressions:

Well was actually a pretty funny episode overall. Series does pretty well when it just has a good time rather than trying to get too serious with the romance. The end was pretty funny and even I got caught up in it. It was a strange Power Rangers moment when Jun was piloting the giant robot. Though in the end the thing was pretty cheaply made and just fell apart when he took a step. Its too bad since I was looking forward to a big robot battle that ended up not happening at all. Still wasn’t a total waste since some laughs were had along the way.

The culture festival felt pretty along the normal for a series like this. The cosplay battle to try and lure more customers was pretty fun. Yuuhi and Karen got pretty desperate to bring in the customers. First the normal outfits pretty much failed entirely. Then they tried the cat ears which while cute had no impact on the people. Maid outfits didn’t quite work since the class next door was doing the same and their skirts were 30 cm shorter. Finally some strange combination of cat ears and school swimsuits managed to bring in the crowd. Was a tough battle since Minato and the tennis club had the market corned on the food side of things. Though lets face it with Minato serving and her food being chef class its no question that people would rather go there to get a meal.

There wasn’t a great deal on the romance side of things going on in this one. You get some more interrogations of Yuuhi by her classmates and blushing but nothing really serious. Obviously we’re seeing her like Jun more though I still like Minato more. Since at the end she just gives him a couple hard punches to the gut which I think is overboard. But with them having some tense moments its clear they will end up together. Since the person you fight with the most is clearly the person you will end up with. A strange world we live in that’s for sure.

The group pays a visit to a hotspring and has some fun at Jun’s expense.

Impressions:

Well Jun gets himself into more strange times in this one. Really it was a pretty standard hot springs episode if there is a standard for these things. Jun really ends up being the punch line to a lot of jokes that’s for sure. Whole group went around having fun with songs, jokes, and making Jun react the way they wanted. Minato spent some time in the episode teasing him a little bit. Though still his reactions to her are pretty strong in the series. Fun that when the girls come out again there is only one person he behaves like that toward. It was also pretty entertaining how he freaked out when Minato was gone for only a short period of time. He knows what she can do, but still lost it and chased her into the woods. Though still think he’ll be put with Yuuhi in the end its pretty fun to watch.

On Minato she did show off some skills again. Girl really did have a very strange upbringing. She just enters a serious mode now and then. This time she went off tracking bears and ended up in the hot springs with them. Even going the next step of having her communicating with animals to a degree. I really wonder about those parents, though becoming clearer why leaving Minato and Jun alone isn’t a concern to them. For now its just an interesting thing, but never know if they will toss in a moment when that serious mode actually comes in handy. She does seem pretty supportive of Jun and Yuuhi and yet will clearly be hurt when they do end together.

Not too much to say about the episode overall. They gave some moments of the girls in their kimonos and made some jokes. Karen did get quite a bit of focus here as well. But mostly in furthering her bonds with Yuuhi. The episode also made sure to show how bothered she was by the whole event on the cruise. Though really, the majority of the fault was Yuuhi’s for nearly burning the ship down.

Series continues to be pretty solid. I won’t call it outstanding, but it’s better now that Yuuhi isn’t constantly trying to rip Jun apart.

Jun goes out on a date with Yuuhi and the two begin to get closer.

Impressions:

Why does Minato have to be a saint? Its this kind of behaviour that will make her lose in the end I tell you. With Minato faking not being able to go even though she probably wanted to see the movie. Doing that just for Jun and Yuuhi is just reflecting the kind of person she is. Just hope she doesn’t end up feeling bad at the end if they really put Jun on the Yuuhi path to finish it.

But definitely got hints at how she feels about Jun even thinking about what if she was adopted sometimes. Obviously the source of that is how she feels about Jun and how she’d have a real chance if they weren’t related. Its too bad since it doesn’t seem like they are unrelated. No one really remembers much from when they were very young so its not unusual. Liked the ramen part later in how it showed their connection. Sure he would like another bowl, but when Minato cut him off he went to bed as told. Really is a nice relationship between them no matter the end result.

Obviously this was all a YuuhixJun episode. Giving them some time together where she isn’t trying to kill him is a nice change of pace. Though still don’t like her nearly as much as Minato it wasn’t bad. Had a nice time out and was funny watching her freak out about the cold. Yuuhi even went to the level of calling up the family doctor for such a small thing. When really the power of Minato ramen will take care of all!

Episode did a good job reflecting on Jun as well. This time he did some nice things and that’s always good. The guy was considerate about Yuuhi’s feet after walking around so much in those heels, but also going after the hat because it was her favourite. Of course pride wouldn’t have let him fall and get the hat wet so had to at least pull that off. Also was nice to see him cooking for once and helping out. He really does spend a lot of time living off Minato’s kind labour. Got to see another appearance of Geno Killer with scaring those guys off with his change of tone and the look he had. Wonder if we’ll see him get into a fight at some point just to show how he can do when its not a girl coming after him.

Overall wasn’t a bad episode at all. It’s a rare thing to see Yuuhi and Jun more or less behaving themselves for an entire episode.

Jun is invited to a sea party and has some interesting interactions with Minato.

Impressions:

Well this episode really puts me into the camp of JunxMinato. Sure you have the blood related (or not) siblings thing, but doesn’t bother me in this series. Maybe its because they grew up separate and haven’t built the anti-sibling relationship feeling. Though difference between interest and actually doing something. At any rate Minato has moved fairly quickly into the character I like the most in this series. She has a very level head considering she has to put up with Jun and Yuuhi. A great cook, no doubt can handle herself in a tough spot, and is patient. I still expect a JunxYuuhi finish, but doesn’t mean I can’t be on a different side of the fence.

Pretty solid episode with regard to Minato and displaying her…character. They need to put Yuuhi around someone else since she is outclassed on all fronts. Yuuhi just lucky she didn’t get in trouble for blowing up the kitchen and nearly burning down the ship. Suppose if she wasn’t scared of that incredibly fake octopus she would have charged in there and killed the poor guy inside. At least this was an episode where she didn’t go over the top and try to beat Jun to death. Though wonder if she’ll be involved in an episode and not nearly cause a disaster. Maybe the best moment of the episode for her was when she shot those guys down. Definitely shows the petigree in that kind of situation. Also Jun needs to work on his personality. Sure the concern for Minato was nice, but he still complains a lot about things. Can see his past playing a role in why he is this way. But still considering the friends and family he has around him now he needs to step forward.

Series overall has felt fairly average for me. Not something I’ll immediately watch over any other series. But still there are some likable characters in there and that will make it worth following. Guess we’ll see what the hidden communications are all about. Also wonder if there is much of a point to the situation with Jun’s parents other than to show a contrast to the less than serious danger the other characters are in.

Jun and Yuuhi look for their teacher and get trapped.

Impressions:

Now maybe I’m just low on humour due to staying up two nights in a row writing essays. But honestly Yuuhi pushed it a bit in this one. She can pull that calm act when in public, but when it was her and Jun it got pretty ugly. As in ugly I mean trying to kill him for most of the episode. Now honestly Jun has a lot of flaws himself. Can be rude and say some stupid things. But honestly I don’t think its right to be constantly attacking the guy either.

When he finally let out the aggravations he had I was with him. This has been a bad situation for Yuuhi. But I don’t think some violent girl who comes in complaining about how bad things are for her is a big prize either. Did think that after he said that would be a good chance for them both to see where the other stands. Instead get an angry “who are you calling selfish?” You, Yuuhi, I’m pretty sure he was referring to you. Think the girl has to look at the major flaws in her personality. Jun also has to work on things. But at least he was trying (badly I admit) to talk about what happened with that kiss and I’m sure an apology would have come if Yuuhi hadn’t blown up.

I’m fairly curious about Nagomi. Just who is she in communication with? Are they going to try and play something serious? Or is it just talking with the parents and reporting how things are progressing with the two of them. If she’s reporting we can say its going very badly. My rant reflecting how it feels to watch these two. The rant aside there were some nice spots behind the chaos. While cliché giving Yuuhi the jacket and then sitting close together for warmth wasn’t bad.

One thing I’m looking forward to seeing is more Minato. At the end you could feel how worried she was to be separated from her brother. While Yuuhi was looking with a weird expression, I thought it was a good sibling moment. Also the preview looked good for continuing development with the siblings. At the moment Minato is an easier personality to handle.