Nishi still blushes at the idea of going on dates with Yamada. Sheesh, they’re supposed to be official. What do you think official couples do? They date, of course! She does, however, eventually drag her boyfriend to the aquarium, a traditional spot for couples to visit. Hell, it might as well be Mecca for anime couples. Everyone makes a pilgrimage to an aquarium at one point or another, because you see it in every damn romance series. The aquarium Nishi and Yamada visit is especially unique since it even comes with a merry-go-round. That’s certainly something I’ve never seen before.
The key takeaway here is that Nishi needs to just go with the flow. This is exemplified perfectly by Yamada finally convincing her to join him on the merry-go-round. She was initially hesitant, because she didn’t want to look like she was mingling with children. But letting her inner child come out is exactly what she needs. The girl is so high-strung. She’s constantly worried that Yamada will either be bored or unhappy. Ultimately, she simply needs to talk more. Rather than stewing in her own thoughts, trying to guess at Yamada’s feelings through the proverbial tea leaves, she should literally ask him what he’s thinking or feeling.
In the end, Yamada shorts his girlfriend’s brain when he calls her by her first name. You guys ever see that movie Call Me by Your Name? Put me off of peaches for a while. Plus, Armie Hammer ended up being quite a weirdo, huh? But this is neither here nor there… In the end, this pairing echoes a lot of what we’ve already seen between Suzuki and Tani. Specifically, Yamada tells Nishi that he’s happy when she’s happy. Well, that’s what a good boyfriend should do.
Speaking of the devil(s), Suzuki and Tani are the next couple to be featured. Basically, we’re saving the best for last. I kid, I kid… kinda. Spring break also coincides with Suzuki’s birthday. Tani, however, has other things on his mind. Namely, college entrance exams. Still, he accompanies her on a cherry blossom viewing. Tani also gifts Suzuki a mug — a rather big one unless her hands are just small. Throughout the date, Suzuki keeps hoping that these good times will last forever. It’s like she’s trying to self-soothe because she knows the truth, and it isn’t exactly ideal. Well, if you’ve seen one romance anime, you’ve seen them all. These stories are often obsessed with the idea that any true couple must spend time apart before they can finally be together “for realsies.” I rather hate it; in my mind, if you want to be together, then be together. But Japan does like that Tanabata legend for a reason…
The way Tani is cramming for his entrance exams, it makes you think he and Suzuki won’t be going to the same college. Suzuki eventually opens up about her worries. Between all the studying and how they might not be in the same class for their third and final year, she’s afraid that they will grow apart. This will only get worse when they end up at separate colleges… or will it? I mean, these days, long distance relationships are hardly a problem. You can always hop on a video call and practically see each other every single day. Imagine dating someone who suddenly has to move overseas back when texting actually cost money. Now that would be stupid! Who would go and do something like that! Certainly not me, haha!
Moving along, Tani assures Suzuki that his feelings won’t change. In reality, he was trying to ease his own anxieties as much as hers. He has the same concerns as his girlfriend. Look, it’s fiction, so they really have nothing to worry about. These two will be together forever regardless of the circumstances. Statistically, however, high school couples… look, everyone changes and grows at different rates. You can be happy together for years only to fall out of love gradually. It doesn’t mean anyone did anything wrong. Life just happens. There isn’t always a person to blame. You should look back and just be happy that there was ever a relationship. But I’ll leave it at that. Again, this is fiction, so everything will work out. Everything always works out.
The last third of the episode is unfortunately titled “Spring Break with Azuma,” but it makes sense. She and Taira are not a couple yet. Hell, it remains to be seen if they will ever become one. On the subreddit for this show, a certain user will post a translated fan comic featuring this couple and this couple specifically. They’ve been doing this every single day for like… two or so months? And sure, I enjoy reading these comics as well. But reality is often sobering. My heart wants Taira and Azuma to be together, but my mind says otherwise. My mind thinks he’s not in a healthy enough place to be anyone’s boyfriend.
Anyway, Azuma realizes that her friendship with Taira is unlike any friendship she’s ever had with another boy. With others, there was always a sense that they wanted something from her — I would say something romantic, but that isn’t quite the right word. I mean, there’s no romance here. It’s not quite carnal either, because they’re not old enough for that sort of thing. It’s this weird, pubescent version of romance, I suppose. Look, the point is that Azuma and Taira truly started off as just friends, so she doesn’t quite know how to approach what they have now, especially with her new, burgeoning feelings. Even so, this is still an odd distinction to make, because I’m sitting here wondering, “Wait, isn’t she platonic friends with Yamada and Tani as well?” Clearly, she’s not as close to either of them as Taira, but it’s a bit weird that they didn’t factor into the equation when she was thinking about her relationships with guys in general, e.g. when she thought to herself, “Actually, I might not have had real guy friends like this before.”
This time, we didn’t even get to drown in Taira’s pool of negativity. Instead, we cut right to the kids finding out their new class assignments. And guess what? Suzuki and Tani are not together. In fact, none of the couples will share the same class. Nishi actually prefers it this way, because she doesn’t think she can handle being near Yamada for the entire year. Shh, don’t tell her about the eventual honeymoon after they get married. As for the others, I mean, it’s no big deal. Like the great Blizzard dev once asked rhetorically, “Do you guys not have phones?”
But the Azuma section is not quite over. Like usual, she shares a ride on the subway with Taira. Being in different classes won’t change that. Still, something’s different. Rather, her feelings are different. Azuma reflects on how she has never been anyone’s number one, and she used to accept that. However, she can’t help but feel as though Taira doesn’t miss her company, and she’s startled by the fact that this actually frustrates her. We know why, though. Clearly, she likes him more than a friend.
In the end, Azuma kinda confronts Taira before they go their separate ways: “You’re being pretty unemotional about it.” Without fully understanding where she’s coming from, Taira inadvertently reassures Azuma: “Well, I mean, we’ll see each other after school anyway.” The last time they departed, they had agreed to lean on each other if they ever needed an ear to rant to or a shoulder to cry on. Taira doesn’t plan on dropping this friendship. As a result, Azuma gets to walk away feeling a little giddy. She tries to tell herself that this moment in itself doesn’t really have any deeper meaning. Nevertheless, she copies Taira and wears one of those squiggly smiles as she has a spring in her step. Fitting for the season.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— What are aquariums like here? I hear the one in Monterey Bay is fantastic, but I haven’t had the opportunity to visit it. Meanwhile, San Francisco technically has an aquarium by the pier, but it’s super tiny and (the last time I was there) filled to the brim with tourists. It’s not exactly conducive to romance.
— Watching Nishi stare at the tank of jellyfish, I’m reminded of that fashion anime with jellyfish. We only ever got one season of that show, huh? I hear that the manga’s ending was unsatisfying.
— So often, you see these anime characters study their asses off in their third and final year. Remember the show Just Because? All the main couple did was study. I’m not sure I can relate. Yeah, I studied for the SAT and ACT back in the day… not to this extent, though. I wasn’t doing it every damn day. Maybe if I did, I’d score better than I did (I think I only scored somewhere in the 1400s), but it was still good enough to get me a free ride at a decent school.
— Suzuki looks kinda funny here, because from the neck down, she’s dressed rather maturely. But then you got her tiny chibi-ish head on top.
— Azuma’s feelings must be real, ’cause she’s blushing at the thought of inviting Taira out with the girlies. Still, considering how hard Suzuki shipped Yamada and Nishi, I’m surprised she didn’t notice this.
