I have so many emotions for this episode you have no idea. This episode had a lot going on and it was definitely a lot faster paced than the previous episodes. Considering it is officially halfway through the season, I would have hoped it picked up and this episode definitely delivered.

Initially, I was thinking that the golden fish that came alive in the first drawing wasn’t Yuito’s creation. But he clarified that he did draw it but many years ago. The fact that the fish wasn’t a recent thing and wasn’t even in the image that Hitomi saw in the first episode is kind of mind blowing. Me: WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WASN’T THERE TO BEGIN WITH?!

Due to the mysteries revolving around that golden fish, Hitomi starts looking more into it since both Yuito and Kohaku aren’t sure what the significance of it is. Especially since Yuito doesn’t know where he even put the drawing. So she asks Yamabuki about it and he is able to find a picture of them as kids in front of the drawing with the golden fish. And while it was still only of the drawing, the fact that she can still see color THROUGH A PICTURE despite not seeing it directly is really interesting. How the heck is this working???

I’m also very intrigued about the situation with Yuito’s dad. This is the first time he was mentioned and I can’t help but think that he either died or left since he’s been shown so far. I wonder if Yuito’s lack of drive for his art stems from his dad… SO MANY QUESTIONS.

But on man… I’m seeing Yamabuki slowly but surely falling for Hitomi. The fact that he told her to wait and he’ll walk her back, yes he is being a complete gentleman, but that is also a sure sign that a guy either likes or is interested in a girl in anime. And of freaking course Asagi catches them together and I just had to do an audible UGHHHHHH. This is also used in anime a lot where the girl who is interested in the guy catches him with the other girl. It’s frustrating because Hitomi is obviously more interested in Yuito (to the audience at least) but of course, these are teenagers and teenagers are going to be very selfish and jump to conclusions. It’s nice to see Asagi acting on her character development with the posts cards, but I don’t like how she took her frustrations out on Yamabuki. Yes, guys (especially anime guys) are very dense, but choosing to be roundabout with her feelings is very aggravating to watch. Especially considering how nice Yamabuki is.

The group sets off to this photo shoot where they are able to try on victorian styled dresses and oh my gosh they looked freaking adorable. Their whole photoshoot was super cute and I liked how you could tell which one Hitomi took. This series is so good with their little details.

PA Works strikes again with their beautiful effects when Hitomi finds Yuito attempting to draw again, but to no avail. The golden fish appears again and it literally spins Hitomi into the world of Yuito’s drawing, which is trippy as HECK. The whole time I was so confused on what was happening but also entranced by how beautiful it looked. This was such a great scene though with the paint-like background and Hitomi juxtaposed in this world. The scribbles and x marks on the smoke or fog felt pretty foreboding, especially when it eventually lead Hitomi to a barren wasteland-like area. It was like this was Yuito’s current creativity where so many of his ideas were trashed. It’s sad really because I feel like a lot of artists can relate to Yuito’s circumstance, me included. To feel like nothing you draw is good enough is a hard thing to get over…

Anyways, I felt that the scene with the smoky figure wading through a lake of muddled colored paint blotches chasing after the golden fish represented Yuito trying to chase after his past achievements in art. But boy howdy did it freak me out when the eye of a seemingly dead golden fish moved to look at Hitomi. I’m a baby when it comes to creepy/horror things like that…

Back in the real world, Yuito and Hitomi have a conversation about what she saw in the world of his drawing. And hoo boy, she seemed to hit a bunch of nails on the heads about what she saw because it seemed like Yuito knew EXACTLY what those things meant to him personally. And oh man was Yamabuki not kidding when he said that Yuito was sensitive. This is the first time we saw Yuito get visibly distressed and upset, even taking it out on Hitomi who was just trying to help. Though I feel like it was definitely too far for him to say things like “Who do you mages think you are?” buries face in hands This boy somehow always manages to hit all of Hitomi’s insecurities without realizing…

And can we just take a moment and talk about how the scenery around them depicted the mood of the scene perfectly with all those crazy vines above the overhang? Mmm, so good.

I also love how Kohaku continues to be best girl and just notice when Hitomi is struggling and distressed over something and comes to the rescue by being so emotionally supportive. Despite being young, she has so many words of wisdom such as “You often hurt the ones you get close with and care for.” Isn’t that the truth. Though I couldn’t help but giggle at how Kawai just pointed out how things got super awkward once Yuito left from the pictures she took as Kawai found the whole thing amusing. I was actually laughing pretty hard because of how everyone looked like they didn’t know what to do, especially Asagi and Yamabuki. (While Fukazawa paid more attention to his phone, that douche) I also really liked how she thought that photos with just smiles were boring and I couldn’t agree more. Because taking pictures of people without prompt just shows the true emotions in them and the situation. But man, Kawai is such a mood maker as well, I’m starting to love her more each episode~

When Kohaku and Hitomi bump into Yuito visiting his senpai’s art exhibition, I couldn’t help but cheer on Kohaku when she tried to stop Hitomi from running away. That’s right Kohaku, don’t let her run away from her problems! However, was it just me or was this scene kind of rushed? When Yuito runs after and catches up to Hitomi, I feel like he came to a 180 about his drawings was rather abrupt and sudden. Guess his talk with his senpai helped set him straight.

But holy crap, I FLIPPED OUT when it showed the surroundings turn from black and white to color because I KNEW what that meant before Hitomi confirmed it. SHE CAN SEE COLOR AGAIN. I honestly didn’t think it would happen so soon. However, I can’t help but feel a little uneasy about the whole thing after she came walking back into the house, confirming she can see color. From how that last shot was shown, I can’t shake an ominous feeling from seeing it. Especially how Kohaku comments that magic can bring happiness but also misfortune. Not to mention we find out that Hitomi was unconsciously casting magic on herself because of how inexperienced she was, which apparently is dangerous because you can get swallowed up by that power.  HOW IS THAT NOT FOREBODING AND OMINOUS???

This episode was a rollercoaster of emotions and there were so many scenes that were just so visually stunning. However, I also have really bad feelings of what may happen now that Hitomi can see color again. Especially, since we don’t know the reason why it went away in the first place. We’ve reached the halfway point and things are starting to slowly ramp up. Can’t wait to see what happens next week~

Tell me how this shot isn’t foreboding?

Shadow

A passionate yet somewhat awkward individual who just wants to talk about anime

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. V.

    Somehow, Hitomi’s situation reminds me of HP’s Ariana Dumbledore. Ariana didn’t like magic, but couldn’t stop it, and it kept on exploding around her…. like how Hitomi unconsciously uses it. I hope nothing bad happens to Hitomi, because Ariana became unstable and lead a tragic life in the end.

    1. Shadow

      I’m so scared for her, it’s not even funny. Hopefully Kohaku can keep close tabs on her to prevent that from happening.

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