Well darn, here I thought Chihiro was his ex-wife but it’s actually an old college friend of his! At least we found out that the name of his ex-wife is Midori, and that she was an up and coming writer like the rest of them. Still, my favorite moments in this episode were between him and Kondo because I really like this guy. Even though, maybe it’s just me, but I felt his character design to be a little off from the rest. The big, long, white hair looks so strange when compared to everyone else, because everyone else has realistic hair. Except…maybe Yoshizawa.
Unfortunately the festival night between Akira and Haruka didn’t go well at all. I was hoping that they would be able to rekindle their relationship but it got much worse, maybe even irreparable as of right now. The night started off fine, but when Akira saw Kondo and Yuto at the festival like I had predicted, Haruka noticed the serene look on Akira’s face. Her turning red and looking away when asked if she liked him only cemented the conclusion. Haruka was pretty blunt in her response, but it was pretty normal. A very much older man with a child in tow, of course she’d freak out. Akira wanted to change the subject, but Haruka started with her never telling her anything anymore the girls pointing fingers at each other, which led Akira to be blunt herself in saying that their friendship can’t ever go back to what it was before.
It was upsetting because they both could have handled the situation better, but at this point I don’t think either of them were capable of doing that. They each have their own issues and insecurities that they don’t even realize yet (in Akira’s case), so to me I think it was actually better for them to have this argument and make things clear.
However, it was interesting to see the contrast between them and Kondo and Chihiro’s friendshio. Kondo used to be in the same spot as Akira, where his friend continued on in something he loved but he had to take a step back from. In his case, it was getting married and sacrificing his success as a writer. Chihiro became what Kondo always wanted to be, and his bond with his friend disappeared and was strained because of it. But how great it was that they were able to see each other again after so long and still get along like they used to. It was fun learning more about Kondo, and learning who Chihiro is. They, and Midori, used to self publish a magazine together and it was rather sweet that Chihiro kept the very first issue for all those years. What Kondo told Akira in the end related to his friendship with Chihiro and probably Akira’s with Haruka. Sometimes, for whatever reason, friendships can fade away but people will still remember memories that were important to them. It’s possible that the friendship could come together again someday, and under the splendid supermoon, Akira wished for that friendship to get better. Maybe they need some time to mature. Like I said, they both have some issues they need to work on, so letting each other go for now is probably for the best. I also found it sweet that Akira would use her wish for that instead of on her romance with Kondo. For the last couple episodes, the relationship between Kondo and Akira has felt a lot less romantic and more friendly. When Kondo helped her with Rashomon, and when he gave her advice this episode, it was like a wise older friend than like a lover.
Not much like a dad or annoying adult…like a wise friend. I don’t know if that’ll mean anything in this last batch of episodes we’ll get.
