[Readers Request] Tsuki ga Kirei Episode 2: Handful of Sand

This is definitely a calming show. I feel instantly happy and relaxed after having watched an episode and I kind of want to binge the rest right now, but I gotta give myself time to write reviews after every episode. Kind of wished I had watched this show sooner but oh well.

Ah, the cursed sports festival. A time in which introverted and uncoordinated Japanese kids have to make a fool of themselves in front of the entire school and their families while having to face the scrutiny of their peers later. Literally the only people that are going to have fun are the kids that like to do sports and are active. This is one thing I’m so glad American schools don’t do. I’ve made a fool of myself (or was just ignored) plenty in my middle and high school PE classes, I didn’t need the added pressure and anxiety to force myself to do something at an event. Kotarou is like me, we both like writing, we’re both quiet, and we both suck at sports, though honestly I think running would suit me best. Akane, who enjoys running, just hates doing it in front of people. She also has the pressure of her dad being enthusiastic and wanting to record her, which is something my parents would definitely do too. Since she’s on the track team, it’s no surprise that Akane takes on the running events. She places first for her team in the 200m race and has a relay race later. Kotarou also has the 200m for the boys, but places last after he falls. He gets himself treated and we get to see the other events the kids do.

The main “conflict” of this episode is when Akane loses her squeezie. It’s her turn to run the relay and she can’t find it, and it looks like her friends know the importance of the potato because they seemed pretty worried for her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to find it before her race and in the relay she dropped the baton, making her team lose in the end. It just makes things worse for her when people make fun of her, which pissed me off.

But when Kotarou was organizing the equipment, he was able to find her potato and give it to her in the end, making her really happy. She admits that she loves running but not in front of people, even though she’s in the track team, and she’s grateful for her squeezie. I found it adorable that Kotarou had to clear his throat to speak with Akane clearly, and his shyness shows when he couldn’t make eye contact with her the whole time. Aww~ They share a couple more words and they both go home and Kotarou is happy to see a text from Akane. They both go back and forth, smiling and giggling, sending messages and Akane calls him Curly-kun, Kotarou finally knowing his nickname. We see him go to the owner of the bookstore and he actually lets him read his manuscript, which he’s been working really hard on for a newcomer’s award. Awesome! This is a huge thing for him because he would never let people read what he wrote, as he would follow a Dazai quote which basically said that people can’t influence each other. But after talking with Akane, he was influenced by her and realized Dazai may be wrong this time; while she hates running in front of people, Akane does it anyway because she loves running. And while Kotarou doesn’t like sharing his work with others, he loves writing so much that he’ll go out of his way to share with others in order to improve. And that’s just fantastic.

This show is SO CUTE! Kotarou and Akane seem to be getting closer, but I can see some drama happening with Akane and the guy from the track team her friends keep trying to set her up with. He’s popular, athletic, and handsome. I’m sure people are going to give her a lot of crap when she eventually falls for Kotarou, the quiet, nerdy, “average” guy (even though I think he’s adorable).

We’ll see how things progress with them.