Akane Maniax OVA 02

Gouda arrives to find that he’s been transferred out of Akane’s class (3-D) and into Chizuru’s class (3-B). Kouzuki-sensei tells him that he needs to give the relationship some space, and soon Gouda is all muttering crazy stuff to himself in the back of Chizuru’s class. As wacky visions of evil Gouda’s taunt him, he contemplates suicide before deciding that the old him will die and a new him (“Gouda Mk-II”) will rise. Of course his newest tactic into Akane’s heart is through swimming. Unfortunately he is terrible at it, and he pisses off Akane even further when he tries to join the swim club. She had thought his stupidity was just an act, and is disappointed that even his love for baseball is not genuine. Gouda remarks that he loves both, but he can only pursue one, and sinks back into a depressed funk. This time, his Godain mech battles the mysterious “King Iresoryuta” who is holding Akane hostage.

In a surprise twist, it seems that this “king” is actually a blonde version of Takayuki, with his own harem of pre-disaster Haruka and Mitsuki!!! Sure they bleep out his name, but when he complains that he couldn’t choose between the two girls, it’s pretty obvious what his real identity is. With that, the enemy is forced to retreat from Gouda, but he reminds Gouda that he still has Akane captive. Meanwhile, Akane goes upstairs to speak with Haruka (with long hair), and Haruka is sitting wistfully in the dark, clutching the children’s book she illustrated. Also, it seems that there is some discussion between the swim coach and Akane that has been put on hold.

Over the next few weeks, Gouda relentlessly practices swimming. Although he’s no super-swimmer, he eventually is able to do 25 meters in respectable time. Akane has been watching him secretly, and Gouda is actually embarrassed that she caught him. Akane wonders if Gouda is worried about losing his current identity, but he confidently says that he although loves baseball, Akane is all he can think about. Gouda then smoothly remarks that he’s just on a break from baseball, even though he doesn’t know the outcome of his endeavors. Akane is surprised by this, and for once Gouda has all the right answers. As he brilliantly explains that there is no battle if you already know the outcome, Gouda also tells Akane the importance of believing in oneself. Suddenly Akane can’t hold back her tears any longer, and lets out her emotions and feelings while crying on Gouda’s chest. Gouda is pretty gentlemanly about the whole thing, unlike Shinji.

Ok, if you liked KimiNozo, then this episode was unbelievably awesome. I want to make clear that in episode 1, I completely detested Gouda, but this episode made it evident that he is perfect for Akane. When you’re all depressed, it’s always hard for your friends to pull you out of your funk because 1) they don’t know what to do, 2) you think you don’t want to be pulled out, making the process extremely tiring for your friends, and 3) when you’re depressed, you’re a total bummer to be around. This is where Gouda excels, because his stupidity is so strong that it shields him from the power of Akane’s depression. The episode further emphasizes this in the brilliant battle with a barely disguised Takayuki, and also in Gouda’s decision to choose swimming over baseball (lol, is that supposed to be a metaphor for choosing Mitsuki over Haruka???). I can’t help thinking that perhaps there was some deeper meaning in how Takayuki was able to escape, with Akane still held captive. Suddenly, I’m no longer sickened by the idea of Gouda x Akane, even though I am secretly anticipating her having to move to America to swim and him having to leave her to chase his dream of baseball. I mean, it just wouldn’t be a KimiNozo spinoff without a little soap, right? My ideal situation is that Gouda rips Akane out of the muck of her depression and she goes on to become a famous swimmer, without becoming romantically involved with him.

The final ingredient that made this dish perfect was the startling cameo during the post-ED announcement. The director really wants to pound home the lesson that you have to fight for what’s important to you (or else you’ll end up like Haruka)!

I just want to mention again that the Takayuki cameo so completely blew my mind that I had to pause to type out “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!” on the notes that I was keeping as I watched the episode.

Related posts:

1. Akane Maniax OVA 03 (Final)
2. Akane Maniax OVA 01
3. Mai Hime 08