Red 2, this is Red Leader, need your help in shaking this bogey
Summary:
Target acquired, nyan nyan steamed buns bait prepared
Junichi is bummed out over Haruka’s rejection, but when he runs into her at the infirmary she treats him as if nothing odd happened. She’s fine with everything going back to the way they used to be (you know when their 1-day old friendship was still strong), but not before letting him know that she likes tough, charismatic, charming leaders. The subtle hint is that a nice guy is a weak guy, but Junichi is satisfied just talking to Haruka.
Things are looking really great when Junichi nearly baits Haruka into a hot grappling session and some unauthorized swimming, but every time things get lukewarm, Hibiki shuts Junichi down like he’s Joe Johnson in the playoffs. Even worse Masayoshi’s recon reveals that simply re-confessing may not pay off. However, Junichi is determined and so lures Haruka to the library with the promise of new cute photo albums. Like any student sitting in a library, Haruka quickly falls asleep and Junichi takes the opportunity to watch her sleep like a total creep. When she wakes up, she is delirious enough to agree that Junichi’s attention is acceptable and with that she plants a hot, wet kiss right on his furrowed brow.
Reaction:
To all these females crawl
Oh man, this was so painful to watch on a number of different levels. Forehead kiss? Are you looking for a girlfriend or a mom? Pity love? That’s just terrible, stop wasting the man’s time! Masayoshi unable to off-tank Hibiki? C’mon wingman, buck buck up! While I like that at least Junichi has the courage to declare his feelings, watching him follow after Haruka like a puppy made me sick.
However, when I saw how angry Miya was, it hit me; Junichi is not the primary target. Haruka is stringing him along to get closer to Miya and eventually corner her (naked) in the bathroom! Haruka’s fetish for spying on girls and her desire to sniff Miya’s swimsuit… suddenly it all makes sense. It still doesn’t excuse Haruka’s callous disregard for the feelings of others, but at least it explains her motivation. You may think you’re fooling everyone with that aggravating quirky engrish-spouting genki-girl act, but Miya is on to you Haruka, and she’s saving herself for her Nii Nii.
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This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1940 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
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She makes me think of Satoko from Higurashi when she says NII NII like that.
I’m sure Zyl will approve of Haruka’s ulterior motive. But yeah, I’ve felt the same way so far. You’ve been stabbed, stop reopening the wound. Best to just cauterize, bear the pain, then move on. Glad I’m not the only one who thought Junichi just staring at her in her sleep was a little bit creepy too.
The chance to wipe away his failure by bagging the school idol seems to be too tempting for Junichi to give up on, I guess.
Lulz, going after the bro to get to the sister. Morishima is smarter than we think. Miya probably has some lolicon radar that goes off in her vicinity. If I was Junichi I would probably make the trade.
I also agree that Junichi needs to be more Kyon-ish. At least pretend like you’re not interested in running her stupid errands while you agree to her every whim! He just comes off as too submissive.
No Kyon! I prefer that Junichi is at least honest, even if he is still pathetic.
100% APPROVE. Yes Naz is absolutely right! *Motivation POWERED 723 to go and watch this episode*
Haha, it’s not generic if you look at it from the right angle
So would Miya be okay with Junichi X Haruka if she let her join in? Or perhaps some sort of joint-custody agreement is in order?
I don’t know, since Miya doesn’t seem to be the sharing type. She even shooed away Sae for fear that any female who saw Junichi might get the hots for him.
Junichi is cracking me up right now. His celebration over Haruka allowing him to keep up his one-sided infatuation is priceless. It does take some balls to at least confess one’s feelings, so maybe the other one just has not dropped yet.
So true! I guess I will need a larger sample size before judging Junichi, but at least he is capable of honesty and bravery.
You’re all a bunch of hardheaded cynics, that’s all
I’ll open myself up for common ridicule by quickly summarizing the Junichi/Haruka relationship seriously. Here’s a transcript of an exchange I had on Animesuki:
And this makes me shake my head. Who the hell says that after a rejection (especially one at a very early stage like this) you can’t deal with each other normally? If anything, I find it refreshing that Haruka acts perfectly REASONABLE here. She likes Junichi, just doesn’t consider him dating material. So why should she shy away from him or change her usual open behavior? That was the POINT of the early rejection – to make sure that you can at least carry on as friends.
Sorry, I need to disagree here. Full marks for Haruka for dealing with it MATURELY here.
That’s the way she is. And there’s nothing wrong with it in my book too. The only person who could have a reason to complain is Junichi, but it is HIM who is still seeking HER out. Haruka is willing to carry on, business as usual. If Junichi isn’t, he can opt out. Instead, he consciously forges on. Why would that be Haruka’s “fault”?
For some reason you seem to have the conception that it’s Haruka’s duty to adjust her behavior to make sure that Junichi isn’t “hurt” or something. And this is your fundamental misconception here, IMHO. As silly as it sounds, this romance is built on a simple good match: Haruka can live her open-happy-no-care-in-the-world life and be with a guy who not only accepts, but even supports it. Someone who she thinks of kindly now, and who showed some dedication and resilience that it’s causing her to pause and reevaluate him.
On the other hand, you have Junichi, a guy who has a major trust issue with girls after obviously being dumped nastily before. Who is a bit passive and dour, with a tendency for brooding. In Haruka, he has someone who has the energy to _pull him along_. Who has the enthusiasm for two, and who can fill the gap in Junichi’s life this way. Another huge advantage of Haruka is that she is exceptionally open. She doesn’t need to mince words or put on a face, she shows what she thinks and feels openly. This will help Junichi with his trust issue. Once she commits to him, he has no reason to doubt anymore.
Now, please don’t misunderstand that I’m telling you to like them – not at all. But structurally, they are a very good match – each of them offering something the other needs. And that’s a welcome change from most other “romance” shows in the past.