Halfadeckshort on February 15, 2012 · in Amagami SS+

Summary:

05: Almost an entire year has passed since we last checked in on Ai and Junichi and though the two wouldn’t mind a repeat of last year’s Christmas Eve date, certain logistical problems arising from their last visit to the hot springs prevent them from falling into an early rut (unlike the deer) and going there again. Even though they’re both excited, Ai has trouble keeping Junichi up, er, stimulated, er, awake long enough to get anything nailed, er, firmed, er planned out because he’s been attending cram school and staying up late studying for his entrance exams every night. Trying to become the man that Ai deserves is sapping every last bit of his strength, and when Junichi’s absentminded fatigue lands him in mock test make-up training hell it looks like the two will have to cancel their nebulous plans completely.

06: The Founder’s Festival has arrived again, and though Miya and Sae find themselves transformed by the festival spirit, Ai is having trouble getting into the season even though, as Captain of the swim team, she’s still working hard at the traditional oden stall. With Junichi stuck at the training camp, Miya invites Ai to the sleepover she and Sae had planned on having and Ai reluctantly accepts. Remembering that she had yet to buy a gift for her brother, however, she goes to the shopping district where she is surprised by Junichi, who had managed to narrowly escape the camp and its security detail. Secretly aided by Umehara and cheered on by Miya from afar, the two enjoy a worry-free night on the town until they run into Maya-sensei in the red light district. That encounter triggers their awkward-turtle-or-flight response, and the two run all the way to the park where Junichi vows that even though they may be apart temporarily they’ll always be awkward together.

Reaction:

 Ai’s episodes weren’t painful to watch, but they weren’t exactly all that exciting either. It’s not a good sign when the best parts of these two episodes were the references to the crazy things that went down in her original arc (with repeatedly recycled animation), side character moments, or things that felt like they were borrowed from other arcs or series… like the nasally version of Haruka’s stalker Junichi or the Makoto Ito Memorial Bed Induction®. While the actual percentage of adult content involved in Junichi pulling Ai under the covers is certainly debatable, the scene did remind me a great deal of that bit in School Days when Makoto pulled Hikari back into bed for round two… and that made the end of episode six a little confusing for me.

Okay, so Junichi is no Makoto, and Ai isn’t inviting the swim team over for any extracurricular activities, but why would they get so flustered about accidentally walking by a few love hotels? Their last Christmas Eve date inspired deer overpopulation, they’re alone every morning before school, and they do kinky things in the nurse’s office.  The awkward bit with Maya-sensei I can sort of understand, because it’s never a fun conversation when the adults in your life figure out that you’re having sex (even if the running away part was pretty ridiculous), but merely being within 50 feet of a potential tryst shouldn’t have thrown them for such a loop. Especially since the end of the episode showed them shacked up in what I’m pretty sure was Junichi’s flash-forwarded apartment.

Outside of their odd embarrassment both Ai and Junichi have matured a bit since we last saw them, with Ai assuming the role of Captain on the swim team and Junichi actually trying to study. This maturity comes at the expense of some of Junichi’s unpredictable “charm” (and some immature entertainment) but as I said before the supporting characters made up for that. Umehara and his Junichi-groping, Maya-sensei-propositioning self was in rare form and I can’t help but wonder what happened after that cold wind blew through love hotel row. Maybe after they recovered their balance they went and checked out some manwha together…. And Miya getting some for herself was absolutely hilarious.  I can’t wait to see what she does to Sae in her arc, which is coming up next. Until then.