Summary
The boys continue their journey of self discovery as they are faced with the realities of life. They are tired and hungry but they still cannot seem to forget their troubles and why they want to change. The boys continue biking as they sharing their reasons for wanting taking the journey in the first place. Sogabe shouts that he wants to be a better man while Mamoru declares that he wants to get back up in his feet. The two of them then ask Kusuda why did he take the journey and to shout it out. Silence then engulfs the guys as they see the beautiful ocean. In Kusuda’s blank mind, Kei appeared. Unable to hold his emotions back, Kusuda runs towards the ocean and the other two quickly follow. They then shout and declare their love for Kei, Chikura, and Misaki. The girls appear and asked if what the guy’s said was true. Shocked, the guys make a run for it and the girls quickly gave chase. Sogabe reaches a mutual understanding with Chikura, though they aren’t together they will support each other. When Kei catches up to Kusuda, she reveals that she also likes him. With that, they all head home.
Later Ayumi is wondering which brother she should go for. She gets advice from her classmates and friends then finally works up the courage to finish things once and for all. She then visits the Zaitsu residence and explains that she cannot give up on her first love. 
Onibaku
So with the hectic college life on pause I can finally blog again. Woah my favorite color set as the motif in the episode. That sunset has got to be one of the best drawn things i’ve ever seen. So anyway…
This episode was good in that the animation quality was a step above anything that the previous episodes showcased but the downside unfortunately, was that the story got sacrificed due to time constraints. I was actually wondering if they were going to able to fit everything in 12 episodes and though they did, I can’t help but feel a little bit disappointed in how they rushed through the latter part of the show.
MisakiXYuuji, ChikuraXSogabe, and maybe even KeiXKusuda’s stories have taken a slight beating in the anime compared to the manga especially for Misaki’s story. Some great Misaki story elements was cut and thus, her story feels more like an unimportant side story that can be looked over. We did not get to see the “real” or “cute” side of Misaki which I had been hoping for. I can only hope they cover some stuff in a bonus DVD episode or something though I sincerely doubt that will happen. The ChikuraXSogabe thing was ok but I didn’t really feel anything from it. Sogabe just seemed like a character seeking others pity, which I did not want for him. The KeiXKusuda story wasn’t lacking at all, in fact it may have been too much. Their relationship’s over exposure proved a little too much as we see them do the same things over and over again, we can’t help but get a little numb.
All in all, though I do have many qualms about this show, the fact is that this show got me hooked and that is all an anime needs right? With great character designs and many plots to keep you entertained as well as stirring up emotions in people that I myself don’t understand, I would say this is a great series and I will definitely buy the original. If it is blue ray of course :P
