Before Arima gets his time to shine, Takeshi and Emi take the floor and raise the bar. Both of them channel their rivalry with Arima through their music, and see it bring them success. With these years of emotion building up, will Arima be able to live up to their expectations?
The day of the big recital finally comes. Kaori gives Kousei some much needed pep-talks before the big day, but he still has his doubts. His trauma manifests into a new form as he remembers an old pet his mother took away. Meanwhile, the two no-names from the end of last episode finally make their presence known as Kousei’s rivals. Will Kousei have the ability to match their expectations?
Kousei is driven hard by Kaori to start practicing for a recital. His abilities have noticeably decreased, and his mental struggles still affect his playing. Kaori finally understands the carelessness of her actions, but in her enthusiasm Kousei finds the strength to continue. Meanwhile, Tsubaki is in the midst of Regionals when she starts to get jealous of Kousei and Kaori’s closeness.
Kousei finally gets to the competition with Kaori. After his trauma gets to him, Kaori tries to give him another push to get over it by sticking with him. Afterwards she collapses, bringing everyone to worry about her condition. It would appear she is fine, but the event sparks guilt in Kousei. Coupled with how he deals with his crush on her, he finds it hard to talk to her face to face. After she waits to confront him, he is sparked towards action. Will he really be able to put his problems behind him?
At a pitstop on the way home, Kaori reveals she’s heard a lot about Kousei from his years as the Child Genius. Kousei is goaded into playing the piano for some adorable twerps until his trauma forces him to stop. He reveals to Kaori that he believes he can’t hear the music if he plays for long enough. After accepting that this is kinda ridiculous, Kaori goes on a vendetta to make him her accompanist for the next round of the competition.
The gang gets Kaori to her competition in the nick of time. Her playing blows the audience out of the water, and solidifies Kousei’s crush. Unfortunately, her unorthodox style gets no points from the judges. Realizing he’s only second fiddle to Ryota, he becomes melancholy once again, but he just can’t get her out of his head.
Kousei Arima is a former child prodigy. After his mother’s death, he swears off the piano, instead deciding to spend his time like any other normal middle schooler. After being cajoled by his best friend Tsubaki, he goes to a get-together where he meets Kaori Sawabe, an energetic violin player. She has her sights set on his friend Ryota, but for Kousei, it’s love at first sight.
This show decides to slow down like nobody’s business. It’s pretty bad when you’re being beaten out as a competent romance by a gag comedy show.
Recap I’m glad this conflict wasn’t just put to rest immediately. Sure, having their feelings out in the air means they’ll at least understand each other better, but the problems will not end here. If that wasn’t obvious enough, Yuuri going to cry in the bathroom should be a pretty good indicator of how…
Futaba is confronted with the fear that by falling in love with Kou, she may lose the only friend she has left. Further worrying keeps her stalling on making a decision, but after talking to an old friend, she finally comes to a decision.
A late arrival by our main pair puts the group on edge. Their varying personalities start to make them even more at odds with each other. Later, Futaba tries to get everyone to work together to help strengthen their solidarity, but once again their stubbornness gets the best of them.
Hit the “Random” button and see what comes up! In this feature, we take a look at whatever manga the RNG decides to throw at us and find out if it’s worth your time.
This time: Ao to Umibe no Nostalgia, by Koyomi Minamori
Alternative titles: Aoharaido, Ao Haru Ride Manga Adaptation – Production I.G. Streaming on Crunchyroll Premise In middle school, Futaba Yoshioka was asked out on a date by her crush Kou Tanaka, but after overhearing an outburst by her, she gets stood up. Shortly after, Kou leaves due to family problems and the two lose contact.…
Yuki gets curious about the circumstances surrounding Kaori’s memory loss. After convincing Hajime to spill the beans, Kaori happens to hear upon it as well.
Things seem to go back to normal very quickly between Yuki and Kaori, but with her memories wiped, things are still difficult. The gaps in Kaori’s memory become more and more visible. Meanwhile, the newly crowned Teen Douchebag lets on a bit more about Kaori’s past.
Yuki is still the worst student of all time, so everyone gets together once again to study. Well, except for Shogo. That dude is hypercompetent. After Kaori meets the new transfer student, some bullshit happens.
Kaori wants to go to the beach, a plan Hase wholeheartedly endorses. Reluctantly, Shogo helps him coordinate the outing. As they spend more time together, Kaori and Hase start reconsidering the nature of their relationship, but wuss out when they have the perfect chance. We were not pleased.
Kaori has gained some new girlfriends as her social circle slowly widens. A little jealous, Yuki plans to make more time for just the two of them. Later, Yuki worries about losing Kaori over summer break, when they won’t be able to see each other as easily.
Hit the “Random” button and see what comes up! In this feature, we take a look at whatever manga the RNG decides to throw at us and find out if it’s worth your time.
This time: Femme Fatale, by Kaya Shigisawa
Kaori and Yuki grow closer together, but their fellow classmates still don’t understand her. Hoping to change that, Yuki brings his friend Shogo along to learn about her true self.
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