So, I know of how much hate is going around since episode 10 aired and I figured I might as well start off with some art for a bit of motivation, at least enough for you dear Readers to read this post! So here we go and after the jump, there will be some more to again, give you enough enthusiasm to read on through my rumblings. I mean at the very least you can take this art away with you, just because the show isn’t yuri (according to the others) doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the yuritastic art. Just think of it as an AU where Reina and Kumiko are together. After all, just looking at the art, all we see is yuri and nothing else!

Anyway, I was still shocked by how much people were affected by this episode! If my memory serves me correctly everyone was talking about ‘the confession’ a week before the episode even aired meaning they knew it would happen so why all this negative impact? I swear I visited /u/ and the Hibike! thread was so far at the end of the list I thought it had gotten deleted and banned to be posted! If it had been I would have questioned 4chan’s intellect I mean this is a board where they post about series that have nowhere the amount of yuri-scenes that Hibike! has!

Or maybe the shocking one is I, who wasn’t at all affected by the developments of this episode? Other than the ‘words’ everything was normal! Reina and Kumiko development is still on track and by that I mean the way they get closer by each episode and this one they did get closer, or did things that they would not have done previously. So really, I don’t see what the problem is! I will address the so called reasons for 90% of people, actually maybe make that 98% of people dropping this series because of this episode, when I get to it and with that said, let’s get things started, shall we…

 
Hang in there friends

This art though! And look at that Hazuki discount Sayaka trying to pull Kumiko and Reina apart like she hasn’t done enough damage! Seriously, this girl is like public enemy No.1 to me and all that are still supporting this ship! I have a feeling that she will be the last on that character ranking poll, you just wait! Apparently she didn’t learn anything from the mistake Sapphire did with her emotions and now she is doing the exact same thing with Kumiko, well, that is if she gets the chance to do it! There is what, 2-3 episodes left? But this is not the point of this post…

 
 

First off, it is kind of un-related but I just wanted to talk about Natsuki-senpai! Okay, I dare anyone to come and tell me that after that flashback with Kumiko then Senpai showing up and asking to meet Kumiko that you did not think ‘Oh snap’! I was like…

Seriously I was awaiting the drama to hit sky high, especially adding in the fact that Reina too was surrounded by wolves ready to devour her whole and then I thought we would get the HAGU scene where the two comfort each other but it actually turned out that Natsuki-senpai was GOOD GIRL! To me she is better than Asuka-senpai, especially with the latest development with either of the Senpai. It turned out she just wanted to clear the misunderstanding that both Kumiko and us had in regards to her being chosen over Kumiko seeing as she is a year above Kumiko! Such a great girl that Kumiko, and I too, were reduced to tears! She is the best Senpai!

 
 
 
 
 
 


 

Someone wasn’t ready for the real HAGU ^^

Let’s talk about that first KumiRei scene when Reina storms off after giving the accusing girls a piece of her mind! The episodes before there is no way Kumiko would have ran off after Reina like that and especially calling out her name too like that! Best still she referred to her by her given name, in front of everyone! I think if we take Sapphire’s reaction at point, some were surprised by this intimacy the two seem to have! I am talking about Sapphire seemingly sighing out Kumiko’s name instead of Reina’s. I mean Reina and her and not that close but it was Reina who was the center of this ruckus and thus should be the one anyone worried should be worried about but Sapphire instead had her attention to Kumiko when she called out Reina by her name and ran after her!

Why?

It might seem trivial a thing but it is not, especially if they take every little thing seriously like they told us viewers to. Did Sapphire notice something? Will it be touched upon later in the coming episodes? I doubt it but I noticed it so it has to have significance. Maybe it is used to showcase the closeness of Reina and Kumiko and how now it is public knowledge that they are friends. Either way this is first of the indications of development in their relationship for this episode.

Kumiko keeps on calling Reina, Reina like they have been close since childhood! I seriously still can’t handle her calling Kousaka Reina instead of the contrary. But then after she catches up to Reina, Reina too calls her Kumiko, just Kumiko and I was so done! Also the simple fact that they don’t use titles (chan, san etc) and just say Reina or Kumiko just hits me right in the feels for some reason!

Speaking of Reina, am I the only one who finds her real (dark) personality very enticing? All the more so knowing that Kumiko is like this too!  Seriously these two were made for each other! When Reina lost it right there shocking even Kumiko showed me even how closer these two have gotten. Reina is no longer hiding her real self in front of Kumiko and after this I think Kumiko too will stop trying to put on a mask when she is alone with Reina. I mean she has started to do that but if we take her surprise at Reina’s outburst it means she still hasn’t fully opened up.

Still on this very scene I have a question. At first I thought that Reina was referring to her situation with Mattaku-sensei when she asked Kumiko if she thought she was wrong! But they did not have ‘the talk’ until after this moment so what were they referring to? Was it about the way Reina had behaved and told her Senpai off before she had ran off from the club room?

Any way let’s talk about that hug though! After days of Kumiko fantasizing about HAGU-ing Reina, she finally gets one and is completely frozen. I guess she under-estimated the FEELs that come with that close a distance not to mention the body contact! Oh and how cute Reina was during the HAGU when she literally had to support herself on her toes to be in the position to HAGU Kumiko >.< Ah, how far these two have come!

 
 


 

Okay, let’s come down and think about this so called ‘confession’. Apparently just a simple fact of Reina telling Kumiko that she ‘loves’ Mattaku-sensei sent so many, if not all other shipper packing and I am there with my mouth hanging open going like…’Um excuse me?’

Okay, okay, let me side track here for a moment! This ship has the MC as part of it. The MC, if we go by the logic that is floating around which is that we judge this by the Novel counter-part (Even though they are totally different medium!!!!!), we already know that in the end Usagi is gonna marry Mamoru and rule Future Tokyo Shoeone and Kumiko end up dating. Knowing this much, the shipping was sky high before this episode! So how in God’s name does Reina saying she ‘loves’ Mattaku –sensei change anything?! And it’s not like we did not know that already, thanks to novel logic, we already were aware of this but for some reason everyone lost their minds when it happened like, what?!

Okay, let’s talk about the concept of Reina and Mattaku-sensei in detail. From what I understood Mattaku is way in his late 30s, married and with kids! Let’s get that fact first out of the way first. Next, correct me if I am wrong but since I haven’t seen it mentioned I assume that Reina did not confess to Mattaku in person in the novels since no one is mentioning the outcome at all. In other words this love is going no where!

Actually forget about love, this is not  ‘like -love’ as she was so keen on pointing out. And with that, I point you to the title of this post! Just think a little bit. In the current day and age, in your lives, which do you think is romantically stronger when referring to people ‘LIKE’ or ‘LOVE’? Let me give you an example. Do any of you ever tell your parents ‘I LIKE YOU MOM’ or something like that? NO! What we say is ‘I LOVE YOU DAD’! Why is that do you think? Think of this and then take into account Mattaku-sensei’s marital and age status and also the important detail of why Reina had to go through the trouble of making a distinction between her referring to ‘’love  not in ‘LIKE’ but in ‘LOVE’ love!

And though it might seem like a low blow, the way that Reina delivered this confession should be considered. No matter how close one is to someone, confessing romantic feelings about someone should not be something so easily done and yet Reina said it like she was saying ‘You know, I watched this movie last night. I loved it!’ kind of emotion. Actually even then one would be giddy with excitement as they talk about this but Reina was like…talking!

She is telling a student that she like a teacher and she says it without a trace of emotion! Why? Be embarrassed a little bit. Be hesitant in revealing these emotions! And since she hasn’t told Mattaku-sensei about it yet means she knows of the implications of it, if they were romantic that is so why?!

Guess what got emotions out of her? Kumiko calling her cute! Like, Kumiko saying she is cute is more impactful than her emotions of ‘love’ towards Mattaku-sensei! What the hell even?! So really I do not understand what was so devastating about this episode that garnered such deep reactions? I on the other side think that it was even better than the last episode! Reina and Kumiko are still on track in their relationship development, hell, they hugged and Reina trusts Kumiko so greatly that she is telling her secrets now! that has to even be Reina’s deepest secret and she told Kumiko about it!

But we are forgetting another great thing about this episode…

SHOE-ONE IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN!!!

Seriously, I think a lot of people are getting spoiled! I remember the year when we did not get half of the things Reina and Kumiko do in our ships! But now…Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you need to keep watching this, obviously the decision is up to you all but I find the reasons to drop or not to kind of…Sure the novel says this and that but this is not the novel and from what I understand this happens much later on, times we won’t get to see, at least not this season so…

I just don’t understand this basis of future happenings. Or the Reina and Mattaku situation. I remember during Kanamiko when we knew nothing and Himeko went on a date with Souma and everyone was stomping on the yuri shippers. Then during Utena when Prince Bro came and messed up everything, then the Sailor Moon situation – So many shows with our girls having feelings for boys and yet we still love them so why the hate on this one? I don’t get it! I have more to say but there are still more episodes so I will save it for then. For now, that’s all.

See ya.