[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) episodes 12-16: Looking back and looking around
Arima has left for the National Kendo Championships so Yukino is left at home and decides to while away her time studying and hanging around with her friends. Tsubasa (the cute but bratty little classmate from the last volume) is having trouble at home however: her dad is remarrying and Tsubasa is so distraught that she storms out of the house only to move in with Yukino’s family.
With Arima out of the picture the story shifts its focus towards the friends surrounding him and Yukino: Tsubasa’s predicament is particularly interesting and highlights the problems associated with the loss and gain of family members. It is understandable that she resents her dad finding another woman in his life (below) but with Kare Kano being what it is this is not as clear-cut as it seems. Tsubasa has to go acquire emotional maturity and fast: she needs to understand her father’s feelings as well as her own.
Two unexpected things come out of this: firstly, the evil stepmum figure is actually a really pleasant and caring person (a perfect companion to Tsubasa’s absent-minded but well-meaning dad) and secondly, she has a son who happens to get along really well with Tsubasa. It’s really nice to see a character go from being a selfish, spoilt child and become a more considerate individual who now has an likeable brother figure; after all, this is a role that Arima is finding increasingly difficult to fulfill!
The Tsubasa-orientated story arc could have easily have become a filler section but it is so enjoyable on its own that it is instead a refreshing diversion from the main story. Yukino becomes a supporting character for a while but her fiery friend and her family have more than enough entertainment value to keep the viewer occupied. We even go into the pasts of Yukino’s parents and how they met; an interesting exercise in comparing this with their daughter’s experiences of first love.
Unfortunately this portion of the series is exhibiting even more pronounced cost-cutting measures in terms of animation (either that or it’s Anno being experimental again), the worst of which being the blight of anime TV series: the infamous Recap Episode. In Kare Kano most episodes begin with a minute or two of catch-up which is usually short enough to be bearable; in this case the studio are clearly stalling for time and it is best avoided. With Arima yet to return home I really hope that this excellent series isn’t coming off the rails as it enters its second half.
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