@Hige: the gradual explaining of Shin’s mum’s motives was one of the examples of how this show built up a personality for pretty much all of the characters involved - it was, as you call it, exquisite storytelling.

@Peter S: absolutely. I don’t know how many studios make such a splash on their first proper show, but PA Works have certainly impressed me. The director had Simoun under his belt, but I haven’t seen that yet so can’t really compare. This series, at least, worked better than I dared hope.

We had TWO “Incest Bombshells,” which begs us to compare them, but I can’t figure out a real connection. Well, Noe’s brother confesses feelings knowing full well what he’s doing, while Shin has feelings for Hiromi before he learns the fake-truth. Ack, can’t make any connections here.

I was amazed again at how no one overreacts in this show, how the characters are ruled by common sense above all. “I love Hiromi, but I wrote this story for you.” I can see either girl getting jealous over this line, but maybe they do, but they also seem to realize that jealousy shouldn’t rule their actions. Hiromi waits. I might hurt her to wait, but she’s sensible. And Noe is sensible too in accepting what Shin has done for her, and (apart from her brother hitting on her and jumping out of a tree) moved on.

And I thought Aiko’s story got shoved to the side, but that’s a minor quibble.

Nicely done series. I understand it’s the animator’s first. That makes it even more impressive.

The Hiromi/Shin incest plot device felt more to do with Shin’s mother than a specific hindrance to their love (although, obviously, the consequences were fairly immediate). Shin’s mother saw her husband’s infidelities in Hiromi and didn’t want her to steal the other man in her life, her son, so she sabotages with misinformation.

The role of Shin’s mum felt surprisingly substantial throughout the series actually, with her accompaniment of Hiromi while she waits for Shin in the last episode being one of the most touching scenes for me. It felt like a really wholesome form of resolution for one of the most rollercoaster of characters. You start out hating her, then you gradually understand why she’s being such a malignant bitch, and then she finally becomes a genuinely decent character. I loved how the oppressive tension of the household was lifted when she and Hiromi finally made amends – P.A. Works really did a great job of depicting the subtle difference it made to the atmosphere and in turn showing how important she was to the domestic harmony of the household.

As for the pairings, I always felt certain Hiromi and Shin would get together. I guess I was lucky in not being conditioned by the visual novel mentality that bothered other viewers. I was really touched by the relationship between he and Noe, though. She felt like more of a muse to him, being an inspiration to his artistic endeavours, and I think that’s why he felt so confused about their relationship. Like you say, it was one of genuine friendship in that both characters learnt so much about themselves by spending time with one another. Their youth and opposite sexes made it complicated but to an adult viewer it was obvious they were more like best-friends than romantic potentials.

Concerning the actual incest situation between Noe and her brother . . . I was starting to think Noe’s brother might kill himself as that particular storyline developed, perhaps tapping into the darker storytelling I’ve been conditioned with by other films and books, but it was handled brilliantly nonetheless. The way he explained his feelings for Noe were so well done – unsettling but not skin-crawlingly creepy.

true tears had some really exquisite storytelling. It felt so perfectly formed, too. I’m glad I got over my hang-ups and took a chance with it – you’re definitely right to say it was one of the best shows of the season.

Personally, I’d like to have seen Aiko get some more screen time (because I guess I just like to fight for the underdog… hesitant though I am to use Aiko’s name in the same sentence as ‘dog’), but that’s really only a very minor and self-centred gripe.

As for the Jun/Noe incest thing, I think it did add one important aspect to the series, and in particular Noe’s state of mind - Although she’d come to realise that she couldn’t always understand Shinichiro’s thoughts and feelings, she did believe that she knew everything about her brother and what he felt and thought, particularly for her. His revelation to her blew that away, and made her feel that she didn’t actually understand anybody, which was arguably the most important factor in her attempt to ‘fly’ out of the tree.