Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge Reviews

[iaria]

Episode 5

This was my least favourite episode thus far and I found myself mostly eh about it.

• When Ranmaru asked if there was going to be a love triangle my response was ‘wait, what’ because I just haven’t seen anything to point to that possibility. Clearly he had to be talking about Kyohei and Suanko but who as third? ...Yuki? That just seemed weird considering that this episode was all about Yuki and the fact that he had/has a long-term (long distance) girlfriend who had never been mentioned before. And that he’s never shown any romantic interest in Sunako. I mean all his heartfelt talking to the ghost was all about his heart-ache over his girlfriend, not about him loving/liking Sunako. So it confused me. But then the episode ended with Yuki going into Kyohei’s room and telling him, very seriously, that they needed to talk. So I don’t know what’s going on.

• I wonder if Yuki could be planning on wooing/pretending to like Sunako as a way to make Kyohei finally confront his feelings for her? If they’re actually planning on trying for an actual triangle I don’t know if I’ll buy it. I mean Yuki is sweet, and so sweet to Sunako in particular (him buying her the chocolate and facing the mob of girls to do it was nice), but I don’t really see Yuki/Sunako at all in the previous episodes. Not even a hint. Not to mention that Yuki’s been their biggest shipper (well, maybe tied with Noi).

• I think Yuki might be over reacting here. I mean so he couldn’t get a hold of Machiko over the phone and he didn’t get the chocolate but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re over!

• This episode was all about Kyohei being confronted about what Sunako means to him. I loved that as soon as he heard that she could be in trouble he went running for her.

• I loved Kyohei cross dressing in order to get out of the house. Twice. When he revealed himself to Shinichi the first time I laughed. The fact that he doesn’t immediately change out of it, that he doesn’t act defencive and in fact just lounges back (with legs crossed!) and chats with Shinichi makes it all the better. He was just so casual about it, and not in the jokey ‘lol look how silly I am’ way either but as if it truly didn’t bother him to cross dress. I loved it. I got a lot of amusement that Yuki’s first question upon seeing Kyohei dressed as a school girl was “Where’s Sunako?”

• I really loved that Maria wasn’t a lovelorn ghost who just need to find her love again. And then they made her a man-hating ghost. But then it gave us that great scene where she made Kyohei do everything that he’d made Sunako do. Then there was the kitchen scene which I was all ready to get skived out about but thankfully there was no kissing involved (and Maria-in-Sunako trapping Kyohei against the wall was kind of hot). Then they ended it all by actually making her a lovelorn ghost who just needed a guy to appreciate/compliment/want her for her to find peace at last. I didn’t like it.

• “I felt so lonely.” – Takeru. That one little line, which passed by without comment, made me go aww so much and want to hug him. When he says it he gets this little tremble in his voice and it just made me sad for him. Poor little guy. I was also ‘aww-ing’ at him when he grabbed a hold of Takenaga’s leg and clung.

• I’m shaking my head at the idea that they moved that house from England to Japan. Seriously? No. I loved the hidden basement room though. I love hidden rooms.

• My somewhat inexplicable love for Takenaga continues. I loved his reaction to Yuki and Kyohei acting like children – “Is this a kid’s fight or what?”, rolling his eyes, ignoring them and then walking away. And of course it would be Takenaga who would remember and focus on the revelation that Kyohei has sent Sunako through an ‘emotional roller coaster’.

• We actually got a minuscule look into Noi/Takenaga but nothing that really got me shipping. Also I miss Noi/Sunako.

Episode 6

• I liked that the episode pretty much started with Kyohei pointing out the failure in logic that had Yuki giving up on his girlfriend. He didn’t know that things were over between him and Machiko since he hadn’t actually talked to her. I thought he was completely overreacting in the last episode and it was nice to see other characters thought so as well. And I loved that that was exactly how it turned out to be. Her surprise visit was nice and they make a sweet couple.

• I loved Kyohei asking Sunako “Stay with me” and the fact that in this version she did. In fact she let him rest his head on her lap and spent the whole night with him. Aw.

• I’ve never really thought about slash with this show but Sunako’s plea for Kyohei and Takenaga to be honest with each other and “Honestly, don’t you want to be together” and the water fight after all made me see it for the first time. Oh, wait, no I also had a sort of lolzy slashy thoughts when either Takenaga or Ranmaru told Yuki “By the way, you look cute in that” after he dressed up as a girl. I found the ways that the three of them tried to help very interesting – Ranmaru tried to drag the attention to himself and use his sexuality to get rid of them; Takenaga went formal and asked them politely to leave; and Yuki... dressed up as a girl and tried to pretend to be Kyohei’s girlfriend. Heh.

• I found it very interesting that none of the other boys had the same girl problems as Kyohei (calling, mobbing, following) in the beginning and that’s it’s probably only been since they tried to help him and decided to stick by his side that they’ve been experiencing it.

• Apparently the guys (and thus Noi) are in fact all 21 just like Sunako. That makes a lot more sense than her being 21 and them being 17.

• The guys still being surprised by Sunako head-butting after catching an unprepared glimpse of their faces is making them look like idiots. I mean she does it every episode! At this point you’d think Kyohei would be staying a certain distance from her at all times. It’s not like she doesn’t give warning either. They should be reacting to her “bri... bright” the way a person would to a rattlesnakes rattle – get out of the way! Takenaga who is the smartest and most of observant of them all sitting there with a confused face going ‘huh’ was stupid. He should have known better.

• Sunako being so... subservient and passive with Kyohei really bugged me this episode. I also hated that at the end Sunako didn’t join them for dinner at the table. I had hope when it turned out that there was one extra place but nope. Considering that this episode was all about friendship it would have been nice if it had included more of the guys’ friendship with Sunako. Frankly, it’s about time that she joins them. It feels really weird that she doesn’t.

• Speaking of friendship there is still no real sign of Noi and Sunako’s and it makes me sad. I did like that in her first scene Noi randomly had two other friends with her. Them not being there might have meant Sunako comforting a distraught Noi, they didn’t really have any plot or character reason to be there, and were just background really but I loved their inclusion. They clearly love Noi and they were there to support her. We don’t get enough female friendships, and it’s nice to have female background characters and... they just made me happy.

Episode 7

• “Her clothes are fine as they are. Appearance doesn’t matter, you go in this cloak with your head held high!” I love that Kyohei said that but I’m going to have to go with Ranmaru on this – reunions are to show off how well you’re doing/looking/what you’ve achieved and for others to judge you on it. That’s why I was expecting Kyohei to accompany her. It’s a cliché! Okay, it’s a western cliché but still. That didn’t end up happening but we did get the guys showing up just in time to ‘rescue’ her and then basically got the cliché fulfilled anyway. I love that the guys came for her but a part of me was wishing that she’d done it on her own. I mean she cut her bangs and let them make her up, she went to the reunion and I wish the episode had continued with her making the choices without her needed Kyohei pushing her.

• I loved all the Kyohei/Sunako. They were wonderful this episode. I love that Kyohei was so against Sunako changing herself for the reunion, not because of jealousy but because he wanted her to be herself and be accepted for that. He is so encouraging and supportive of Sunako being exactly who she is and I love that so much. I love that he doesn’t just love her for who she is but because of who she is. I also like that he encourages and pushes her to do things she doesn’t want to but that are things she should do.

Various things I loved: that he went into that ‘scary’ story, clearly thinking of her, and then actually bought her a present; that he knocked, said ‘I’m coming in’ and then waited for her permission before actually coming in when he went to give it to her; his smile after she thanked him for the bracelet (and her thinking it was for Hiroshi made me smile); and his “You are you.” Aw. His reaction after he left her was kind of adorable. Oh and the next morning when he saw her all dressed up and told her “You look great.” and then when he saw her wearing his bracelet told her “Go with your head held high.”

• Yuki seems to be the one standing up to Kyohei the most, the one who doesn’t let things go, which I find interesting.

• Suzu and her long-standing hate on and blaming of Sunako was kind of random.