Kotoura-san - 4

"Changing World"

With a grandfather like that, I think I understand why Haruka isn't too bothered by Manabe's fantasies...

There's no doubt that Kotoura-san is a really good series, but it's certain moments in episodes like this one which can disappoint despite being perfectly fine overall viewing experiences. I guessed that Moritani would eventually become Haruka's friend, but the actual moment happened way too quickly for any credible development to play a part; Haruka's forgiving nature aside, I don't think Moritani is really the sort of person to become friendly with Haruka so easily, even after what happened last week. It's bad character development to sweep the problem under the rug as if it never happened, and to be perfectly honest I think Moritani never deserved Haruka's forgiveness in the first place. What she did was downright foul, and I'm on Manabe's side in that I think Haruka is being naive in just accepting a simple apology; I'd never want to have anything to do with her again after she attacked Manabe, and I'll have none of that "I did it because of the way you treat me everyday," nonsense. Manabe never did a thing to Moritani that she didn't deserve, and if he wasn't aware of her feelings, she should have been clearer about them instead of blaming him for not picking up the hints. There's a fine line between obliviousness on the part of the object and selfishness on behalf of the one in love, and this time Moritani is in the latter camp. She was clearly in the wrong, and unfortunately in the real world, apologies are not always enough.

Regardless, the reconciliation between the two girls wasn't handled very well, which is understandable considering this is a twelve episode series, but it would have been nice if it wasn't so rushed and hard to take seriously. Perhaps this scene wouldn't have felt like it failed so dramatically had truly great development not also been a part of the episode. Manabe and Haruka continue to be the stars around which this series revolves, and the nature of their relationship is never as heartwarming and fun as it is when Haruka reads Manabe's thoughts. The honest feelings and the switch from seriousness to playfulness on Manabe's part are perfectly balanced and the communication between them feels natural instead of forced, which unfortunately only makes the other relationships in the series pale in comparison. It would be nice if the studio could convincingly integrate this kind of development among the supporting characters, but with a third of the series already through, I think it's safer to think that we'll be concentrating on Haruka, Manabe, and possibly Haruka's mother, and that the rest of the characters will remain less satisfactorily developed.

That being said, we got to meet two new characters this week, the monk Oshou (Yutaka Nakano) (who tried to exorcise Haruka as a child) and Haruka's grandfather (Tomomichi Nishimura), and the latter is quite the character. It's kind of interesting that he and Manabe are so alike (though it's a bit creepier when it's your grandfather having erotic fantasies about you), and the fantasies aren't the only thing they have in common. These two are the only people in Haruka's life who genuinely love her for who she is and who don't expect anything from her in return. Yuriko may be nice on the outside, but she did cause Haruka pain once, and she's still hoping to use Haruka to reach her goals one way or another. Moritani is worse, and Daichi is a bit of a mystery, so at the moment, only Manabe and her grandfather can claim that level of affection for her. They're both honest men, nearly to a fault, and they want to help Haruka however possible, though they're ready to fight over her sexual appeal first.

Next week marks a change in focus for the rest of the series, but whether that focus will be toward comedy or more drama remains to be seen.