Nakatsu's Thoughts: Episode 12 THE FINAL EPISODE Part II of II
Part I of Nakatsu's Thoughts
Just before the festival
- Mizuki walks into her homeroom classroom, which has a huge heart cutout in front of the door. She sees her class huddled in the middle of the classroom. They look back at her, just like earlier in the episode when they first found out that she was a girl. This time, Nakatsu beckons for her to come over. The others beckon to her as well, and she joins into the group. Sano is shown in the crowd as well. He tells her to come, and she joins them. She stands next to Nakatsu in the huddle. He hypes them up, telling him that they're going to be the best at the festival. They get all rowdy and excited and shout "BABY!". They howl (or hoot?) as they run off. Sano and Mizuki lag behind. Sano walks up to Mizuki from behind, smiles a little, pats her on the shoulder, then walks off through the heart. Mizuki looks down, as she realizes what she'll have to do.
She's part of the group again :)
The festival begins!
- Everybody is now outside-- the Osaka Gakuen students and all of their visitors. A banner hangs overhead, announcing the festival. The camera pans over all of the visitors, and stops at Sawatari, who is on the stage, facing the audience. He announces that the school festival will now begin! We cut to Mizuki's class dressed up as girls, cheering. Balloons get released into the sky. The school band (I'm assuming) plays "Zip a Dee Doo Dah" as the crowd cheers.
- We see various students dressed up at booths, trying to attract customers. Nanba approaches a gaggle of girls, telling him about the host club that the Class 3C is doing. Nakao and Sekime walk up behind him, persuading the girls to go to their maid cafe instead. And the girls follow Nakao. Haha they stole Nanba's potential clients ;)
- We then see Tennouji and Masako in the crowd, advertising for their Romeo and Juliet play.
- There's a large group of girls waiting outside of the Maid Cafe. Kayashima (dressed as a nurse) and Mizuki (dressed as a maid) run out and say "Welcome!" in a really cute way! It's funny because I always thought of them the be really shy actors, so it was really adorable.
- The girls freak out as Kayashima leads them inside the room. Their faces fall as they see the rest of the class with nurse Nakatsu and maid Sano in front, saying welcome half heartedly. I thought it was cute how Kayashima and Nakatsu matches and Mizuki and Sano matched ;)
- Sano mutters, asking them how many are in their party. The girls say three, and Kouhei (dressed as a cheerleader) and Mitsuomi (dressed in a sparkly teal gown-- much like the one Kouhei wore in the ball episode) led them to their tables.
- Mizuki bonks Sano over the head with her tray, telling him that he needs to smile. Kayashima looks excited in the background, and tells them that there are more customers. The next girls are led to their table. Mizuki nudges Sano as Sekime and Nakao announce the next customer. Sano turns his head backing, saying "Welcome!" very cutely... then realizes that it's actually Kagurazaka! Kagurazaka looks shocked. "S-s-Sano" Kagurazaka stutters. He asks what they're doing.
- Nakatsu notices him, saying that the good guy's here. He asks Kagurazaka who he'd like to serve him. Kagurazaka silently points at Sano. "Eh?" Sano whispers.
So kawaii!!
- Tennouji and Masako are acting out the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, where Tennouji is Romeo and Masako is Juliet. "Romeo" runs up to the balcony where "Juliet" is, and "Romeo" offers his hand out to "Juliet". "Juliet" cries "Romeo!" And then they hug, spinning around slowly in a circle. Tennouji looks down at the audience (were some of the boys crying?) and spots Mizuki in a maid outfit, pointing over to Kanna, who is freaking out. Tennouji freaks out as well, hurling Masako over the balcony.
- Masako snaps back into Oscar as he hits the ground. "Where is who? I am where?" He laughs a little then passes out.
- Tennouji runs to the audience, shouting "Juliet" over and over again. He finds Kanna, and kneels down in front of her, offering his hand. "Romeo!" Kanna cries, taking his hand and embracing him. The crowd cheers.
Those silly people ;)
- Juri's walking around the halls and spots a dark wall with protraits hanging on it with the hosts ready to serve you at the host club, Club Pheromone. She smiles as she sees Kayashima's picture, raising her hands up, Kayashima fashion. She's shocked as she sees someone's hands mirroring hers. Kayashima stands and they smile at each other.
- Nanba gets annoyed as everybody else seems to be paired up except for him, no longer making it an ikemen paradise. Nakao offers himself as a good candidate. Nanba considers, then quickly changes his mind.
Poor Nanba ;)
The maids in the urinal
- Nakatsu and Sano in their nurse and maid outfits are using the urinal. Nakatsu stutters as he asks why Sano hsn't confessed his feelings towards Mizuki yet, asking him if he loves her. Sano says that without thinking she still uses "ore" (masculine form of I) and not "watashi" (female form of I), even though everyone knows. Here she must want to still be a male, and he must treat her like that.
- Nakatsu counters that he liked her even when he thought she was a boy. By the way, I'm so glad that he washed his hands after using the urinal-- not too many guys do that ;) I don't know how Nakatsu's able to handle his rejection so well. It must be really frustrating to be turned down when his love rival, the person who she truly loves, is doing nothing. After Nakatsu put all of himself out there. Nakatsu still being a great friend is a testament to how amazing he is. He doesn't turn petty and doesn't knock them down when he can. How does he do that?
Hibari and Oscar
- Hibari's eating bread and drops one of the pieces. She stabs her stick into the bread to pick it up again. Meanwhile, Oscar's complaining about Tennouji while he eats a corndog. Oscar spots Hibari and asks if he could eat wit her. Even though Oscar's an idiot, he someone managed to say something cool, confessing to her, and then Nakatsu vision happens upon this pair. But for some reason Oscar has a Christmas wreath around his face, smiling. They say "Merry Christmas" to each other. Hibari runs up to Oscar. Oscar throws the wreath away and is about to kiss her, then she knees him in the no-no area. Oscar hunches down and she gets snippy with him, but says it's okay to date him. It's a good coupling I suppose because Hibari doesn't act all lovey dovey with him and Oscar actually looks up to her. She calls him Masao and he answers, calling her Hibari-sama. He runs after her, doing the "Hibari Four!" shout and movement.
Such a crack couple.
In the hallway
- Sano and Nakatsu return from the urinal in the dark hallway. Mizuki, looking for them, turns around. It looks like we were about to go into Nakatsu vision again, but Nakatsu stops himself before it happens, suppressing his emotions. It's sad in a way, seeing him try to end his feelings of love for her, but it is very difficult to. It's also funny because of his expressions ;)
- Mizuki asks where they were, saying that they need to hurry and go to the fashion show.
- In the manga, Nakatsu asked Mizuki if he could keep loving her for a little bit until his feelings calmed down after the rejection. It was really sad because he couldn't help his feelings, and he realized that his feelings are not returned. You could see the sad look on his face, even if he attempted to smile. Toma is so great at bringing this to life :)
The fashion show!
- The fashion show, entitled "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e" begins. The first people to come out are Nakao, Noe, and someone who I still couldn't figure out (Kyobashi?). They take turns in the center, working the crowd.
- We see the next person walk onstage, with the crowd bowing before him/her. The camera focuses on the face, and it's Kagurazaka dressed like Snow White (?). He runs offstage.
- Next are Tennouji and Oscar. Tennouji flexes his muscles and does the "BABY!" pose. Oscar acts all girly. He sees Hibari in the audience and blows her a kiss, with hearts floating in front of it. Hibari punches one of the hearts, shattering it. Oscar cries and Tennouji picks up Oscar, hurling him over his shoulder as he walks off. Oscar's crying for Hibari. Ugly indeed ;)
- Nanba, Sekime, and Kayashima are next. Nanba, by the way, looks really good as a girl! My goodness! Sekime smiles, and Abeno jumps up on the stage with flowers. Kayashima blows kisses to the audience.
- Last but not least are Mizuki, Sano, and Nakatsu. Mizuki's really confident since she obviously is a girl, Nakatsu looks a little shy, and Sano looks like he doesn't want to be there. They collectively blow a kiss to the audience.
And the winner is...
- Yoshioka announces the winner, who turns out to be Sano! He won over an actual girl! "Uso..." (No way) Mizuki whines.
- Dorm 1 complains to Yoshioka. Tennouji finds them and beats them all up. Nakatsu, Mizuki, and Sano smile a little at all of the craziness. Mizuki's smile fades as she realizes what's to come next and what she must do.
- The fashion show participants run down the stairs to the cafeteria, finally changed back into their street clothes. The boys gather together and decide to celebrate the day after the school festival. They run off. Nakao plays with his overalls as he runs past ;) Sano and Mizuki lag behind again. Sano rubs the top of her head, telling her to go. She tells him sorry, but she left something behind in her room. He says he got it and goes on ahead of her. Mizuki looks on.
The last day
- Mizuki writes with permanent marker on her dorm room's window "Forever in my heart". She grabs her suitcase and she goes out of the room. How did she manage with only one piece of luggage? I guess since she lived as a guy, it's like that...? She stands at the door and looks back into her room for one last time.
- She comes to the cafeteria where they always met to eat and do their strange contests. She looks around at the empty cafeteria. She stops at the center pillar and looks to her side. She walks up to one of the tables and gently touches its wooden surface. She then places both of her hands on the table, feeling around. She slowly sits down and lays her head on the table.
- She walks past Yuujiro's dog house. She approaches Yuujiro, petting him and saying her reasonings for leaving quietly like this. By the way, the drama never mentioned why Yuujiro hates boys, right? It's because he had a young girl as his owner and her father kicked him out and Sano took him in. So he hated all boys and only liked Sano. Then the girl came later in the manga to ask for Yuujiro back, calling him "Lucky", but they ultimately decided to let the dog stay in Osaka Gakuen.
- Mizuki walks through the front gates of the school. She looks back at the building, saying thank you.
- She keeps rolling her suitcase down the path. She spots flowers to her right and bends down to sniff them. She hears barking, and stands up to see Yuujiro standing out there. She thanks Yuujiro, waving goodbye to him. She walks in the other direction, then stops. Turning to her left. She looks over to see all of the students waiting for her. They all knew what she was going to do ;)
- The camera pans over all of the people there where everyone is smiling except for Nakatsu. Well Sano and Kagurazaka could be debatable too but they're always like that. Mizuki smiles and runs over to them.
- Nakatsu asks her why she didn't tell them that she was leaving. I think he felt some betrayal and hurt but also some fear that he may not have been able to see her again if she just left without warning. She apologizes and says that it would be too painful. She tells him to take care of himself. Nakatsu looks down and walks off, Sano looking after him, then following him. It's probably hard for Nakatsu to navigate his emotions right now so he decides to go off somewhere else. Plus he is a tad hotheaded ;)
- Mizuki walks into the crowd and sees Kyobashi and some other students. They told her that they had fun while she was there with them, that when she goes to America to not forget them and that they'll be lonely without her.
- She walks forward and sees Noe with some other students. Flashback to the lie detector test with Mizuki and the bra. Noe apologizes about the lie detector. They tell her wherever she goes she will not lose and that they will support her.
- She rolls her suitcase further and meets Dorm 1. Mitsuomi apologizes for sticking her in the foot with one of his cleats (flashback to that episode). Kouhei tells her that she's really interesting. Shouichiro talks about poo again. She thanks them. Haha that one guy was supposed to stay in Sano and Mizuki's room instead of Nakatsu when the water pipes broke ;)
- She walks up to Dorm 3, who all blow her a kiss. They apologize for fighting over her for their dorms in episode 1 (flashback to Dorms 1 and 3 fighting). They told her that she was really cool in dealing with Nakatsu being accused of cheating (flashback to Mizuki standing up for Nakatsu to Kitahama). They also told her that she was cute in the Ikemen contest (flashback to Miss Osaka contest) and that she played the keyboard awesomely at the live with Sekime and Nakatsu (flashback to the live). And the funniest part-- when one of them asked Mizuki if she knew his name. And surprisingly, she knew!! She tells them all to be genki and they answer "Oui!".
- She then sees Kagurazaka, who thanks her for making Sano high jump again. She says that she didn't do anything, but he said that she did. Flashback to Sano and Kagurazaka making the high jump.
- She walks on and sees St. Blossom's Hibari and the Hibari Four. Then for some reason they all talk about their guys-- Tennouji, Sekime, Kayashima, and Komari starts to mention Nakatsu... They all turn to tell her to shut up, and she says that she won't give up. Hibari tells Mizuki that she was a worthy rival. Flashback to the girls throwing their pom poms in their Hibari Four pose.
"Odamari Komari!"
- The girls part as Mizuki sees Sekime walk up to her, struggling to fight back his tears. He says that they have so many great memories together, and he doesn't know what else to say. Flashback to Mizuki and Sekime sitting on chairs facing each other, chatting, Mizuki looking after Sekime who is pining for Abeno, them all performing at the live together. Sekime is very important to Mizuki because he was her first friend at this school (flashback to Sekime finding Mizuki hiding from the dorms chasing after her, then afterwards introducing her to the layout of the school). He reached out to her when she felt nervous. She said that she was happy that he did that. Sekime's face was so heartbreaking! This episode is the first one in which Sekime really got to me like that. Sekime got to see firsthand how deeply Mizuki affected Sano, and I think he's also very grateful that she got to change him for the better. She thanks Sekime and he tries to smile, covering his face with his hand and walking off.
- She approaches Nakao next, and THAT'S when I started getting really choked up. Nakao is a very special character to me, and I think is a character who has a very special relationship with Mizuki, being the two "idols" of the school. Nakao tries to talk, but gets choked up and looks down. Mizuki tells him that he is gentle and softhearted. I think Nakao understands her how nobody else understood her, as they flashback to the two of them sitting on the beach while they talked about the people who they loved. Nakao I think is the person who got Mizuki to realize her feelings for Sano by talking about his feelings for Nanba. It's also the first time that they really got to open up to each other, and we see a lot more deeply into Nakao's character. It's too bad that we don't get to see Nakao confess to Nanba from the manga. She thanks him and Nakao breaks down. She squeezes his shoulder, smiling at him.
- She looks past Nakao's shoulder and sees Kayashima. Kayashima says he expected this day to come but doesn't know what to say. She says that his warmheartedness saved her many times. Flashback to when Kayashima meets Mizuki for the first time, and he mentioned how her aura was very interesting. He smiles and looks up, saying that she has a really good aura right now and that wherever she goes, she will be okay. They do this cute thing where they both raise their hands up to each other, immersed in each others' auras.
- She then sees Tennouji in front of her. He tells her that she worked very hard and was manlier than anyone. Flashback to Tennouji meeting Mizuki for the first time then of Mizuki convincing him to not leave and take part in the group photo. Then he does his "BABY!" pose for one last time. Mizuki does it in return.
- "Himejima dorm head." Flashback to when Nakatsu and Mizuki performed in the shades and the white suits, playing with the water guns on the beach, pushing on Oscar's stomach after he ate too much in the eating contest. He thanks her for everything, saying that Dorm 2 became more strong and beautiful because of her, blowing her a kiss.
- Okay this is when it gets difficult for me. Nanba is one of my top favorite characters after Nakatsu. He was amazing in keeping Mizuki's secret when he could have gotten her kicked out, and he helped Mizuki and her friends out at all costs. He may have acted like a playboy, but he was a lot deeper than that, and was always there for them. He stood up against Kitahama sensei and also felt sorrow for Mizuki when the others found out her secret. He acted like a great older brother and a great friend. When tears built up for Nakao, they built up even more for Nanba.
- Mizuki sees Nanba, and can't keep the tears in and starts to cry. He tells her to pull herself together. Flashback to Nanba looking in Mizuki's room for shampoo, bringing the flock of girls to win the hottie contest, Mizuki with a bunch of hard hats and throwing them up as they celebrated on the beach, Nanba bringing the dorm heads to work together for the cheerleading performance to go to Atami. He tells her that no matter what, this school is her school (her alma mater). He spreads his arms out, indicating all of the school grounds. Mizuki cries some more. He says that they will be with her and support her forever no matter where she is.
I <3 Nanba!!
- Akiha walks up to Mizuki, allowing me time to calm down. She presents her with a photobook of all of the times she spent with everyone else at Osaka Gakuen. She tells her that if she's crying, it'll make her laugh when she sees those idiots. She thanks Akiha. The principal and Sawatari walk up to her, presenting her with a graduation certificate. The principal reads off of it and hands it to Mizuki, congratulating her on her graduation. She sobs, thanking the principal. Oscar and Nanba start the clapping and cheering for Mizuki. You can see Nakao still trying to hold back his sobs.
- We hear that recognizable shout "MIZUKI!!" Prepare yourself with tissues for this one ;_; Mizuki turns and sees Nakatsu running up to her. I think Sano was able to help him sort his feelings out and say goodbye to Mizuki before his hotheadedness got the best of him. Tears start falling down her face, and Nakatsu tells her to wait, that he hasn't said anything yet. I'm going to quote
pajama_lllama on this one: "Even if I get really old... to the point where I forget everything and can’t even remember my own name... I will never, ever forget the time we spent together." Flashback to their modeling shoot were they posed in front of the yellow backdrop, Nakatsu and Mizuki sitting on the bench outside, Nakatsu leaning in for a kiss, Nakatsu spitting his water out, the group photo, with the top three sitting next to each other, Nakatsu embracing Mizuki from behind as he confessed to her, and them throwing their pom poms into the air at the end of their cheer routine. Tears start falling down Nakatsu's face as well as he tells her that she's his best friend, giving her the thumbs up. He curses, saying that he wasn't supposed to cry. Mizuki cries, struggling to get out her thanks through her tears. She says thank you again lightly with her head down. Nakatsu walks up to her and embraces her. He tells her that they're not that far, and this is not the last time they'll see each other. He places his hand on the top of her head. "Until later."
- Nakatsu was always by Mizuki's side in good times and in bad. Even when Nakatsu was mad at her he still supported her. Nakatsu sees Mizuki as not just who he loved but also his best friend, who helped him in his darkest times. I think she helped him build strength within himself and realize his true self. She was also willing to sacrifice herself for him, like in the case of Nakatsu being accused of cheating. It's probably really hard for Nakatsu to part from her, and going through school without being by Mizuki's side will be tough. I applaud him for being so strong even after being turned down, and for still recognizing her as a great friend. I took a lot of screencaps here, so please don't mind:
- Mizuki walks on, seeing Sano leaning against a wall. Without saying anything, Mizuki begins to break down. Umeda steps out shaking his keys, trying to get their attention. They have to go. Umeda tells Sano to come with them.
- The boys run through the halls to see her off for the last time at the bus. She says that she's really happy to have been an Osaka Gakuen student. She smiles at them and they all smile back, including Nakatsu (a little). Sawatari starts to sob, and the principal hands him a tissue. Nakatsu gives her another thumbs up and smiles. She waves, then runs to board the bus.
- Sano is seated in the middle of the bus. Mizuki runs to the back of the bus to wave goodbye to everyone through the rear window. I'm surprised that Nakatsu didn't run after the bus! She waves at them and they wave back (except for Nakatsu), yelling. Perhaps Nakatsu has come to terms with things and is just glad of the time they spent together. Nakatsu has grown a lot during this series!
On the bus
- Umeda looks in the rearview mirror, seeing Sano and Mizuki sitting awkwardly far apart from each other. Sano gets up and moves to the back of the bus, sitting next to Mizuki. Umeda smiles. Sano says that the blue sky is like that time, bringing Mizuki back to her best moments with him. Flashback to Sano meeting Mizuki for the first time, calling her "chibi-san" and placing her shoe on top of her head. Then a bunch of moments where she's pushing him to high jump, and of him rebuffing her, and of her motivating him. Sano carrying Mizuki after she got her shoe stepped on by Mitsuomi's cleat. Sano running, training himself for the first time in a while, Nakatsu and Mizuki looking on. Sano attempting the high jump and failing, then bowing to his teammates to beg to continue. Sano grabbing Mizuki, embracing her, Mizuki realizing that she loves Sano. Mizuki leaving quietly to go to America, Sano telling her to not go. Sano and Mizuki sitting on an outside bench, Sano pulling Mizuki's head to his chest. Sano grabbing Mizuki's hand when she goes off to comfort Nakatsu, asking her to stay. Sano clearing the high jump. Sano thanking her for staying with him, glad to have met her.
- Mizuki looks over at Sano who's looking out of the window. Then I was about to get really mad when I saw PEACH play and the credits roll. And then...
At the airport
- Mizuki thanks Umeda for everything. He tells her that she owes him, then nods over in Sano's direction. Mizuki runs after him. Umeda smiles after her, saying that her smile should make it even. Akiha suddenly appears out of nowhere, shocking him, then asks him if she's fine as his girlfriend, since he may not hate girls anymore. He thinks about it and walks off. She runs after him and he swats her off.
- Sano and Mizuki look up at the departure/arrival announcement board. Sano comments that she's not an Osaka Gakuen student anymore. She agrees, looking down at her graduation certificate. He points out that she also doesn't have to act like a boy anymore. "Eh?" She looks up at him. He looks over and pretends he saw something, making her look the other way. Then he grabs her, pulling her to him. He pulls away, and everything goes silent as he bends down to kiss her. She looks shocked and is as stiff as a board. She looks up at him; he looks back with a loving look on his face. Then, like in the manga, he tells her that next time he'll go to her. "Goodbye Mizuki." She starts to walk away, then tells Sano that she loves him. He smiles in response. She smiles back. Then she walks off to her flight.
What an unexpected Sano move, ne?
At Ashiya's house in America (one month later)
- Mizuki yells that she's going to go, and runs outside. Then an arrow is suddenly shot to the ground next to her feet. She picks it up, realizing that it's an Osaka High sports newspaper. She opens it, seeing Osaka Gakuen students on it. She finds out that Osaka Gakuen students are coming to California...! "Usooooo!!!" (No way) she yells to the sky. Maybe an opening for a special? ;)
And now we have come to the end of the Hana Kimi series. It has definitely been an emotional rollercoaster, going from wacky contests to serious emotional moments. I think one major theme throughout this series has been the importance of friendships and being there for each other. It's also about learning from each other and growing. I miss the moments in the manga of Nakao confessing to Nanba and the students plus the dorm heads in their Sakura Committee uniforms standing in a line for Mizuki at the end, doing their own graduation ceremony. But besides that stuff this episode was very close to the manga. I thought the ending was fantastic and had some awesome moments in it. I loved the dorm heads' roles in this episode and also Sekime, being a big surprise. I will definitely miss watching this series every Tuesday. This will not be my last Nakatsu's Thoughts-- I'm thinking of writing a summary of Nakatsu''s development throughout the series from the beginning to the end, so please look forward to that!
I will miss all of the wonderful characters in this series! It was so hard to part from them when I finished the manga-- it will be the same here.
Remember this picture? This one was in my Hana Kimi drama/manga comparisons post at the beginning of the series. From left to right are: Sekime, Noe, Nakatsu, Kayashima, and Nakao.
Yatta I'm done! This took a VERY long time and I had to redo part of it because LiveJournal deleted it ;_; Anyways thank you for following this and I apologize if there are many mistakes since I've had to do some of this over again. Thank you SO much for following my Nakatsu's Thoughts and I hope you check out my summary as well! Thanks for your support-- it's what helped me through my posts and to make it through my long summary. You can probably count on me editing this post later since I'm sure I've made mistakes ;)
Just before the festival
- Mizuki walks into her homeroom classroom, which has a huge heart cutout in front of the door. She sees her class huddled in the middle of the classroom. They look back at her, just like earlier in the episode when they first found out that she was a girl. This time, Nakatsu beckons for her to come over. The others beckon to her as well, and she joins into the group. Sano is shown in the crowd as well. He tells her to come, and she joins them. She stands next to Nakatsu in the huddle. He hypes them up, telling him that they're going to be the best at the festival. They get all rowdy and excited and shout "BABY!". They howl (or hoot?) as they run off. Sano and Mizuki lag behind. Sano walks up to Mizuki from behind, smiles a little, pats her on the shoulder, then walks off through the heart. Mizuki looks down, as she realizes what she'll have to do.
She's part of the group again :)
The festival begins!
- Everybody is now outside-- the Osaka Gakuen students and all of their visitors. A banner hangs overhead, announcing the festival. The camera pans over all of the visitors, and stops at Sawatari, who is on the stage, facing the audience. He announces that the school festival will now begin! We cut to Mizuki's class dressed up as girls, cheering. Balloons get released into the sky. The school band (I'm assuming) plays "Zip a Dee Doo Dah" as the crowd cheers.
- We see various students dressed up at booths, trying to attract customers. Nanba approaches a gaggle of girls, telling him about the host club that the Class 3C is doing. Nakao and Sekime walk up behind him, persuading the girls to go to their maid cafe instead. And the girls follow Nakao. Haha they stole Nanba's potential clients ;)
- We then see Tennouji and Masako in the crowd, advertising for their Romeo and Juliet play.
- There's a large group of girls waiting outside of the Maid Cafe. Kayashima (dressed as a nurse) and Mizuki (dressed as a maid) run out and say "Welcome!" in a really cute way! It's funny because I always thought of them the be really shy actors, so it was really adorable.
- The girls freak out as Kayashima leads them inside the room. Their faces fall as they see the rest of the class with nurse Nakatsu and maid Sano in front, saying welcome half heartedly. I thought it was cute how Kayashima and Nakatsu matches and Mizuki and Sano matched ;)
- Sano mutters, asking them how many are in their party. The girls say three, and Kouhei (dressed as a cheerleader) and Mitsuomi (dressed in a sparkly teal gown-- much like the one Kouhei wore in the ball episode) led them to their tables.
- Mizuki bonks Sano over the head with her tray, telling him that he needs to smile. Kayashima looks excited in the background, and tells them that there are more customers. The next girls are led to their table. Mizuki nudges Sano as Sekime and Nakao announce the next customer. Sano turns his head backing, saying "Welcome!" very cutely... then realizes that it's actually Kagurazaka! Kagurazaka looks shocked. "S-s-Sano" Kagurazaka stutters. He asks what they're doing.
- Nakatsu notices him, saying that the good guy's here. He asks Kagurazaka who he'd like to serve him. Kagurazaka silently points at Sano. "Eh?" Sano whispers.
So kawaii!!
- Tennouji and Masako are acting out the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, where Tennouji is Romeo and Masako is Juliet. "Romeo" runs up to the balcony where "Juliet" is, and "Romeo" offers his hand out to "Juliet". "Juliet" cries "Romeo!" And then they hug, spinning around slowly in a circle. Tennouji looks down at the audience (were some of the boys crying?) and spots Mizuki in a maid outfit, pointing over to Kanna, who is freaking out. Tennouji freaks out as well, hurling Masako over the balcony.
- Masako snaps back into Oscar as he hits the ground. "Where is who? I am where?" He laughs a little then passes out.
- Tennouji runs to the audience, shouting "Juliet" over and over again. He finds Kanna, and kneels down in front of her, offering his hand. "Romeo!" Kanna cries, taking his hand and embracing him. The crowd cheers.
Those silly people ;)
- Juri's walking around the halls and spots a dark wall with protraits hanging on it with the hosts ready to serve you at the host club, Club Pheromone. She smiles as she sees Kayashima's picture, raising her hands up, Kayashima fashion. She's shocked as she sees someone's hands mirroring hers. Kayashima stands and they smile at each other.
- Nanba gets annoyed as everybody else seems to be paired up except for him, no longer making it an ikemen paradise. Nakao offers himself as a good candidate. Nanba considers, then quickly changes his mind.
Poor Nanba ;)
The maids in the urinal
- Nakatsu and Sano in their nurse and maid outfits are using the urinal. Nakatsu stutters as he asks why Sano hsn't confessed his feelings towards Mizuki yet, asking him if he loves her. Sano says that without thinking she still uses "ore" (masculine form of I) and not "watashi" (female form of I), even though everyone knows. Here she must want to still be a male, and he must treat her like that.
- Nakatsu counters that he liked her even when he thought she was a boy. By the way, I'm so glad that he washed his hands after using the urinal-- not too many guys do that ;) I don't know how Nakatsu's able to handle his rejection so well. It must be really frustrating to be turned down when his love rival, the person who she truly loves, is doing nothing. After Nakatsu put all of himself out there. Nakatsu still being a great friend is a testament to how amazing he is. He doesn't turn petty and doesn't knock them down when he can. How does he do that?
Hibari and Oscar
- Hibari's eating bread and drops one of the pieces. She stabs her stick into the bread to pick it up again. Meanwhile, Oscar's complaining about Tennouji while he eats a corndog. Oscar spots Hibari and asks if he could eat wit her. Even though Oscar's an idiot, he someone managed to say something cool, confessing to her, and then Nakatsu vision happens upon this pair. But for some reason Oscar has a Christmas wreath around his face, smiling. They say "Merry Christmas" to each other. Hibari runs up to Oscar. Oscar throws the wreath away and is about to kiss her, then she knees him in the no-no area. Oscar hunches down and she gets snippy with him, but says it's okay to date him. It's a good coupling I suppose because Hibari doesn't act all lovey dovey with him and Oscar actually looks up to her. She calls him Masao and he answers, calling her Hibari-sama. He runs after her, doing the "Hibari Four!" shout and movement.
Such a crack couple.
In the hallway
- Sano and Nakatsu return from the urinal in the dark hallway. Mizuki, looking for them, turns around. It looks like we were about to go into Nakatsu vision again, but Nakatsu stops himself before it happens, suppressing his emotions. It's sad in a way, seeing him try to end his feelings of love for her, but it is very difficult to. It's also funny because of his expressions ;)
- Mizuki asks where they were, saying that they need to hurry and go to the fashion show.
- In the manga, Nakatsu asked Mizuki if he could keep loving her for a little bit until his feelings calmed down after the rejection. It was really sad because he couldn't help his feelings, and he realized that his feelings are not returned. You could see the sad look on his face, even if he attempted to smile. Toma is so great at bringing this to life :)
The fashion show!
- The fashion show, entitled "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e" begins. The first people to come out are Nakao, Noe, and someone who I still couldn't figure out (Kyobashi?). They take turns in the center, working the crowd.
- We see the next person walk onstage, with the crowd bowing before him/her. The camera focuses on the face, and it's Kagurazaka dressed like Snow White (?). He runs offstage.
- Next are Tennouji and Oscar. Tennouji flexes his muscles and does the "BABY!" pose. Oscar acts all girly. He sees Hibari in the audience and blows her a kiss, with hearts floating in front of it. Hibari punches one of the hearts, shattering it. Oscar cries and Tennouji picks up Oscar, hurling him over his shoulder as he walks off. Oscar's crying for Hibari. Ugly indeed ;)
- Nanba, Sekime, and Kayashima are next. Nanba, by the way, looks really good as a girl! My goodness! Sekime smiles, and Abeno jumps up on the stage with flowers. Kayashima blows kisses to the audience.
- Last but not least are Mizuki, Sano, and Nakatsu. Mizuki's really confident since she obviously is a girl, Nakatsu looks a little shy, and Sano looks like he doesn't want to be there. They collectively blow a kiss to the audience.
And the winner is...
- Yoshioka announces the winner, who turns out to be Sano! He won over an actual girl! "Uso..." (No way) Mizuki whines.
- Dorm 1 complains to Yoshioka. Tennouji finds them and beats them all up. Nakatsu, Mizuki, and Sano smile a little at all of the craziness. Mizuki's smile fades as she realizes what's to come next and what she must do.
- The fashion show participants run down the stairs to the cafeteria, finally changed back into their street clothes. The boys gather together and decide to celebrate the day after the school festival. They run off. Nakao plays with his overalls as he runs past ;) Sano and Mizuki lag behind again. Sano rubs the top of her head, telling her to go. She tells him sorry, but she left something behind in her room. He says he got it and goes on ahead of her. Mizuki looks on.
The last day
- Mizuki writes with permanent marker on her dorm room's window "Forever in my heart". She grabs her suitcase and she goes out of the room. How did she manage with only one piece of luggage? I guess since she lived as a guy, it's like that...? She stands at the door and looks back into her room for one last time.
- She comes to the cafeteria where they always met to eat and do their strange contests. She looks around at the empty cafeteria. She stops at the center pillar and looks to her side. She walks up to one of the tables and gently touches its wooden surface. She then places both of her hands on the table, feeling around. She slowly sits down and lays her head on the table.
- She walks past Yuujiro's dog house. She approaches Yuujiro, petting him and saying her reasonings for leaving quietly like this. By the way, the drama never mentioned why Yuujiro hates boys, right? It's because he had a young girl as his owner and her father kicked him out and Sano took him in. So he hated all boys and only liked Sano. Then the girl came later in the manga to ask for Yuujiro back, calling him "Lucky", but they ultimately decided to let the dog stay in Osaka Gakuen.
- Mizuki walks through the front gates of the school. She looks back at the building, saying thank you.
- She keeps rolling her suitcase down the path. She spots flowers to her right and bends down to sniff them. She hears barking, and stands up to see Yuujiro standing out there. She thanks Yuujiro, waving goodbye to him. She walks in the other direction, then stops. Turning to her left. She looks over to see all of the students waiting for her. They all knew what she was going to do ;)
- The camera pans over all of the people there where everyone is smiling except for Nakatsu. Well Sano and Kagurazaka could be debatable too but they're always like that. Mizuki smiles and runs over to them.
- Nakatsu asks her why she didn't tell them that she was leaving. I think he felt some betrayal and hurt but also some fear that he may not have been able to see her again if she just left without warning. She apologizes and says that it would be too painful. She tells him to take care of himself. Nakatsu looks down and walks off, Sano looking after him, then following him. It's probably hard for Nakatsu to navigate his emotions right now so he decides to go off somewhere else. Plus he is a tad hotheaded ;)
- Mizuki walks into the crowd and sees Kyobashi and some other students. They told her that they had fun while she was there with them, that when she goes to America to not forget them and that they'll be lonely without her.
- She walks forward and sees Noe with some other students. Flashback to the lie detector test with Mizuki and the bra. Noe apologizes about the lie detector. They tell her wherever she goes she will not lose and that they will support her.
- She rolls her suitcase further and meets Dorm 1. Mitsuomi apologizes for sticking her in the foot with one of his cleats (flashback to that episode). Kouhei tells her that she's really interesting. Shouichiro talks about poo again. She thanks them. Haha that one guy was supposed to stay in Sano and Mizuki's room instead of Nakatsu when the water pipes broke ;)
- She walks up to Dorm 3, who all blow her a kiss. They apologize for fighting over her for their dorms in episode 1 (flashback to Dorms 1 and 3 fighting). They told her that she was really cool in dealing with Nakatsu being accused of cheating (flashback to Mizuki standing up for Nakatsu to Kitahama). They also told her that she was cute in the Ikemen contest (flashback to Miss Osaka contest) and that she played the keyboard awesomely at the live with Sekime and Nakatsu (flashback to the live). And the funniest part-- when one of them asked Mizuki if she knew his name. And surprisingly, she knew!! She tells them all to be genki and they answer "Oui!".
- She then sees Kagurazaka, who thanks her for making Sano high jump again. She says that she didn't do anything, but he said that she did. Flashback to Sano and Kagurazaka making the high jump.
- She walks on and sees St. Blossom's Hibari and the Hibari Four. Then for some reason they all talk about their guys-- Tennouji, Sekime, Kayashima, and Komari starts to mention Nakatsu... They all turn to tell her to shut up, and she says that she won't give up. Hibari tells Mizuki that she was a worthy rival. Flashback to the girls throwing their pom poms in their Hibari Four pose.
"Odamari Komari!"
- The girls part as Mizuki sees Sekime walk up to her, struggling to fight back his tears. He says that they have so many great memories together, and he doesn't know what else to say. Flashback to Mizuki and Sekime sitting on chairs facing each other, chatting, Mizuki looking after Sekime who is pining for Abeno, them all performing at the live together. Sekime is very important to Mizuki because he was her first friend at this school (flashback to Sekime finding Mizuki hiding from the dorms chasing after her, then afterwards introducing her to the layout of the school). He reached out to her when she felt nervous. She said that she was happy that he did that. Sekime's face was so heartbreaking! This episode is the first one in which Sekime really got to me like that. Sekime got to see firsthand how deeply Mizuki affected Sano, and I think he's also very grateful that she got to change him for the better. She thanks Sekime and he tries to smile, covering his face with his hand and walking off.
- She approaches Nakao next, and THAT'S when I started getting really choked up. Nakao is a very special character to me, and I think is a character who has a very special relationship with Mizuki, being the two "idols" of the school. Nakao tries to talk, but gets choked up and looks down. Mizuki tells him that he is gentle and softhearted. I think Nakao understands her how nobody else understood her, as they flashback to the two of them sitting on the beach while they talked about the people who they loved. Nakao I think is the person who got Mizuki to realize her feelings for Sano by talking about his feelings for Nanba. It's also the first time that they really got to open up to each other, and we see a lot more deeply into Nakao's character. It's too bad that we don't get to see Nakao confess to Nanba from the manga. She thanks him and Nakao breaks down. She squeezes his shoulder, smiling at him.
- She looks past Nakao's shoulder and sees Kayashima. Kayashima says he expected this day to come but doesn't know what to say. She says that his warmheartedness saved her many times. Flashback to when Kayashima meets Mizuki for the first time, and he mentioned how her aura was very interesting. He smiles and looks up, saying that she has a really good aura right now and that wherever she goes, she will be okay. They do this cute thing where they both raise their hands up to each other, immersed in each others' auras.
- She then sees Tennouji in front of her. He tells her that she worked very hard and was manlier than anyone. Flashback to Tennouji meeting Mizuki for the first time then of Mizuki convincing him to not leave and take part in the group photo. Then he does his "BABY!" pose for one last time. Mizuki does it in return.
- "Himejima dorm head." Flashback to when Nakatsu and Mizuki performed in the shades and the white suits, playing with the water guns on the beach, pushing on Oscar's stomach after he ate too much in the eating contest. He thanks her for everything, saying that Dorm 2 became more strong and beautiful because of her, blowing her a kiss.
- Okay this is when it gets difficult for me. Nanba is one of my top favorite characters after Nakatsu. He was amazing in keeping Mizuki's secret when he could have gotten her kicked out, and he helped Mizuki and her friends out at all costs. He may have acted like a playboy, but he was a lot deeper than that, and was always there for them. He stood up against Kitahama sensei and also felt sorrow for Mizuki when the others found out her secret. He acted like a great older brother and a great friend. When tears built up for Nakao, they built up even more for Nanba.
- Mizuki sees Nanba, and can't keep the tears in and starts to cry. He tells her to pull herself together. Flashback to Nanba looking in Mizuki's room for shampoo, bringing the flock of girls to win the hottie contest, Mizuki with a bunch of hard hats and throwing them up as they celebrated on the beach, Nanba bringing the dorm heads to work together for the cheerleading performance to go to Atami. He tells her that no matter what, this school is her school (her alma mater). He spreads his arms out, indicating all of the school grounds. Mizuki cries some more. He says that they will be with her and support her forever no matter where she is.
I <3 Nanba!!
- Akiha walks up to Mizuki, allowing me time to calm down. She presents her with a photobook of all of the times she spent with everyone else at Osaka Gakuen. She tells her that if she's crying, it'll make her laugh when she sees those idiots. She thanks Akiha. The principal and Sawatari walk up to her, presenting her with a graduation certificate. The principal reads off of it and hands it to Mizuki, congratulating her on her graduation. She sobs, thanking the principal. Oscar and Nanba start the clapping and cheering for Mizuki. You can see Nakao still trying to hold back his sobs.
- We hear that recognizable shout "MIZUKI!!" Prepare yourself with tissues for this one ;_; Mizuki turns and sees Nakatsu running up to her. I think Sano was able to help him sort his feelings out and say goodbye to Mizuki before his hotheadedness got the best of him. Tears start falling down her face, and Nakatsu tells her to wait, that he hasn't said anything yet. I'm going to quote
pajama_lllama on this one: "Even if I get really old... to the point where I forget everything and can’t even remember my own name... I will never, ever forget the time we spent together." Flashback to their modeling shoot were they posed in front of the yellow backdrop, Nakatsu and Mizuki sitting on the bench outside, Nakatsu leaning in for a kiss, Nakatsu spitting his water out, the group photo, with the top three sitting next to each other, Nakatsu embracing Mizuki from behind as he confessed to her, and them throwing their pom poms into the air at the end of their cheer routine. Tears start falling down Nakatsu's face as well as he tells her that she's his best friend, giving her the thumbs up. He curses, saying that he wasn't supposed to cry. Mizuki cries, struggling to get out her thanks through her tears. She says thank you again lightly with her head down. Nakatsu walks up to her and embraces her. He tells her that they're not that far, and this is not the last time they'll see each other. He places his hand on the top of her head. "Until later."
- Nakatsu was always by Mizuki's side in good times and in bad. Even when Nakatsu was mad at her he still supported her. Nakatsu sees Mizuki as not just who he loved but also his best friend, who helped him in his darkest times. I think she helped him build strength within himself and realize his true self. She was also willing to sacrifice herself for him, like in the case of Nakatsu being accused of cheating. It's probably really hard for Nakatsu to part from her, and going through school without being by Mizuki's side will be tough. I applaud him for being so strong even after being turned down, and for still recognizing her as a great friend. I took a lot of screencaps here, so please don't mind:
- Mizuki walks on, seeing Sano leaning against a wall. Without saying anything, Mizuki begins to break down. Umeda steps out shaking his keys, trying to get their attention. They have to go. Umeda tells Sano to come with them.
- The boys run through the halls to see her off for the last time at the bus. She says that she's really happy to have been an Osaka Gakuen student. She smiles at them and they all smile back, including Nakatsu (a little). Sawatari starts to sob, and the principal hands him a tissue. Nakatsu gives her another thumbs up and smiles. She waves, then runs to board the bus.
- Sano is seated in the middle of the bus. Mizuki runs to the back of the bus to wave goodbye to everyone through the rear window. I'm surprised that Nakatsu didn't run after the bus! She waves at them and they wave back (except for Nakatsu), yelling. Perhaps Nakatsu has come to terms with things and is just glad of the time they spent together. Nakatsu has grown a lot during this series!
On the bus
- Umeda looks in the rearview mirror, seeing Sano and Mizuki sitting awkwardly far apart from each other. Sano gets up and moves to the back of the bus, sitting next to Mizuki. Umeda smiles. Sano says that the blue sky is like that time, bringing Mizuki back to her best moments with him. Flashback to Sano meeting Mizuki for the first time, calling her "chibi-san" and placing her shoe on top of her head. Then a bunch of moments where she's pushing him to high jump, and of him rebuffing her, and of her motivating him. Sano carrying Mizuki after she got her shoe stepped on by Mitsuomi's cleat. Sano running, training himself for the first time in a while, Nakatsu and Mizuki looking on. Sano attempting the high jump and failing, then bowing to his teammates to beg to continue. Sano grabbing Mizuki, embracing her, Mizuki realizing that she loves Sano. Mizuki leaving quietly to go to America, Sano telling her to not go. Sano and Mizuki sitting on an outside bench, Sano pulling Mizuki's head to his chest. Sano grabbing Mizuki's hand when she goes off to comfort Nakatsu, asking her to stay. Sano clearing the high jump. Sano thanking her for staying with him, glad to have met her.
- Mizuki looks over at Sano who's looking out of the window. Then I was about to get really mad when I saw PEACH play and the credits roll. And then...
At the airport
- Mizuki thanks Umeda for everything. He tells her that she owes him, then nods over in Sano's direction. Mizuki runs after him. Umeda smiles after her, saying that her smile should make it even. Akiha suddenly appears out of nowhere, shocking him, then asks him if she's fine as his girlfriend, since he may not hate girls anymore. He thinks about it and walks off. She runs after him and he swats her off.
- Sano and Mizuki look up at the departure/arrival announcement board. Sano comments that she's not an Osaka Gakuen student anymore. She agrees, looking down at her graduation certificate. He points out that she also doesn't have to act like a boy anymore. "Eh?" She looks up at him. He looks over and pretends he saw something, making her look the other way. Then he grabs her, pulling her to him. He pulls away, and everything goes silent as he bends down to kiss her. She looks shocked and is as stiff as a board. She looks up at him; he looks back with a loving look on his face. Then, like in the manga, he tells her that next time he'll go to her. "Goodbye Mizuki." She starts to walk away, then tells Sano that she loves him. He smiles in response. She smiles back. Then she walks off to her flight.
What an unexpected Sano move, ne?
At Ashiya's house in America (one month later)
- Mizuki yells that she's going to go, and runs outside. Then an arrow is suddenly shot to the ground next to her feet. She picks it up, realizing that it's an Osaka High sports newspaper. She opens it, seeing Osaka Gakuen students on it. She finds out that Osaka Gakuen students are coming to California...! "Usooooo!!!" (No way) she yells to the sky. Maybe an opening for a special? ;)
And now we have come to the end of the Hana Kimi series. It has definitely been an emotional rollercoaster, going from wacky contests to serious emotional moments. I think one major theme throughout this series has been the importance of friendships and being there for each other. It's also about learning from each other and growing. I miss the moments in the manga of Nakao confessing to Nanba and the students plus the dorm heads in their Sakura Committee uniforms standing in a line for Mizuki at the end, doing their own graduation ceremony. But besides that stuff this episode was very close to the manga. I thought the ending was fantastic and had some awesome moments in it. I loved the dorm heads' roles in this episode and also Sekime, being a big surprise. I will definitely miss watching this series every Tuesday. This will not be my last Nakatsu's Thoughts-- I'm thinking of writing a summary of Nakatsu''s development throughout the series from the beginning to the end, so please look forward to that!
I will miss all of the wonderful characters in this series! It was so hard to part from them when I finished the manga-- it will be the same here.
Remember this picture? This one was in my Hana Kimi drama/manga comparisons post at the beginning of the series. From left to right are: Sekime, Noe, Nakatsu, Kayashima, and Nakao.
Yatta I'm done! This took a VERY long time and I had to redo part of it because LiveJournal deleted it ;_; Anyways thank you for following this and I apologize if there are many mistakes since I've had to do some of this over again. Thank you SO much for following my Nakatsu's Thoughts and I hope you check out my summary as well! Thanks for your support-- it's what helped me through my posts and to make it through my long summary. You can probably count on me editing this post later since I'm sure I've made mistakes ;)