Nakatsu's Thoughts: Episode 12 THE FINAL EPISODE Part I of II
Honestly, what can I say. It's definitely been an amazing ride. I'll save the talk for how I as a Hana Kimi fan developed through the process for my summary of Nakatsu throughout the series, so here I'll just focus on this final episode. What a tearjerker! I realized how hard it was to say goodbye to some of my most favorite characters when I saw their faces for the last time. They have all grown so much through this series. I think Nakatsu has been one major factor of the growth in this series. He positively influences all of the characters around him. In this episode you can see how precious Sano, Mizuki, and Kayashima are to him. I'm really proud of the producers, directors, screenwriters, and especially the acting and set talent for keeping this ending mostly faithful to the manga. Yes, there are some changes, but I thought the ending was perfect in the manga, and thus here also perfect. I didn't get the kiss I wanted (which was in the manga), but I still feel very satisfied. However, I wouldn't object to a special ;)
"Forever in my heart..."
Mizuki makes her final decision. Nakatsu gets anxious waiting for it. What will Hibari do about finding out that Mizuki's a girl? How will the dorm heads react when they hear that there's a girl at their school? Will Sano ever confess to Mizuki? And who will Kayashima end up with? Who will Hibari end up with? Of course these questions are answered in this episode ;)
Previous Episode:
- Hibari tells the dorm heads that there's a girl at Osaka Gakuen while Nakatsu looks on.
And now we continue from that...
- Nakatsu watches on as the dorm heads express disbelief at what Hibari said. She tells them that she has proof, and starts pulling the passport out of her pocket. We can see the panic on Nakatsu's face as he tries to determine what to do to save Mizuki. He decides to run over to them, pretending that he didn't hear anything, and makes small talk about Sano and Kagurazaka. Hibari quickly puts the passport back in her pocket. Nakatsu then mentions to the dorm heads how they should throw a party for Sano. He turns to Hibari pointedly, as if challenging her to not say anything, asking her if she wanted to go and she gently relents. She tells the dorm heads to remember what they just talked about and left. By the way, I found it interesting how they were all in their uniforms. Was that specifically for the event? *scratches head*
acting like nothing is going on...
*glare*
-*phew* saved. Thank goodness Nakatsu was around at that moment, if not to keep Mizuki's secret, then to show Hibari that Mizuki's not one to be messed with because he will protect her at all costs. Although this could all be in my head, because she probably didn't know that he knew ;)
Where did the passport go?
- She lifts a pillow. Not there. Looks under the covers. Not there. Sano asks Mizuki what she's doing, as it seems like he's just gotten out of the shower or something and is putting on his shirt. She tells him that she lost her wallet. He runs down and helps her look for it. It looks like he's about to go over to where her bed was or something and she tells him not to go there. I guess there's some girlish stuff in there? No wait, he was going to look through her desk. Nakatsu walks in.
- Mizuki asks Nakatsu about her wallet, and he says that he hasn't seen it.
- Sano asks what was in her wallet, and she mentions that her passport was in it. "Passport?" Sano questions. Nakatsu realizes that the object Hibari was going to show them was her passport that would prove that Mizuki was a girl. Nakatsu gets even more worried. They chat about the wallet a little more, then Nakatsu approaches Sano while Mizuki's still looking for her wallet somewhere else, and asks if they could step out for a moment.
the anxiety music starts to play...
Sano and Nakatsu
- Nakatsu tells Sano that Hibari has Mizuki's passport and found out about her true identity. He also told him that she told the dorm heads about it and was going to show them the passport, but they didn't see it. All they know right now is that there is a girl at Osaka Gakuen. Nakatsu tells him that they've got to do something, and Sano agrees.
How are they going to save Mizuki this time?
Introduction to the festival
- They're all celebrating Sano and Sekime like Nakatsu suggested, and they're acting all crazy. Sawatari then comes running in saying "don't forget" in Japanese then in English. What's the point in that? He then talks about the "gakuensai", or the school festival, and how the winner of it gets something. They all get excited.
I cracked up so hard when I saw Sano's face in the background XD
They're both so worried for her. What great guys <3
Sano and Hibari
- Hibari goes running to meet Sano at the front gate, with hearts trailing behind her. She says how happy she is that he called her over and asks him what he wants. He asks about the wallet and the passport. She then gets serious and says that he must know who it belongs to and the secret that belongs in that passport. He says yes to both. She refuses to give it to him, being all jealous and jerky and saying that she wants the person whose wallet it belongs to to come to her. Sano stares her down.
So what is Mizuki's class going to do for the festival?
- Sekime and Mizuki lead the class as they decide what theme they should do for their year in the school festival. They argue over many different themes. Then they get all excited and jump over each other and Sekime jumps in. Mizuki bangs her eraser on the podium, yelling at them to shut up. They stop while most of them are mid-choke. She tries to calm them down.
- Nakatsu approaches Sano's desk as he's reading a magazine. He asked how his meeting with Hibari went. He told her what happened. Nakatsu and Sano both look worried as they glance over at Ashiya who is busy running the voting process ;) Looks like they'll have to protect her yet again.
Why does it seem like I always catch Shun in a goofy/awkward pose?
- The votes were tallied and it was decided: they were going to have a maid cafe. Nakao (who suggested the theme) shook people's hands victoriously. And all of us at this point are probably wondering how they're going to pull it off ;)
Changing in the gym locker room
- I don't know Mizuki's reasons for changing in there in the drama (is it because she's late?) but anyways in the manga it was because she was taking karate to become stronger and Kujou (Tennouji's second in command in the manga) taught her. I guess since they cut out the near rape episode they decided to cut the karate part out too.
- We see the dorm heads/spies as they went in to the locker room afterwards. They looked like Charlie's Angels ;)
- Nanba goes ahead and runs to the other side of the locker room. Tennouji and Oscar dawdle behind. Tennouji then notices an open door next to him and glances in, seeing someone wearing an undershirt and vest. His mouth locks wide open. Oscar then wonders what Tennouji's freaking out about, looks over, and his mouth is locked wide open as well. Nanba wanders back, wondering why they were acting so weird, looked over, saw the same thing, and his mouth locked open as well. I really wonder how Mizuki didn't hear all of this happening >_<;;
silly boys ;)
Tennouji and Kanna
- The two lovebirds were prancing in the forest when the idiot Tennouji decides to confess to Kanna that he saw a woman changing in the gym, just like in the manga! Tennouji then flashes back to the time when the dorm heads were all together and Nanba told them not to tell anyone. Tennouji agreed, locking his jaw back into place. Tennouji's in troouble ;) Then Kanna freaks out and rushes away in the opposite direction.
baka Tennouji-sama!!
And the game of Telephone begins...
- Kanna runs up to the Hibari 3 and Hibari, a cloud of dust kicking up behind her. She tells them that there was a girl at Osaka Gakuen. Hibari looks to the side, realizing that somebody else has found out. She then calms Kanna, making her think that she heard something different. Thank goodness for Hibari at this point.
- The game of telephone continues as it goes from one strange character to the next, changing the story drastically each time. And it ends up back at Dorm 2 with Sekime talking to Yuujiro and some cat.
I'm taking a lot of non-Nakatsu screencaps this time, ne?
Back at the cafeteria
- Mizuki's still looking around for her wallet. Nakao hops down the stairs and notices Mizuki. He asks her what she's doing. She said that she lost something, and he tells her good luck. Sano and Nakatsu do this and both look up at her, worried. It's definitely very interesting, because they are both in open competition for Mizuki, and they both know at this point that the other knows of her true identity. They both glance at each other, probably knowing what the other's thinking. I think it's also interesting how Nakatsu feels that he won't hand Mizuki over to Sano, and openly challenges him to compete for Mizuki's heart, but when it comes to protecting her and hearing about the passport, he goes to Sano to work with him to help Mizuki. It's sad in a way because we know that Sano will probably be the hero after all of this, but also shows how great Nakatsu is for willing to work together with his love rival to protect the one they both love. It must be especially difficult because it seems like a losing battle ;_;
It's kind of sad how they care so much for her and she doesn't even notice.
- Nanba and Oscar are mulling over their current situation, with Oscar's cape draped around Nanba's shoulders for some reason. He then tells Oscar that it's too hot with the cape around him and Oscar gives a sudden start, snapping the cape off of Nanba's shoulders.
- Tennouji meets up with the other two, with big dark circles under his eyes, probably worrying about what happened. Nanba asks Tennouji about what's up with him, when Sekime bounds down the stairs with Noe (are they best friends now?), and announces that there was a girl at their school. How Telephone turned back into that, I have NO idea. Sano and Nakatsu spit their drinks out comically (like Nakatsu and the water), shocked. Mizuki looks up from her search, also shocked.
I wonder how many times they had to do that take ;)
Nanba and Oscar are shocked too, and Tennouji looks guilty...
- They asked where Sekime got that information from, and he replied "Yuujiro", which got him a smack over the head courtesy of Nakao. Someone calls him an idiot ;) Noe then validates the claim saying that he used his dog translator to make extra sure. They then speculated about having a girl amongst them. Nakatsu looks worried while Sano keeps chewing his food.
- Nanba and Oscar glare at the guilty looking Tennouji. Tennouji freaks out and Oscar kicks him in the face, knocking him out cold. Oscar then makes a weird incoherent noise, pointing at Tennouji in anger over and over again. Nanba sighs, and says that they have no choice but to look for the girl now. Mizuki is officially freaking out.
And the search for the girl begins
- I suppose they decided to have two big dorm events (search for the girl and the school festival) in this episode since it's twice as long ;)
- Tennouji and Dorm 1 are using their own methods to find the girl-- capture any girly looking guy and torture them. Tennouji answers a telephone in a hotline like setup where Mitsuomi, Kouhei, Souichiro (I guessed the third guy's name before looking it up on DramaWiki and I was surprisingly very close!), and other Dorm 1 members were undressing this girly looking guy with long hair. Maybe he's from Dorm 3 ;) They strip him to see that he has no breasts, but of course Kouhei wants to make doubly sure by looking down his boxers. Yep, he's a boy all right. And apparently it's very black.
- Dorm 3 decide to chant or something. Maybe possess Oscar again? And somehow he turns into a girl, freaking out all of Dorm 3. I have so many awesome caps from this part, so it was very difficult to choose XD
- Holy crap I just noticed this! The song that they were playing during this portion, where Masako kept repeating "ooh la la" was from the game show that some of the cast participated in to promote the drama before it aired. Mizushima Hiro, Ishigaki Yuma, Kyo Nobuo, Okada Masaki, and Konno Mahiru (am I leaving someone out?) all participated. It was hilarious!! They started off with this word and had to keep to a beat, then the person points to someone else and they have to start the next word starting with the same character (syllable). It speeds up if they're doing well. Okay I'm focusing on this too much ;)
Masako and the frightened Dorm 3 ;)
- Noe devised another machine. This one detects whether someone is a girl or not. If they're a boy, the male side of the device lights up and they get handed a button. If the female side lights up...
- Nakatsu walks through (well more like hops through) and the boy's side lights up. He looks behind him at Mizuki, worried for her and wondering how they should get her through this. Sano makes it through, unaffected. Next is Mizuki's turn. She hesitates as Kazuma gets annoyed.
- Kayashima's working the lie detector machine. Remember that hilarious episode when Nakatsu was in it? Yeah it's returned. The robot that detects their true thoughts is back too.
- Mizuki squeezes her eyes shut and walks through the gender detector. No lights blink. We see that somebody unplugged the device. The hand re-plugs it in, and we find out that it was Nakatsu. They wonder if it's broken and Sano pops his head through the detector, pretending to look for the problem. The boy's side lights up and Sano quickly backs out, making it seem like it detected Mizuki accurately. Mizuki's shocked by the result as Nanba hands her the 'boy' button.
messing with the machine, Nakatsu *tsk tsk*
success.
- They feel defeated when they find that nobody turned out to be a girl from the girl detector machines. They then speculate about the girl rumor, and how they wouldn't be able to forgive whoever lied to them and was really a girl. They speculate that she should be expelled. Nakatsu tries to break up this discussion by pointing out that since there isn't a girl there then there's nothing to worry about. They keep speculating as Nakatsu glances at Mizuki again, worried. I find it interesting how it's quite apparent that Nakatsu is worrying for Mizuki and keeps glancing over, trying to help her in any way he can and feeling for her. Sano doesn't really look at her, and I guess it's his way of dealing with it. I love Nakatsu's look of love and his worried for his love looks :)
I adore Nakatsu <3 (you'll probably see this statement a lot more as this post progresses)
Sano and Hibari
- Hibari decides to (finally) give the passport and wallet back to Sano, because she learned that it caused quite a disruption in the school and she didn't want that. Hibari calmly asks Sano if he loves her, and he says yes. She somehow manages to stay calm through all of this and looks defeated as Sano takes the wallet and passport and walks away. AAAHH he admits it! Finally Sano, finally.
The next day
- Sano tells Mizuki "let's go" as they head off to class. She acknowledges him, running down the stairs and finding the wallet that she lost in plain sight, on her desk. She checks the inside, finding the passport hidden safely inside of it. She sighs in great relief as Sano looks over with a small smile on his face. She asked Sano where he found it, and he said "over there", nodding his head towards where she was. "Where is there?" she counters. He says that it doesn't matter as they head out. Before Sano heads out, Mizuki asks him if he looked inside of her wallet. He says that he's not that strapped for cash as he says "let's go" again. Mizuki smiles in relief and they walk out.
The stakeout
- Nanba and Tennouji are waiting outside of the gym, waiting for the girl who went to change there at the same time the week before. Nanba uses his hands as fake binoculars. They see someone rush by quickly into the locker room. "Ashiya?" Nanba exclaims incredulously. Then we hear the "ooh la la" music again as Masako dances back onto the scene. Tennouji and Nanba grab him to hide as they see the person run back outside. Nanba's eyes widen as he realizes that Mizuki is the girl. Meanwhile, Oscar plants a big wet sloppy kiss on Tennouji. Gross. Tennouji slaps Masako on the side of his/her face as he follows Nanba as they run off.
I really love these three guys!!
In the Student Council room (for the Sakura Committee)
- Mizuki knocks on the door, then lets herself in. Her eyes widen as she sees the dorm heads in their Sakura Committee uniforms. Masako seems to have turned back into Oscar.
- I love this scene because it basically comes right off of the manga's pages. Oscar asks Mizuki if she was changing at the gym that day. She hesitates, and Tennouji yells at her to answer the question. Nanba tells him to calm down as he tries to make her relax. She says yes. He then says that the person they saw changing in the gym's locker room was a woman. He asks her if she's a woman. No answer yet.
and the tightly wound lie starts unraveling...
Nakatsu and Sano to the rescue!
- Sekime runs towards Sano and Nakatsu in the garden, telling them that the kaokai (Sakura Committee) has her in their room. Nakatsu looks at Sano worriedly. Sano glances back at him. Nakatsu looks pensive for a moment, then runs to the room, Sano following. I know Nakatsu is a lot more passionate than Sano, but why does it feel sometimes like Nakatsu cares more? I guess it's just the facade that Sano builds, or maybe it's his personality since he's more stoic and laid back.
Nakatsu pensive about what Sekime told them.
Back to the Student Council room
- Mizuki stays silent. Tennouji bangs his hand down on the table, demanding her to answer the question. Oscar says that if they're wrong, then they're wrong, and that she should just say so. There's a pregnant pause, then she tells them that what they saw was right. She's a woman. She still uses "ore", which is the masculine form of "I" in this statement. "Ore wa onna desu."
- Nakatsu and Sano rush into the room, Nakatsu shouting after Mizuki. Sano starts off by saying "you..." the dorm heads ask Nakatsu and Sano if they overheard what they were just talking about. Nakatsu looks down, unsure of what to say. Then he gains courage, realizing that he must admit what he's kept inside for a while, for Sano much longer. He admits that they both already knew that Mizuki was a girl, even before the dorm heads did. Tennouji asks Nanba what was going on, and Nanba says that he didn't know. He approaches Sano and asks why they haven't mentioned anything until now. Sano starts to say that it was his fault that she was there, that he got hurt in America-- but Mizuki cut him off trying to save him, saying that it was all her own doing. I wonder what's going through Nakatsu's mind right now. He must be trying desperately to save Mizuki, but all the same, is witnessing Sano and Mizuki standing up for each other, clearly actions of people in love. He glances over at her with a kind of pained look on his face. He probably wants to save her at all costs and doesn't want her to sacrifice herself in this fashion.
Sano and Nakatsu under interrogation
Nakatsu's worried/pained look.
- Sano then continues to stand up for Mizuki, saying that she came to help him high jump again, that her purpose was to help him. And she did. She was the reason he could high jump once more. Mizuki looks up at Sano in adoration. Nanba then asks Ashiya what she should do. Nakatsu must be dying to have things to say but feels it's inappropriate and waits silently while Sano tells his story. I wonder what Nakatsu would have said if the same question was directed towards him.
- Mizuki answers Nanba that she loves this school a lot, so she will stop and pull out from school. Sano and Nakatsu look at her brows furrowed, with Nakatsu whispering "Mizuki". She doesn't want to bother the others and be a burden, even though she did want to graduate with them. Nakatsu I think would do anything to keep Mizuki from leaving (we can see that in the episode when she was going to go back to America), but also realizes that she could get hurt if the word did spread and the truth got out. Okay I realize I'm typing too much about this. Basically Nanba allows Mizuki to stay and figure out what to do before the graduation of the third years the next spring (which includes the kaokai). He tells her he will not lose to her at the school festival since they're opponents now (from different classes) and she takes the challenge, smiling. Mizuki, Sano, and Nakatsu walk out. Sano and Nakatsu still look worried.
- The other two dorm heads question Nanba's decision, saying that there is great risk involved. Nanba smiles and answers that as the Sakura Committee they must protect their students, and Ashiya is one of them, even if she is a girl. They laugh and smile.
They're so cute :)
Outside on the bench
- Now comes the aftermath of Nakatsu and Sano's confession that they knew. The three of them are on/by the bench as Mizuki confronts them about it. But before anything else happens-- the Principal shows up. Of course she's here for the final episode ;) They all looked shocked. I guess I was kind of expecting it. She tells them to have fun since flowers aren't in full bloom forever (a tribute to the drama's title-- hanazakari). Mizuki sits back down on the bench thoughtfully. Then they ruminate on what the principal said and basically agreed with her, to have fun while it lasts (since Nakatsu assumes that they're all going to graduate together). Sano's surprised that Nakatsu can actually say something nice like that. Then Nakatsu and Sano started bickering, just picking on each other and Nakatsu called Sano a high jump baka XD The way he said it was hilarious! They're so adorable!
I really liked the first cap and the second cap was cute too ;)
Tadaima
- The principal returns back to her office with Sawatari greeting her. She thanked him for watching over the kids, he said he had fun. She teases him.
In Sano x Mizuki's room
- Mizuki asks Sano when he found out about her true gender. He reveals to her that it was when she was loudly arguing with her brother Shizuki and he overheard. She then complains, asking why he didn't say anything back then, and he says that he was afraid that she'd go back to America if he said anything. Mizuki's surprised. He wanted her to stay so she could watch him jump properly. Then the cute rabu music plays. "Soreni... omae no koto ga..." (besides... about you, I...) It looks like he's about to confess, ne? But of course he backs off, saying that's all, running to the shower. Mizuki smiles after him, playing with the figurines he was playing with earlier.
Awkward...
Sano, his father, and Shin
- Sano opens himself to his father, telling him about the feelings he's kept hidden within him for a long time. He admits to him that his biggest rival was oyaji, his father. So, he definitely won't lose ;) At this point I can see that there's still some misunderstandings between them, but they have communicated their insecurities with each other, so the atmosphere is a lot better between them. Sano's father tells him to live for something, so that he can make it over that bar. He sees Sano's expression, commenting that it looks like he already found that someone. Shin arrives, telling their dad that the taxi has arrived. I think Sano will return home to visit soon ;_; And Sano had a cute moment with Shin. Haha I actually giggled when I saw Shin smile a bit before heading into the taxi. He's taken a lot of Sano mannerisms, hasn't he? I wonder if the actor studied Shun to see how he should act.
Hooray for peace within the family!
Working on the Maid Cafe
- Mizuki's year gets to work on their decorations. Nakatsu looks at Mizuki, happy that things are going well for her now. Then he launches into one of his famous monologues, talking about his love story with Mizuki and how he must triumph over Sano. He counts down 5,4,3,2,1... and surprisingly, Mizuki looks at him! She walks up to him and tells him that she must answer his confession properly. Nakatsu is a little dazed.
and the moment of truth has arrived.
Mizuki's answer
- Mizuki hesitates and turns around. Nakatsu goes into another internal monologue talking about his battle with Sano, how he thought he was losing, but Mizuki called him out this time, and how he's a mixture of cool and smiley. Then he goes on to how she could choose him when... "Gomen." She turns back around. Nakatsu's face falls. "Huh?" She tells him that she really likes him, that his existence to her is irreplacable, but only as a friend. Nakatsu fans, prepare for your hearts to break. His expression afterwards is so difficult to watch. You want to wish the best for him, but at this moments, things are just not turning out like he planned. She apologizes again. Nakatsu's face is down, as it seems like he is gathering his emotions and trying to suppress them. Then his head pops up, and he tells her that he's just joking. Trying to conceal his true emotions by pretending to be genki, as usual. He tries to joke around by saying he only goes for sexy looking girls. He claims that he just wanted to tease her regarding Sano. She uncomfortably smiles. He says that they're the best of friends, but you can see through his emotional barrier that he's taking it really hard and is trying desperately to keep himself composed, even though he feels crushed deep inside. Toma's so excellent in this part because you can see lapses in his facial expressions every now and then, revealing his true emotions in mere seconds, then covering it up with jokes. Man have I told you guys how perfectly he portrays my interpretation of Nakatsu? I think I have, plenty of times ;)
- He bounces off, and Mizuki apologizes again, to herself.
- He runs to a concealed place in the garden, and his face instantly falls again. He says to stop, that this is no good. He counts down again until he breaks down and cries. 5,4,3,2. Then he falls down to his knees, then slumps forward entirely. He's just completely broken down, physically, emotionally, and mentally, and seeing such a positive, amazing man so broken is just too terrible. My heart really goes out to him. Ah, it makes me so sad thinking about this reaction ;_; Here's my caps from the glimpses of his true emotions in his face, and his true emotional reaction to this response.
Unrequited love-- the worst ever. And for such an amazing guy who only deserves the best.
The principal's office
- She asks about what the prize is going to be for the winner of the festival. She suggests a lot of prizes, but Sawatari and the teachers say no, because those prizes have already been won in the other innumerable contests that they have had. She then mentions Atami, and a voice calls out that that has been won already in the last contest. Akiha comes walking through. "Okaeri oneesan." What, the principal is Akiha's older sister?? The teachers are surprised as she knocks them out of the way. The rest of them leave, and Akiha presents her sister with pictures of the students that she has taken so far. Really cute pictures!
Nakatsu and Mizuki ;_;
The truth revealed
- Mizuki stands on a chair, leaning over to hang up decorations. Something knocks into the ladder and she falls sideways. The boys rush to her side, asking her what the matter was. I think it was Kayashima who ran off to get help while Nakao and Sekime stayed.
- The boys freak out, trying to figure out how to help her. Somebody suggested undoing her shirt so Umeda can examine her better. Nakao listens, undoing her tie and starting to unbutton her shirt as the anxiety music builds. Nakao gets to her vest, wondering what it is. He starts unbuttoning it.
- Umeda runs in, telling them to back off, scooping up Mizuki and telling them to go back to their dorms. The boys look on.
- Kyobashi, standing next to Noe, looked at the others, asking if they saw what he saw. Noe says that he saw it. "It couldn't be that..." And the realization dawns. Nakao's face-- my goodness!
- Sano shows up in the back, looking at all of them.
- This was another scene ripped out from the manga. Except it was Nakatsu in the manga, not Nakao, who unbuttoned her shirt.
The health room
- Mizuki's lying on the bed in the infirmary. Umeda is at her side, tending to her. Sano rushes in. Umeda tells him not to worry, she's fine, but what about her classmates...? Umeda tells him to not say a word, then walks to his desk to leave Sano semi-alone with Mizuki. Mizuki awakens. We can see Sano's face soften as he walks over to her. He asks if she's okay, then explains that she fell. But she didn't realize that much more happened than that.
The confrontation
- Mizuki and Sano are walking in the halls, presumably back to their room. Nakao steps out from one of the rooms, asking if she could step in for a moment. She assents. Sano looks worried. Mizuki, not knowing what was truly going on, wonders why Sano's so worried and follows Nakao into the room.
- She steps into the room, finding all of the boys surrounding her. She looks down for a moment, then tells them not to worry, that she's all right. Nanba looks down, concerned for her. He tries to get out the words, but Nakao beats him to it. "You're a girl, aren't you?" Mizuki is confused. Noe then explains that they saw her vest. Nanba looks so down, I almost wanted to hug him. She looks around at all of their serious faces. Sekime's looked especially disappointed with her. By the way, this was the first episode that I'm truly impressed with Sekime. He was amazing in this episode.
- You can see Mizuki's lips start to waver, and she rushes out of the room. Sano runs after her.
Nanba's face looks so pained ;_;
Outside again
- Mizuki sits sideways on a bench with her legs drawn up, leaning her left side against the back support. "What should I do?" she asks nobody in particular.
- On another bench in another location sits Nakatsu, with his back leaning against the back support, his legs also drawn up. He stretches his legs out, moaning.
- Kayashima walks up to him, telling him that everybody found out that Ashiya is a girl. He explains what happened. Nakatsu is in disbelief. He jumps up to run after her, but I think he realizes that perhaps it's not his place anymore, and pauses. Kayashima asks Nakatsu if he got turned down, rejected. Nakatsu says that he's too direct ;) Kayashima apologizes, saying that he doesn't know what to say.
- Aaah, this is my favorite Kayashima/Nakatsu moment of the series! It makes sense, since it's the last episode. They just go back and forth, Nakatsu mimicking Kayashima's words to him, Kayashima slapping his hand on Nakatsu's shoulder and telling him to go back with him with a huge smile. Nakatsu agrees to go back.
- Nakatsu stops, realizing Kayashima's wording earlier, that others found out that she was a girl, insinuating the Kayashima already knew beforehand. He asks Kayashima if he knew that Mizuki was a girl. Kayashima nods, saying that he understood from her aura. He says that it shouldn't be a problem so he let it be. Nakatsu tells him that he's the greatest; Kayashima nods XD I think it's great how they don't even have to use words a lot-- they just need to give each other a look that shows that they understand. Kayashima has always been there for him and never let Nakatsu down. And likewise, I'm pretty sure Nakatsu hasn't let Kayashima down either. Watching the two walk back to the dorms and smile widely at each other-- I LOVE IT! OTP!!!!!
I tried to document the booty slap but I failed ;_;
- Sano's walking Yuujiro right next to the bench where Mizuki is sitting, pretending she isn't there, but saying things to the dog that he'd say to Mizuki, encouraging her and saying he'll protect her. He looks over, pretending to be surprised at seeing Mizuki. He pretends to keep walking Yuujiro and she says that it's a dead end, and he says that he knows that. Then he tells her to go back home with him. She smiles a little then follows after him.
The classroom
- This has got to be one of the most powerful moments in this episode, possibly even the entire series! I was so blown away by it!
- Mizuki and Sano go to class the next morning, and Mizuki psyches herself up to prepare for her entrance to a possibly hostile classroom. She enters, saying good morning. The boys stop talking for a second to look at her, then go back to what they were doing, completely ignoring her. Not knowing what to do, she walks back to her desk. Nakatsu, looking deep in thought, looks up and smiles, saying yo. It's still pretty apparent though that he's still crushed from her rejection. Kouhei then makes another rude statement, that they don't need a maid cafe since they already have a girl. Nakatsu gets mad at him. Mitsuomi then gets in Nakatsu's face, asking him if he's a girl, since he's siding with Mizuki. Nakatsu gets angry, and they're about to get in a fight, but Sekime stops them, saying that they should just follow through with it. Mizuki says thank you to him, initially glad that he saved her, but he looks away, deeply disappointed in her. I think he feels betrayed because he considered himself a good friend of hers, and she's lied to him for so long. It was so sad seeing one of the friendliest characters look like that-- it broke my heart, and I started choking up. I honestly didn't expect Sekime to have this effect on me >_<;;
- The boys then talk about how Mizuki followed Sano here and how scary it was. Nakatsu starts to speak up, but is interrupted by Nakao, who yells at them to shut up, slamming his briefcase down on the table. He tells them to be men and tell her directly what was bothering them.
- Then there's this great (and heartbreaking) pan of the camera as we see all of the boys looking away from her, not being able to look her in the eye. Nakatsu and Sano stand behind Mizuki as her pillars of support. She apologizes and admits that she is a woman. It's interesting too how the light effects are used again, with the other boys in the classroom effectively darkened with shadows over their bodies. All of Mizuki's efforts to try to tell them how muc they mean to her were futile, because they just rebuffed her and said that they could never be her friends. Mizuki whispers another apology, and rushes out of the room. Nakatsu can't stand it any longer, and starts to tell them the true reason why she came to this school. Sano interrupts him, saying that he will tell them the whole story. The camera cuts out as we see Sano with the rest of the students in the shadowy classroom.
The health room again
- Umeda spins around his desk chair to find Mizuki bunched up on it. He asks her about what she's going to do. She sighs and says that she doesn't know. She's taking all of the blame on herself that things are the way they are now. She needs to figure it all out and face the problem head on. Umeda tells her to remember that she is not alone. "Omae wa hitori ja nai."
In the bathroom
- Mizuki goes to the boys' bathroom stalls. A bunch of boys circle around her, threatening her. They're basically bullying her and harrassing her. Sekime and a couple of others walk in, scaring them away. Then they bow down to Mizuki, apologizing to her. He says that Sano talked to them and they understood her situation a little more. And everything's all good between them ;)
Basketball game
- Mizuki's playing basketball and falls down to the floor, a whistle is blown. A couple of boys make mean comments about her being a girl. Kyobashi quickly runs over to help Mizuki up and Nakatsu shoves one of them over. Sano looks on and smiles. The game continues and Mizuki gets a basket, making her team cheer. She high fives a bunch of them, including Nakatsu, and he ruffles her hair ;)
Sorry it's so blurry!
In class!
- Nakatsu's passed out as Yoshioka sensei attempts to teach a lesson. Sano throws a wad of paper at the back of his head, waking him up and making him irritated, storming over to Sano and getting upset at him. Yoshioka asks if he understands the material and Nakatsu starts to say "I understand", then falls asleep again!
It's kind of like in the early part of episode 9 where they're all laughing at the napping Nakatsu ;)
Last minute festival preparations
- Everyone's asking Ashiya for her help. Nakatsu and Sano look on at Mizuki then look at each other. I think Nakatsu was trying to detect some look of love on Sano's part, ne?
- Some of the boys run past, chanting about the school festival over and over again. Nakatsu and Sano run at the end holding hands XD
Gakuensai! Gakuensai!
Mizuki's leaving...?
- Mizuki tells Sano that she's going to stop going to school and return to America. She sees Sano's sad face and tells him not to do that. She says that she's very happy to have met people like Nakatsu, Nanba, Kayashima, Sekime, Nakao. She didn't mention Noe but I didn't expect her to ;_;
- She says that she has no regrets, because she has done everything she has come for (all including Sano). She thanks him for everything. He asks if she's going back with a smile, and she says yes. Then he says that he will see her off with a smile, but he obviously looks very sad. He looks like he's about to cry, but then he swallows and thanks her for being there. He's glad that he met her. Then he sticks his hand out for a handshake (I don't know why). She takes his hand and shakes it. By the way-- is the background instrumental for Moon River? Or am I hearing wrong? I was so confused when I heard it.
The principal's office yet again
- Mizuki turns in her resignation letter to the principal. She apologizes for masquerading as a boy, and the principal allows her one last day to enjoy the school festival. She thanks her, excited, and runs off.
Okay I am going to end the first part of Nakatsu's Thoughts here. The next post will continue Nakatsu's Thoughts for this episode: Part II
"Forever in my heart..."
Mizuki makes her final decision. Nakatsu gets anxious waiting for it. What will Hibari do about finding out that Mizuki's a girl? How will the dorm heads react when they hear that there's a girl at their school? Will Sano ever confess to Mizuki? And who will Kayashima end up with? Who will Hibari end up with? Of course these questions are answered in this episode ;)
Previous Episode:
- Hibari tells the dorm heads that there's a girl at Osaka Gakuen while Nakatsu looks on.
And now we continue from that...
- Nakatsu watches on as the dorm heads express disbelief at what Hibari said. She tells them that she has proof, and starts pulling the passport out of her pocket. We can see the panic on Nakatsu's face as he tries to determine what to do to save Mizuki. He decides to run over to them, pretending that he didn't hear anything, and makes small talk about Sano and Kagurazaka. Hibari quickly puts the passport back in her pocket. Nakatsu then mentions to the dorm heads how they should throw a party for Sano. He turns to Hibari pointedly, as if challenging her to not say anything, asking her if she wanted to go and she gently relents. She tells the dorm heads to remember what they just talked about and left. By the way, I found it interesting how they were all in their uniforms. Was that specifically for the event? *scratches head*
acting like nothing is going on...
*glare*
-*phew* saved. Thank goodness Nakatsu was around at that moment, if not to keep Mizuki's secret, then to show Hibari that Mizuki's not one to be messed with because he will protect her at all costs. Although this could all be in my head, because she probably didn't know that he knew ;)
Where did the passport go?
- She lifts a pillow. Not there. Looks under the covers. Not there. Sano asks Mizuki what she's doing, as it seems like he's just gotten out of the shower or something and is putting on his shirt. She tells him that she lost her wallet. He runs down and helps her look for it. It looks like he's about to go over to where her bed was or something and she tells him not to go there. I guess there's some girlish stuff in there? No wait, he was going to look through her desk. Nakatsu walks in.
- Mizuki asks Nakatsu about her wallet, and he says that he hasn't seen it.
- Sano asks what was in her wallet, and she mentions that her passport was in it. "Passport?" Sano questions. Nakatsu realizes that the object Hibari was going to show them was her passport that would prove that Mizuki was a girl. Nakatsu gets even more worried. They chat about the wallet a little more, then Nakatsu approaches Sano while Mizuki's still looking for her wallet somewhere else, and asks if they could step out for a moment.
the anxiety music starts to play...
Sano and Nakatsu
- Nakatsu tells Sano that Hibari has Mizuki's passport and found out about her true identity. He also told him that she told the dorm heads about it and was going to show them the passport, but they didn't see it. All they know right now is that there is a girl at Osaka Gakuen. Nakatsu tells him that they've got to do something, and Sano agrees.
How are they going to save Mizuki this time?
Introduction to the festival
- They're all celebrating Sano and Sekime like Nakatsu suggested, and they're acting all crazy. Sawatari then comes running in saying "don't forget" in Japanese then in English. What's the point in that? He then talks about the "gakuensai", or the school festival, and how the winner of it gets something. They all get excited.
I cracked up so hard when I saw Sano's face in the background XD
They're both so worried for her. What great guys <3
Sano and Hibari
- Hibari goes running to meet Sano at the front gate, with hearts trailing behind her. She says how happy she is that he called her over and asks him what he wants. He asks about the wallet and the passport. She then gets serious and says that he must know who it belongs to and the secret that belongs in that passport. He says yes to both. She refuses to give it to him, being all jealous and jerky and saying that she wants the person whose wallet it belongs to to come to her. Sano stares her down.
So what is Mizuki's class going to do for the festival?
- Sekime and Mizuki lead the class as they decide what theme they should do for their year in the school festival. They argue over many different themes. Then they get all excited and jump over each other and Sekime jumps in. Mizuki bangs her eraser on the podium, yelling at them to shut up. They stop while most of them are mid-choke. She tries to calm them down.
- Nakatsu approaches Sano's desk as he's reading a magazine. He asked how his meeting with Hibari went. He told her what happened. Nakatsu and Sano both look worried as they glance over at Ashiya who is busy running the voting process ;) Looks like they'll have to protect her yet again.
Why does it seem like I always catch Shun in a goofy/awkward pose?
- The votes were tallied and it was decided: they were going to have a maid cafe. Nakao (who suggested the theme) shook people's hands victoriously. And all of us at this point are probably wondering how they're going to pull it off ;)
Changing in the gym locker room
- I don't know Mizuki's reasons for changing in there in the drama (is it because she's late?) but anyways in the manga it was because she was taking karate to become stronger and Kujou (Tennouji's second in command in the manga) taught her. I guess since they cut out the near rape episode they decided to cut the karate part out too.
- We see the dorm heads/spies as they went in to the locker room afterwards. They looked like Charlie's Angels ;)
- Nanba goes ahead and runs to the other side of the locker room. Tennouji and Oscar dawdle behind. Tennouji then notices an open door next to him and glances in, seeing someone wearing an undershirt and vest. His mouth locks wide open. Oscar then wonders what Tennouji's freaking out about, looks over, and his mouth is locked wide open as well. Nanba wanders back, wondering why they were acting so weird, looked over, saw the same thing, and his mouth locked open as well. I really wonder how Mizuki didn't hear all of this happening >_<;;
silly boys ;)
Tennouji and Kanna
- The two lovebirds were prancing in the forest when the idiot Tennouji decides to confess to Kanna that he saw a woman changing in the gym, just like in the manga! Tennouji then flashes back to the time when the dorm heads were all together and Nanba told them not to tell anyone. Tennouji agreed, locking his jaw back into place. Tennouji's in troouble ;) Then Kanna freaks out and rushes away in the opposite direction.
baka Tennouji-sama!!
And the game of Telephone begins...
- Kanna runs up to the Hibari 3 and Hibari, a cloud of dust kicking up behind her. She tells them that there was a girl at Osaka Gakuen. Hibari looks to the side, realizing that somebody else has found out. She then calms Kanna, making her think that she heard something different. Thank goodness for Hibari at this point.
- The game of telephone continues as it goes from one strange character to the next, changing the story drastically each time. And it ends up back at Dorm 2 with Sekime talking to Yuujiro and some cat.
I'm taking a lot of non-Nakatsu screencaps this time, ne?
Back at the cafeteria
- Mizuki's still looking around for her wallet. Nakao hops down the stairs and notices Mizuki. He asks her what she's doing. She said that she lost something, and he tells her good luck. Sano and Nakatsu do this and both look up at her, worried. It's definitely very interesting, because they are both in open competition for Mizuki, and they both know at this point that the other knows of her true identity. They both glance at each other, probably knowing what the other's thinking. I think it's also interesting how Nakatsu feels that he won't hand Mizuki over to Sano, and openly challenges him to compete for Mizuki's heart, but when it comes to protecting her and hearing about the passport, he goes to Sano to work with him to help Mizuki. It's sad in a way because we know that Sano will probably be the hero after all of this, but also shows how great Nakatsu is for willing to work together with his love rival to protect the one they both love. It must be especially difficult because it seems like a losing battle ;_;
It's kind of sad how they care so much for her and she doesn't even notice.
- Nanba and Oscar are mulling over their current situation, with Oscar's cape draped around Nanba's shoulders for some reason. He then tells Oscar that it's too hot with the cape around him and Oscar gives a sudden start, snapping the cape off of Nanba's shoulders.
- Tennouji meets up with the other two, with big dark circles under his eyes, probably worrying about what happened. Nanba asks Tennouji about what's up with him, when Sekime bounds down the stairs with Noe (are they best friends now?), and announces that there was a girl at their school. How Telephone turned back into that, I have NO idea. Sano and Nakatsu spit their drinks out comically (like Nakatsu and the water), shocked. Mizuki looks up from her search, also shocked.
I wonder how many times they had to do that take ;)
Nanba and Oscar are shocked too, and Tennouji looks guilty...
- They asked where Sekime got that information from, and he replied "Yuujiro", which got him a smack over the head courtesy of Nakao. Someone calls him an idiot ;) Noe then validates the claim saying that he used his dog translator to make extra sure. They then speculated about having a girl amongst them. Nakatsu looks worried while Sano keeps chewing his food.
- Nanba and Oscar glare at the guilty looking Tennouji. Tennouji freaks out and Oscar kicks him in the face, knocking him out cold. Oscar then makes a weird incoherent noise, pointing at Tennouji in anger over and over again. Nanba sighs, and says that they have no choice but to look for the girl now. Mizuki is officially freaking out.
And the search for the girl begins
- I suppose they decided to have two big dorm events (search for the girl and the school festival) in this episode since it's twice as long ;)
- Tennouji and Dorm 1 are using their own methods to find the girl-- capture any girly looking guy and torture them. Tennouji answers a telephone in a hotline like setup where Mitsuomi, Kouhei, Souichiro (I guessed the third guy's name before looking it up on DramaWiki and I was surprisingly very close!), and other Dorm 1 members were undressing this girly looking guy with long hair. Maybe he's from Dorm 3 ;) They strip him to see that he has no breasts, but of course Kouhei wants to make doubly sure by looking down his boxers. Yep, he's a boy all right. And apparently it's very black.
- Dorm 3 decide to chant or something. Maybe possess Oscar again? And somehow he turns into a girl, freaking out all of Dorm 3. I have so many awesome caps from this part, so it was very difficult to choose XD
- Holy crap I just noticed this! The song that they were playing during this portion, where Masako kept repeating "ooh la la" was from the game show that some of the cast participated in to promote the drama before it aired. Mizushima Hiro, Ishigaki Yuma, Kyo Nobuo, Okada Masaki, and Konno Mahiru (am I leaving someone out?) all participated. It was hilarious!! They started off with this word and had to keep to a beat, then the person points to someone else and they have to start the next word starting with the same character (syllable). It speeds up if they're doing well. Okay I'm focusing on this too much ;)
Masako and the frightened Dorm 3 ;)
- Noe devised another machine. This one detects whether someone is a girl or not. If they're a boy, the male side of the device lights up and they get handed a button. If the female side lights up...
- Nakatsu walks through (well more like hops through) and the boy's side lights up. He looks behind him at Mizuki, worried for her and wondering how they should get her through this. Sano makes it through, unaffected. Next is Mizuki's turn. She hesitates as Kazuma gets annoyed.
- Kayashima's working the lie detector machine. Remember that hilarious episode when Nakatsu was in it? Yeah it's returned. The robot that detects their true thoughts is back too.
- Mizuki squeezes her eyes shut and walks through the gender detector. No lights blink. We see that somebody unplugged the device. The hand re-plugs it in, and we find out that it was Nakatsu. They wonder if it's broken and Sano pops his head through the detector, pretending to look for the problem. The boy's side lights up and Sano quickly backs out, making it seem like it detected Mizuki accurately. Mizuki's shocked by the result as Nanba hands her the 'boy' button.
messing with the machine, Nakatsu *tsk tsk*
success.
- They feel defeated when they find that nobody turned out to be a girl from the girl detector machines. They then speculate about the girl rumor, and how they wouldn't be able to forgive whoever lied to them and was really a girl. They speculate that she should be expelled. Nakatsu tries to break up this discussion by pointing out that since there isn't a girl there then there's nothing to worry about. They keep speculating as Nakatsu glances at Mizuki again, worried. I find it interesting how it's quite apparent that Nakatsu is worrying for Mizuki and keeps glancing over, trying to help her in any way he can and feeling for her. Sano doesn't really look at her, and I guess it's his way of dealing with it. I love Nakatsu's look of love and his worried for his love looks :)
I adore Nakatsu <3 (you'll probably see this statement a lot more as this post progresses)
Sano and Hibari
- Hibari decides to (finally) give the passport and wallet back to Sano, because she learned that it caused quite a disruption in the school and she didn't want that. Hibari calmly asks Sano if he loves her, and he says yes. She somehow manages to stay calm through all of this and looks defeated as Sano takes the wallet and passport and walks away. AAAHH he admits it! Finally Sano, finally.
The next day
- Sano tells Mizuki "let's go" as they head off to class. She acknowledges him, running down the stairs and finding the wallet that she lost in plain sight, on her desk. She checks the inside, finding the passport hidden safely inside of it. She sighs in great relief as Sano looks over with a small smile on his face. She asked Sano where he found it, and he said "over there", nodding his head towards where she was. "Where is there?" she counters. He says that it doesn't matter as they head out. Before Sano heads out, Mizuki asks him if he looked inside of her wallet. He says that he's not that strapped for cash as he says "let's go" again. Mizuki smiles in relief and they walk out.
The stakeout
- Nanba and Tennouji are waiting outside of the gym, waiting for the girl who went to change there at the same time the week before. Nanba uses his hands as fake binoculars. They see someone rush by quickly into the locker room. "Ashiya?" Nanba exclaims incredulously. Then we hear the "ooh la la" music again as Masako dances back onto the scene. Tennouji and Nanba grab him to hide as they see the person run back outside. Nanba's eyes widen as he realizes that Mizuki is the girl. Meanwhile, Oscar plants a big wet sloppy kiss on Tennouji. Gross. Tennouji slaps Masako on the side of his/her face as he follows Nanba as they run off.
I really love these three guys!!
In the Student Council room (for the Sakura Committee)
- Mizuki knocks on the door, then lets herself in. Her eyes widen as she sees the dorm heads in their Sakura Committee uniforms. Masako seems to have turned back into Oscar.
- I love this scene because it basically comes right off of the manga's pages. Oscar asks Mizuki if she was changing at the gym that day. She hesitates, and Tennouji yells at her to answer the question. Nanba tells him to calm down as he tries to make her relax. She says yes. He then says that the person they saw changing in the gym's locker room was a woman. He asks her if she's a woman. No answer yet.
and the tightly wound lie starts unraveling...
Nakatsu and Sano to the rescue!
- Sekime runs towards Sano and Nakatsu in the garden, telling them that the kaokai (Sakura Committee) has her in their room. Nakatsu looks at Sano worriedly. Sano glances back at him. Nakatsu looks pensive for a moment, then runs to the room, Sano following. I know Nakatsu is a lot more passionate than Sano, but why does it feel sometimes like Nakatsu cares more? I guess it's just the facade that Sano builds, or maybe it's his personality since he's more stoic and laid back.
Nakatsu pensive about what Sekime told them.
Back to the Student Council room
- Mizuki stays silent. Tennouji bangs his hand down on the table, demanding her to answer the question. Oscar says that if they're wrong, then they're wrong, and that she should just say so. There's a pregnant pause, then she tells them that what they saw was right. She's a woman. She still uses "ore", which is the masculine form of "I" in this statement. "Ore wa onna desu."
- Nakatsu and Sano rush into the room, Nakatsu shouting after Mizuki. Sano starts off by saying "you..." the dorm heads ask Nakatsu and Sano if they overheard what they were just talking about. Nakatsu looks down, unsure of what to say. Then he gains courage, realizing that he must admit what he's kept inside for a while, for Sano much longer. He admits that they both already knew that Mizuki was a girl, even before the dorm heads did. Tennouji asks Nanba what was going on, and Nanba says that he didn't know. He approaches Sano and asks why they haven't mentioned anything until now. Sano starts to say that it was his fault that she was there, that he got hurt in America-- but Mizuki cut him off trying to save him, saying that it was all her own doing. I wonder what's going through Nakatsu's mind right now. He must be trying desperately to save Mizuki, but all the same, is witnessing Sano and Mizuki standing up for each other, clearly actions of people in love. He glances over at her with a kind of pained look on his face. He probably wants to save her at all costs and doesn't want her to sacrifice herself in this fashion.
Sano and Nakatsu under interrogation
Nakatsu's worried/pained look.
- Sano then continues to stand up for Mizuki, saying that she came to help him high jump again, that her purpose was to help him. And she did. She was the reason he could high jump once more. Mizuki looks up at Sano in adoration. Nanba then asks Ashiya what she should do. Nakatsu must be dying to have things to say but feels it's inappropriate and waits silently while Sano tells his story. I wonder what Nakatsu would have said if the same question was directed towards him.
- Mizuki answers Nanba that she loves this school a lot, so she will stop and pull out from school. Sano and Nakatsu look at her brows furrowed, with Nakatsu whispering "Mizuki". She doesn't want to bother the others and be a burden, even though she did want to graduate with them. Nakatsu I think would do anything to keep Mizuki from leaving (we can see that in the episode when she was going to go back to America), but also realizes that she could get hurt if the word did spread and the truth got out. Okay I realize I'm typing too much about this. Basically Nanba allows Mizuki to stay and figure out what to do before the graduation of the third years the next spring (which includes the kaokai). He tells her he will not lose to her at the school festival since they're opponents now (from different classes) and she takes the challenge, smiling. Mizuki, Sano, and Nakatsu walk out. Sano and Nakatsu still look worried.
- The other two dorm heads question Nanba's decision, saying that there is great risk involved. Nanba smiles and answers that as the Sakura Committee they must protect their students, and Ashiya is one of them, even if she is a girl. They laugh and smile.
They're so cute :)
Outside on the bench
- Now comes the aftermath of Nakatsu and Sano's confession that they knew. The three of them are on/by the bench as Mizuki confronts them about it. But before anything else happens-- the Principal shows up. Of course she's here for the final episode ;) They all looked shocked. I guess I was kind of expecting it. She tells them to have fun since flowers aren't in full bloom forever (a tribute to the drama's title-- hanazakari). Mizuki sits back down on the bench thoughtfully. Then they ruminate on what the principal said and basically agreed with her, to have fun while it lasts (since Nakatsu assumes that they're all going to graduate together). Sano's surprised that Nakatsu can actually say something nice like that. Then Nakatsu and Sano started bickering, just picking on each other and Nakatsu called Sano a high jump baka XD The way he said it was hilarious! They're so adorable!
I really liked the first cap and the second cap was cute too ;)
Tadaima
- The principal returns back to her office with Sawatari greeting her. She thanked him for watching over the kids, he said he had fun. She teases him.
In Sano x Mizuki's room
- Mizuki asks Sano when he found out about her true gender. He reveals to her that it was when she was loudly arguing with her brother Shizuki and he overheard. She then complains, asking why he didn't say anything back then, and he says that he was afraid that she'd go back to America if he said anything. Mizuki's surprised. He wanted her to stay so she could watch him jump properly. Then the cute rabu music plays. "Soreni... omae no koto ga..." (besides... about you, I...) It looks like he's about to confess, ne? But of course he backs off, saying that's all, running to the shower. Mizuki smiles after him, playing with the figurines he was playing with earlier.
Awkward...
Sano, his father, and Shin
- Sano opens himself to his father, telling him about the feelings he's kept hidden within him for a long time. He admits to him that his biggest rival was oyaji, his father. So, he definitely won't lose ;) At this point I can see that there's still some misunderstandings between them, but they have communicated their insecurities with each other, so the atmosphere is a lot better between them. Sano's father tells him to live for something, so that he can make it over that bar. He sees Sano's expression, commenting that it looks like he already found that someone. Shin arrives, telling their dad that the taxi has arrived. I think Sano will return home to visit soon ;_; And Sano had a cute moment with Shin. Haha I actually giggled when I saw Shin smile a bit before heading into the taxi. He's taken a lot of Sano mannerisms, hasn't he? I wonder if the actor studied Shun to see how he should act.
Hooray for peace within the family!
Working on the Maid Cafe
- Mizuki's year gets to work on their decorations. Nakatsu looks at Mizuki, happy that things are going well for her now. Then he launches into one of his famous monologues, talking about his love story with Mizuki and how he must triumph over Sano. He counts down 5,4,3,2,1... and surprisingly, Mizuki looks at him! She walks up to him and tells him that she must answer his confession properly. Nakatsu is a little dazed.
and the moment of truth has arrived.
Mizuki's answer
- Mizuki hesitates and turns around. Nakatsu goes into another internal monologue talking about his battle with Sano, how he thought he was losing, but Mizuki called him out this time, and how he's a mixture of cool and smiley. Then he goes on to how she could choose him when... "Gomen." She turns back around. Nakatsu's face falls. "Huh?" She tells him that she really likes him, that his existence to her is irreplacable, but only as a friend. Nakatsu fans, prepare for your hearts to break. His expression afterwards is so difficult to watch. You want to wish the best for him, but at this moments, things are just not turning out like he planned. She apologizes again. Nakatsu's face is down, as it seems like he is gathering his emotions and trying to suppress them. Then his head pops up, and he tells her that he's just joking. Trying to conceal his true emotions by pretending to be genki, as usual. He tries to joke around by saying he only goes for sexy looking girls. He claims that he just wanted to tease her regarding Sano. She uncomfortably smiles. He says that they're the best of friends, but you can see through his emotional barrier that he's taking it really hard and is trying desperately to keep himself composed, even though he feels crushed deep inside. Toma's so excellent in this part because you can see lapses in his facial expressions every now and then, revealing his true emotions in mere seconds, then covering it up with jokes. Man have I told you guys how perfectly he portrays my interpretation of Nakatsu? I think I have, plenty of times ;)
- He bounces off, and Mizuki apologizes again, to herself.
- He runs to a concealed place in the garden, and his face instantly falls again. He says to stop, that this is no good. He counts down again until he breaks down and cries. 5,4,3,2. Then he falls down to his knees, then slumps forward entirely. He's just completely broken down, physically, emotionally, and mentally, and seeing such a positive, amazing man so broken is just too terrible. My heart really goes out to him. Ah, it makes me so sad thinking about this reaction ;_; Here's my caps from the glimpses of his true emotions in his face, and his true emotional reaction to this response.
Unrequited love-- the worst ever. And for such an amazing guy who only deserves the best.
The principal's office
- She asks about what the prize is going to be for the winner of the festival. She suggests a lot of prizes, but Sawatari and the teachers say no, because those prizes have already been won in the other innumerable contests that they have had. She then mentions Atami, and a voice calls out that that has been won already in the last contest. Akiha comes walking through. "Okaeri oneesan." What, the principal is Akiha's older sister?? The teachers are surprised as she knocks them out of the way. The rest of them leave, and Akiha presents her sister with pictures of the students that she has taken so far. Really cute pictures!
Nakatsu and Mizuki ;_;
The truth revealed
- Mizuki stands on a chair, leaning over to hang up decorations. Something knocks into the ladder and she falls sideways. The boys rush to her side, asking her what the matter was. I think it was Kayashima who ran off to get help while Nakao and Sekime stayed.
- The boys freak out, trying to figure out how to help her. Somebody suggested undoing her shirt so Umeda can examine her better. Nakao listens, undoing her tie and starting to unbutton her shirt as the anxiety music builds. Nakao gets to her vest, wondering what it is. He starts unbuttoning it.
- Umeda runs in, telling them to back off, scooping up Mizuki and telling them to go back to their dorms. The boys look on.
- Kyobashi, standing next to Noe, looked at the others, asking if they saw what he saw. Noe says that he saw it. "It couldn't be that..." And the realization dawns. Nakao's face-- my goodness!
- Sano shows up in the back, looking at all of them.
- This was another scene ripped out from the manga. Except it was Nakatsu in the manga, not Nakao, who unbuttoned her shirt.
The health room
- Mizuki's lying on the bed in the infirmary. Umeda is at her side, tending to her. Sano rushes in. Umeda tells him not to worry, she's fine, but what about her classmates...? Umeda tells him to not say a word, then walks to his desk to leave Sano semi-alone with Mizuki. Mizuki awakens. We can see Sano's face soften as he walks over to her. He asks if she's okay, then explains that she fell. But she didn't realize that much more happened than that.
The confrontation
- Mizuki and Sano are walking in the halls, presumably back to their room. Nakao steps out from one of the rooms, asking if she could step in for a moment. She assents. Sano looks worried. Mizuki, not knowing what was truly going on, wonders why Sano's so worried and follows Nakao into the room.
- She steps into the room, finding all of the boys surrounding her. She looks down for a moment, then tells them not to worry, that she's all right. Nanba looks down, concerned for her. He tries to get out the words, but Nakao beats him to it. "You're a girl, aren't you?" Mizuki is confused. Noe then explains that they saw her vest. Nanba looks so down, I almost wanted to hug him. She looks around at all of their serious faces. Sekime's looked especially disappointed with her. By the way, this was the first episode that I'm truly impressed with Sekime. He was amazing in this episode.
- You can see Mizuki's lips start to waver, and she rushes out of the room. Sano runs after her.
Nanba's face looks so pained ;_;
Outside again
- Mizuki sits sideways on a bench with her legs drawn up, leaning her left side against the back support. "What should I do?" she asks nobody in particular.
- On another bench in another location sits Nakatsu, with his back leaning against the back support, his legs also drawn up. He stretches his legs out, moaning.
- Kayashima walks up to him, telling him that everybody found out that Ashiya is a girl. He explains what happened. Nakatsu is in disbelief. He jumps up to run after her, but I think he realizes that perhaps it's not his place anymore, and pauses. Kayashima asks Nakatsu if he got turned down, rejected. Nakatsu says that he's too direct ;) Kayashima apologizes, saying that he doesn't know what to say.
- Aaah, this is my favorite Kayashima/Nakatsu moment of the series! It makes sense, since it's the last episode. They just go back and forth, Nakatsu mimicking Kayashima's words to him, Kayashima slapping his hand on Nakatsu's shoulder and telling him to go back with him with a huge smile. Nakatsu agrees to go back.
- Nakatsu stops, realizing Kayashima's wording earlier, that others found out that she was a girl, insinuating the Kayashima already knew beforehand. He asks Kayashima if he knew that Mizuki was a girl. Kayashima nods, saying that he understood from her aura. He says that it shouldn't be a problem so he let it be. Nakatsu tells him that he's the greatest; Kayashima nods XD I think it's great how they don't even have to use words a lot-- they just need to give each other a look that shows that they understand. Kayashima has always been there for him and never let Nakatsu down. And likewise, I'm pretty sure Nakatsu hasn't let Kayashima down either. Watching the two walk back to the dorms and smile widely at each other-- I LOVE IT! OTP!!!!!
I tried to document the booty slap but I failed ;_;
- Sano's walking Yuujiro right next to the bench where Mizuki is sitting, pretending she isn't there, but saying things to the dog that he'd say to Mizuki, encouraging her and saying he'll protect her. He looks over, pretending to be surprised at seeing Mizuki. He pretends to keep walking Yuujiro and she says that it's a dead end, and he says that he knows that. Then he tells her to go back home with him. She smiles a little then follows after him.
The classroom
- This has got to be one of the most powerful moments in this episode, possibly even the entire series! I was so blown away by it!
- Mizuki and Sano go to class the next morning, and Mizuki psyches herself up to prepare for her entrance to a possibly hostile classroom. She enters, saying good morning. The boys stop talking for a second to look at her, then go back to what they were doing, completely ignoring her. Not knowing what to do, she walks back to her desk. Nakatsu, looking deep in thought, looks up and smiles, saying yo. It's still pretty apparent though that he's still crushed from her rejection. Kouhei then makes another rude statement, that they don't need a maid cafe since they already have a girl. Nakatsu gets mad at him. Mitsuomi then gets in Nakatsu's face, asking him if he's a girl, since he's siding with Mizuki. Nakatsu gets angry, and they're about to get in a fight, but Sekime stops them, saying that they should just follow through with it. Mizuki says thank you to him, initially glad that he saved her, but he looks away, deeply disappointed in her. I think he feels betrayed because he considered himself a good friend of hers, and she's lied to him for so long. It was so sad seeing one of the friendliest characters look like that-- it broke my heart, and I started choking up. I honestly didn't expect Sekime to have this effect on me >_<;;
- The boys then talk about how Mizuki followed Sano here and how scary it was. Nakatsu starts to speak up, but is interrupted by Nakao, who yells at them to shut up, slamming his briefcase down on the table. He tells them to be men and tell her directly what was bothering them.
- Then there's this great (and heartbreaking) pan of the camera as we see all of the boys looking away from her, not being able to look her in the eye. Nakatsu and Sano stand behind Mizuki as her pillars of support. She apologizes and admits that she is a woman. It's interesting too how the light effects are used again, with the other boys in the classroom effectively darkened with shadows over their bodies. All of Mizuki's efforts to try to tell them how muc they mean to her were futile, because they just rebuffed her and said that they could never be her friends. Mizuki whispers another apology, and rushes out of the room. Nakatsu can't stand it any longer, and starts to tell them the true reason why she came to this school. Sano interrupts him, saying that he will tell them the whole story. The camera cuts out as we see Sano with the rest of the students in the shadowy classroom.
The health room again
- Umeda spins around his desk chair to find Mizuki bunched up on it. He asks her about what she's going to do. She sighs and says that she doesn't know. She's taking all of the blame on herself that things are the way they are now. She needs to figure it all out and face the problem head on. Umeda tells her to remember that she is not alone. "Omae wa hitori ja nai."
In the bathroom
- Mizuki goes to the boys' bathroom stalls. A bunch of boys circle around her, threatening her. They're basically bullying her and harrassing her. Sekime and a couple of others walk in, scaring them away. Then they bow down to Mizuki, apologizing to her. He says that Sano talked to them and they understood her situation a little more. And everything's all good between them ;)
Basketball game
- Mizuki's playing basketball and falls down to the floor, a whistle is blown. A couple of boys make mean comments about her being a girl. Kyobashi quickly runs over to help Mizuki up and Nakatsu shoves one of them over. Sano looks on and smiles. The game continues and Mizuki gets a basket, making her team cheer. She high fives a bunch of them, including Nakatsu, and he ruffles her hair ;)
Sorry it's so blurry!
In class!
- Nakatsu's passed out as Yoshioka sensei attempts to teach a lesson. Sano throws a wad of paper at the back of his head, waking him up and making him irritated, storming over to Sano and getting upset at him. Yoshioka asks if he understands the material and Nakatsu starts to say "I understand", then falls asleep again!
It's kind of like in the early part of episode 9 where they're all laughing at the napping Nakatsu ;)
Last minute festival preparations
- Everyone's asking Ashiya for her help. Nakatsu and Sano look on at Mizuki then look at each other. I think Nakatsu was trying to detect some look of love on Sano's part, ne?
- Some of the boys run past, chanting about the school festival over and over again. Nakatsu and Sano run at the end holding hands XD
Gakuensai! Gakuensai!
Mizuki's leaving...?
- Mizuki tells Sano that she's going to stop going to school and return to America. She sees Sano's sad face and tells him not to do that. She says that she's very happy to have met people like Nakatsu, Nanba, Kayashima, Sekime, Nakao. She didn't mention Noe but I didn't expect her to ;_;
- She says that she has no regrets, because she has done everything she has come for (all including Sano). She thanks him for everything. He asks if she's going back with a smile, and she says yes. Then he says that he will see her off with a smile, but he obviously looks very sad. He looks like he's about to cry, but then he swallows and thanks her for being there. He's glad that he met her. Then he sticks his hand out for a handshake (I don't know why). She takes his hand and shakes it. By the way-- is the background instrumental for Moon River? Or am I hearing wrong? I was so confused when I heard it.
The principal's office yet again
- Mizuki turns in her resignation letter to the principal. She apologizes for masquerading as a boy, and the principal allows her one last day to enjoy the school festival. She thanks her, excited, and runs off.
Okay I am going to end the first part of Nakatsu's Thoughts here. The next post will continue Nakatsu's Thoughts for this episode: Part II