Of all the episodes this season so far, this one was probably the most tame and lighthearted. I mean thank goodness because last week’s episode absolutely broke my heart, so it was nice to get a happier and hopeful episode along with some shipping goodness? Kyo and Tohru get more great interactions, and Yuki continues to be happy and that makes me happy too. c:
It’s the school trip to Kyoto, and that means lots of walking, souvenir shopping, lots of eating, and of course romance and confessions. Because I guess without teachers around, this is the time to confess and get together? I don’t know. We see our usual group hanging out together and taking pictures, but the episode was split into two with the first half mostly focusing on Kyo, and the second half on Yuki.
Tohru hasn’t told Uo about Kureno, but her attention quickly shifts when the group finds out that Kyo was being confessed to. Kyo was a lot more irritable this episode, and I can sort of see why. His response to the girl, that he doesn’t even know so these random confessions are always stupid, was a little much but it could be interpreted in two ways: 1. I’m too good for you, why would you ever fall for me?, but most likely 2. You don’t understand how dark and crappy of a person I am, why would you want anything to do with me. Kyo has never really seen himself in high regard and he doesn’t want to get too close with most people. He says he can’t like everybody and that’s true, but he’s always isolated himself from people. Knowing that he’s going to be locked up, it’s no wonder he feels this way. There’s no point being popular and making too many friends and liking people when he’s going to be trapped, and knowing his true form most people wouldn’t accept it. Although his response to Tohru after all that happened was a little harsh though, so I appreciate Yuki giving him a bit of a smack.
Kyo and Tohru’s scene by the bridge, however, was so sweet and hmm…lots of cute moments between them. Though that cat flirting it up with him was so absurd but it gave me a laugh. We already know that Kyo is in love with Tohru, and I just thought it soooo sweet that he knew that she was going to be buying zodiac figurines even though she never said it out loud. He knows her so well and pays attention to the things she likes and THAT’S REALLY CUTE YOU KNOW. His little blushes, them holding hands, Tohru smiling and being happy he knew what figurines she wanted, it was all so nice. Tohru’s feelings towards Kyo are a little shaky, but just hearing her say that Kyo can have such an effect on her just from the things he says made me smile. And just the thought of being discarded scared her, though we know Kyo wouldn’t be so crass with her. There’s definitely something blooming between them I feel, but Tohru’s feelings aren’t concrete. Still, a nice scene with them.
As for Yuki, I love that he’s not a morning person and that he’s a bigger dork than I thought. He showed a lot of funny sides to him this time and he gave me a good laugh. The “Then we’re not friends!” line was adorable hilarious and he really did sound like some kindergarten kid having an argument, and the fact that Kakeru was hurt by that and threw a tantrum was equally as funny. I like that they can both be comfortable enough to be dumb around each other haha. I’m still not quite sure how I feel about Kakeru, he didn’t give off the best first impression but I think I’m slowly liking him. He teases a bit too much, but I can’t lie, his interactions with Yuki are always entertaining.
Going back to that pathetically childish “Then we’re not friends!” line, Kakeru brings up Tohru again and asking Yuki how he’d feel if he suddenly confessed to her. Ever since his scene with Tohru on the beach, it looks like he’s stepped back from her romantically but still very much cares for her and holds her dear, so much so that he’s very protective of her. He won’t forgive anyone that’ll hurt her. He directs that towards Kakeru if he ever tries to date her as a joke, but he also directs this to Kyo interestingly. This could maybe refer to how dismissive Kyo was towards Tohru earlier, but this could just be in general. Yuki basically accepts and knows that Kyo loves Tohru and this boy here just wants Kyo to treat her right like she deserves. Tohru is just too important to him so she deserves the best. He’s keeping an eye on you, Kyo.
Anyway, I love seeing Yuki so happy. He said a dumb line and acted like a dummy around Kakeru and the others, and…it was nice. It was a welcome change for him. The way he reaches his hand out to the sky with that smile on his face, wondering if one day he’ll look back on this memory and laugh at it made me so happy. Before, Yuki would kind of dwell on his faults or on bad memories, but this time he’s reaching out and looking ahead, grabbing an autumn leaf. Autumn can symbolize change and moving forward, and the fact that Yuki reached out and grabbed an autumn leaf with such resolve and positivity means that he’s ready to move forward in his life and welcome more changes in his life. He seems much more content in his life and I’m so happy for him!!! Continue to be happy, please! Ugh, and that transition of Yuki grabbing the leaf and giving it to Machi was just beautiful. That shot of Machi holding it was also nice, and I wonder what that means for her character. We don’t really know anything about her so I’m waiting for when we do because I’m so curious about her.
Oh and just to make me even more happy and scream, Kyo caught Tohru finishing up her zodiac figurines and saw that she was in the process of finishing up the cat zodiac. The sentiment probably destroyed Kyo on the inside seeing how much Tohru cares about him and AAAAAAA-
