Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Suzuka – episodes 11-14

March 13, 2006 on 11:27 am | In Suzuka | 3 Comments

A spot of very good stuff right here, almost certainly destined for a fall. I find it sad just how much Suzuka panders to the plot with her wildly fluctuating mood.

All Suzuka entries from now on will be spoiler mine fields

After having quit the track team, Yamato rejoins and makes a fool of himself at the prefectural athletics meet. There he meets an arrogant fellow named Arima, who Suzuka mouths off at. Yamato cleverly deflects all anger that the other schools hold towards Suzuka, but makes a pillory of himself.
Their relationship thus restored, Yamato then finds himself walking in at precisely the wrong moment in a conversation between Honoka and Suzuka. They then all go on a summer training course (even Hattori, who has no place on the track team), and Suzuka is cold.

Until! Honoka comes right out and kisses Yamato, straight up! Independently of this, Suzuka starts speaking of Yamato in a warm fashion and treating him with affection. Danger!

Suzuka loses points for Yamato walking in on Suzuka saying “I don’t like Yamato-kun at all”, particularly as it was a pretty rough chance that they would manage to run into each other in that context. Points are gained for it being Miki who walked in on Yamato and Honoka kissing rather than Suzuka doing so, as that is the slightest bit different.

The Yamato and Honoka relationship is very obviously doomed, of course; Yamato’s first thoughts are about what Suzuka makes of this new relationship, which is not the healthiest thing to do. Yamato’s thoughts offer the idea that he has got a living, breathing girl in front of him, and that is why he should go for it.
The discussion that Miki and Hattori have about the relationship is also very interesting indeed.
“How can you consent to this?” Miki asks Hattori. “What about Suzuka’s feelings?”
“Honoka has liked Yamato for a long time; what about her feelings?” he retorts.
He has a point; as soon as Miki said that I thought to myself “Suzuka had her chance!” On one level we’re being asked to disapprove of Yamato’s “fickle” nature, but on another we’re free to condemn Suzuka for her stupidity.

The best thing about this relationship is that from the very start it gets strained because Yamato gets stuck in Hiroshima with Suzuka, causing great jealousy and worry for Honoka, even at such an early stage in their relationship. That is where this set of episodes leaves us: on the precipice of Yamato taking another fall.
I think that by “best” I may well have meant “worst”.

Oh yeah, and while I’m at it: who ever thought it was polite to tell someone “I never thought you’d have a girlfriend! Boy am I surprised!”? I’d like to punch them in the face. Also Suzuka is a number one poster anime for my campaign to strike “betsu ni” off acceptable anime responses.

I kind of wish this show had been called something like “Blue Field of Love”, just so we wouldn’t know that Suzuka was going to “win” Yamato in the end. But who really wants to win a guy who tries to interpret a kiss?
“Could this mean that Honoka-chan likes me?”
No, really.