When last we left our princess and her fairy godmother, the Princess caught her Fairy Godmother in a scandalous situation.
Mio gets Haruka talking about FEELINGS
Haruka calls Hikaru her dearest friend and most important person. Mio would want to be more than friends with someone who cares for her the way Hikaru cares for Haruka. Haruka seems bewildered, reiterating that Hikaru is just a friend.
Plus, he has a crush. Shu.
While Haruka visits them at school, Shu declares again that he knows Hikaru the BESTEST. Haruka feels like she might not really know Hikaru.
Shu wants to know if she likes Hikaru, and gets her standard “important friend” answer. He asks her to encourage his and Hikaru’s future. Ick, bad Shu! Bad!
Hikaru finds Haruka crying on the rooftop
Shu told her that he’s taking Hikaru to Korea, and she doesn’t want him to go!
Then, she admits she saw them topless together and asks if he’s dating Shu. But she got it all wrong! It was just one of those drunk, shirtless-on-the-couch moments. As for Korea, Shu’s messing with her.
Haruka hugs him in relief, and Hikaru promises to be with her forever. And, to make it clear, he has a crush on a girl.
But she’s more bothered that he has a crush than by the gender of the crush.
Haruka invites Mio over for takoyaki and love advice. She’s confused because she doesn’t feel about Hikaru the way she felt about Kurotaki. With Hikaru, she feels more secure, and everything is easy.
Mio urges her not to ignore her feelings, because that leads to regret.
Haruka asks Mio if she’s ever felt this way, and Kurotaki sneezes at work. His nice boss suggests that instead of drinking, he spend time thinking about what he really wants. Yes, that.
Hikaru and Shu are at a great-looking bar to confirm what we already know: Hikaru’s not interested in Shu. Shu thinks Haruka likes Hikaru, but Hikaru thinks he’s only a girlfriend. Shu accuses him of being a scardy cat who uses dressing femininely as armor.
As she leaves, Mio urges Haruka to tell Hikaru how she feels. But Haruka would rather stay friends than lose him. Mio is annoyed. So am I.
After Mio leaves, Hikaru asks Haruka on a date!
Hikaru pulls his feelings, er, lipstick back out. Haruka tells herself that friends can date. She’s scared and thinks they can be together forever if they stay friends.
When she meets him, he’s dressed as a guy and has planned a drama-typical, cheesy date. They start at a restaurant that gives them a “couple special”. Then it’s aquarium time, where he tries to hold her hand, but she pulls away.
She’s terrified he’ll notice her feelings. Because he saw her bras on the ground, she’s certain he doesn’t see her as a woman. Plus, his crush.
He asks if she’s interested in another relationship, and she quickly says it’s too soon. She’s over love. He takes it okay, but she hates lying.
Next, sharing ice cream sends Haruka into panic
They bicker about leading each other on, and he points out how often she says she loves him. She only says it when she means it, but now she feels like she’s confessed.
Hikaru thinks she wants someone manly, and needs a moment to himself.
Alone, Haruka feels like she’s making a mess of things by lying. She uses the magic of lipstick and Hikaru’s past words of wisdom to gain courage. She finds him basking in the sun and tells him she likes him, even though it’s inconvenient and awkward.
But he’s deflated, because HE wanted to confess first. Dude, you had your chance. But his confession as he pouts is adorable.
Haruka needs a moment to understand what’s happening. He calls her stupid and messy, but he has fun with her and wants to be by her side. She feels the same and… cheek kiss!
Mio gives Haruka a fancy bra and encourages her to make the first move
Turning Haruka into a nervous wreck when Hikaru comes over for a date. When he knocks over the bag with the bra in it, he figures out why.
He reassures her that he knew she had invited him over to eat. Not that he isn’t interested in more, but they can take it slow. He’s just happy to be with her.
She’s worried that he’s liked her for a long time, and she’s done insensitive things to him. But he tells her not to worry. She explains that the bra made her feel like she needed to meet his expectations, but it’s not like she’s NOT interested either.
He asks if he can kiss her, and says he liked her from the beginning. Then he goes for the uber-chaste Jdrama kiss.
We end on happy smiles, and VO from her that relationships are like making many secrets together.
And they lived happily ever after!
Well, we do have two more episodes.
Someone way smarter than me with a degree in gender studies will have more insightful things to say here. But I am fascinated by how Hikaru uses cross-dressing and femininity to feel beautiful but also protect himself, only to feel trapped by it when it comes to Haruka.
Haruka, meanwhile, now seems to move freely back and forth between dressing more feminine and less feminine, without her earlier angst. But when it comes to Hikaru, she still falls back on insecurities about not being feminine enough.
What I get from this is more of an on-screen exploration of our relation to gender than a particular message. Gender is a personal performance. Yet, because we are humans, the minute other humans get involved, especially when we like them, things get complicated.
Anyway, these two are the cutest, and I love their smiles and happiness at being together.
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