Recap

Aoki tries to help Hashimoto get close to Ida by volunteering Ida to join her on the stage/prop set-up group. Instead, he accidentally volunteers too and gets help from Ida when his drawing skills are abysmal. Even when he tries to get Ida to help Hashimoto to carry props, Akkun shows up to get in the way.

Time for one of the mainstays of Japanese high school manga/drama — putting on Cinderella during the Cultural Festival!

Hashimoto is still eager to help Aoki with his crush, and when he is overwhelmed by her enthusiasm he accidentally knocks water onto the props. Akkun gives him a hard time, but Ida gets them to work fixing it. 

Ida and Aoki walk home together, and Ida is worried Aoki is still upset about the accident. He’s noticed Hashimoto and Aoki are similar in their kindness and enthusiasm, and also that Aoki is trying to push him with Hashimoto. Aoki thinks Ida and Hashimoto are alike, both considerate and smart, and he has no chance with Ida.

Ida thinks Aoki is kind and sells himself short. Aoki gets so flustered he literally runs away. At home, Aoki is confused about his growing feelings for Ida.

The lead for the play rehearsed late into the night by the river and got sick, so the producers pressure Hashimoto about taking on the Cinderella role. Aoki volunteers to get her off the hook, and Ida is enlisted to be Prince Charming. Aoki admires Ida’s coolness in the costume while also looking adorable himself.

The play is silly and cute, and when Aoki trips in the heels, Ida catches him. Aoki has literally and emotionally fallen at this point and doesn’t know what to do.

Afterward, everyone teases Aoki about him and Ida as a couple and Aoki doesn’t like it. Ida doesn’t either and tells them sharply to stop. Aoki awkwardly tries to lighten the mood. Later, he admits to Ida that he appreciated Ida standing up for him.

Walking home in a daze, Hashimoto back hugs Aoki to fling him away from the traffic he is about to walk into. Hashimoto appreciates that Aoki rescued her from being Cinderella. Aoki is moved by her understanding and apologizes, but he can’t cheer her on any longer. He thinks he likes the same person. 

Thoughts

I’m not sure what it is about Cinderella that makes it so omnipresent in Japanese Cultural Festivals, at least as shown in manga/anime/dramas. It also doesn’t seem entirely confined to fiction, once when I asked my Japanese tutor how to say “step-mother” in Japanese, she knew it from Cinderella.

Anyway, these first episodes move along at such a nice clip. The first episode sets up the immediate problem, the mix-up of who has a crush on who. Aoki comes up with a simple solution: help the girl he likes get the guy she likes, only to hit a new complication — he now likes that guy too. Now the lie has become real and he is in conflict with the girl he once liked and promised to help.

Of course, I like that Aoki is immediately honest with Hashimoto. There are secrets and lies going on here, but nothing deliberately hurtful. 

Aoki’s switch of crush from Hashimoto to Ida is fast, but in keeping with Aoki’s rubber-ball personality. Also, it feels very High School and I can’t say my crushes in that era were much deeper. It’s also interesting that while he was willing to stay quiet and even help Hashimoto get Ida despite his feelings for her, he isn’t willing to do the same once he realizes he likes Ida. That’s evidence his attraction to Ida is already deeper.

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