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ローゼンメイデン 
Just when I was afraid that Yamada/Mayama story won't be moving anytime soon, something progressive happens to the story. I think this is the best thing that could happen to Yamada since now she won't have a choice but to let go of Mayama. The insert music of the week is Koko ni iru koto by Suga Shikao. This song comes from his Sugarless CD. There is also a rather good piano version of Fugainaiya included in the episode. I really hope that once this season is over, the official 2nd season CD will include this all piano version of the OP and ED theme. As a side note, the high-res images are now available. I also included some pictures of Hachikuro related items. The upcoming live action film has been covered by many magazines here. I am sorry for the bad photos but I don't have a scanner here in Japan.
Packaged Foods
Entertainment Magazine - Front cover
Gyao Magazine - Front cover
Gyao Magazine - Group shot
Gyao Magazine - Girls side
Gyao Magazine - Guys side
Yamada and Hagu are in the middle of admiring Yamada's snow dome collection. Yamada shows Hagu one of them, which was given by Tatsukichi (the Hamadayama bachelor who got married to the gold digger back in episode 16) when he went on his honeymoon in Hawaii. Upon seeing the dome, Hagu thinks that snow falling on a beach looks romantic. Meanwhile in Tottori, Nomiya is also in the middle of admiring a snow dome which depicts snow falling on Tottori beach. He thinks that their current job is kind of surreal sitting in front of a German food store, which is next door to a Tottori souvenir shop. It appears that Luigi has asked them to purchase some local souvenirs since he collects them. Nomiya then points out that during December, this place will snow. Yamazaki thinks it sounds romantic and imagines himself spending some quality time with Miwako on the beach while the place is snowy.
Nomiya, however, thinks that Miwako would rather eat some Tottori crabs and drink some alcohol. Yamazaki then wonders if Nomiya wouldn't like to see Yamada on this beach as well. Nomiya sounds uncertain so Yamazaki decides to find out more. It appears that Nomiya hasn't been in contact with Yamada because she doesn't have a mobile phone. Yamazaki thinks Nomiya should call her parent's house but Nomiya thinks it's a bad idea with Yamada's father being so overprotective and all. Yamazaki is confused to hear this and wonders why Nomiya thinks he will hurt the one he loves. Yamazaki thinks if he finds someone that he likes he'll appreciate her. Later on, Nomiya is surprised when finds out from Miwako that Yamada is now working with Rika. He thinks it's foolish thing for Yamada to do. Miwako agrees with this and urges Nomiya to give Yamada a call. She tells him that on weekends Yamada usually works at Harada's Design.
At Harada's Design, Yamada is shocked when she finds Mayama snooping around Rika's computer. She wonders if he's trying to figure out the history of her net access. Mayama lies and tells Yamada that he's just trying to find out if the weather in Hokkaido has cleared up today. Yamada, of course, does not believe him and proceeds to throttle him because she is disturbed by how low he will go. Mayama is then saved by the sound of a fax coming. He, however, is dismayed upon reading the message transmitted by the machine. It appears that Rika has entered Valencia Art Museum's championship. However, in order to do this, she will have to move to Spain until completion and it seems the job was already in progress. Rika confirms that this is true. The thing was actually Harada's project but it was put on pending status for convenience and is now about to be resumed. Upon hearing this, Mayama asks Rika what will happen to Harada's design if she leaves.
He's also upset with the fact that Rika didn't talk to him beforehand about the project. Much to Yamada's terror, however, Rika tells Mayama that he'll also come with her because it's his job. She, however, does not feel like discussing it just yet. This is why she becomes consultant and learns about private contracts and the world of architect studio for half a year. Rika then apologises to Mayama before going back to her room because she's not feeling well. After Rika left, Mayama asks Yamada what she thinks she sees on the monitor. Yamada thinks that it's a live camera of a weather report. Mayama informs her that it shows Otaru, Hokkaido, Rika's hometown. He tells Yamada that Rika never talks about herself but in this computer but there are many history located in her computer. Mayama admits that at one point he noticed Rika staring at the monitor. He thinks she probably have many connections back there but she probably no longer returns there.
Meanwhile, Rika remembers the time when Harada was talking about wanting to create a place for paintings and sculptures and how he also wants to see Valencia. Rika is saddened that this will be their last project together but she asks him to be patient because it'll be completed soon. Later on that night, Yamada gets a phone call from Nomiya. She is surprised about this and wonders if Nomiya is okay. Nomiya confirms this but also complains about the fact that he always ends up with Yamazaki no matter where he goes these days. Yamada then goes on and on about how great Rika is to her and how Mayama is still the same. Nomiya, however, doesn't seem to buy Yamada's cheerfulness and asks the girl if she's okay. Yamada, however, keeps up the cheerful facade until the two eventually end their conversation and hang up the phone. She then sinks to the floor and cries in the dark.
Nomiya who has a bad feeling about the phone call ends up taking a drive on his car. The next day, he arrives in Tokyo branch of Fujiwara Design but unfortunately, he finds out from Miwako that she just sent Yamada off to Tottori. Miwako thinks that Yamada has been looking sad so she thought it was a good idea to send her to Tottori to do an errand for her. Miwako, however, is surprised to see Nomiya in Tokyo all of a sudden. Nomiya explains that Yamada told him that she's staying with Miwako and that is why he came all the way to Tokyo. Miwako is shocked to hear that Nomiya came all the way from Tottori because of the phone conversation. Nomiya, however, has no time to talk because he now must return to Tottori. Meanwhile, Yamada is now seen looking lifeless while inside the train. She remembers what Mayama said to her the day before about how upset Mayama was when he thought Rika will be away from him.
Yamada eventually arrives in Tottori and intends to leave right away after giving the package that Miwako gave her to Yamazaki. In order to stop Yamada from leaving, Yamazaki decides to take her on a sight-seeing trip around the city. Yamazaki manages to stall Yamada until Nomiya finally arrives looking tired. He tells Yamada that he can't leave yet and proceeds to hold her hand while falling asleep on the couch. Yamazaki decides to give Yamada spare futon so she can sleep on the floor. Yamada tries to resist but since Nomiya is holding her hand tightly, she has no choice but to sleep on the futon that night. The next morning, Nomiya wakes up to the sight of Yamada's shapely leg. His conscience, however, feels guilty about this and as a result, he starts imagining that a bunch of unicorns are scolding him for looking at the still asleep Yamada. Because he's weirded out by his own vision, Nomiya decides to take a walk out of the room.
Nomiya returns to the room after buying some breads for Yamada. The two then walk into the beach together and Yamada asks Nomiya where he went yesterday. Nomiya finally tells Yamada that he went to Tokyo to see her. Yamada, however, does not believe Nomiya so Nomiya asks her what happened yesterday when he rang her because she sounded upset. Yamada, however, denies this, prompting Nomiya to tell her that she probably cried after she ended their conversation yesterday. Yamada blushes upon hearing this and wonders why Nomiya knows. Nomiya doesn't answer the question but quietly tells himself it's because he's seen her always looking at Mayama even though the man that she loves is going away with someone else. Unfortunately there is nothing that he can say although he knows Yamada cries a lot. He can't comfort her because she's too far away from him. With all of these in his mind, Nomiya takes Yamada to the train station.
Before Yamada boards the train, however, Nomiya asks her to call him if anything else happens. Yamada agrees to do it but wonders why he wants to do this. Nomiya is not sure how to say at first but eventually tells Yamada it's because he likes her. Yamada is stunned to hear the confession but before either of them can say anything else, the train door seperates the two and the train leaves the station. After the train left, however, Nomiya regrets his decision to confess to Yamada. He, however, sees Yamazaki pointing his thumb fingers upwards from behind a newspaper stall, suggesting that he did good at the confession. Meanwhile inside the train, Yamada nervously eats her bento while blushing all the way through. Nomiya, on the other hand, is forced by Yamazaki to celebrate with him in a bar. The episode then ends by showing unicorns from Nomiya's imagination running alongside the Shinkansen that takes Yamada back to Tokyo.
Impression:
I'm not a big fan of Nomiya but I have to admit that he did some impressive feat to make Yamada feels better in this episode. To give you an idea of how far it'll take to travel from Tokyo to Tottori and vice versa, a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka will take a full 3 hours of your day. From Osaka, you will then have to take another train to Tottori and this one will take around 2 and a half hour. In total, that will be 5 and a half hour to go from Tokyo to Tottori and vice versa by train. Nomiya actually drove his car and it took him longer, 9 hours on each journey. That is an insane amount of time to spend on travel. One has to really like someone in order to do this kind of thing. On a much lighter note, I am amused to see the weird unicorns from Nomiya's imagination. They are quite weird and gave me a completely different impression of Nomiya's personality. I guess this story is where that unicorn from the opening came from. :)
On the other hand, Mayama really annoys me in this episode. It's probably because of his stalker-ish behaviour and because despite everything, in the end he gets to spend some time with Rika alone in Spain. I have to say that I don't like Mayama/Rika pairing. If I have the choice, I wish Harada is still alive. From all of the flashback, he seems like a genuinely fun person to be with and it's obvious that Rika still misses him. Her desire to complete the project is a proof of this. She also tends to show this sweet contentment smile everytime she remembers him. This is why I don't understand what she sees in Mayama because he can't be more different from Nomiya despite the one or two similarity that they may have. Mayama is uptight and a bit tense while Harada is a relaxed and fun person. I think Rika would have been better off with Shuuji but I suspect Shuuji won't consider the idea because he's afraid that it'll betray his memory of Harada.
As for Yamada, I think it's time for her to move on and this time around, she has no choice in the matter. Mayama will most likely follow Rika to Spain for probably a year or more so she will finally be seperated from him. It's ironic and feels so real for the situation to turn out this way. I think this is the only way that Yamada can move on from Mayama. Nothing heals and makes one forgets about a person than a long distance away from that person. As cliche as it may sound, time and distance really do dull your feelings towards a particular person. The first few months will be unbearably painful for Yamada for sure but after that, I think she'll be able to get a new perspective on life - one that does not include Mayama in it. Hopefully by the time Mayama returns from Spain, she has moved on with her life so that his re-apperance in her life won't cause too much of a turbulance again. Maybe by then someone else is alredy in her life as well.
Preview
Mayama and Rika are travelling together, how will Shuuji and Yamada feel about this?
Awesome...
by the way, do you know when the PV of the ending song, split will be released? I really want to hear the full version of the song...
According to CDJapan, Split will be released on the 23rd of August
http://cdjapan.jp/(simple)/detailview.html?KEY=ESCL-2861
ugh no way... do u know when the PV will be released though? Cuz sometimes the PV comes out before the CD...I'm just wondering since the OP PV has already come out... I'm just hoping that the ED PV will come out really soon too
Thanks for the pictures from the upcoming movie! I hope I get to see it when it gets subtitles, looks very cool! Someone had commented on how the live-action Yamada looks so much like the anime one and its so true! I just realized that when I saw the pictures. I am so happy Nomiya and Yamada spent some quality time in this episode! Aww, they are so my favorite couple! :)
Nomiya! Good Job!
Man I wanna see the movie just cause Sakurai Sho is in it. Which character does he play?
Sho plays Takemoto.
hoho , well done Nomiya ! I guess no one can take a round trip from Tottori to Tokyo then back to Tottori because of a phone call like him , well that proves how important Yamada is in his mind . People now should see Nomiya in a new light . In fact , I think he's a caring and passionate guy :P .
Well, I wouldn't necessarily call Tatsukichi's wife a gold digger, although I should probably acknowledge that she ain't messin' wit' no broke niggaz.
Mayama! You dirty stalker!
And anime Nomiya is actually handsome, compared to manga Nomiya.
Eurys, how is Nomiya in the manga? I'd love to know! Since I can't read it, could you please explain me? Thank you!
ugh no way... do u know when the PV will be released though? Cuz sometimes the PV comes out before the CD...I'm just wondering since the OP PV has already come out...
Ah, sorry. I didn't notice the 'PV' part of your sentence. Unfortunately, I have no idea. I also want to see the PV and I hope it'll be soon.
Lovely - Mayama hasn't changed at all. :P I can understand if he wants to know more about Rika... but still, I agree with Yamada when she tries to throttle him for being a bastard. Still, even if you DON'T like Nomiya... you have to admire the fact he did go out and tell Yamada how he felt.
Now if only Yamada could start moving on; she's wasting her life on Mayama, and even though she realizes it... she does it anyways.
And even if you don't like Nomiya, even. Bah.
[quote]I have to say that I don't like Mayama/Rika pairing. [/quote]
hmm...well, it would have been nicer if Harada is still alive but he is dead. At this point, I think Mayma is the right person who will help Rika to enjoy her life fully. Even though he can be a little...too stalkish and uptight, I think Rika sees that Mayama really cares for her. I think in the next episode, we will see some good points of Mayama.
In the manga, I think it said that he drove all the way from Tottori to Tokyo and then back again. I think it said 9 hours each way. And I think when we see the unicorns escorting the train, we realize that they are not just in Nomiya's imagination, but in some sense real.
In the manga, I think it said that he drove all the way from Tottori to Tokyo and then back again. I think it said 9 hours each way.
I suspect that's the correct one. Unfortunately my recording got cut off before he gets to say that line so I'm not too sure what happens in between that and when he gets to Tokyo. I should be able to get the correct answer once I download the raw off Winny. Edited to add: Yup, my suspicion was right. The raw's title actually mentions the fact that his journey is 9 hours ("Shinjiranee....9 jikan kakan dazo?").
tekla> Well, it's just that Nomiya is blond (white hair) in the manga, sometimes girlish and we don't often see his eyes under the glasses. The manga design is...unique too.
I think I'm going to like the next episode. I really do.
High Quality Yuki PV of the OP song.
Torrent
Oh no , I'm already in love with the insert song from this ep .
Eurys.
Oh, so you were talking about his physic. I thought he treated Yamada different in the manga or something, heh.
An wtf, white hair?! I know the manga design is quite unique, I like that. But that didn't sound pretty at all. Heh.
They're on their way to Sapporo (and thus Otaru?) from the preview
Can someone confirm this for me , I hear that the OST of Hachikuro movie done by Yoko Kanno ? If that's so then I will be expecting this movie all the more coz her music is always awesome ^^
From what I've been watching, I'm getting a better opinion about Nomiya. Unfortunately, for Mayama, it gets worse. What Nomiya did proves what he is willing to do for someone he loves. Mayama on the other hand....is just becoming more freakier and freakier (like a stalker). I don't want to use that term....but lately, that's the only way to describe him. This was by far a better ep than last week's mainly because we finally see plot movement between the Mayama x Yamada x Nomiya triangle.
Can someone confirm this for me , I hear that the OST of Hachikuro movie done by Yoko Kanno ?
QNVN, that is true and the soundtrack just came out today. Unfortunately the two main theme, Mahou no Kotoba and Aozora Pedal are not included in the soundtrack. Although there is an instrumental version of Mahou no Kotoba in it. The soundtrack also has a few English-based songs sung by James Wendt.
Thanks Garten , and someone is quick enough to upload the OST on Toshokan , but in APE format T_T .
And I hear that Aozora Pedal will be released in 3 different edtions on Augst 2nd ? I've been searching for the PV of the song but to no avail . Did they actually make the PV ?
*sigh*
i'm dissapointed with the art~~
it looks bad...
like the drawing is just flowing around the place without no stop....
i really did wish they took their time to make it like the first season~~ but yamada does look older.... but not in a good way... at least for me~~ *crosses fingers* hope it gets better!
the art now looks like the manga. this ep followed the manga 99%, it was a bit motionless, i was expecting the bit where yamasaki was show yamada around totori to be funny.. and maybe yamasaki would jump and dance a bit more than that......
I agree Yamada needs to move on. I was hoping she`d do that by the end of the first season. They hinted at it, but nothing solid. It`s about time she learns to live not by chasing someone, but to live for her purpose. I hope the story progresses so that she will find this purpose.
Speaking of Otaru, I was there last week at the Orgel shop. It was a short trip, but the ocean view from there is beautiful. I wonder if any story will take place in Otaru. Otaru, being Rika`s hometown.
I wonder, does Nomiya love Yamada-san in a friend type of way or an actual relationship? Because wouldn't he see something more romantic than unicorns? Oh well, Yamada should just move on and date Nomiya beacuse Mayama is too obsessed to get his eyes off Rika-san.
id like to say thank you for your reviews on each of the episodes in the 1st season & continuing for the 2nd season.
at first i didnt like nomiya either but i think this episode shows a side of him that makes him much more likable & a lot less like mayamas impression of him from the 1st season. and i agree that at this point yamada has to let go of mayama given the circumstances & that mayama and rika as a couple wouldnt work. especially after the creepy internet history thing.
It's strange that people are so ready to call Mayama a stalker for basically just trying to look after Rika. Especially after Rika's little "chat" with Harada that made her sound and look nothing short of suicidal. It might be stalkerish if Rika were a normal person, but she isn't. She actually *needs* intervention.
Did anyone notice Nomiya's voice alternate between warm and caring, and cold and calculating during his monologue at the end? Could that be his angel and demon speaking?
I have to say I always like Nomiya, I feel that he is the type of person who Yamada needs, instead of a cold and aloof Mayama. I have to say though Yamada is quite the glutton for punishment by choosing to go work at Harada Designs. I think if Nomiya treats Yamada well then they belong together, Yamada deserves the best.
Quoted from Walter
It's strange that people are so ready to call Mayama a stalker for basically just trying to look after Rika. Especially after Rika's little "chat" with Harada that made her sound and look nothing short of suicidal. It might be stalkerish if Rika were a normal person, but she isn't. She actually *needs* intervention.
Yeah, I thought something similar. Although I still find it a little creepy, Rika's little speech was even creepier. I really worry for the two even though they're just fictional characters =/
Is it just me, or does everyone except for Hagu in the cast seem extremely ugly? And the actress for Yamada - ewwww - looks like her eye balls are about to pop out.
You know....not everyone in Honey & Clover has to look pretty...They are supposed to be kinda normal afterall....
Personally, I don't really care alot about the Yamada Nomiya Mayama Rika thing anymore. It's just.. AGH! When will they get into the other love crisis that's going on? I'm missing Morita D;
I entered this episode with the utmost respect for Mayama, but seeing that his description of Nomiya may actually be wrong, I just dont know anymore... and I noticed that whenever there were scenes with Rika and Harada, she looks entirely different. Not just the new appearence of a smile, it fells like an entirely different character. But in the end? Finally seeing Nomiya step it up, I hope Rika ends up with Mayama while Ayu gets Nomiya.
NOMIYA, NOMIYA, NOMUYA !!!! I love this man from the first season - he is realy the best, he is handsome and very clever, I VOTE FOR YAMADA AND NOMIYA!!!!
Given the way Mayama stalked Rika in the past.. well, calling him a stalker now still fits, given that he works with her, but is going WAY beyond caring for her, if he's snooping through her browser history. She may be important to him, but does that mean he has to work behind her back to see what sites she goes to?
Now, if he'd noticed she was suicidal, then MAYBE it might be justified... maybe. Slippery slope, there, going between concern and control.
@Haesslich
Yeah, Mayama, you should have minded your own damn business in the first place and left Rika alone in her misery! Let Rika kill herself if she wants, you should have focused on making Yamada happy instead!
Sigh. He *did* notice that Rika was frequently just sitting at the computer staring at the screen. Given her situation, that's not a good thing and a valid cause for concern. He's around her a lot more than what we're shown, don't you think he can get a sense of her mental state? Did it *really* seem to you that he was just plain snooping? That kind of thing would give off a completely different vibe and I certainly didn't feel that.
Did anyone notice Nomiya's voice alternate between warm and caring, and cold and calculating during his monologue at the end? Could that be his angel and demon speaking?
Yeah, I noticed that too, it's definitely like you said. His "playboy side" and "honest side" are having a battle over Yamada, and his "honest side" obviously wins ^_^
This episode actually made me like Nomiya, whom I've hated ever since that episode where he made Yamada cry and basically kidnapped her at the same time. Now I think he's a good person who really cares for Yamada, even though in the beginning he saw her as just another conquest.
Mayama on the other hand, he's creepy as hell. I agree with most of you that his stalking is going overboard now. Although it DOES worry me alot what Rika said in the end about "being done soon". Gave me the chills, because it sounded like she wanted to finish the work she and Harada had started together so that she could join him... hope Mayama can keep her from doing anything foolish.
I just LOVE this episode! I am a huge fan of Yamada and Nomiya couple and this episode is perfect!
Was it just me or did Rika said something that sounded like she was going to die when she told her husband to wait for her?
Anonymous, would you mind using a screen name the next time you post? Otherwise it'll be hard for everyone else to address you.
Haha, regarding Mayama being a stalker: If you remember back to season 1, Rika did say that she felt more comfortable around Mayama because she didn't feel like she needed to act like she had gotten over Harada and that everything was butterflies and roses. Friends point at me and
say "Mayama", and while I agree that checking through someone's browser history is sneaky, the situation warrants it. It's the kind of behaviour that Rika "likes" as well, sorta (since you've got to
admit that your mindset changes when you get your husband killed,
no?).
If Morita-sama(Morita-sama is my god next to Suzumiya Haruhi!) wasn't in the series, I'd totally go for Nomiya as my favorite character after this episode. Season one didn't give him much of a chance to develop, which we really get a grip on in this episode. What he did here warrants lots of "I want Nomiya!" and "Love me, too, Nomiya!" and such and so on. When he likes a girl, I suppose he REALLY likes her. Gods...driving for 18 hours with very little rest is insane. I was on a plane for 18 hours(with 2 breaks between flights), and even that started to get on my nerves after a while; Nomiya was driving, and that takes a lot more stamina than I desire for even myself.x.x Lots of kudos and wins to Nomiya, as well as an internet or two.
As for Mayama...he's such a loveable stalker.XD No, really, he's a sweet guy, and he does have a right to be concerned about Rika. First, she's got a terrible past that still haunts her. Second, she may or may not be suicidal. Third, Mayama loves her to pieces. He'd do anything for her well-being. When you're in love with someone, you tend to be a bit overprotective and nosy, you know? Gotta give the guy credit for his concern.
Gaah, but I still miss Morita-sama.x.x *is going into withdrawal* Morita-sama, Morita-sama, Morita-sama...
What I liked about Nomiya was his imaginary unicorns' mission to protect Ayu, even from himself. The best part of this episode was definitely the unicorn ending. Ties in nicely with the fact that Nomiya sees Ayu as a princess. ^^
I totally agree about Yamada having to move on but sometimes i really feel bad for her. and I don't really support the Mayama x Rika pairing either.. Haha, Nomiya's imaginary unicorns was jokes! I have to give him credit in this one, he went out of his way to make Yamada feel better and i'm now a fan of him :) Way to go, Nomiya~
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