Tsuki ga Kirei’s leads took a trip to the amusement park this week, giving them a chance to sigh and fumble and generally not be sure what to do with their hands in an entirely new setting. This episode also saw the show at its most thematically focused, as basically everything here was designed to articulate one more specific and very relatable moment in adolescent love. Good stuff all around!
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below.
A whole crowd of nine students heads to the amusement park
Kotarou seems troubled. There’s some distance between them here
He’s insecure about her relationship with the track dude
This Viva Dome location really emphasizes the hodgepodge nature of the show’s visual identity, unfortunately
And Akane is miffed about Kotarou getting closer with Chinatsu
Roman came down with heatstroke
Roman suggests getting lost with Akane to actually have a date, but she’s already lost with Hira, whoops
Whole lot of reasonable awkwardness in this episode
Kotarou actually declares they’re in a relationship to Hira
I like that Kotarou’s conflict is entirely unspoken here. This show could easily do an episode with no dialogue
This scene of it actually sinking in for Chinatsu is really nice
Oh man, this chorus of all of Akane’s friends responding to Hira is really great
Having Kotarou make that declaration makes them both feel much better. They’re both still kinda vague on if they’re “really” dating, and what that means, and so this is an important piece of validation
Ah, they get to have an actual date. Lovely montage here
The shifting afternoon light nicely echoes their warm feelings
“We really do look like we’re going out.” Akane articulates this episode’s key shift
And Chinatsu gets a wonderful moment with her friends
“Hold Back Nothing When Taking Love.” And the title finally comes into place. Really well-constructed episode
I really appreciate that Kotarou isn’t a wimp. He’s shy, and nervous, and quiet, but he is very capable of doing pretty courageous things, even if they are silly. Even his commitment to serious literature writing mirrors that idea of understated composure that is so rare among anime MCs.
I also enjoy how some of these episodes are ending in 17-19 minutes. They tell a great story at their own pace, no need to pad the (middle of the) episode with unnecessary fluff.