Monday
Aug042008
Special A 16 - You've Lost That Loving Feeling
Monday, August 4, 2008 at 09:36PM
Oh Special A, your twists and turns can vex and confuse, delight and entertain. I'm also noticing a pattern. Between episodes focusing on the main Hikari/Kei coupling (note: Kei, his common name, is shorter than Takishima, his family name, so I'm using it. I originally used the longer version because that's what everyone called him, but we're getting more familiar, so Kei it is) we get a side story about a secondary character. This time, as set up in the last episode, we focus on Jun. They also give us a plausible explanation for where these stories come from.
Eat Me
Let's review:
Sakura and Jun-kun, sitting in a tree...
Sakura may have decent taste in men depending on your opinion of Jun (which would be hard, considering we don't know all that much about him) but she shows it in odd ways.
How did she get those off?
Probably because of the hard sell, Jun is less than receptive.
And that's the end of...
Don't you hate people who won't take a hint?
So the battle is on. The first obvious salvo comes from Kei's dad, who invites everyone for a barbecue. With this group, barbecue equals a weekend on a private island, of course. Finally, a subject Hikari can get behind.
How are you even Number 2?
Of course, the BBQ was just a set-up.
IT'S A TRAP!
The next 5 minutes involve Sakura's various plots to hook up with Jun, and Ryuu and Megumi's attempts to cut her off at the pass. Our host, Sakura's dad, notices, and has a new plan.
IT'S A TRAP!
Not sure this is going to be fair...
IT'S A obvious TRAP!
Finally, we can get into the meat of the story. Trapped alone with Sakura, Jun's only way out is to be brutally honest, breaking a young girls heart if need be. Yea, that'll work.
She likes it rough
As with just about everyone else in this series, it seems Jun has a secret, a secret so dangerous he can not even risk a girl discovering it. A secret so dangerous that the risk of a simple kiss on the cheek causes this reaction.
Did Megumi grow claws there?
After a throw down with Sakura's private guard, the only course of action left to a girl is to play the angst card.
Cheap shot
For once, it works, and Jun accepts a single kiss from Sakura - with a warning.
I'd think twice about that kiss at this point
A single kiss makes Jun swoon, and pass out. When he awakes, he has a different outlook on life.
Shiney
His new animal magnetism has an affect on the ladies around him - well, the ones with any sort of conscious thought.
OK, hit me with the Special A patented bizarre explanation:
Again, not a real credit to the brain power of the SA
The only way to reset poor Jun is to knock him unconscious. I was looking forward to a BOOT to the head, but Jun's family comes with a built in reset button.
Say Goodnight Gracey
The one thing I glossed over was Jun's anxiety about the whole "Inner Jun" secret was caused by the fact that his first date in 6th grade (boy's a playa) rejected his playboy persona, cause him to hate his inner self. I had to say that to explain the following.
He could take that wrong...
So all's well between the budding couple. My question will be are they ever going to revisit this? I had a similar question regarding Akira and Tadashi, and perhaps got an answer of sorts. Let's rewind, and see that when the BBQ plans started off, Tadashi has a conflict.
The proliferation of spiky hair threatens the safety of Japanese youth
Apparently, his plans were canceled.
They never say how, who, or why, but Tadashi is shanghaied into coming along. I would have to assume it was Akira that was responsible for his presence. And she's more than willing to accommodate Tadashi masochistic side.
It's Big, It's Heavy, It's Wood!
Heck, even under the mystical charms of the super playboy, she takes time out for her man.
So in a way, I think they are showing the closeness of the Akira/Tadashi relationship during this episode. A bizarre, sick way, but a way none the less.
Eat Me
Let's review:
Sakura and Jun-kun, sitting in a tree...
Sakura may have decent taste in men depending on your opinion of Jun (which would be hard, considering we don't know all that much about him) but she shows it in odd ways.
How did she get those off?
Probably because of the hard sell, Jun is less than receptive.
And that's the end of...
Don't you hate people who won't take a hint?
So the battle is on. The first obvious salvo comes from Kei's dad, who invites everyone for a barbecue. With this group, barbecue equals a weekend on a private island, of course. Finally, a subject Hikari can get behind.
How are you even Number 2?
Of course, the BBQ was just a set-up.
IT'S A TRAP!
The next 5 minutes involve Sakura's various plots to hook up with Jun, and Ryuu and Megumi's attempts to cut her off at the pass. Our host, Sakura's dad, notices, and has a new plan.
IT'S A TRAP!
Not sure this is going to be fair...
IT'S A obvious TRAP!
Finally, we can get into the meat of the story. Trapped alone with Sakura, Jun's only way out is to be brutally honest, breaking a young girls heart if need be. Yea, that'll work.
She likes it rough
As with just about everyone else in this series, it seems Jun has a secret, a secret so dangerous he can not even risk a girl discovering it. A secret so dangerous that the risk of a simple kiss on the cheek causes this reaction.
Did Megumi grow claws there?
After a throw down with Sakura's private guard, the only course of action left to a girl is to play the angst card.
Cheap shot
For once, it works, and Jun accepts a single kiss from Sakura - with a warning.
I'd think twice about that kiss at this point
A single kiss makes Jun swoon, and pass out. When he awakes, he has a different outlook on life.
Shiney
His new animal magnetism has an affect on the ladies around him - well, the ones with any sort of conscious thought.
OK, hit me with the Special A patented bizarre explanation:
Again, not a real credit to the brain power of the SA
The only way to reset poor Jun is to knock him unconscious. I was looking forward to a BOOT to the head, but Jun's family comes with a built in reset button.
Say Goodnight Gracey
The one thing I glossed over was Jun's anxiety about the whole "Inner Jun" secret was caused by the fact that his first date in 6th grade (boy's a playa) rejected his playboy persona, cause him to hate his inner self. I had to say that to explain the following.
He could take that wrong...
So all's well between the budding couple. My question will be are they ever going to revisit this? I had a similar question regarding Akira and Tadashi, and perhaps got an answer of sorts. Let's rewind, and see that when the BBQ plans started off, Tadashi has a conflict.
The proliferation of spiky hair threatens the safety of Japanese youth
Apparently, his plans were canceled.
They never say how, who, or why, but Tadashi is shanghaied into coming along. I would have to assume it was Akira that was responsible for his presence. And she's more than willing to accommodate Tadashi masochistic side.
It's Big, It's Heavy, It's Wood!
Heck, even under the mystical charms of the super playboy, she takes time out for her man.
So in a way, I think they are showing the closeness of the Akira/Tadashi relationship during this episode. A bizarre, sick way, but a way none the less.
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