[Ascaloth] True Tears, Episode 8 at Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

[Ascaloth] True Tears, Episode 8

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Popularity: 10% [?] Published by Ascaloth February 26th, 2008 in Ascaloth, Anime

You know, these True Tears articles aren’t the easiest things to write. For one thing, unlike CLANNAD (TV) whose window of opportunity for viewing opens most conveniently on Fridays, the one for this series tends to open earliest on Monday; for a university student, to say that is an inconvenient timing would be a great understatement. Secondly, unlike CLANNAD (TV) whose frequent comedic moments allow me to cut loose with my own supply of fail gags, the relatively serious approach taken by this series forces me to, in turn, take a relatively serious approach to writing about it; not exactly my strongest point, if I may say so myself.

Therefore, despite the fact that I only publish articles twice a week on average (and somehow managed to be the most regular poster on RIUVA for the past week or so despite that, but I digress), just covering CLANNAD (TV) and True Tears alone is quite a bit of a stretch for me. I could easily cut my online workload by half just by dropping this series; I know what you are wondering, "why don’t you stop whining and do just that, jackass?"

Well, the answer to that is simple. True Tear’s amazing story has just been heckuva worth all the trouble so far.

True Tears, Episode 8

Taking off from the previous episode, where Aiko makes her desperate play with her great wet smacker, Shinichiro reacts by finally manning up for once, and delivering the KO line to Aiko. Finally, he does something right for once, even if it took a for-real no-shit smooch for him to finally catch on. Guys who lead girls on are amongst some of the lowest, but thankfully Shinichiro managed to avoid sinking so low.

Unfortunately, it means the game is over for Aiko, just like that. It’s cruel, but it has to be done. Down to Hiromi and Noe now.

Come to think of it, I’ve never really understood the point of Aiko being there in the first place. It has almost been Noe and Hiromi from the very start; Aiko has never had anywhere near the kind of special relationship with Shinichiro that the other two girls had, and even worse, it didn’t seem like she contributed very much to the story, either. Whereas Hiromi has been the source of Shinichiro’s angst, while Noe has been his muse, I have no idea what kind of special significance she has had to Shinichiro apart from being, like he said, osananajimi onee-chan de, Miyokichi no kanojo de. I’m sure lots of Ai-chan fanboys would disagree vehemently with me (on top of gutter-voting this article like they did my previous True Tears ones, but I digress), but that’s just how it is.

Oi, oi!!! Sleeping in the damned chicken coop?! Don’t you know how freakin’ filthy it is in there?! Not to mention that chicken who could poke out your eye at any time…

One down, two to go. Right now, the momentum seems to be shifting towards Noe, what with Shinichiro spending most of his time with her due to Hiromi’s revelation and his devil’s deal with Jun and all. Which leads me to my next point; apologies to Crusader-kun, but I’m on the Hiromi side on this one. Noe just isn’t my type of girl.

I don’t know when I first started to prefer the gentle, soft-spoken type as opposed to the weird hyper-genki type, but it probably goes back at least as far as the Kanon (2006) days; yup, Nayuki shipper here as well. Putting that aside, what has been particularly interesting about True Tears are the factions it has created within the viewership, splitting them into three fanclubs for each girl. What is less amusing, however, is how because of that, numerous opinions all amounting to "oh crud, if any girl other than mine wins, this show sucks" have been floating around. Granted, it’s not exactly a phenomenon limited to this show; it happens in any show with more than one possible romantic interest, even when the show in question had been more about just "which girl wins in the end". But sometimes, when shows like this and CLANNAD (TV) are obviously more than just about mere "harem", it may be a better idea to think about the implications underlying the story rather than keep harping on "she doesn’t deserve the guy, what a wench". For me, it’s similar to the way Crusader thinks; I’m pro-Hiromi, but I wouldn’t begrudge a Noe ending either if it could have been quite meaningful either way it happened.

To be honest, I’m not too sure what I should think of the Nakagami mother these days; I’m still as tempted as ever to dismiss her as a bitch, but on the other hand, nowadays I’ve developed an appreciation of her situation as well. Sure the way she’s been treating Hiromi is not excusable in any sense of the word, but on the other hand, it must not have been easy for her either, having to live every day with a reminder of what could possibly be the infidelity of the Nakagami father. Even if it’s not actually infidelity, another theory is just that she’s possibly insecure about being "second choice" in the Nakagami father’s eyes when compared to Hiromi’s mother; in any case, we’re still not sure what her reason is for being such a bitch to Hiromi, but what I’m pretty sure about is that there is a reason. It may not be a very good one, but most likely there is one.

"Sis-con."

Nice shot, Hiromi-chan!!! ^_^

With that, we’re left in no doubt as to Jun’s real feelings, if there was ever much of it in the first place.

Well yeah, so she did win the basketball bet, but still, surely telling her straight out like that isn’t going to make her too happy, would it? I don’t have to be a girl to understand that, even if Hiromi was probably just asking the question to confirm what she had already deduced….no, you know what, you shouldn’t even have made that deal in the first place. I can’t say I like Jun any more than I did at the start, maybe even less than before. Even if it’s to make sure he doesn’t succumb to his sis-con, there’s just something unethical about screwing around with other people’s emotions to achieve one’s goals.

"You managed to capture Shinichiro’s heart so easily with that innocent face of yours. It’s impressive."

I said earlier that I’m starting to develop an appreciation for Shinichiro’s mother’s undesired situation, and this is part of why that is so. Hiromi proves that she’s no better in the former’s shoes; she’s still human enough to let jealousy control her tongue. It’s pretty scary; are females so easily swayed by this emotion?

And with the discovery of the burned photo of her family urging her to leave the Nakagami household, Hiromi makes her exodus riding pillion on Jun’s motorbike…and just so happens to go right past Shinichiro and Noe. From his reaction, it’s clear that even though he rejected Aiko without a second thought, Shinichiro still has some feelings for Hiromi; what he’s thinking upon seeing her riding into the night with Jun, nobody knows, but I guess it can’t be all that great.

Next Episode Preview

"Oh, shi-. Hiromi, don’t!!!!"

However much of a cliffhanger the last few seconds of the episode might have been, it didn’t compare to this particular scene; everybody’s talking about where Hiromi is stripping off, who she’s stripping off in front of, and what the context of it all was. So what exactly is happening here?! That’s something we wouldn’t know till next week, so stay tuned!

As I’ve mentioned earlier, there’s been a lot of talk revolving around "if my girl didn’t win, this show sucks"; it’s something that I should have seen coming, true, but IMO that doesn’t make such opinions any less misguided. However, True Tears is one of those shows that’s about more than just three girls fawning over one guy; frankly, if that was all there really was to this series, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up in the first place. There’s just so much more about this show that’s worth talking about, and Shuffle! type fan-boying just kind of cheapens the whole discussion. I can’t stop these guys, but well…

In any case, with Aiko seemingly out of the picture for good, only Noe and Hiromi are left. While the momentum lies with Noe, I can’t help but feel that there are going to be more twists; it’s what this show has been particularly good at delivering after all, and I’ve got the feeling that a Noe-centric twist is just around the corner. However, before that happens if it ever, we have that suggestive Hiromi scene in the preview; what is that all about, and what will that mean in the end?

True Tears is one of the few shows that keeps me wanting more every week, and that’s a pretty great achievement, especially from a studio making its debut. Ascaloth, out.

Popularity: 10% [?]

14 Responses to “[Ascaloth] True Tears, Episode 8”

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1 Raiji 1 comment Feb 26th, 2008 at 1:08 am

Judging on how many Hiromi’s screenshots there are compared to Noe’s, you’ve made your point clear :))
It’s a mystery, really, how this series can make me crave for it more and more after each week.
2 Kabitzin 94 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 2:21 am

You bring up an interesting point about Aiko… why exactly is she in this series? Perhaps she’s just in there to stir the pot and to connect Miyokichi to Shinichiro. Maybe she’s just another way to establish Shinichiro’s character, showing he isn’t totally wishy-washy and has some guts.

Shinichiro managed to reject Ai and confess to Noe under some unusual circumstances, so everyone giving Shinichiro can just stop drinking their hatorade and admit he’s not that bad a guy.

I too support a Hiromi pairing, but it doesn’t really matter that much to me who Shinichiro ends up with, if he even ends up with any of the girls. Also, I suspect the Hiromi pseudo-undressing scene is just a tease, and the actual scene will not be that exciting.
3 Lindus 2 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 2:40 am

“if my girl didn’t win, this show sucks”

It’s more of the fact that my soul is going to die if I see Noe cry tears of pain. I’d trade in my tears to get her a happy end.
4 Kidan 2 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 3:10 am

I think I have to agree with Kabitzin on why Ai-chan is there. She shows just how clueless Shin is concerning the opposite sex, but also how much he will stand up for what he believes in. Aiko is Nobuse’s girl, and Shinichiro wouldn’t come between them.

As for the preview, if one looks closely, she’s wearing the same clothes that she had on earlier, plus that corner of red shirt looks awfully close to the shade that Jun was wearing. We also can’t overlook the bleeding fingers, and the cop car. I expect us to get something of a Noe shocker, and I have the feeling it may explain just why Shin is in that fight.
5 hashihime 2 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 3:55 am

Aiko is like the girl who should have been Shin’s girlfriend if everyone was thinking straight. I wonder if we just haven’t got to her significant role yet, and all that has happened so far is just setting it up. Otherwise, I’d agree, particularly since I find Miyokichi an annoying extra.

I support a Noe pairing, but the show is so good that that doesn’t really matter. It’s interesting to me that this show is able to attract a broad range of fans: from those who are most interested in rooting for one girl or another, to those who are most interested in the psychological evolution of the characters. It’s all good. And everyone loves the godly animation.

Nishimura Junji made a masterpiece that had elements to turn every category of fans off (Simoun). Now he’s making a show that seems to be able to turn almost every category of fans on.

The storyboarder must be a city boy/girl. Anyone who had ever lived in the country would know that you don’t sit in a chicken coop in your school clothes. Or at all.
6 TinyRedLeaf 1 comment Feb 26th, 2008 at 4:08 am

“As I’ve mentioned earlier, there’s been a lot of talk revolving around ‘if my girl didn’t win, this show sucks’;”

Can you imagine the uproar if Hiromi were to pull a Mitsuki (KGNE)? Hell hath no fury like a fanboi spurned.
7 Zzz... 28 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 4:18 am

AHAHAHA…

Aiko’s misery makes me REALLY REALLY happy…I’m walking on air…

ah…
8 G-Man 55 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 6:27 am

Hmmmm

To Kabitzin: Shin is halfed ass in everything he does when it comes to emotional maturity. He’s far from a good guy, he’s to immature to understand the profound nature of good decisions. For instance, sure turning down Aiko was for the best, but he only didn’t because, and i quote, he sees her as “a sister”. Now if Hiromi laid one on him, i doubt he would be as resolute. He also is a jerk because he is leading Noe on, he doesn’t really like her like that, he’s just with her because she’s there and devoted. Like I said before… F U Shin…

To Lindus: I hear you.. Noe is the kind of person this world needs more of. We have enough cynical, down-trodden, pessimistic, emotionally damaged people like hiromi and shin’s mother running around. I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone who be pro-Hiromi… she’s a lying jerk. Noe provided Shin, undeservedly, the emotional support that for the most part was induced by Hiromi. All the budding, seeming, emotionally maturity that shin now possess is thanks to Noe attention and devotion. Man she’s like a goofy sage..so yoda like. Shin doesn’t deserve Noe.

Well thats it for me

I am G-Man!!
9 Kabitzin 94 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 6:36 am

@G-Man: I don’t think Shinichiro’s leading Noe on; he really is happy when he’s with her reading his rooster picture book to her. OK, maybe he is not the most sensitive guy in the world, but I don’t think he is purposely trying to hurt Noe. He’s a guy on the rebound, and the two of them enjoy each other’s company. It might not be perfect, but it’s not as bad as you imply.

Also, Shinichiro makes sure to tell Aiko that they never had a romantic relationship and that he sees her as his friend’s gf. What other reason is he supposed to have for rejecting her? He is even considerate enough to try not to let things get awkward, and gives her the benefit of the doubt by not ratting her out to Miyokichi. This may come back to bite Shinichiro, but he did it with good intentions.

I’m not saying these characters are perfect, but you have some very high standards G-man!
10 Calawain 23 comments Feb 26th, 2008 at 8:15 am

“As I’ve mentioned earlier, there’s been a lot of talk revolving around “if my girl didn’t win, this show sucks”

And I really don’t see a problem with that per se, because I think in the end it makes a huge difference in the overall theme of the show. If Shin stays with Noe the show’s theme could end up being about how people can move on from their first love and realize their happiness with someone new and better. About how nothing in life is static, and a relationship based on hope and looking toward the future is better than one based on years of false pretenses and melodrama. That applies to Ai as well, if she can get over Shin and go back to Nobuse (and for that matter, Hiromi and Jun). On the other hand, if it’s a Shin x Hiromi ending then the theme becomes more how you can’t get away from your past, and the fallacies of proxy and false love. It would be a tale of how Shin strung out Noe as a substitute for Hiromi and crushed her heart in the end.

One option is distinctly different thematically for me, so although I don’t know the circumstances of the next few episodes and the themes could drastically change, one could change their opinion of the show based on which girl he “picks.” If it wasn’t obvious by now if it’s a Hiromi x Shin ending I’ll probably think this show sucks, depending on the circumstances I’m still on the fence about it overall, so far it’s an alright show that has potential for epic win and potential for epic fail. I don’t share your week to week excitement :p

“Can you imagine the uproar if Hiromi were to pull a Mitsuki (KGNE)? Hell hath no fury like a fanboi spurned.”

Good lord I hope not because I despised KGNE for many many reasons, including that.
11 Dirian 3 comments Feb 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

As a huge Aiko fanboy, I won’t deny you have a right to ask what her point was, but that assumes that her story is over and now that she’s completely out of the running that her story is done and we won’t be seeing her again.

In which case you’re right to ask, and as a fanboy of Ai-chan I want to know the same thing since I love her character and she deserves better than to just be a third wheel with no purpose.

But what if, as Calawain and others have mentioned elsewhere, the theme of the show is more about moving on from your first love, which may be rather unhealthy and based more on your fantasies than on the beloved themselves, and instead finding someone else who is a far better partner and who you come to love simply for the person they actually are(as true love should be).

In that case Ai-chan provides the first and most in your face example, and may also illustrate an aspect of the theme that sometimes the person you should move onto is someone who was there all along but you never really considered them because of your infatuation with someone else. The Shin/Noe/Hiromi/Jun love square can’t really capture that aspect and so Ai and Nobuse are brought in, and if my theory is correct then her story is playing out much like you’d expect because for Ai to move on from her infatuation with Shin, she first must confess to him and be rejected, thus keeping her from wondering forever what might have been and just “settling” for Nobuse.

Now, should she go back to Nobuse, she won’t do so pretending, as some sort of proxy to get close to Shin, but instead will go back to him for what he and who he is, and while it might start out as a rebound, she could find that she does have serious feelings for him, and that he’s the one that truly makes her happy and brings out the best in her, which she couldn’t have really learned until she had let go of Shin.

And isn’t that very similar to what we’re seeing in Shin’s developing feelings for Noe? Having let go of Hiromi(at least for the immediate future), he finds that the person he enjoys being with, and who brings out the best in him, is the crazy chicken loving girl whose been there waiting for him.

Given that, Ai-chan also serves as a parallel to Shin as an illustration of the theme of letting your first infatuation go to discover true love, as well as illustrating the alternate aspect of loving someone whose been there all along and you just never really stopped to look.

But of course that theme only really works in a Noe x Shin ending(yet another reason I’m rooting for that ending) which would also be paralleled in Jun and Hiromi moving on from their sis/bro-con first loves and discovering each other(and even now, they do seem to bring out the best of each other.)

In a Hiromi x Shin ending, the theme is different, and at this point I’m reserving my judgment on such an end depending on how this is pulled off. It could be pulled off very badly with too much idiotic melodrama(as opposed to awesome melodrama) that would do the series thus far a great injustice, but I don’t deny that there are definitely ways that the writers could resolve into a Hiromi x Shin ending in a way that would make sense and would still be a great culmination of the story.

But in that case I also don’t know where Ai-chan fits in, but typically(perhaps not in Anime, but definitely in literature throughout history, and worldwide) such a character(or such a pairing if we include Nobuse) DOES represent a parallel of the main couple so you can see the theme seperated from your emotional attachment to the main couple, but again not sure how that plays out in a Hiromi x Shin ending.

It could be she really is a throw away character, in which case I’m disappointed in the writers who have thus far been quite awesome in all regards, but such things have been known to happen.

Regarding the ending, I’m rooting for a Noe x Shin ending, especially now that Ai-chan is out of the running(I was rooting big time for her, even when I knew she was doomed), but such an ending could be done as sloppily and horribly as a Hiromi x Shin ending, and conversely(well contrapositively anyway) a Hiromi x Shin ending could be done as well, and as beautifully as a Noe x Shin ending.

In that sense, how we arrive at the ending matters so much more than the ending itself. As I said an Ai-chan x Shin ending is one I have rooted for, but at this point such an ending would be horribly contrived. Likewise a Noe x Shin ending which is done badly would almost be one not worth watching, and while I dislike Hiromi, a Shin x Hiromi ending that doesn’t make both characters out to be monsters, one in which rather then both breaking the hearts of their current proxies as if it’s nothing(curse you to hell shin if you break Noe’s heart) they instead are broken and serve as each other’s redemption, would definitely be one worth watching.

As you say this show is much more than just about who he ends up with, and that’s why I love it.
12 leefe 120 comments Feb 28th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

No don’t strip!!!
Too laet ~_~
13 kimbap 1 comment Apr 20th, 2008 at 2:17 am

i dont like hiromi
she’s so mean
what a crappy attitude
she’s always saying bad things
to Noe-chan

poor noe-chan
i think she didn’t do anything wrong
when shin was suffering hardship,,
hiromi wasn’t there,, it was noe
that was always on shin’s side
shin is an idiot!! baka!! baka!!
i also like the character of noe-chan
she’s just a deep person
it’s hard to find a person with
characteristics like hers Ü

im disappointed with the ending
THE ENDING SUCKS!!!
BIG TIME !!!
wtf is that ending
it’s so plain
my rating: 5/10 s

*jun is much handsome than shin ,,
i also like jun x noe pairing Ü*

1 THAT Animeblog » True Tears 09: A Family for Hiromi, a Lesson for Noe Pingback on Mar 3rd, 2008 at 5:25 pm

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