Canvas2 ~Niji iro no sketch 24 (Final)
I couldn't wait for the subs, not after reading enigmatic comments in the previous post left by kind visitors who didn't want to spoil it for me. With a trembling cursor and much anticipation, I downloaded Canvas2 raws 23/24 and proceeded to devour ravenously the remainder of the series. Boy am I pleased with its finale.
Warning: Long waffly rambling and spoilers for Canvas2 ending - Pls proceed at own risk!
Responses to Canvas2's ending have been mixed and wildly diverse. Of course, the loudest dissenting voices are heard from Kiri fans who have 2 major issues with an Elis ending. First, the credibility of the Hiroki's choice. After all, the series seemed to have been building inertia towards a Kiri x Hiroki ending. Secondly, Elis' suitability as Hiroki's love. Kiri has always been accepted as the love of Hiroki's life, combined that with a longstanding friendship in high school and we have a fantastic foundation to build a lasting relationship. Kiri seemed the natural.. no the only choice as The One. Or is she? Allow to give my 2 cents worth on why I preferred the Elis ending.
Credibility of Hiroki's choice
Hiroki's sudden choice of Elis may seem abrupt to all of us but the series has actually been preparing the ground to justify his eventual choice. Hiroki's initial rejection of Elis (ep 9) was based on the fact he cannot see her more than a little sister and indeed, prior to that confession, Elis was undoubtedly a rather spoilt, jealous child with little tact. But Hiroki didn't count on Elis' tremendous potential for growth. In just a few eps, Elis matured so much that she reined in her self-centred love and started to develop an outward looking, selfless kind of love that struggled to bless Hiroki and Kiri's relationship. She also began tackling head-on her deep seated fears which Hiroki, an adult himself, was unable to overcome. Elis' growth did not escape Hiroki's notice and we subseuqently see Hiroki begin to perceive Elis a little differently (as early as ep 17). There is a great deal of scenes devoted to Hiroki looking at Elis or pondering over her growth. In addition, we have the supporting cast of Sumire and Kana who repeatedly claimed (esp in the last 4 eps) that both Elis and Hiroki are dishonest about their feelings (Kana's more subtle using her novel as the medium of conveyance). In fact, Kiri herself must have sensed it with growing insecurity as she informed Elis of her confession and their Xmas commitments in a bid to affirm her status with Hiroki. No, Hiroki's ultimate choice was not a cheap shot to shock the audience with a twist.
Suitability of Elis as Hiroki's love
I have always believed Elis to the right person for Hiroki. Personally I felt Elis knew Hiroki's need much better than Kiri as a fellow artist. She knew that with Hiroki's talents, his true path lay in art and not teaching which I absolutely concur. For me, Elis embodied the artist track while Kiri represented the teaching profession. And I thought it would be soooo wonderful if 2 anointed artists like Hiroki and Elis were to come together (in love) and sharpen each other to bring their art to greater heights. Kiri and Hiroki just does not give me that same high for the teaching profession. Yes, Elis/Hiroki would go on to do great things for the world of art, much more than Kiri/Hiroki could ever for the teaching realm.
Despite having said all that, my heart does bleed for Kiri. My wife-to-be and I believe timing is everything in love. Sadly Kiri and Hiroki missed their appointed time and even being in love with each other is insufficient to overcome that. The greater tragedy was that it was Hiroki who made that poor call in high school which caused them to miss the opportunity to consummate their love. Truly Kiri is a victim of Hiroki's terrible immaturity/choices in love on 2 accounts. My heart really goes out to Kiri and if it's any consolation, I am going to rewrite my loser-in-love-list with her in the top 3 spots.
Related posts:
Search Hontou Ni
Recent Posts
- [Zyl] Anime Festival Asia 2011 Day 1 & 2 Impressions
- Protected: [Zyl] AFA11 AoEx Cosplay
- [Zyl] Hatsune Miku Live Party in Singapore 2011
- [Zyl] Anime Festival Asia 2011 Day 0 Intro
- [Zyl] Hatsune Miku Live In Sapporo 2011 Screening
- [Stripey] Fate/Zero 04~05 – Servants rankings
Recent Comments
Series & Themes
Maki Maki Blogroll
- yasashii sekai...
- random curiosity
- a product of wasted time
- ani-nouto
- mou yamete!
- ojou-sama juice!
- major arcana
- tenka seiha
- kurogane's anime blog
- cool & spicy
Danny Choo
- Tokyo Today 3
- Taiwan Anime Event
- Eroge Collection
- PS Vita USB Mod
- Akemi Homura Nendoroid
- Tokyo Today 2
- You and Good Smile Company
- Hiring Now - Anime Jobs
- Tokyo Today
- Taipei Otaku Shops
@ZylZaku
- Watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on my long haul flight. Twice. Gary Oldman so badass. 1 day ago
- @moritheil Well, Black Lagoon's Chang is also a homage to the early Chow Yuen Fat (A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled etc.) 5 days ago
- @ani_nouto This is the version the screencaps are from: http://t.co/zyNUEaLj 5 days ago
- @ani_nouto Morita OVA 19:11 "I love you, Sayuri" in his sleep http://t.co/vN00ctwf 5 days ago
- @ani_nouto Morita-san OVA 11:12 Another woman's photo in mobile http://t.co/v6Qe8AXB 5 days ago
April 2nd, 2006 - 14:37
Stripy, you will be visted by members of KKK really soon
prepare for Pain
April 2nd, 2006 - 15:15
Not on his wedding night I suppose? (;∧_∧)
April 2nd, 2006 - 19:15
I wasn’t ‘shipping for either girl but I don’t come away feeling the episodes conveyed the information needed to make a Elise ending that easily acceptable. Overall I gave the series an A- for til the last two episodes and it drops to a C+ for me. Kind of like grading a paper for literature… loving it and then the kid drops the ball in the last paragraph.
I see hints that Kiri knows it isn’t going well in ep22, some more in ep23 ….. and I see Elise firmly walking on … what we’re missing is any exposition of Hiroki’s brain. He’s been rather mysterious the entire series but something as important as this — it would have been easier to accept the ending with even just bits of an internal monologue explaining Hiroki’s shifting attitude. Elise and Kiri (and their VAs) get a lot of points …. but a more *active* Hiroki role would have made this series stellar.
What I find amusing is the number of “ewwwwwww” posts about marrying a cousin, despite the fact its legal in most of the world, legal in half the U.S. (hell, Einstein married his cousin) and genetically no issue at all. Do none of these people pay attention to the world around them?
April 3rd, 2006 - 00:32
Believe it or not, if you follow Confucianism, cousin marriage is a grievious sin, and one of three pillars of Japanese philosophy is Confucianism. Elis being a cousin is a device to allow her to live at Hiroki’s place and serves as barrier to their relationship.
The biggest problem is this. As vexx mentioned, Hiroki did do and say things that made Kiri believe in chance that Hiroki considers her more than mere friend. Hiroki, until episode 24 never gave Elis anything to for Elis to hope that she is more than a close cousin and pupil. Hiroki drawing a picture in significant as return to the art, and probably reapplying to art college; it didn’t have to be cheesy blue mirror to red angels ( Red and blue from red string blue string folklore ). Even at the time of the ending song; Hiroki would have easily won Kiri back with simple I am sorry, to which Kiri would answer that Hiroki finally came back to his ownself, the artist so she is glad. I suspect that the producers actually had prepared two different ending after the ending song and decided to go with character who is more popular than who makes more overall sense; A 16 year old blond beauty in full radiance easily wipes floor with 25 year old sweet woman with decent curves. I am very disappointed as I viewed the series not as a love triangle story, but quest of various people to regain what was lost and becoming better for it. Hiroki lost art, Elis lost color red ( she never had the love she wanted from Hiroki in the beginning ), Kiri lost her friends, Kanna came close to lose the writing touch, Sumire lost the music stage, acting director is in danger of losing her confidence, Takeuchi her standing as the best artist in the school, tomoko is losing her health and the whole school life, Sugihara has doubts whether she is pushing people too hard, the whole series was about people’s inner growth. Episode 24 have relagated what could have been a memorable series of character developement in to third rate surprise love story.
April 3rd, 2006 - 00:57
By the way, study the picture posted by stripey: Hiroki is acting if he is surprised. If it were me there with my heart set firmly on Elis, I wouldn’t be knocked back with my arms flinging around, I would probably would have hugged her before she hugged me.
April 3rd, 2006 - 01:52
Xellos-_^ : But…. but I’m a KKK member!
In fact I’m in 2 KKKs… Kotori and Kaede’s… haha!
Zyl: haha no… more like the train station…
vexx: Actually I also agree that more could have be included reflect Hiroki’s inner struggles. Maybe a monologue at the end explaining Hiroki’s thoughts would have been good. Nevertheless, I’m still pleased with the little clues they scatter for the eventual ending.
Where I am, we believe it’s ok to marry cousins from the mother’s side but not the father’s side… Personally I have no issues with cousins marriages 
wontaek: Thanks for the interesting perspectives. Instead of “loss”, the theme of the series is ‘overcoming’ for me. Elis as The One helping Hiroki overcome his paining problem is a huge deal and Kiri knows it. She cried when she knew Hiroki was painting for Elis. Hiroki being dense and all, may not have understood those implications but Kiri surely did. That explains the hug too. Hiroki definitely is still struggling with his own feelings (even though his actions have betrayed his innermost intent) but clearly Elis IS the most important person to him. The hug was awkward because Hiroki himself is still confused and trying to reconcile the very fresh realisations with their strange transitional status from relatives to potential lovers. I would have reacted like Hiroki too.
>>A 16 year old blond beauty in full radiance easily wipes floor with 25 year old sweet woman with decent curves.
Btw this statements shocks me to the core… it’s… it’s as if you can see right thru me…. kowai….
April 3rd, 2006 - 06:07
Actually I meant Xellos-_^ and co attacking you, Stripey! Mwahahaha!!
April 3rd, 2006 - 08:01
Well said Stripey, Elise is far closer in soul than Kiri… And yes, a young beautiful girl beats and older not so beautiful girl any day of the week. Like it or not most girls don’t age gracefully and the younger one will stay pretty longer…heh… Trust me, after 10 years of marriage, younger is better…:)
April 3rd, 2006 - 09:50
*Maki*stripey*MakiMakiMakiMakiMakiMakiMaki
April 3rd, 2006 - 11:38
This is all rationalization, made after the fact. They stuck in a few hints so they could claim later they prepared the ground. In fact, it was cheesy and stupid. A great waste of a good series. It turned it from literature into a comic book.
The main problem is Hiroki. He started out as a surprisingly strong main character, but grew weaker and less interesting as the series progressed. With him as such a wimpy, impenetrable character, it became impossible to see what he might be thinking. He just became another ero-game faceless male.
Full disclosure: I did favor Kiri, so it was easy for me to go along for the ride, but I certainly didn’t dislike Erisu. That last scene in bed was wonderful. I feel cheated that we didn’t get more time with ErisuxHiroki as a loving couple. That’s what happens with cheap drama where the climax is the last scene, instead of allowing time for a real conclusion.
April 3rd, 2006 - 21:59
Zyl: LOL! Haha I get the feeling if they come, they’ll all be made NNN members *wink*
Voodoomage: Wahahaha! Thanks for those insights
Actually you echo what my parents tell me… 
Xellos-_^: careful there…
remember Shiho from Otome? 
hashihime: I totally agree with you on Hiroki’s faltering character development at the latter segment of the series. But I wouldn’t say simply because he was rather opaque with his thots, the ending was made cheesy/stupid. There are few Elis/Hiroki loving scenes because they aren’t even at that stage yet. The end focuses on Hiroki coming to terms with his true convictions on who he truly cares/love. And I believe even at the airport, Hiroki doesn’t truly grasp the full implications of his feelings for Elis. He just knows that he can’t live w/o her and is motivated enough to pick up his brush again for her sake. I think we all read too much into the last scene. It’s a big step for Hiroki and Elis as characters but nevertheless just the first step in a long journey for them as a couple. Their relationship development should come after the hug, not before.
April 4th, 2006 - 01:46
Stripey, you make a point that everyone should consider. Loving relationship is much, much, much more than physical intimacy.
April 4th, 2006 - 02:50
Hi, first time posting in here. Just wanted to share my thoughts on what I wrote in my Livejournal(LJ). I apologise if some of the references seem vague. I usually share my LJ with my webcomic friends, some of whom are also anime junkies.
[Quote]~~
In more recent anime, Canvas 2′s ending was SOOOO OMGWTFBBQ! It shocked me, really it did. It was like seeing Dave bed April in College Roomies from Hell!!! The mental whiplash was so big that I was in state of daze long after the episode ended. The writers were also very sadistic about tricking the audience into thinking that Tomoko died…
DAMN YOU BASTARDS! FOR TOYING WITH OUR FEELINGS! AND I LOVE YOU FOR IT!
Now when the community looks back on the past speculations of Canvas 2, it is kind of hilarious. Ever since Ep9, the vast majority of anime junkies were given the reasonable impression that Elis was out of the running, and that we would be seeing the pairing up of Hiroki and Kiri. Who could blame us? I myself was rooting for a Hiroki & Kiri pairing.
To metaquote some,
“Canvas 2 is going to be boring, since the competition is out.”
“Sigh, what is the point of watching Canvas 2 when we already know who he is going to choose?”
“Watch 15 episodes of Hiroki and Kiri? No thank you!”
The best was probably when one animeblogger used Elis as his poster girl for his top ten list of biggest losers in love in anime just before the last episode… The dramatic irony was delicious. This was like divine manna for us literature folks.
And yet…
And yet I did not feel cheated. Why yes I am sad that Kiri ended up the loser, but I was not unhappy. Reflecting upon the past 24 episodes, the clues were all there, and it all just converged in the last episode. It was brillant! Exquisite! An excellent twist that should satisfy all but the petty sore losers.
This is quite possibly the first time I do not feel murderous, when the girl I was rooting for fails to get the guy.
DIE NEMU DIE!
Bravo to Canvas 2.
~~[/Quote]
April 5th, 2006 - 10:43
wontaek: Thanks for reminding me about that too….
Skane: LOL! Yes the irony was delicious indeed! And like you I didn’t feel cheated and rejoiced instead at the surprising outcome. I myself had found the series bland prior to the finale because Kiri and Hiroki got hitched so far from the end. Yeah you are absolutely right, the series writers are sadistic…
Thanks for dropping a comment…. it’s always great to know another fellow Kotori fan. 
April 5th, 2006 - 10:56
Interestingly, the scene that bothers me the most, now, is the scene where Elis lies in bed with Hiroki’s cloth. Comment?
April 5th, 2006 - 11:10
LOL! I’m not sure… isn’t this how artists find inspirations?
Maybe they were trying for some roman compositions 
April 5th, 2006 - 11:21
roman compositions ?
April 5th, 2006 - 12:34
Sorry was just babbling
Wat about the scene bothers you? 
April 5th, 2006 - 12:52
It was this scene in ep. 24, and it just does. May be because of some sort of fetish or perversion I read/heard about somewhere, but not sure about that neither.
April 5th, 2006 - 20:54
Heh heh don’t mind, I took the liberty of redirecting your link.
I’m not sure about any fetishes involved. It seems to me that Elis just wants to role play an intimate moment which she believe she’ll never have with her onii-chan. Maybe like Nemu, she relish the scent found in his clothes. 
April 8th, 2006 - 11:06
I have something to reply to Skane’s comment
—————————–
To metaquote some,
April 9th, 2006 - 11:16
The ending was horrible. I was in disbelief, saying “holy shit” for 15 minutes straight after seeing that ending. I couldn’t sleep properly. They utterly demolished it. The buildup is one thing, but the concept itself is just wrong. With his junior high school cousin who’s a LOT younger than him? Isn’t that illegal? She can’t be more than 16. Completely went from one of my favorite series to something I’ll never forget, for the wrong reasons. Ughhh….still give me the creeps!
April 9th, 2006 - 11:30
Maybe because they wanted to make an anime not for the purpose of commercialism?
Yes, I realise the above is most probably hogwash, but a guy can dream.
On a more serious note, while there were a fair number of disappointed Hiroki/Elis shippers, there were also a fair amount of Hiroki/Kiri shippers. In fact, I am more inclined to believe that the H&Kers outnumber the H&Eers, even though I have no concrete basis for this claim.
Also, Canvas2 is not only about the relationships, but about the the interactions with the other secondary characters, the plot about Hiroki’s reluctance to draw, Elis’ phobia of the colour red, etc… The “whoissit gonna be?” plot is just one of the reasons one can have for watching Canvas2.
I myself was entranced by Elis’ gradual determination to conquer her phobia, and I am sure many others were too. Tomoko was a bonus as well.
In short, there were many other reasons to watch Canvas2. The ratings may have dipped marginally, but I believe the payoff at the end was well worth it. Just look at all the “OMGWTFBBQ” publicity it generated. After all… there is profit in merchandising too. ;P
Cheers.
April 9th, 2006 - 11:32
ADD] Narf, to prevent any confusion. My prior post was in reply to wontaek’s.
April 9th, 2006 - 15:22
No, the result of the series was not illegal … please be aware that laws and taboos vary …. first cousin marriages are legal in most of the world and US …. age of consent is as young as 14 in parts of Japan if no one complains — also true in some states of the US with parental consent. Genetically there isn’t any significant issue…
The only real complaining point here — is whether the viewer thought there was sufficient plot events to warrant that last scene in the credits with Hiroki and Elise. When I compare it to other stories and literature — the ending lacks credibility because throughout the series, Hiroki never even implied physical interest in Elise. Perhaps the DVD will have a missing end episode like Hashimashi will….
April 10th, 2006 - 00:05
wontaek: Actually personally, with an Elise ending, the likelihood of me getting the DVDs (hence commercial aspect) are increased not because I’m a Elise supporter but simply because a Kiri end would have made the series very forgettable. The problem with Canvas2 was that they actually had very little story material to work for a 24 parter. And with Hiroki and Kiri getting together rather early, that would leave a romantic vaccum for the rest of the series and lead to a totally watered-down conclusion. Just my thoughts
bizatchc: haha yeah I understand your aversions.
The cousin issue aside (since that really boils down to personal beliefs within our own cultural contexts), I just want to say a little about the age of Elise. Age differences in relationships becomes an issue only when the emotional/mental maturity of the 2 are very different. Which is why, folks would object to a 15 yr old dating an 10 year old but less so to a 35 yr old seeing a 25 yr old. The 16 yr old Elise of ep 24 is more mature than some of the 25 year olds I know in RL. (I hope they don’t read my blog 
) So I believe it shouldn’t be an issue. 
Skane: Nice sights, thanks Skane.
I would have loved more Tomoko chan too! She deserves an OVA spin-off 
vexx: Thanks for your input on the legality aspect.
Where I am the age of consent is 16. If the parents are not adverse to their daughters doing it, it drops to 14. 
As for the last scene, I wouldn’t assume it to be immediately after their getting together. We are missing a whole chunk there but the series just wants to end on a a romantic crescendo in their relationship. I thought that jump to be rather acceptable actually 
May 14th, 2006 - 14:55
I have a question. Did that girl with the illness Tomoko die on the plane? It was a confusing scene where she closed her eyes and her hand slipped off her lap. She didnt even answer the flight attendant when she got Tomoko the water.
Btw I actually wanted Hiroki to be with Kiri but Elis to stay in Nadescio (the school) and be good siblings.
But please tell me if Tomoko died, gosh if she did that would be messed up.
May 14th, 2006 - 22:21
Hi Bluephoenix. No, Tomoko didn’t die.
Later it shows her opening her eyes (probably post-surgery). I think the animators just wanted to play with our emotions. 
May 17th, 2006 - 15:57
Hey friend, just finished the series. Don’t really have any comments except to say that I was rooting for Kiri throughout, though I knew it was going to be an Elis/Hiroki ending (it’s predictable lah).
I loved this series: it couldn’t have been done any better – Elis’ character hooked me early on and it’s so the kind of girl I know I can totally fall in love with. However, I rooted for Kiri – I’m a sucker for the loser and as a fellow sucker, I sympathise with her plight (so near, so far).
Okay, back to my work. Your anime is reallly keeping me warm in cold cold France.
June 29th, 2006 - 22:33
Sorry bro, missed your comment.
Soooo glad you like Canvas2! Maybe Elise having French blood and you being there has a part to play in your liking of her. 
I think we both are suckers for underdogs in love and th ending only make Kiri so much more memorable a character and Canvas2 and unforgettable series.
So near yet so far says it all.
July 4th, 2006 - 01:28
gwaaa….. okay i admit Canvas 2 was really gewd. i was really into it ever since i read the synopsis on it. as u can tell i watch till 4 00 in the mornin since yesterday jus to finish it. i was really stuck when kiri and hiroki began to hit it off then. i was disapointed by the ending. like what bizatchc said, i was like WTF!? for and hour. i finshed the series at 3 00 er so and im still thinkn bout it. actually here i am commentin on it now. seriously i cant sleep. i really really really liked the series but i jus hated his decision though. like u said and every one else did theres nothin wrong whit marryn ur cousin but dont u think its alittle weird? i still got chills jus thinkn bout it.
u kno, i actually took the time to look for this blog jus so i can c whut ery one thought of it. i guess i wasnt the only one that though kiri was the best choice. btw i hated elis for whut she did though. she could have just left for france no prob and hiroki would have been in bed whit kiri sayin “whuts for brekfast the next mornin er sumthin” damnit. but whut ever its done and gone now no use complainin over it.
November 23rd, 2006 - 06:34
^^ Lol, the ending was a relief. I don’t know why, just felt that there is no other choice than Elis (got that feeling since eps 10 *_*)
August 5th, 2007 - 07:07
Too late to comment but, oh well…^_^
1st of all I love this series not because of the ending but because how it got me hook to watch it till the end. Not many animes of this genre got enough materials to make me interested to watch them until the final episode. But C2 is really something. The characters are superb IMO ^_^
Some time ago, I was posting my opinions, thoughts & interpretations on how I see the way C2 got its ending in a forum. I must say I’m glad that there are some people who had the same thoughts/views as mine. ^_^ Just like Stripey, I also believe that Hiroki’s view about Elis change once she became more mature & that’s one of the reasons why he was attracted to her. (OMG! Stripey’s opinions & mine were almost 100% the same. LOL. And no, I don’t steal Stripey’s opinions btw)
Though I admit that quite most of my thoughts were make after the series ended, there are SOME of my thoughts that came into my mind as I watched the series too. But it seems that most Kiri fans some neutral viewers (& maybe a few Elis fans too?) accusing me of making 100% hindsight over-analysis. *shrug* Oh well…I don’t care much if they think so. ^_^
People saying that the points that were given by some viewers (especially Elis fans) are just excuses to justify the Elis ending & rationalization made after the fact. What fact? The fact that it took Elis to give ‘green light’ to Hiroki to go for Kiri?
August 5th, 2007 - 07:28
Obviously Hiroki was hesitating to further his relationship with Kiri because of Elis (yes, this is something that I do notice while watching the series not after watching the whole thing). The way he reacted to Elis’ suggestion about dating Kiri in which he respond, “What? Why are you saying this?” is somehow questionable.
Some people claimed that Hiroki had accept Kiri’s confession but with the reaction as mention above, I doubt so. Also, just because they’re going on a date, it’s still too weak of an evidence that Hiroki had accepted Kiri as he wasn’t serious enough to go with it. I think that he’s only taking responsibility & did that to make Kiri happy. It’s no different from when he went on a date with Hagino for her novel reference.
I’ve been visiting quite in some places that discuss/comment about C2 and I must say that as much as some people are saying that I’m making hindsight over-analysis, there are people who had made ‘foresight’ over-analysis & exaggerate Kiri-Hiroki relationshp as lovers while disparaging Elis-Hiroki relationship as sibling platonic.
For me, C2 is just one of those typical story in animes where the hero doesn’t know his real feeling & doesn’t go for ‘the girl’ until late in the series. But to hide that typicalness (correct word?), they did something quite the opposite to what other romance anime had shown. The story is more or less like Midori no Hibi with less Hiroki-Elis & more on Hiroki-Kiri.
In Midori no Hibi, Seiji hardly show any affection towards Midori. But in the end, he finally realized that he had feeling for her. The only difference in MnH with C2 is how the relationship is shown. In MnH, Seiji & Midori were always together, which make the ending more plausible, even when there’s HARDLY an affection that you can see from Seiji towards Midori.
OTOH, it’s different with C2. Instead of showing more of Elis-Hiroki as intimate, they concentrate on the failure of Hiroki-Kiri relationship. So I think that the reason why some viewers (especially Kiri fans/ Hiroki-Kiri supporters) are not satisfy with the ending is because of the lack of Hiroki-Elis in a romantic sense to them. That plus the failure to see Hiroki’s mind.
*shrug* I know that some people had objected my interpretation but I believe that Hiroki’s painting is his respond to Elis’ feeling (which is the ‘Crimson Angels’ painting) The way they were put side by side in the last scene had signify that. Depend on you, whether you want to agree or not. *shrug again*
As for Hiroki looked surprise when Elis embraced him, as I had mentioned in the other forum, the reason is because Elis was over-reacting & rushed so suddenly towards him. If wontaek said that he would hug her before she does, then that’s only his opinion of how he would react. Not all people would’ve react in the same way. Besides, IMO it would be a little inconvenience for Hiroki to rush & hug Elis after showing her the painting. By using my imagination, Hiroki rushed to Elis & then embrace her after showing ‘his feeling’ is too awkward in such situation. But that’s just my opinion though ^_^
Somehow, I feel sorry for those of you who felt being cheated, be you a Kiri fan or an Elis fan. While I was a little bit hoping to see more of Elis-Hiroki relationship blooming, I think that it’s not really necessary to be shown. In fact, I wasn’t surprise at all at the last scene. For me, what so important are the resolutions to all issues (Hiroki-Kiri-Elis relationship, Hiroki’s & Elis’ painting issues)
As for the exposition of Hiroki’s brain, well…personally I don’t need it as much as other viewers do. ^_^ Just like Stripey, I’m also pleased with the small hints that were provided to prepare for this ending. Instead of showing Hiroki’s thoughts, they choose to show Kiri’s reactions, which IMO quite sufficient to give me clues about Hiroki’s feeling.
If you have read some Japanese romance novels, maybe you can find a story that went quite a similar way as C2, where the male lead’s thoughts was hardly exposed & his choice at the end is questionable. Yes, I knew one so far. But it’s a love triangle relationship situation between a guy, his childhood friend & a stranger who happened to fall in love with the guy.
@Stripey
LOL. Not only that my opinions & thoughts are the same as yours, it seems that we also share the same sentiments for Kiri. I’m glad I’m not the only Elis supporter who had that kind of feeling. The only difference is that you support Elis since the beginning while I support Elis after she became more mature (which is during the middle of the series).
Too bad that so far, there’s no Kiri fan who would think that Elis-Hiroki ending is just as good as Kiri-Hiroki ending. Eventhough I’m an Elis supporter, I’m fine with Kiri ending too. I doubt that there’ll be a Kiri fan who want to see an Elis ending. But I must say that after watching this ending, somehow I want to see a Kiri ending now. (Am I weird? LOL))
August 15th, 2007 - 23:17
wow rei, thanks for all those thoughts on C2. It triggered a flood of memories of lovely the series is. I really appreciate what you said about being ok with both an Elise or Kiri ending despite rooting for the former. In the end, I believe it’s a well thought out and well executed ending that matters, regardless of our support. That’s wat makes a series and C2 has sufficient buildup to justify that Elise x Hiro end which many claim to be a cop-out.
Glad to find another who share my sentiments so closely
October 28th, 2008 - 08:27
when i saw the last scene of C2 i thought oh so they got together but i thought it was pretty weird especially when hiroki buys kiri the earrings and says its for his “girlfriend” but i was pretty surprised on the ending too and happy with it. I was really supporting Elis. I really did want them to get together.