hontou ni
18Nov/0724

Myself; Yourself – My Da Capo fix for Fall

Since Da Capo II has seemingly forsaken its romance-drama roots, I find myself increasingly drawn to the cast/tale of Myself; yourself. Unlike DCII which feel fairly episodic/meandering so far with little development on its sakura tree premise, Myself; yourself is a great deal more driven with the characters growing and the plot moving in a coherent manner that builds on its premise. It certainly helps that all of M;Y's characters appear to have greater depth than DCII's girls with tragic pasts and current struggles culminating to their present behaviour. At the very least they connect with viewers better than banana-hating robots seeking world dominance. In a mere 7 eps, I feel so much for almost all the characters including the typically expendable male sidekick which surely is unheard of in Hontouni history.

Anyhow, here's some thoughts on the girls of M;Y in ascending order of my support for their getting together with Sana.

No. 5 - Yatsushiro Nanaka

I hated Nanaka in ep 1. The slap was uncalled for and would not be mitigated by childhood tragedies no matter how devastating. Still I applaud the series for turning me more sympathetic as she softened her stance considerably. However, given her emotional baggages, I'd say she's not ready to get into a healthy relationship until those inner demons are exorcised. Unfortunately even if she's my least favourite girl of the lot, she's slated to win Sana's heart just by virtue of the story structure. Hoping they pull a Canvas2.

No. 4 - Oribe Aoi

The voice, the VOICE! After 7 eps, Aoi's lines still scratches my eardrums. Thankfully she's nice so I like her and will overlook her birth defects. Unfortunately Aoi's all just that - a busty meganekko who's nice and klutzy; the typical dojikko in harem. Maid material yes. Wife no.

No. 3 - Wakatsuki Shuuri

One of the big 3 contenders for Sana as cued by the ED. Shuri appears to be the least of the candidates vying for Sana's heart even if she's armed with the voice of the lolicon generation. But her activist heart and courage to stand up for her beliefs will serve her well in this love rivalry. My suspicion that Shuu is in love with her only adds to her charm.

No. 2 - Mochida Hinako

Hinako has imo the best basis of attraction for Sana. Surprise party, kid's meal, onii-chan hug for failed confession etc are tender gestures that undoubtedly moved Hinako's shoujo heart. Unlike Shuuri and Nanaka whose basis of attraction would be the very cliched childhood friend status (an overused cop-out that attempts to invoke instant endearment without the actual groundwork of establishing the reasons behind the attraction), the viewers chart Hinako's path of maturing out of Shuu infatuation into love with Sana.

No. 1 - Hoshino Asami

A distincton needs to be made between the favourite girl and the most suitable girl in any story. My favourite person in Da Capo is Shirakawa Kotori. But I would not have accepted anyone else other than Nemu as Junichi's partner. Asami is my 2nd most loved character in M;Y but has my strongest support to be with Sana. Gentle, thoughtful, incredibly kind and blessed with Nakahara Mai's vocals, Asami chan beats Nanaka hands/legs/tentacles down. No contest. Nanaka is right to feel jealous because Asami IS superior and any right thinking male would choose her over Nanaka. I hope the series ends like Cameron Diaz/Julia Robert's "My best friend's wedding". Asami is surely deserving.

And so I can't help but hold by breath for next eps since crazy-cat-killing grandma is going to put one of the girls in danger. I can only hope it's Asami since this plot device meant to further the victim's relations with Sana.

Related posts:

  1. Myself; Yourself – From adolescence to adulthood
  2. Hiatus and wishlist for Fall series
  3. Da Capo II 07 – The doomed love of the Shirakawas

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Comments (24) Trackbacks (1)
  1. Kresnik
    November 18th, 2007 - 22:06

    I agree with your opinion about Asami.. Nanaka has a big problem, not to mention ‘differences’ with her old ‘counterpart’ (read: Nanaka (young)), which make me questioning whether she is really Nanaka afterall, or someone else differently..

    The game trailers hinted some connection between Asami and the Sakura trees (Da Capo connection, anyone?). I hope I would somehow got my hands on the game release next month. You haven’t added Yuzuki yet, huh..?

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  2. Stripey
    November 19th, 2007 - 01:45

    Yay! Another Asami fan. :) Ahh another Da Capo reference… maybe that’s why I’m so taken to her? XD Sadly I believe we Asami fans are set for disappointment given the current inertia of the series appears to be hurling towards a Sana X Nanaka end. I hope crazy grandma somehow turns the tide :)

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  3. Ivy
    November 19th, 2007 - 02:56

    This show has come a long way, its really turned into a great story. As for the girls..well I’ll be frank here. I hate all of them except for the two girls contending for Sana’s heart, Nanaka and Asami. Shuuri is ok I liked her back story in episode 7 made this feel a little deeper than a cliched harem show. I’m rooting for Asami too I mean its only natural lol shes voiced by Mai Nakahara(I’m shallow like that :P ) plus her personality is the perfect foil for Sana. As for Nanaka..well I like her but the slap at the beginning, although intriguing and kept me up for episode 2, lost a lot of brownie points cause Sana didn’t warrant a slap, really. Plus her shyness/properness is really starting to irritate me.

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  4. Owen S
    November 19th, 2007 - 03:39

    Great observation there, Stripey. Your distinction between “favourite” and “suitable” in particular — I think Hinako’s one of the best pairings for Sana too, in an uncliched way; either that or I’m just terribly jaded of the whole osananajimi thing.

    On Nanaka vs Asami: I guess it goes without saying that Nanaka would be the jealous, murderous (Nice Boat, anyone?) type in real life, and Asami the infinitely more attractive one. Hope to see you writing more about M;Y, it hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves.

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  5. flaskis
    November 19th, 2007 - 04:12

    Yes, great observations, but my instinct tells me that Nanaka is going to win this contest, just like my instincts told me that Koko wouldn’t get dumped, and won’t get dumped in DCII, because you’re forgetting two things:
    1) When Nanaka slapped Sana, both us viewers and Sana noticed that she was still wearing the bracelet that Sana gave him.
    2) As far as the story is developing, Sana has no feelings whatsoever towards Asami. This makes the unfortunate fact that Asami is merely used as a plot device to bring Nanaka and Sana closer together by adding jealousy in the triangle drama.

    (Oh, and I thought the slap was something Sana deserved)

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  6. edogawaconan
    November 19th, 2007 - 04:36

    Hinako FTW

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  7. Stripey
    November 19th, 2007 - 18:29

    Ivy: Nanaka’s inhibitions is one of the traits that irks me most although she is breaking out of it, most recently her participation at the old folks home to ‘disrupt’ a potential Sana/Hoshino only outing. Still she has try much harder to reach out to Sana given that her rival is way beyond her league. Her childhood friend status is far-reaching but not omnipotent XD That said, all signs still point to Nanaka winning the race and I can only hope the scriptwright weaves a credible tale to justify how the lovely Hoshino can lose. :)

    Owen S: Glad to see someone break out of norms to support the loli in a harem makeup. :) Still for their relationship to be remotely viable, Sana needs to break out of seeing Hinako as a kid sister which I sincerely hope the kiss in ep 6 has set in motion.

    flaskis: I think at this point, Sana sees Hoshino as a really REALLY nice girl and it’d not be difficult to morph those feelings into romance :) But you are right in that Asami is used more as a plot device bringing Nanaka/Sana together than as a rival for Nanaka. Gahhh! The injustice! Have the writers no integrity to give the winning ticket to the best girl in the series?! :P

    edogawaconan: Nothing truer was ever uttered XD

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  8. holyman282
    November 20th, 2007 - 21:41

    I really like Asami, not just because of her gentle, caring personality but also because she has superior hair then the boring long straight hair of Nanaka.

    So far into this series Sana is showing no interest in Asami and Asami appears to be showing little to no interest in Sana… It seems all their outings together were justified in one way or another and certainly wasn’t hiding any romantic intentions. Examples include:

    1. The shop incident where Nanaka saw them together, they were buying a mirror to replace Nanaka’s
    2. Buying a collar for Poe, because she can’t pick out a collar that is manly.. (notice the similarity in reasons between number 1 and number 2)
    3. Inviting him over to the old people’s home the first time because they need a man there and the second time because he plays video games with that geezer.

    So far I don’t see any romantic relationship being developed between Asami and Sana, not even a spark..

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  9. Stripey
    November 21st, 2007 - 00:20

    I love Asami’s character design, especially her hair too. Not to mention she has that cute pink ribbon holding up her luscious locks. :) As for the romance in Sana X Hoshino, I believe these event lay the foundation for a strong friendship and we know how many loves are borne of such friendships. :) I’m fairly sure Hoshino is fond of Sana and vice versa. It can be called love yet but it’s a favourable starting point for romance :)

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  10. dsong
    November 21st, 2007 - 19:11

    I hope the show throws a MAJOR curveball at some point; it could definitely use one… Boxcutter Nanaka? Sana pulling a Rin? Nanaka going gothic and using her Gift? Nice Boat?

    Or maybe they’ll go completely insane and we’ll find out that Asami and Nanaka switched personalities. Heck, young Nanaka used to have Asami’s hairstyle.

    Episode 8 may have been a step in the right direction but even the “drama” is really standard fare. And it does little to show why Nanaka is the best girl of the lot RIGHT NOW. She’s miles behind Asami at this point and even trails Hinako.

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  11. Icteridae
    November 21st, 2007 - 19:46

    Sana does seem to be pulling a Tsuchimi Rin in ep 8.

    Though I’d say the anime character of the season most likely to go box-cutter Kaede on the male lead/love rival would have to be Miyamura Miyako. ef 07 leaves off on a pretty dark note and it’ll be interesting to see how the story develops. I admit, ef is pretty confusing for the first few episodes, but it’s coming together quite nicely, almost Higurashi-ish. Now we just need to wait for the ending where they all kill each other.

    Just picked up Moyashimon as well, surprisingly good though. Like a much more lively and amusing version of Mushishi.

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  12. Zzz...
    November 21st, 2007 - 22:31

    >>I can only hope it

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  13. Stripey
    November 22nd, 2007 - 21:38

    dsong: Agreed. I’m hoping crazy cat-chopping oba would put Hoshino/Sana through a life-threatening ordeal that would cement their relationship to supercede the Sana/Nanaka childhood. That’s the major curveball I’m hoping for. Else give me a Hinako/Sana end although justifying that would be a great deal more challenging since Sana still see Hinako as a kid. Wonder if the kiss changed that. :)

    Icteridae: I need to catch ef… soon :) Was very fascinated by all the ABC posts and jpmeyer’s too. I hope Sana pulls a Rin too even though there’s no Asa senpai equivalent yet… Hoshino has the potential to be but she need to get to know Sana better first and I’m not sure if the series has time for her. Again I say cat-killing ordeal would certainly accelerate that. :)

    Zzz…: Ahh, I think we can very similar objectives for the characters we love except that I’m more willing to subject them to pain/suffering which I personally believe to be a good teacher. Not excessive of course like going through the Khmer Rouge regime but everyday trials such as love rejections or death of a cherished grandparent etc. In anime, at least the haremesque ones, the characters are a great deal stronger and positive than RL folks. What typically breaks a RL person usually makes an anime character stronger. But there’s a breaking point. I use the example of School Days. I couldn’t finish the series because I cared enough for the characters to not watch to see their suffering which ended in the darkening of their souls. So I bailed out. I believe we have similar needs to see our characters grow to be come better people. Our only difference is the methods/tools in nurturing them :)

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  14. dsong
    November 23rd, 2007 - 00:57

    By the way, anyone notice the similarities in the characters? Yuzuki-sensei and Hinako seem to be the older and younger versions of Shuri, respectively, while Asami seems to be the natural projection of the younger Nanaka.

    And who knows, perhaps Nanaka will share the crazy grandmother’s fate…

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  15. Sherman, the Ramni
    November 27th, 2007 - 12:10

    Ep 8 caught me entirely offguard. From the red-colored SAVE ME’s letter to the conversation between Sana and his mom, I surely never expected that.
    I’ve always had a bit of a thing for girls like Nanaka, but this ep she scores way too high; she might be quick to get mad and all that, but it’s obvious the only thing she wants is Sana’s loving arms. Sana is just too much of an idiot sometimes, specially on the gifts department; I hope the shock of knowing Nanaka’s pain moves him to be fully committed to his osananajimi.
    I’m pretty sure he can understand that too; I can almost swear that watch is hiding some nasty suicide-attempt scars.
    Regarding Zzz’s commentary, in my opinion, pain is a necessary and required path to maturity. A sword does not become sword just because; iron needs to be melted, purified, treated, molded and beaten to transform it into a sharp, deadly and beautiful weapon. To experience bitter things allows us to treasure the sweet ones and to understand and love those that are tasting the bitterness of life.
    And I firmly declare that Asami is this season’s Kotonoha, you just wait and see.

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  16. Stripey
    November 27th, 2007 - 22:02

    Nooooo! Our sweetness incarnate, Asami will never NEVER do anything nasty XD But I loved to be surprised so bring it on, M;Y! (Though if it comes true, I wouldn’t forgive you Sherman :P )

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  17. holyman282
    November 28th, 2007 - 00:35

    If I remember correctly a profile on Asami from the myself yourself game website indicated that there is something much darker and more violent in Asami then the sweet and gentle girl we see. Apparently she also hates to lose and enjoys it when she’s the top of the class in something..

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  18. Sherman, the Ramni
    November 28th, 2007 - 04:32

    yay holyman282.
    Has anyone realized about the two Nanakas this season? I love both of ‘em. Way more than Asami[Kotonoha] and sweet, slow Koko.

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  19. Icteridae
    November 28th, 2007 - 10:47

    Stripey, you *need* to watch ef *now*. I think it’s shaping up to be the best show of the season by far. The first few eps are a little confusing, but the two story lines are tied together by the 5th or 6th episode and it becomes much easier to follow. Love, jealousy, a bit of existentialism, it’s all very well done (at least in my opinion). The OP is pure awesome as well.

    An irresistible little taster for you:
    “I will erase your existence from Onii-chan’s heart. He’ll say goodbye to you, and then, it’ll be over… I will end this.”

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  20. Stripey
    November 28th, 2007 - 19:18

    holyman282: I’d love to see Asami’s real personality even if it’s darker than we think. :P Sadly the show has too much on its plate to delve further into her backstory. After all, there’s only a few more eps remaining with plenty of storythreads to tie up. Maybe we’ll have an Asami OVA? *crosses fingers*

    Sherman, the Ramni: oooh I luuurve Shirakawa Nanaka… as for M;Y Nanaka, at least I don’t hate her like I do in ep 1. The story has done a great job of turning my sympathies towards her.

    Icteridae: LOL! Appealing to the siscon in me! Most excellent! Actually ef was one of my pre-season favourites. But I had found the first 2 eps underwhelming. Will give it a shot soon now that I know siscon confrontation has broken out :) Thx for the heads-up.

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  21. sixten
    November 29th, 2007 - 07:02

    I second the recommendation of ef. The siscon-powered war between Kei and Miyako is seriously chill-inducing, particularly when you figure in both girls’ mental instability. The unique relationship between Chihiro and Renji raises some interesting questions about existence and memory in a more effective manner than, say, Shana 1. The strange visual style and rampant effects can cause headaches sometimes, but they work the rest of the time, and serve as great support for the surrealistic, metaphor-heavy story. If it weren’t for my bias toward J.C.Staff and Doumu, I might even rank ef higher than Kimikiss and Minami-ke.

    And for me, the best Nanaka is still Nanaka Kirisato from Nanaka 6/17 (2003), which also happens to have the best use of childhood friendship in any anime I’ve seen. Oh, and it’s from J.C.Staff.

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  22. Sherman, the Ramni
    November 29th, 2007 - 10:58

    Icteridae:

    I second you with all my heart. Miyako FTW.

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  23. Stripey
    November 29th, 2007 - 19:36

    I understand I just to need get past ep 2 to escape the visual style. Have it all loaded up already and will be digging into the series over the weekend. If there’s siscon, expect a report XD

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  24. Sherman, the Ramni
    November 30th, 2007 - 07:56

    Stripey: Watch Kei X Hiro. There’s a kinda reverse siscon.

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