"Kimi ni Todoke" ends

Another great show ends! Sawako finally realizes she "likes" Kazehaya as more than a friend. Pin provides comic relief. I want to go to a shrine like that someday. This show was beautifully drawn with excellent backgrounds. The development of Sawako's friendships with Ayane and Chizu was one of the best parts of the show. Hope to see more soon!

"Cross Game" Ends

I'm so sad "Cross Game" has ended. I really enjoyed the finale. All the characters, even the really minor ones, are included, at least a little bit. I hope someday soon another anime of this quality will come out.

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Alas, this is about as close as they get; the accidental hug from almost falling over. Chizu and Ayane plot to leave Kazehaya and Sawako alone on New Year's Eve which also is Sawako's birthday. They and the unknowing Ryuu follow them around a bit as the couple visit a shrine. It's a cute episode where they kind of go on a date and get to know each other better. We still don't know too much about Kazehaya up to this point. I wish more stuff would happen in these episodes. Last episode was about a Christmas party Sawako wanted to ditch her parents to go to but didn't. Not much else happened except she exchanges digits with Kazehaya. Hope next episode moves the relationship forward...but it probably won't!

"Shutter Island"

SPOILER ALERT! NO REALLY!
Okay, just saw "Shutter Island" today. Very well done noirish, suspense-mystery set in the 1950's starring Leonardo Decaprio and Mark Ruffalo. The mystery really makes sense, until the twist ending a la "The Others." Turns out the whole I-gotta-be a hero to save people from government funded brain surgery to turn them into assassins is a hallucination in order to prevent Decaprio's character from believing he had murdered his wife who had drowned their three kids. I feel really manipulated, but I guess that's part of the fun. I still don't get how much was a hallucination, and how much was real. I kinda liked the hallucination story better than the reality.

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Back to Sawako and Kazehaya! This episode is a nice Xmas episode where Sawako really, really wants to go to a party and can't due to family obligation. However, she is granted some freedom with a cell phone from Dad, who lets her go with some tears (and smiles from Mom.) Kazehaya almost asks her out, but it's not quite a date. They do exchange presents and phone numbers at least!

Global Shinkai Day at CR

Just watched "5 Centimeters Per Second." What a truly wonderful and sad story! Gorgeous as well. Check out Crunchyroll's free streaming of Makoto Shinkai's works, "Voices of a Distant Star," "5 Centimeters Per Second," and "The Place Promised in Our Early Days." This lasts March 5 through 7. Think I'll watch "Days" sometime this weekend. If I remember correctly, it has a happier ending.

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Another tear-jerker episode. Must be the smoothest let-down of all time by Tooru. I like how Chizu knows Ryuu is behind the whole visit by Tooru. I also like the part where Chizu flashes back to when she was a kid and can't decide which type of bun to buy. It was nice to see Chizu and Ryuu finally make up. Now, back to Kazehaya and Sawako!