New Anime Series! Isshuukan Friends episode 1

Yuuki loves to dance weee!

Woohoo!!!! The last of all the animes I had on my yes list for the new Spring season. There was an anime on the maybe list. Yeah the maybe stood for maybe if I get caught up on everything else...obvious. Such a slacker. XD But here it is before the episode is a month old. Up now is the new anime series Isshuukan Friends. Spoilers for episode 1 include...well I am sure they will be the same each episode. Just a foreboding of sadness. :(

I can't just ASK her...can I?

Episode Summary: Yuuki approaches a girl named Kaori and asks her if she wants to be friends. She says it is very kind of him to ask but no. She walks away and Yuuki returns dejected to the classroom. He sighs a million times until his friend Shougo takes notice and asks what is wrong. Yuuki explains the situation, that he finally got to talk to Kaori but she doesn’t want to be friends. It is explained that Kaori is always alone and has no friends so Yuuki wants to fix that. Why did she reject him?! Shougo says that he saw Kaori go towards the roof so why not ask her? Yuuki takes off and finds Kaori about to eat. He tries to make small talk but she fake coughs her way off the roof, saying she can’t make friends. The next day Kaori tries to make it to the roof but two girls ask her for a favor regarding math. She gently turns them down and that means she is a cold person. She finally gets to the roof and Yuuki follows her. A flashback shows that Yuuki helped Kaori with her duties in regards to being the math representative…..and while she does fake cough her way out of talking she does thank him for his help. That brief sentence gave Yuuki hope. Kaori gets all blushy and says it would be rude not to thank him for help. Yuuki takes this blushy and niceness as a sign of her being a good person and she is just hiding it. Kaori repeats again that she cannot make friends. Yuuki tries to find out why but she doesn’t really give any answers. Yuuki asks if they could eat lunch together as nonfriends tomorrow. Kaori seems to be accepting of that idea and goes home a little happier. Wednesday Yuuki is taken to his math teacher’s office as he is pretty much failing at the beginning of the semester. Yuuki tries to hurry along the conversation as Kaori is waiting. He rushes up there and is overjoyed to find that Kaori has waited for him. There is blushy faces all around. Yuuki thinks progress is being made, especially when Kaori shows him an advertisement for a crepe shop. They talk about yummy crepes and make this blogger very hungry. Before Yuuki gets his hopes up Kaori reminds him they are not friends so they will not be going to the crepe shop together.

What about the progress we made?!

Thursday they eat on the roof together and Kaori insists that they are not friends when there are more blushy moments. Yuuki is like if we are not friends what do you think friends are? Kaori thinks friends talk about love and before Yuuki can really talk about the subject she stops him so they won’t be friends. Yuuki also talks about what friends do together, like karaoke and stuff. Kaori has never gone and Yuuki seems to want to change that. That night Kaori seems very sad at home, too sad for cake. Friday rolls around and Yuuki happily eats his lunch while Kaori just picks at hers. She stands up and tells Yuuki to forget about this week, that she will do the same. That she is not in the making friends business. Yuuki tells Kaori he won’t forget at all, it would be impossible. Why is she acting like this? Kaori explains she has a condition that her fun memories of friends and people she wants to spend time with are reset every Monday. The only exception seems to be her family. This happens no matter what and Kaori has decided that she won’t make friends since she will just forget them anyway. There are tears on both their faces as she leaves and Yuuki can’t accept this. Saturday rolls around and Shougo catches up with Yuuki. Yuuki only explains that Kaori has asked Yuuki to forgot this week as she will do the same thing. Shougo deadpans that Kaori must hate him. Shougo asks why Yuuki is trying this hard anyway for a girl that seems so cold. Yuuki defends the girl and states all her good points in a mushy away apparently. Yuuki seems to talk himself into trying again while Shougo finds this situation very interesting. On Monday Yuuki approaches Kaori and she looks at him with cold eyes. He realizes that Kaori had been telling the truth and she had forgotten him. Yuuki is hurt but before Kaori turns away Yuuki decides that he won’t give up. Kaori wants friends more than anyone and he knows the truth. He bows and asks if he can befriend Kaori. THE END!

:( Poor little Yuuki's heart...

WAIIIIIII! I knew it was going to be sad but I watched it anyway. Why do I do this to myself? The entire time I was watching this episode I was like all of this is for naught and it will be forgotten but Kaori and Yuuki are so cute. WAIIII! 50 first dates all over again.

Pretty art and many blushy faces.

First off the art is pretty. XD Because that is how I roll. It reminds me of a lot of other anime shows that I have liked and appreciated in the past. Something familiar I think. So…..that probably played a part in me liking this episode. People like things that bring about positive memories. Makes it easier to get involved in the show, when the feels put you in a happy place.

At least she said it nicely?

Without much back story it is obvious that Yuuki has been watching Kaori for a while. How she has no friends in class, always alone. Perhaps Yuuki has been in love with her all this time and doesn’t know it. He obviously couldn’t tell Kaori later who he did love. Either because he didn’t know yet or hello he would scare her away. But whatever his motives were he at least wanted to befriend a girl who seemed lonely. Sometimes approaching…..loner people is hard. Especially if you don’t know their reasons behind it. Maybe other people have tried before and there is a very good reason why the loner person in question has no friends. But Yuuki wants to try. Shot down pretty fast too.

Um why don't you ask why I am sighing all over the plce?

It looks like Shougo is going to be the truth giver this series. In a way that is nonsense. I like how Yuuki was trying to get his attention in an obvious way and Shougo was trying to ignore him. Like yes I hear your dramatic sighs, it’s hard not to. Shougo seems a bit like my husband. He doesn’t like drama. So if you want to know why Kaori is treating you this way go ask her. Later on in this episode Yuuki halfway confided in him. I think if Yuuki had told him the whole truth Shougo’s answer might have been different. Not as playful as this is a serious situation. But since Yuuki only told Shougo part of it Shougo was like um…she hates you. And Shougo does bring up good, logical points. Why does this girl matter to you so much? You are putting your heart on the line and she is smashing it after giving you a little bit of hope. He acknowledges that Yuuki has it bad for this girl and that he will probably hear about this issue for a while longer. Like le sigh I need to a good friend to this fool while he suffers. Good job Shougo.

So much for lunch....

On Monday Yuuki made very little progress with Kaori. Almost like he was surveying the land. I won’t take no for an answer. I will follow Kaori to the roof and try to play it off cool. I am surprised that Yuuki tried so soon after that failure, when helping Kaori with her math representative job. What the heck is that anyway? I mean we got class representatives and then someone on classroom duty for the day and then certain kids each day who clean the classrooms and a student council. Maybe that is why there are no teachers at schools in animes, because there really aren’t any. I understand teaching kids to work for themselves and having responsibilities but hot damn. Anyway Yuuki tries again to talk to Kaori during her duties but she blows him off with some dramatic fake coughing. Only the real Kaori starts to shine through as she can’t just not thank him for helping. That brief exchange was a beacon of hope for Yuuki. One that will change his destiny. Insert dramatic music here.

Look at all that progress.

Tuesday Yuuki joined Kaori on the roof despite yesterday her saying they weren't friends. But but you thanked me. Hello that is the polite thing to do. I think Yuuki was reading too much into the situation myself. Even if you don't like a person you probably still mutter a thanks because that is what society dictates you do. Still Yuuki saw more in the situation, a glimmer of kindness in her eyes and hello girls are cute when they blush. So here is Yuuki despite Kaori saying um no goodbye. But but we could eat together in the same space and not be friends. We can do that right? RIGHT?! Kaori must be tired of this way of life because she sorta caves in. Like she had hope the first couple years, spent the next few years angry and cut off, and now she is just broken down and is like what the heck, let me give this a whirl.

All this hope....soon to be taken from him. :(

By Wednesday Kaori had a pep in her step. And Yuuki had a lot of hope. Like okay we will eat together tomorrow as nonfriends. Yuuki even was trying to blow off his math meeting with his teacher. Which by the way his grades were really sad. He might need to take that class a little more seriously. But oh wait he is new nonfriends with Kaori now OH SNAP. But yeah Yuuki ran to the roof and Kaori waited cutely for Yuuki to start eating. Even though they are not friends. Yuuki is not getting any mixed signals at all. No no no. Especially when Kaori brings out the crepe paper and they talk happily about treats. But they are not going there together. Don't talk to me in class. No walking home. Just lunch. We would normally call this the friend zone but in Kaori's world this is the nonfriend zone so you know...

I am just walking around with a crepe paper advertisement. I don't actually want to GO!

Thursday rolled around and Kaori and Yuuki were talking away. Almost like they were REAL friends. Only Kaori doesn't know that she and Yuuki are friends as Yuuki points out. Kaori really is new to this scene (for obvious reasons) so her views on the matter are a bit off. We should be talking about love. Talk about awkward for poor Yuuki. But what about karaoke? We live in Japan, that is the true sign of friendship. This day had the most positive conversation. Both kids looking forward to the day and it seeming the most natural. This show has a lot of blushy faces, did we notice that. Like aw blush. And then full out red face. Surely things are going to be okay.

Well....that might be a good reason to have no friends...

And then Friday came around. And things were no longer good. Obviously. In a show basically about a week long friend Friday is the end of the school week. WAIT this is Japan. Side eye....they should have seen each other on Saturday. Anyway Yuuki was excited, probably had something planned for the weekend for his new nonfriend while Kaori knew the truth. This was fun but it is time to end it. End what? Why can't you have friends? Yuuki did ask early on in the week but he let it slide because he didn't want to seem pushy. But now that Kaori was all about forgetting this happened he had nothing to lose. The answer was unexpected for Yuuki. Kaori has no friends and makes no friends because on Monday her memories are reset. Why? Well this is only episode 1 so we don't know yet. And maybe there is no reason. It just is what it is and Kaori is tired of going through this pain. So it needs to end. Yuuki is obviously confused and wants to understand what is going on but Kaori is too busy running off and refusing cake from her family. Refusing CAKE. Clearly something is wrong.

Thanks for the support dude.

Saturday had the second convo with Yuuki and Shougo. Yuuki sorta left his friend out to dry this week in terms with hanging out with his “new”friend. I guess Yuuki had the rest of the week to hang out with his friend though since Kaori only did lunch this week. I think a lot of Yuuki was so hurt about what was going on. Perhaps part of the reason he didn't tell Shougo what Kaori really said is because he didn't really believe it himself. Yuuki had all this hope that Kaori really was a good person and BAM she throws this in her face. But Shougo's comments about Kaori just cemented Yuuki's resolve to make this world. Like no, we will not be friends for a week. I will talk to Kaori tomorrow and tell her I am not forgetting this amazing week. I will do this for the amazing and sweet girl I know. She isn't cold she is.....afraid of her powers....and might want to lock herself up in her room...and break into song at times. You know if she knew what karaoke was.

But but...the lunches!

Rolling around to Monday and Yuuki summed up his courage to talk to Kaori. And he was greeted with very cold eyes from Kaori. Turns out she was telling the truth. She wasn't just saying to forget to be mean or be over dramatic. She was going to forget about his come Monday and was trying to spare his feelings. Of course..Kaori might have been protecting other people as well as herself because every friend she makes is a person left behind with all the pieces. I mean maybe no one has been like Yuuki before. Because one week really isn't THAT long. I can see people going meh and chalking it up to her being cold hearted. But maybe Kaori didn't tell anyone the truth. Or maybe Yuuki is just special and has a lot of feelings. Whatever the case is Kaori doesn't remember him and Yuuki only spent about a minute feeling sad for himself. I would have cried for about a week myself. But Yuuki realized that Kaori was the sad one. Sure he was upset about losing this week friendship but Kaori NEVER has friends and knows this will happen over and over again. So Yuuki is going to suck it up and put his feelings aside to focus on the sad girl. He was going to bow his head and ask this girl to be his friend, despite the fact that this might end sadly each time. Kaori is shocked and I am sure everyone else in the classroom was shocked. But Yuuki is willing to be sad so Kaori can be happy, even if it is only temporary.

Please break my heart each and every week.

And that is when Tenchi went AWWWWWW. And BAWWW! This is going to be sad right? Kaori will take a little time to warm up each week but will accept Yuuki as her friend and they will do fun things then BAM Monday will roll around and Yuuki will start all over. Probably doing new things as their relationship grows. Just BAWWW! I feel bad for Kaori and her situation but thinking about Yuuki always getting his feelings hurt each week....WAI! The definition of bitter sweet. Maybe Yuuki will find joy in this situation and break the cycle but for now...well I guess I will have to wait until next week to see how their next week turns out. Until then.....WAIIII!