Natsu no Arashi! – 12
夏のあらし！ Episode 12
(Summer Storm)

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Now that things in the past have been resolved, Kanako, Yayoi, Hajime, and Hideo return to the present. Yayoi and Kanako return the energy taken from Arashi so that she is restored to life. However, this causes both Kanako and Yayoi to nearly fade from existence. They are ready to accept this but Arashi is not. She takes Hajime’s hand while Kaja takes Jun’s hand and they form a circle with Kanako and Yayoi which restores them fully.

The next day at the Ark, Hajime, Hideo, and Master are discussing the situation when Hideo realizes that Arashi is the girl who saved his father during World War II. Kanako and Yayoi arrive at the Ark where it is revealed that they’ll need someone to connect to in order to obtain the energy required to “stay alive” as it were, something Kanako says that Hideo will provide them. They want to show their appreciation for what has been done for them and offering to do anything gives Master the opening she needs to acquire two more waitresses.

Jun gets a scare when fellow model Youko arrives. Jun quietly reminds Youko to not reveal Jun’s secret, so Youko loudly declares herself to be Jun’s girlfriend. Hajime isn’t happy about this since he considers Jun to be cheating on Kaja, so Jun sends a signal to Kaja for help. Kaja misunderstands and loudly goes on about how Jun is cheating on her. Yayoi doesn’t realize what is happening so she tries to talk with Youko about this but instead gets a lesson in love from Youko.

Hajime and Arashi are splashing water on the street outside with hishaku and bucket and as they talk, they end up splashing each other in fun. A man walks up who recognizes Arashi but she doesn’t know him. They go to the Ark where Arashi agrees to go on a date with the man, YAMASHIRO Takeshi. She has her reasons and Hajime tries to play things off as no big deal but when Takeshi takes Arashi to the spot they first met, Hajime follows on a bicycle. It turns out that ten years ago, a girl who looked exactly like Arashi saved him from drowning.

Upon returning, everyone wants to know how the date went. The girls from the 40’s think that going for a drive to the beach and a meal is going pretty far. Master thinks otherwise. The injured Hajime declares that he knows when to give up but Arashi reveals to him that she’d never met Takeshi, meaning that she’d save Takeshi in the future. Since the only way to do that is with Hajime, it means they’ll be together for a while. She says she wants to save Takeshi and Hajime agrees, so the two are off.

After they return, Arashi, Kaja, Kanako, and Yayoi sit outside and discuss how how now that they are together, it is almost as if it were the past. Arashi remarks on how Hajime is the one who brought them all together again in the present. Kaja remarks on how a boy can grow up over the course of a single summer and Arashi states that it is cute how Hajime doesn’t realize any of what he’s done.

Thoughts/Review:

So now we have the final circle completion to episode 1 with Yayoi and Kanako’s employment by Master. In all honestly, the series could have wrapped up there but there’s still one more episode and I’m guessing that will have to deal with “long-haired older guy” who also has an interest in our four female ghosts. After episode 13 plays, I’m going to have to rewatch episode 1 to get some additional perspective on things now that the circle is complete.

It has been clear from the beginning that Hajime has a major crush on Arashi. What has been unclear to me is how Arashi sees Hajime beyond a friend and partner who helps her on her quest to save people from the past. The conversation at the end of this episode between Arashi, Kaja, Kanako, and Yayoi seemed to imply that despite the differences in age AND condition (ghost vs. flesh-and-blood) between Arashi and Hajime, Arashi may regard Hajime as something more. She obviously knows Hajime has a major crush on her and I think her putting her arms around Hajime from behind when she wanted to save Takeshi is part of that. However, I now wonder if there’s something more there. I’m not saying Arashi has a shoutacon fetish, but it just seems like her feelings have gone beyond friendship and partnership, but in a sweet and non-sexual way.

There were a lot more parody references in this episode, but I’ve no clue what they are. Again, I’ll just say that to whomever licenses this for R1, please include some sort of parody reference explanation chart as an extra. That way, I can learn more and appreciate these things in the future. ^_^

Beyond this, I don’t find a whole lot to say other than I’m glad that there will be another season/series of this. Despite some of SHAFT’s annoying tendencies, there has been enough good for me to find the series enjoyable.