夏のあらし！ Episode 10
(Summer Storm)
Natsu no Arashi! – 10

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Kanako is draining Arashi of her energy, so Hajime races forward to stop this. Kanako fires her crossbow at him but the bolt is shattered by the Detective with his katana, who happens on the scene. Seeing that Kanako was about to kill Arashi, the Detective declares his contract canceled and Kanako is forced to retreat but not before issuing a warning. The Detective and Hajime get Arashi to Hajime’s grandfather’s house. He convinces the Detective to show him Kanako’s residence. The Detective goes a step further, offering to come with Hajime. Hajime isn’t keen on this until he sees the Detective’s name on his business card — MURATA Hideo — the son of the man Arashi saved in World War II.

Arriving at Kanako’s place, they begin a search of the darkened mansion while Kaja, Master, and Jun tend to Arashi. Hideo and Hajime split up with Hajime going after Kanako’s crippled friend, Yayoi. Kanako arrives and attacks Hideo while Hajime finds Yayoi. He’s going to bind the frightened girl up but allows her to drag herself to her wheelchair as she refuses to let him touch her. Yayoi reveals that she and Kanako are ghosts as well from 1945 and they knew Arashi and Kaja. She tells the story of her friendship with the sometimes harsh Kanako to an amazed Hajime.

Meanwhile, Hideo appears to have defeated Kanako but when he takes pity on her, she takes him out with a stun gun. She comes upstairs to attack Hajime, which leads to Yayoi protesting that Hajime did nothing bad to her and pleading for Kanako to stop. Hajime wants Kanako to stop going after Arashi which Kanako has no intention of doing since she and Yayoi are fading. She attacks Hajime, who stumbles backwards into Yayoi. Their physical contact causes a reaction and they disappear into time and space, leaving a frustrated Kanako behind.

Thoughts/Review:

Hmmmm — so Kanako and Yayoi are from the same time period as Kaja and Arashi. I’d guess that after next episode, the conflict with them will be resolved and they’ll be working at the Ark. It is interesting that Hajime and Yayoi went back in time though, so I’m also guessing we’ll see what becomes of that trip — another World War II jaunt I imagine. Regardless, why didn’t Arashi recognize Kanako? I suppose she didn’t know Kanako that well in the past.

It is also interesting that Arashi has been using the years to go back into the past and save people from air raids. Kaja apparently has done nothing but look in on the man she fell in love with. Yayoi has been reading books the whole time while Kanako has been fostering rage the whole time. On a personal level, I’d love to be more like Arashi, but I’d end up being like Yayoi mostly I think. ^_^;

Speaking of the time travel, I liked how Hajime discovered that everything done in the past established the present he’s always known. Of course if one changes the past, how would one be sure that the present didn’t change as well? ^_~ That’s obviously not the case here as while episode 1 reveals that Kanako and Yayoi will be members of the Ark staff, it also revealed that when they time travel, they simply fulfill the duties they were meant to accomplish in order to complete the circle. Hideo, the formerly unnamed detective, is proof of that as well. As an aside, it now seems almost odd that Hajime would be so jealous of him in episode 1.

I wonder if Hajime’s grandfather will end up being someone saved by Arashi.

Ugh. SHAFT is going to continue those “I read a book” jokes even if they have to change the players. These may work for some of you, but I really don’t like them. Maybe if I knew the different anime/manga/whatever’s they were referencing, it would be different. Since I don’t, it is just an eye-rolling experience for me. Your mileage may vary though. I do like the harpsicord music for the record.

I continue to enjoy this anime on the whole though and do look forward to seeing how things turn out next episode. ^_^