This episode was full of just about everything that makes Cross Game awesome. These few episodes right before the tournament starts are pure gold, because the creators are subtly trying to get the final few developments in before the matches start for real.
Speaking of which… how about the manga? Has it actually ended already, or does it continue? I mean, the characters are about to hit the final tournament of their high school careers. I can’t imagine this series continuing afterwards.
In any case, this episode was full of these small and subtle jokes as well: right after a point when a character is doing something seemingly cliched, there always turns out to be some ulterior motive. I found it strangely assertive of Aoba to just offer her ladder to Kou when he needed it it. And indeed it turns out that her father once borrowed it from Kou’s father and forgot to return it. Or when Azuma reacted emotionless when Kou brought up his birthday… only for it to turn out that Kou got the date wrong. Or take Aoba’s very subtle birthday present: a piece of cake, right after Kou just gobbled up a cake made by Akane.
Speaking of which, Kou’s eighteen now! He’s an actual adult right now, and so would Wakaba have been if she were alive at this point. That means like, what? Around eight years have passed since the start of the series? I personally love those kinds of series that show multiple flash-forwards, and don’t just stick with one or two versions of the same character.
In this episode I also realized that Kou and Aoba’s father can relate to each other very much: both lost the one they were in love with, and thought to spend the rest of their lives with. That became especially apparent as both of them stood near the graves of Wakaba and her mother.
Rating: ** (Excellent)