Yuri Mania 23: Kanamemo 7-10

Gokigenyou minna-san! I've been neglecting these yuri posts for a while... Not to mention I've neglected my duties of posting about last summer's slice-of-yuri-life show, Kanamemo, for 4-5 months now. I apologize and will finish what I started with this first of two parts of "The Rest of Kanamemo" posts.



The screenshots I've taken are mostly the fan service, but remember there's a story that goes with them. I'll summarize the story and input my opinions in them as well. I hope to not spoil the story lines, but it is a down-to-earth slice-of-life anime that doesn't really involve earth-shattering situations... Unless you look at it through Kana's eyes.

Feel free to refresh your memory on Kanamemo on the first episode summary and/or read the rest of the episode summaries before this one.

Episode 7

This episode happened sometime in summer during the Obon festival/holiday in Japan. I really like how they match the episodes along with what's happening in the current events.

The Obon festival is when spirit of the family members who have died return to visit. When the festival is over they return to the land of the dead. A tradition is also mentioned here about the cucumber and the eggplant. In the morning, they add legs to the cucumber because it represents a horse; which makes the spirit arrive faster. When they go home they go on the eggplant because it represents a cow; which makes them leave slower... You really do learn some things by watching anime :)

Hinata gambles with Haruka... She loses and offers Kana for her gambling debt... Haruka humbly accepts.

Obon is also one of the only times the newspaper have a holiday. So the cast enjoy a day off at the office and then the festival at night.

Haruka-obaa-chan? Is this what's gonna happen when Haruka has grandchildren??

A little bit of Yume X Yuuki

Do you like the lilies or the fireworks pattern? Or do you prefer me?

That also gives an excuse for the cast to wear yukata and some brief (albeit covered by cats) changing scene. I'm definitely getting hungry just looking at all the festival foods. I wonder how much they are if they can stretch their 1000 yen allowance so much. Especially Kana treating this little girl who she doesn't even know with lots of things from the festival... Who is this mysterious little girl?

Really nice to learn about Japanese culture through anime and I understand a lot more of the festivals that's going on in Japan during the summer.

Episode 8

Haruka receives a gift from the sky

It's still summer and still hotter than ever... Much different than what it's like here in Vancouver. Anyhow... The episode starts with Kana trying to escape the heat by climbing on a tree because a cat knows where to find cool places.

Haruka enjoying her gift...

However, this episode is about the past... A certain person from the past that got to Saki's heart. If you can even imagine that's possible after seeing her cold attitude throughout the series. She is Marimo-chan, possibly the Yume to Saki's Yuuki ^^;

Which brings us to a cold snap that happened last year. Now that's closer to what it was like here! This episode really shows Saki's tsundere side that doesn't show too much in the previous episodes. So in Kana's eyes, someone that can have an effect like that towards Saki must know magic!

I'm loving the eyecatches and the end illustrations for each episodes.

A flashback to a different character is nice... but I would love to see more of her. She looks like about Haruka's age, but I don't think she's obsessed about groping girls ^^;

Episode 9

Really now? Can't even show the hole? =/

Haruka knows everyone's (girls from 7-15 years old) body, including their growth.

This episode starts with the RIP heard around the... dining room. Kana's gaining some weight and her pants can't hold it anymore! So she decides to go on a diet... A very peculiar cosplay diet at that...

That changed quite quickly though. It ended up with Kana and Mika taking care of a classmate's dog because she will be away for half the day... WUT? They can't leave a dog alone for half a day!? Anyway... It sounded like a good opportunity for Kana and Mika to get used to dogs and exercising at the same time.

This episode also delved into Mika's past with dogs. I have to say, Shouko Iwami, the manga artist, is really good at creating these bittersweet moments. I've seen this quite a bit with Suzunari. It's quite wonderful how a 4koma can deal with serious subjects as well.

Haruka was restrained completely for most of the episodes! They know her attacks quite well now...

Well... She's in police custody now... How'd she get out of this for the next episode??

I really found it jarring at the switch of focus of the episode. I should really know these kinds of shows do that a lot by now, but it was quite a strange switch. Good to learn more about Mika though.

Episode 10

Yume's an ojou-sama?

This is where Iwami's writing really shows its bittersweet moments. This episode deals with the feelings between Yuuki and Yume, but also Kana's feelings towards the rest of the cast. It all begins with Yume leaving in a fancy car and Kana misunderstanding why Yume left; which gives her sympathy towards Yuuki who look distressed.

The cop from the last episode should've detained her longer...

Kana tries very hard to not remind Yuuki of Yume at all in this episode because she thinks they're finally separated. In the second half of the episode she begins to wonder about her own loneliness and wondered about what happens when nobody is there for her.

Is this how you make real iced tea??

Again it's all a misunderstanding on Kana's part when Yume returned. Though she can't help but wonder about her loneliness for not having someone close to her like Yume and Yuuki. But of course she does have her yuri pairing, whether she realizes it or not ^v^

Kana running with a piece of toast in her mouth! KAWAII!

Someone put a restraining order on Haruka from the school!

It's around this episode that I'm starting to learn the pattern for each episode now. Something humorous in the beginning with a groping by Haruka, Kana's event (serious or humorous) and conclusion. It becomes quite predictable how the show runs, but this has quite a serious turn in the middle of this episode.

That's all for now. I would've loved to finish it off in one post, but I took too many screenshots and perhaps wrote too much. Until next time, gokigenyou!