Today’s episode is lined up with many good things this time! From the feels, to another mystery, and even Rubik’s Cubes! Yes, you have read right, Rubik’s Cubes were involved and seeing how it was used in this episode was just too intriguing! Let’s go ahead and get right into it!
Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t seen this episode, I suggest you stop here. If you haven’t watched the series, please have a look at my first impression of the show (Spoiler Free).
I know this is a mystery series, but I am glad to see how Haruchika can keep the comedy flowing smoothly without it feeling awkward or forced. The way Haruta and Chika pick at each other by commenting on their responses is entertaining and doesn’t feel out of place, rather it feels realistic (I actually do it too). Later on, we get introduced to Niyoko Narushima, a former oboist who stopped playing due to the death of her brother. With that, it seems Haruta wants her in the club due to his goal. Haruta is aiming for the top, or in this case, nationals, and he needs the club to gain more members if he wants that to happen. Finding out Haruta’s goal was something we needed to understand his character. He has a goal and he is going to great lengths to achieve it and that gives Haruta purpose.
After trying to get Miyoko to join the club and a hilarious segment of Haruta and Chika getting domestic pineapple juice, she declines! Poor Haruta and Chika; imagine the time and effort it took to get that (I would be angry). Well, good thing Haruta is persistent, as he gets Mayu Nishikawa, Miyoko’s friend, to give him a little more insight into the reason of Miyoko’s declination. From this, we can see Haruta is much sharper than we thought he was. We knew he was pretty smart, but for him to know who to contact to help his situation was something I didn’t expect, good going Haruta!
This is where the episode starts getting heated. Haruta talks about instruments and their players’ personalities, and if you have ever been in a school band or in a music group, then you know that each instrument comes its stereotypes. An example would be that people who play the flute are emotional daisies, or at least, that’s how it was for my band and that relates to Haruta mentioning Miyoko being in an emotional state due to her brother. After going over to Miyoko’s house along with Mayu, we find out more about Miyoko’s situation and her brother being into puzzles; he even has a wall of them. But after Haruta states to Miyoko that he wants to help her, the drama rises and she tells them all to get out. Despite them leaving, she comes back with a proposal for Haruta: solve the white Rubik’s Cube her brother left for her! It won’t be easy though since the cube is her “Punishment”. Hmm, how interesting…
How Haruta solves the cube was something else. Actually, to be completely fair, it was Chika who helped Haruta get to the bottom of it by smelling the cube, only to find out it was painted over due to its weird aroma. From here on is when the feels start kicking in as we see Haruta painting over the cube, much to Miyoko’s dismay, to find the true meaning of the white Rubik’s Cube, which is a dying message from Miyoko’s brother! The message was a last note to Miyoko from her brother which stated that she had finally solved the cube, but one can interpret that as Miyoko moving on from the year-long grief and her brother was happy for her. Seeing her cry in that moment brought so many feels; just seeing her blame herself for her brother’s death by stating the unsolvable cube was her punishment, then her moving on a little had such an impact and was the cherry on top for the episode as well as development for Miyoko.
With that, much to Chika’s excitement, it looks like we got a new member for the crew since she did promise! To sum it up, the episode did everything well and did it smoothly. The mystery aspect was there and consistent, the comedy wasn’t out of the place, the characterization was well done, and the feels or emotional impact was that final touch the episode needed to make it feel complete. So far, HaruChika is living up to the hype and I cannot wait to see what else it has in store for us!
Check out the other Winter 2016 Anime season related articles!
(Screenshot Credits: Funimation)
Big thank you to our supporters
From their continous support, we are able to pay our team for their time and hard work on the site.
We have a Thank-You page dedicated to those who help us continue the work that we’ve been doing.
See our thank you page
