Hana notices a strange package in Shion’s apartment. How will she deliver it?
When Hana came to Shion’s apartment, she finds a strange package. Shion forgot to deliver it. From Hana reading the name on the package, she believes it’s for Hannan Taikai. It’s funny how Hana becomes scared and didn’t know how to deliver the package. Thankfully, Shion wrote what Hana should say on a piece of paper. When she says what is on the paper to deliver the package, a woman scared her after opening the door.
Eventually, Hannan Hiroe and Hana clears up their misunderstanding with Shion. Apparently, Hiroe failed her college entrance exams and is staying in the apartment to study for it. While Hana and Hiroe shake hands despite shaking the whole table, Hiore’s past is a lot darker than Hana realizes.
I have to admit that Hana’s dream is hilarious. This is where Hana tells her friends that she is held back a year. Her friends interpret this as Hana being good at spinning umbrellas. Basically, this is a pun with rounin (浪人、ろうにん), which sounds similar to rolling. Rounin means unemployed samurai or someone who graduated that failed the entrance exams, but still studying for a second chance. This supposed to reference Hana’s inability to take the entrance exams the first time and studying for a second chance. Most people won’t get this joke since it’s lost in the official translation. Either way, Hana wakes up, she realizes it’s not real. Maybe someday, she will reveal the truth.
The next day, Shion have Hana deliver another package. When Hana delivers the package, Hiroe scares her again. This time, Hana comes into Hiroe’s appartment. It’s funny how Hana reads Hiroe’s name as tournament instead of Hiroe. When Hiroe opens the package, it contains scotch tape. It’s funny how it came in a big box. It reminds me of the time when Amazon used a big box to ship a small item back in 2010.
Either way, it’s apparent that Hiroe is a hikikomori since she relies on buying stuff online. When she tries to order tea on her iPhone, she couldn’t receive same day delivery. Because of what happened in the past, she is hesitant to go outside her apartment. Eventually, she reveals that she never took the entrance exams since she slipped and fall into the snow. It took hours for someone to discover her.
From the fall, she became unconscious. Given that she missed the deadline, she couldn’t face her friends because it’s too embarrassing. Given that she is on top of her class and even student council president during high school, it’s not surprising. In other words, she is like Hana, but worse since she became a hikikomori. She shut herself in the apartment wearing only sweats. In other words, she lost all motivation to interact with others or even take the entrance exams. I have to admit that her story is melancholic. Still, I wonder how she got the money to buy all this stuff online?
With Hana experienced a similar situation, she tells Hiroe that it’s not funny. She tells her that she is a year behind. It’s obvious that Hana wants to help Hiroe to gain the courage to take those exams. This means taking the first step and going to a convenience store. Of course, even that is hard for Hiroe since she only own sweats. She doesn’t know what clothing looks good on her.
In short, Hana calls her best friend, Tama for advice, which she refers her to Eiko. In other words, Tama, Eiko and Kamuri came over carrying clothes. As always, the girls look great in their home clothing, especially Kamuri. Kamuri is adorable with twin tails.
As you would expect, Eiko had a field day. After Eiko finished with Hiroe’s hair and makeup, she revealed her new look. Hiroe looks like a different person, although pretty. Eiko eventually decides on a different outfit, which makes Hiroe look like herself. I have to admit that Hiroe looks good in both outfits.
In short, Eiko and her friends took Hiroe out clothes shopping. Hiroe thought she is only going to the convenience store and that’s it. She eventually goes along with the clothes shopping and picked out the outfits she likes. It’s nice how Eiko put a list of outfits in a notebook for Hiroe.
While Hana is not ready to tell her friends the truth, it’s nice how Hana helped Hiroe out. Despite the road for Hiroe to stop being a hikikomori is long, hopefully she will gain the courage to take the exams. From this, Hana and Hiroe might make a nice pairing, although Hana and Tamate still my main pick.
“Her friends interpret this as Hana being good at spinning umbrellas.”
Or rather they thought that she is ronin (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ronin) – ronin nowadays means ronin and someone year behind. Wordplay lost in shitty official “translation”.
I noted this in the post in an update. Thanks for the insight.
I liked this episode quite a bit compared to the others. I have a feeling these two only see being a ronin as bad due to the low chance it happens. Where I’m from a gap before college season is impossible although they do send you to a “trade school” instead.
For college season it’s also not strange because it’s know that not everyone is rich so staying behind to work first isn’t seen as bad. If it was at least like that over there then maybe Hiroe wouldn’t have felt so ashamed? Who knows but I like the bond between her and Hana either ways.
It happened to me in my very early age of my life. I think some go through it some way, but it shouldn’t be a setback. But yes, the bonds between Hana and Hiroe develops further as the show went on. Not surprising since she and Shion is the only ones that know about her ronin years.