Consider this an apology for last week’s entry. ;_;

Tomoya’s sudden progression and adaption to the work came at surprisingly fast rate considering the how much skill must be needed to fix electrical towers; I’m going to assume it isn’t as easy as flipping burgers or punching buttons at a cashier since he’s payed a lot more. o.o Although still a bit tired in the beginning of the episode, it wasn’t up to the point where he collapsed on the floor once inside the apartment or falling asleep during the conversation with Nagisa like last time, hinting that he may be utilizing his time better since he said that he sleep as soon as he’s alone; alas, his dedication and humble attitude hasn’t wavered throughout his experience either, despite how many times Yusuke tells him “You’re doing it wrong,” or how his injured shoulder prevents him from doing something so simple as screwing a bolt without using more effort than is needed to. He even opts to not meet up with Nagisa until very late after he corrects his previous mistake (something I wouldn’t recommend anyone should do unless their girlfriends are very understanding…and even then, massive guilt. o_o). Dating back to well into the basketball game when he decided to take the shot despite the unlikelihood of making it, Tomoya’s growth in trying to put as much effort as possible continues to shine.

Of course, the biggest influence in Tomoya’s attitude could indeed be Yoshino Yusuke; despite the fact that he seemed a bit like an ass by constantly shouting out the mistakes and his lack of a smile implies that he’s always pissed despite not having the voice to show it, he obviously means well. I mentioned before that he’s a bit of an older brother figure and at times shifts to a father figure, and this episode made me classify him more and more towards the latter, since his correcting nature and impassioned speeches towards life make him seem older than he appears. The same mysteries we’ve had still remain though; despite him being the mentor of the can-do attitude Tomoya, why did Yusuke quite being a musician? Granted we’ve never heard any of his songs before (not counting his loud screaming during Misae’s arc), but if he’s so admired by Sunohara and Mei, why did he settle down for an electrician job? Oh, and how he decided to score his teacher, since Kouko was already a teacher then as well, some info on that would be nice.

Mmm, Nagisa thighs…

Making friends with someone who’s been held back a year must be some forbidden act or something; even now, Nagisa hasn’t been shown to even talk to another student besides the ones she already knows, being so alone that it looks like she’s the one who looks forward to coming to Tomoya’s apartment than he does, and disregards Tomoya’s apologies for “making” her come every day to cook. The moment when Tomoya indicated that he might not be able to go to the Founder’s Festival and her response being merely a simple smile and a “it’s a shame, but I’m glad you’re working hard” was heartbreaking, even more so when she showed no sort of resentment when Tomoya showed up so late the Festival was over. Though her resilience has been holding up for the past few episodes, I wonder if she’ll continue to keep this up without worry if situations get better, or maybe we’ll see a crying Nagisa pretty soon? She’s only cried once, so I wouldn’t bet on it.

“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine! O_O

Also, Akio is awesome. Let it be known that even when you’re middle aged, you can still go around swinging a lightsaber and play tricks on your waifu without any real consequences whatsoever.

Few minor character mentions: Tomoya’s dad is mentioned once again, though we haven’t seen the guy in the entire 11 weeks that have passed. Yusuke also mentioned a big hospital being built soon, which means we might see Ryou working there eventually, not now necessarily but with all the time skips we’ve been having, maybe not too far off. Show ▼

PREVIEW

Looks like Tomoya’s finally earning some time off to go out with Nagisa, and acting very couple-like in the kitchen. Yusuke looks to be getting more time too, and his words seem to be recounting a past experience…could we be learning about his past now? With “A Sudden Happening” as a title, something very important might be coming…

Minna! Miteite Kure!

And yes, this will be the last time I make a Smash reference. o.o

 -Jay