Things are getting more serious and that was probably the reason why we didn’t get to see the opening (Although it can also be because of the fact that beech arc has ended). There is the possibility that we might get to see a new opening. Two important things that happened in this episode was that we views about the curse from someone from the outside and the end of the forceful relationship of Kyo and Kagura.
Beech arc has ended and throughout the arc we have seen a great deal of character development and it can also be seen in this episode as Kyo and Yuki both seemed to act differently than how they usually behave. They all got a surprise after coming back to home where they saw Ayame surrounded by the mess he made in the house. Yuki and Ayame’s relation seems to have developed a lot as Yuki seemed relatively calm after finding him lying in his house like that. That would have normally made him furious but he was quite relaxed. They seemed to speaking a little differently than before and I like how they communicated with each other. Ayame was concerned about Yuki as due the arrival of Akito in summer home. I think Akito is afraid of Akito and probably that is the reason why he didn’t go to visit the summer home. However I don’t remember if the series has showed Ayame’s views or interaction with Akito so it is unknown what he thinks about him.
We didn’t just see the development in Ayame and Yuki’s relation but there the relation of Yuki with Kyo has also changed and they didn’t fight with each other like they usually do. It’s funny how Yuki expresses his vies about Kyo’s preferences. Yuki used to act coldly when Kyo was around or when he sued to beat him up but he seems to have some emotions while dealing with him even if those are emotions of displeasure. I hope to see them to act positively around each other.
Although compared to Yuki and Kyo, not much character development has taken place in case of Tohru but she has discovered a lot about the curse and seems determined to break the curse. The first thing she does after getting back home is to call Kazuma and it looks like she wouldn’t stop until she achieve her motive. Calling Kazuma was the right decision as he is the person who seems to know a lot about the curse despite of not being the zodiac member. I like Tohru’s willpower as she seems to push all the limits to break the curse.
I was intrigued to see the conversation between Kazuma and Tohru, as it was nice to see views of a non-cursed Sohma about Akito and it can be compared with the views of a curse member. For Kazuma, Akito is just a childlike guy who likes to through tantrums on every little thing but for the cursed members Akito is someone to be respected and honored no matter what. So the person, if he is Sohma does not sees Akito same as the Zodiac member as only they are bound to do what he wants and live their lives according to him. While non-cursed Sohma do not have to care about him. So it is true that it is the curse that do not let the Zodiac members leave Akito on their will and they are bound to him no matter what. Sadly they can’t do anything about his even if they want to be free. Unfortunately Kazuma can’t do anything about the curse but is willing to help Tohru as he also do not want Kyo and others to be confined for the rest of their lives.
The large part of the episode was about Kyo and Kagura. Here we witnessed a change in both characters as they both acted maturely. First we saw Kyo acting differently with Yuki and then with Kagura and in both the cases he didn’t acted rashly and was annoyed with her like he used to get. Instead he was calm and decided to talk to her. It’s also kind of sad watching him like that as it seems like he has given up on his fate and is not trying to escape that ill-fate anymore.
Talking about Kagura, she has never been one of my favorite but that doesn’t mean I disliked her. I had neutral feeling towards her. But she has also been on the annoying side since the beginning until now when she seemed to act quite maturely. It’s not easy to confess something like that but I like that she was being honest with him and told him that she always looked down on him and was guilty about that. Kagura’s love for Kyo never felt real anyway as she always tried to pressurize him and that kind of relation was never good for any of them.
Although Kagura had some really ugly reasons for getting close to Kyo but I still do not dislike her. She was just a child when she first met Kyo and it seems like that her childhood was not easy as well as being the zodiac member she might also have suffered on emotional level. Considering her parents are divorced as we have only seen her mother, it can be assumed that she is the reason for their separation. Being a child it is not easy to see that happening and taking the blame for that, not to mention being cursed is not any less of a burden. That can also be the reason for her dual personality.
It would be wrong to compare both Kyo and Kagura in terms of suffering and being hurt as they both are cursed and both have faced the hardships in their own way. Even if Kyo has been hurt more, it would not be right to say that Kagura’s suffering was nothing. But the reason why Kagura has gained my respect in this episode is because she admits her feelings rather than hiding them and by expressing them openly she is able to let him go. It’s good that she didn’t decide this because of Tohru getting close to Kyo but on the basis of what she witnessed on the day his true form was revealed to Tohru. She could compare her own reaction from hers and came to the conclusion why Tohru is better for him.
Even Kyo acted with maturity after getting to know about her true feelings and was grateful to her for spending time with him and befriending him. I know there are a lot of people who do not like Kagura and will show more hatred towards her after this revelation but I personally do not resent her as she is honest and was important to Kyo when no one was there to accompany him as a friend. Their relation ended on a soft note and I like this maturity from both sides as it is much unexpected from both of them.
