What a strange little series this is. Some recurring themes are starting to emerge – one of them being kisses to odd parts of the female anatomy, apparently. First it was the back of Haruka’s knee, now Kaoru’s navel. While the navel seems intrinsically a sexier place to kiss, I must confess this encounter didn’t pack the erotic tension the first one did for some reason.

That leads to one of the core dilemmas of this show. It’s inevitable to compare the different girls – the very structure of the series demands it. This is inevitably going to lead to liking some arcs much better than others. This was true of a show like Kanon as well, though in that case there was still a central theme running through the entire series and no “reset button” between arcs. While the other girls have cameos in each arc here, there’s not munch continuity between them.

Including, I would venture, Junichi’s behavior. I will give the writers credit, though, as that’s actually interesting – we get to see how the different girls bring out different elements of his personality. Whereas with Haruka he was clearly the junior partner, his relationship with Kaoru is much more even-handed. He behaves much more confidently with her, dishing it out as well as taking it. I enjoy their relationship and it’s interesting to see their feelings slowly evolving (especially hers) but somehow, it’s not as romantic for me as the oddball affair with Haruka. And Junichi’s forcefulness doesn’t seem to have the same impact here, as it’s easier for him to be that way with Kaoru.

In any case, two more eps to see where this one leads before we restart…