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I wouldn’t have believed it if you had told me at the start of the series, but this show managed to give a reasonable explanation for Kaede’s heavily archetypal brocon behavior. That’s…oddly impressive, but it goes back to why I enjoy watching this show so much. I definitely wasn’t expecting a situation where multiple personalities were vying for survival. This episode made me feel so bad for the post-amnesia Kaede that I want both Kaedes to somehow survive in the end.
This episode got way more heavy than I was expecting. That being said, I do like the idea of Sakuta seeing the post-amnesia Kaede as a completely different person. It makes sense to me that he would focus so much on how Kaede became different after losing her memories, but I’m also curious. Usually, motor functions are retained in amnesia cases (like using chopsticks). It’s interesting that an entirely new personality surfaces for Kaede.
I’ve seen the theory floating around that Sakuta is actually the one with Puberty Syndrome, or he’s at least somehow responsible for bringing it out in the people close to him. This episode seemed to make a strong case for that. I know that we were seeing the memories from Sakuta’s perspective, but it definitely felt strange for Kaede’s condition to inflict physical harm on him. Given his link with the other characters in this series, it would make more sense that he caused it for himself.
One thing I didn’t truly understand in this episode was whether Kaede was actually able to notice that her former self’s memories were returning. It sounded like she knew her time was limited, but it seemed like a negative reaction to hearing this conversation between Sakuta and Mai. Could she actually feel her old memories taking over again?
It was cool to see how everyone was acting extremely patient with Kaede. It definitely feels like the right way to approach this kind of scenario.
A moment of triumph followed by a complete reversal. This show really knows how to tug at the emotions, huh? I especially liked seeing Sakuta’s reaction to the situation, having lived with the other Kaede enough to feel the weight of her loss. I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out.
They did do an exceptional job with this idea and I’m really impressed by how well thought out it seems to be. Really looking forward to how they resolve this arc.
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im feeling pretty good about it given how this show usually handles things
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This arc is already the strongest since the start, and if they can end it well, Bunny Girl might just end as well as it started.
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that would be pretty awesome
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I’m in the opposite camp… the ep was very strong, right up to the cliffhanger – where it blew everything it had spent all ep building up. I’m confident that it can recover based on it’s record… I hope.
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i felt like it was hard to finish without addressing the other kaede, so i was fine with it
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according to the LN, panda-kaede started having dreams of her past – where she could see a younger version of herself and sukata playing together. She knows she has not seen a young sukata before, so she concludes that these are memories of the old kaede resurfacing. She started setting these goals for herself because her dreams are getting more and more frequent and she knows the old kaede will come back soon. these details are not in the anime which i feel could be further explored.
also, kaede’s arc in episode 13 is far too rushed, could have given it more time to develop certain aspects of kaede – how she reacts to 2 years worth of lost memories, her thoughts after reading her diary, her interaction with sukata as a normal sibling rather than an over-dependent sister, and possibly her first day back at school, which will actually give her arc a more satisfying conclusion than glossing over everything in the post-credit scene.
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