Kokoro Connect - Episode 3

The pain... Oh, the pain!

Another great episode that further touched on the backgrounds of a few of the characters, particularly Yui, who's slowly becoming my favourite in the group. This kind of traumatic event (attempted rape, in this case) which affects a character's composure in certain situations isn't something new. However, the method Taichi utilizes to try and support Yui is by far one of the more extreme cases of self-sacrifice that I've seen. I mean, kicking yourself in the nether regions is one thing. But doing so inside the body of a girl who's trained in martial arts is another. Just watching the cold sweat pour down his face while he squirms on the ground in pain after he switches back into his own body was painful to see. Nonetheless, Taichi got the job done, and even though it's not going to be an instant transformation where Yui will no longer be scared of men, at least he started her off in the right direction. Although I was initially supporting Taichi x Iori, I think Taichi x Yui is also a nice pairing.

As for Iori, she seems to have come to an agreement with her mother on something. Obviously, this was kept from the audience as an attempt to provoke some thought. My guess is that it has something to do with either moving to another city or remarriage, both of which are common instigators of drama in anime. While you do see Iori happily agreeing with whatever her mother had said, it's easy to wonder if she truly feels that way. I mean, given her constantly cheerful personality, regardless of her situation, it's hard to tell if she's actually happy about it or is just agreeing for the sake of her mother's happiness. On top of that, she now has to deal with Taichi's budding relationship with Yui, given what Himeko's statement about Iori liking Taichi is true.

And while the episode had a positive aura to it for the most part, the cliffhanger at the end totally came out of nowhere. To be honest, Himeko is the last person I'd expect to fall victim to a health-related problem given her seemingly strong mind and body. However, I guess she, too, has something she's been hiding from the others, just like Iori and Yui. With her independent personality, I feel Himeko is going to have a tough time coming to terms with the fact that she'll need to be dependent on the others until health recovers.

Slowly but surely, relationships are starting to form within the club due to the recent body switching. As the series goes on, I have a feeling a complicated love polygon will form. So when that time comes, I hope the body switching will add a nice element to it all and prevent the show from turning into another typical romantic comedy with drama.