So... that MIB claim wasn't a lie?
There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that things were going to get emotional real soon. With AnoHana's finale being a real tear-jerker, I expected no less from AnoNatsu; Ichika's departure was inevitable, but her return was questionable. To heighten the impact of the first emotional scene, more Kaito x Ichika moments were shown prior to the climatic events that happen at "the place". Yes, the whole separation was indeed depressing, but seeing as how they still have a chance to see each other again, it wasn't too, too sad. I did find the dialogue a bit cheesy, though.
My favorite part of the episode was most definitely during the viewing of the movie. At first, the four friends were happily reminiscing about the events of that summer, thinking about all the great times they spent together. But soon after, both Kanna and Kaito break down in tears, remembering the heartbreak and struggles that they also experienced over the summer. Especially on Kaito's part, as the scenes of him and Ichika fly across the screen, I'm certain he must have felt guilty thinking about how helpless he was back when Ichika was being taken away by the rescue pod. The end product (although technically "unfinished") referenced the title of the anime, with "that summer" referring to the one in which the film was shot in. Connections like these are always interesting to see. Despite the poor quality of the film, seeing the images of Kaito and Ichika smiling happily on screen brought some tears to my eyes as I imagined how the two must have felt right then and there if they were watching it.
Moving on to the more comedic parts of the episode, Lemon once again shows how awesome she is. First off, the truck with the mecha arm coming out of its roof in the last episode was seemingly just a sneak peak of the real thing - a Transformer-like vehicle loaded with weapons. Secondly, the claim that she was a Men in Black agent in Episode 9 turned out to actually be true, to my surprise. The most amusing part of it all was that she was shown to be wearing the whole suit & sunglasses attire as she made her way into the headquarters. And although it wasn't explicitly stated, I think it's safe to say that Lemon is not an alien after all (*sigh of relief*). Maybe she's just too skilled of a troll!
For these past twelve weeks, Ano Natsu de Matteru has been one of my favorite, if not absolute favorite, shows of the Winter 2012 season. As a fan of complex love polygons in anime and manga, Ano Natsu catered to my preferences. Though I'm still not a big fan of the whole sci-fi aspect of the show, it was nonetheless enjoyable, overall.
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