Starting right where episode 1 left off, we have Jinta talking to Poppo about Menma and the wish that they are desperately trying to remember. We find a lot about Poppo. He doesn’t go to school, but instead travels around the world. The only thing I want to know is where the hell does he work?! He works part-time jobs and makes enough money to travel the globe? He has gone to several countries as well, there are at least 15 circles on the map and that would cost a lot of money. Ignoring the fallacies of his travels, I found Jinta reconnecting with Poppo a very valuble scene. Jinta has been pulling away from people since he became a shut in and Poppo is the able to reconnect him to the world, and if it wasn’t for his laid back optimistic personality, he wouldn’t have been able to pull him back.
I found the interaction between Tsurumi and Anjou very interesting. They obviously had a falling out sometime after Menma died. I am guessing that Tsurumi is upset about Menma not because Matsuyuki likes Menma and Tsurumi likes Matsuyuki, but because Menma’s death broke apart their group and no one has gotten over her. I understand that her death was a defining moment in their lives, but those who can’t move on and always reflect on that live a rather depressing life, and maybe that is why Tsurumi has become that way. I was a bit shocked when Matsuyuki pulled out Memna’s old dress and smelled it. He is kind of a pervert.
I really enjoyed Anjou’s part in this episode. We got to see her not only fight with Tsurumi, but also we got a good look at how she feels responsible for Menma’s death. It added a new prospective to the confession scene. I am guessing we will see both Tsurumi and Matsuyuki’s version of that scene in later episodes. I also liked how we got to see more of Anjou and Jinta’s relationship. I thought it was too adorable watching their awkward expressions. Hopefully we get some real progress in their relationship as time goes on.
The last thing I want to talk about in this episode is the assumption that Menma came back to the world to play Pokemon. I mean, for reals? I understand that you have to “Catch Em’ All,” but coming back from the dead because you missed out is just sad. I did enjoy watching the scene with them together playing Nokemon. I did like this episode and it really did do a good job in keeping up the drama.
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