H20: Footprints in the Sand - Episode 5

My Thoughts:
This series lacks the subtle greatness of True Tears, yet it is still quite enjoyable, and this episode delivers more of the same in that regard. Luckily, we're starting to actually get answers here, as some of the questions regarding the relationship between Hinata and Hayami are getting some attention. Still not sure why the teacher overlooks that whole cockroach thing that Rei does, but at least we're a bit closer to an answer. Or at least, I hope we are.

That said and done, I need to point out the relationship between Hinata and her grandfather, and the prime fact that her grandfather is a real piece of work. He's tossing his granddaughter at Takuma just because of his family name, and so that the Kagura family's existence would be "assured." Additionally, the way he has cowed the poor girl into a extension of his own will, is nigh upon disgusting. I can't wait for the fall out of the last bit of this episode, and am hoping that it'll involve Takuma smacking the old fart around a bit.


Episode Summary:
This episode restated the last minute or so of episode 4. The cast is at the beach and Takuma is taking a stroll along the water's edge. Then he sees Hayami swimming. She comes into the shore, and tells Takuma that they need to talk about Takuma's feelings. At this point Hinata shows up and drags Takuma away. A few steps away, she tells Takuma that she loves him, and when Hayami begins to walk away, she keeps Takuma from following her; at which point Hayami tells Takuma to leave her alone. The next scene is their first day back at school, and Rei had drawn an image of Takuma and Hinata getting married. During the class, Hayami finds that Rei and her henchmen had drawn all over her exercise book, and when Takuma offers her one of his, she creates a commotion which gets her kicked out of the class. After school, Takuma is chasing her down, when Hinata's grandfather drives up, and more or less forces Hinata to drag Takuma to lunch with them. During the lunch, the grandfather calls Takuma Hirose-sama (which is the same thing that Hinata calls him), and Takuma has a slight reaction to it. That evening, Hinata walks Takuma home, and Takuma asks her if her grandfather is putting her up to this. When Hinata gets home, she tries to tell her grandfather that she can't do what he's telling her to, and the grandfather cows her into submission again, and then orders her to take Takuma out the next day and entertain him. She shows up at Hinata's place and discovers that he's already gone. Which is when we switch over to Takuma, he's sitting and chatting with Hamaji, and finds out a bit of the backstory: basically, Hinata and Hayami were best friends, until the night when there was a parade of adults who confronted Hayami. Hinata ran away when Hayami asked for help, and when her grandfather got home, he chewed her out, and told her she had to be a good girl for the family, and that was the last time the two had really talked. We then switched back over to Hinata and she saw Hayami walking. As Hayami passed her, she asked Hinata if her feelings were real, to which Hinata replied that they were. Hayami told her she wished Hinata happiness, and then Hinata went home and told her grandfather, who was quite pleased with the conversation. Back to Takuma again, who once more is visited by the "spirit" Otoha. He confides in her, and she gives him a bit of advice. He then goes and gets Hinata and drags her to Hayami's house, and Hinata is rather distraught at where her former friend is living. Hayami shows up, and Hinata apologizes, at which time Hayami offers her a piece of candy, saying the same quote which Hinata uses about candy.