True Tears Episode 11

Yes, yes, I was lazy last night and didn't create an image. Just imagine four pretty pictures slapped together right here and an appropriate comment beneath each image.

My Thoughts:
Frankly, after episode 10 I was wondering if there was any hope left for a Shinichiro/Noe ending here. I can admit that I like Noe as a character. She is naive and comes across as innocent--but ultimately of the three girls, she was the only one who maintained a decent character a majority of the time. Ai was dating Miyokichi and then made moves on Shin while Hiromi was treating Noe in the same manner as Shin's mom treated her.

Not to say that I couldn't understand those characters and why they did the things they did, but Noe is the only one that didn't do anything that could be considered bad.

Of course that then begs the question of it Shin is worthy of her, especially after the 'deal' he made with Jun.

But I digress, after episode 10, we looked like we were firmly in a Shin/Hiromi ending yet he then goes and spends most of this episode daydreaming about Noe--and this happens most often when he's out doing date-like things with Hiromi. And when he gets that phone call, he never stops to think about how his actions would affect Hiromi, but rather jumps out of bed and darts out into the snow to hunt for Noe.

Frankly, I think Shinichiro is something of an idiot.

But again, I'm digressing.

Jun though, didn't seem to like his little secret-love to get revealed, and at this point I can only pray and hope that they're not blood-related. Otherwise, it's really, really creepy.

Ai though, has done a lot to redeem herself this episode. I like that she dumped Miyokichi now. That way she's not dating him in order to get closer to Shin--but rather she's setting things up that she can start going out with him because it's him.

Episode Summary:
We start off with a quick peek at the two remaining heroines for Shinichiro. Then a look at his family, before settling down on seeing Hiromi making breakfast for Shinichiro. She drags him off to the beach to look at the snow. On the way to, and while at the beach, he's constantly thinking of Noe. At least he is until Hiromi kisses him.

Then we take a look at the other male lead, poor put upon Miyokichi. He's getting a call from a payphone on his cell, and when he answers discovers that it's Ai. She's basically begging that they can start over, and he steps into her shop, making her all sorts of happy.

Shin works for a while on his picture book, and then it's time for a basketball game. Hiromi keeps getting fouled--or she is until Jun steps onto the court and reads the female team from his school the riot act for their behavior. After Shin sees this, he walks away and gets stopped by Miyokichi. Confused after that run in, he wanders off to Jibeta's coop hunting for Noe--who has been pretty much hiding from him. More pictures book work, and then he goes stands in Hiromi's old room. He then gets a warm Kodak moment with his dad and his dad's apprentice, followed by more picture book stuff.

Then we cut over to Hiromi who is doing odd things now that she's living alone. She gets a phone call from her friend, Tomoyo first, and then another from Jun asking her to see him. The next day she's over at Shin's house helping Shin's mom with some laundry, and when she takes Shin's stuff to his room stumbles upon the picture book. Shin comes in at that point and they have a freeze-frame moment.

The next scene is Hiromi meeting in the park with Jun. He apologizes for the fouls in basketball earlier, and she tells him to leave her alone. And does it by revealing the fact that she knows who he really likes. While she's walking away from him, Shin sees her and is about to call out to her when he notices Jun off to the side.

Which means it's time for more picture book stuff.

Then we get Hiromi sleeping, and being woke by a phone call from Jun. Apparently Noe hadn't returned home, and he wanted Hiromi to ask Shinichiro if he'd seen her. Hiromi hesitates for a moment, but then she calls Shin who instantly decides to go out into the snow and hunt for her. We take a quick peek at Noe, to discover that she's once again hanging out in the hen house. Shin heads to the school to find her, and upon finding the empty hen house has a flashback to one of the times he was at the beach with Noe. So he starts heading that way.

We flip over to Noe at this point, where she's walking on the wharf singing her Shinichiro/roach song. She adds a new verse this time about the person who's in Shin's heart--one which Shinichiro manages to overhear.