~Sasameki Koto~ Episodes 1-4

Once again I am defeated by not correcting the aspect ratio.
Too lazy to screen snip instead of use the screenshot tool..

Sasameki Koto a show about unrequited love, yuri, and touch of comedy? This is pretty much the perfect show for me to watch ^__^ .  With the comedy thrown in to balance out the amount of emotional crap Sumika has to deal with about her so far one sided love interest in Kazama.  Oh I do pray for a happy ending.. somehow I just don't think it will happen. None-the-less this show is pretty fantastic so far.

To be honest most shows dealing with these same themes usually focus more on the comedy and slice of life adventures of the girls (see Yuru Yuri).  Sasameki Koto is driven by Sumika's unrequited love for Kazama who of course is oblivious to her best friends emotions.  As the viewer watching just how painfully obvious Sumika cares for Kazama and Kazama innocent but incredibly hurtful choices of words, I just can't help but want to give Sumika a hug for dealing with all those unintentional verbal reminders of her unnoticed feelings.  At least, that is my interpretation so far..

I really just want to smack some sense into you Kazama.

Oh Kazama you love any and all cute girls that you see, but you can't see your best friends feelings as she walks hand in hand with you.  We witness Kazama being rejected in the library, her torrents of tears, and of Sumika coming to her rescue.. striking a cord with any of us out there that always come to our friends help and are never noticed for what we do until much later.  All in the first episode, I made the mistake of watching this one morning at work, I had to fight so hard to hold back my tears of empathy for both Kazama's sadness of rejection and of Sumika's unrequited love for her friend.

Sunsets are the best time to kiss! 

Episodes 2-4 introduce other side characters; Akemiya, a boy in Sumika's class and also her fellow class representative, later the couple Miyako and Tomoe whom Sumika and Kazama watched kiss each other at sunset in a deserted classroom, and finally Kiyori the seemingly token straight girl in the group.  On the extreme peripheral characters are all of the random cute girls that Kazama crushes on each episode and a magazine model that mysteriously lives in the same neighborhood as Sumika and Kazama.

Akemi(ya) minus the wig. Still super adorable.

The story begins to turn, the Girls Club is created with Miyako and Tomoe lightly blackmailing Sumika into joining along with Kazama who joins at the moment cute girls are mentioned.  And our wonderful Akemiya aka Akemi is dragged along to join as well.. oh right.. he's a cross dresser and a very cute one at that!  With the goal of finding Kazama a suitable girl, repressing Sumika's feelings, hoping no one finds out about Akemi's true gender, and wondering what sort of people Miyako and Tomoe are will come in the next few episodes.. I hope.

Sumika was just told that she was not Kazama's "type" so sad.

Story - 8/10 Lesbian angst and difficulty in Japan. This is something new and refreshing (for me).
Art - 8/10 Opening is lovingly done, scenery porn especially during the sunset scenes, evolving endings.
Music - 7/10 Lots of piano background music, I am a fan. OP and ED are so-so to me.
Characters - 9/10 I'm prolly going to end up wanting to hit Kazama.

Overall - 9/10 for the first 4 episodes, Episode 1 made me cry, that is a near instant win.

Also that dress Kazama picked for you looks fantastic.

Episodes 5-8 when I have time to watch them. Also a general review of all anime that I'm watching that ends this week soon. C3, Bento, Mawaru Penguindrum, and quite a few others..

Bonus Akemi screenshot, I have a weakness for traps..