Living For The Day After Tomorrow / Asatte no Houkou

AN Shows
21

Episode 7 -

spoiler

Karada wants to make a cake for Hiro’s birthday and would like to use Shoko’s apartment. After shopping for the cake ingredients, Shoko unpacks some things at her apartment and Karada tries on some of her clothes. Karada asks Shoko about America and also asks if there was someone special in her life. Shoko says that there was, but that he was “a good-for-nothing loser” and she lists some of his faults. Karada has no idea Shoko is talking about Hiro and says that he doesn’t sound like a very nice person.
*
At lunchtime, Hiro gets asked about his live-in girlfriend by Toko. She also asks about the little girl and Hiro comes up with a good cover story, but chokes on his food when Toko asks what happened to his other friend, Shoko.
*
As Karada and Shoko finally get around to making the cake, it turns out that Shoko is a disaster in the kitchen. Her flashback was a little sad when she tried to make Hiro a birthday dinner and ruined it. She takes him to a fancy restaurant instead only to have him say that it was unnecessary – he would have just liked a home cooked meal. But at least this cake comes out perfect!
*
On the way home, there are people gathered at the roadside shrine. It’s been discovered that the wishing stones have been replaced with charcoal. The people think it’s some sort of prank, but Karada and Shoko just looked sad. I wonder if they will ever get back to themselves. Anyway, Hiro liked the cake and it was nice to see that the girls are bonding.
*
However, I think that Karada later finds a picture of Hiro and Shoko in one of Shoko’s books. What must she think? And why does it look like she’s getting on a train? I can’t believe that she’d run away!

22

Episode 8 -

spoiler

What a sad episode! Karada does run away, but is overwhelmed by the city. She has no money and can’t find a place to live. She can’t even get a job, although her resume adventures were humorous, but also sad. And the city at night is no place for someone so young and inexperienced. However, I’m glad she kept her wits about her and stayed away from all the lowlifes.
*
Sitting in a playground in the rain, she remembers her childhood and the first time she met Hiro. It was nice to see how they learned to take care of each other and to understand a little more why she eventually made her wish on the stones. And now, having seen the photos and realizing that Hiro gave up a relationship with Shoko, she feels even more guilty, thinking she was a burden to him.
*
It was nice of the taxi driver to call Hiro and tell him where Karada was. I was glad that Hiro found her, but unfortunately he only arrived in time to see Karada get on another train. It was heart wrenching the way he ran after the train, calling at her to come back. I know Karada feels guilty, but she has to realize that she’s too young to make it on her own. I hope she goes home soon.

23

Episode 9 -

spoiler

I guess the postcard wasn’t enough for Tetsu after all, especially since he noticed the postmark. He confronts Hiro, who looks miserable enough as it is, and demands to know where Karada really is. When Hiro finally admits that she did run away, Tetsu goes back to searching for her, more determined than ever to find her. He meets Kotomi on the train and she decides to help him search.
*
Meanwhile, Karada ends up at the very beach where they had their outing together in the beginning of the story. She even managed to get a job at a B&B nearby as Miss Sato. I’m glad things turned out so well. But she misses everyone and ends up calling Shoko to let her know she’s ok and that they shouldn’t worry about her.
*
There’s a funny scene when Shoko and Hiro meet at the café and Hiro lights up a cigarette. Shoko takes one of Hiro’s cigarettes and he grabs it out of her mouth. Then she later grabs one from his mouth. Toko is watching them and probably doesn’t know what to think! I also never realized that Hiro was unaware that Karada knew they really aren’t related by blood.
*
Tetsu tells Kotomi that he’s not going home until he finds Karada, so Kotomi takes him with her to visit her old teacher, Mr. Isogai. And his house is the very same B&B where Karada is! Will Tetsu finally learn the truth?

24

This series just keeps getting better and better week by week. I know it will soon be over, but it seems like it’s just beginning.I think that’s the hallmark of these 12 or 13 episode series-they leave you satisfied at the resolution but still wishing there were more episodes to fill in the details and allow you to have a bit more time with your new friends…

25

I agree with you Newshawk!

Episode 10 –

spoiler

It was ironic that Mr. Isogai thought that Karada and Tetsu looked like a couple, but then Kotomi says that Tetsu’s missing classmate is his “obsession”. It upsets Tetsu and Karada feels guilty that he’s still searching for her. They meet on the beach the next day and Karada finds out that Tetsu is determined to find his classmate because he loves her. After he runs away, Karada says “I’m here” and it was just heart wrenching. I wish she had the courage to tell him the truth.
*
Back home, Hiro finds Shoko packed and ready to leave. She tells him that it was Karada keeping them together and without her, there’s no reason to stay. She says that Karada ran away because she thought she came between them and she asks Hiro what he will do. She leaves and he lets her go. He is really turning out to be a coward after all. It was really sad to see Shoko walking down the road all alone in the rain.
*
It’s raining at the beach as well and when Tetsu doesn’t come back to the B&B, Karada goes out to look for him and finds him injured and sick. She watches over him that night, feeling even more guilty and responsible for his situation. Tetsu wakes up at one point, full of concern for Karada, saying that he has to hurry and find her. Karada says that she’s sure he will as he thanks her and drifts back to sleep. This whole situation is tearing her up. I really hope that Karada and Shoko find a way of switching back soon.

26

Episode 11 –

spoiler

Tetsu recovers from his cold and I’m glad Karada finally told him the truth about her identity even if he didn’t believe her and wants to continue his search. But in his heart, I think he knows it’s her – he dreamed it as well. Karada thinks Tetsu hates her and got so upset, she called Shoko, but Karada is too distressed to talk and hangs up.
*
Shoko calls Hiro and he admits that she was right – he is a coward. He’s been running away from the truth of things for a long time because it’s just easier. But now he’s decided to go and search for Karada himself. Shoko tells him where Karada is and ends up going with him. With only one episode left, I hope things get resolved.

27

Even though it would be wrong to rob Karada of so many of the experiences you gain by growing up, she has blossomed so well and so quickly that I almost hate to think she might revert to her younger version. However, I’ll be happy either way. As for Shoko, I think she has found what she was looking for and is ready to resume her adult life. Perhaps, with his new found insight about himself, Hiro will get back with Shoko. If that was to happen, I think she would now accept a young Karada as part of a family.

28

I agree. I think both of the girls have learned a lot. Although it was sometimes a painful experience, I think they both had wishes granted. Even Hiro learned a thing or two and has perhaps grown a little himself. I am really looking forward to see how all of this turns out.

29

the last episode is kind of rushed and feels like they could have done one more. In the end, both are restored to normal and it looks like it works out for Hiro and Shoko, but they don’t resolve Tetsu and Karada after she becomes young again.

30

The ending did feel a bit rushed, but I think it came out well for a 13 episode series. I also like how the ending left just a bit of mystery to it.

31

I’d like to think that Karada and Tetsu stayed together. After all, he did confess his love to her and she loved him as well.

.
Episode 12 –

spoiler

Tetsu still can’t believe that Karada is Karada. Hiro and Shoko have also arrived and they can’t convince him either. Mr. Isogai tells him of the Shinranui and that – “there are mysterious things in this world, and people who believe in them.” Tetsu considers this and thinks about the things that Karada recently said to him and he finally believes the truth.
*
Shoko and Karada have a heart to heart chat and Shoko knows that Karada loves Tetsu. Karada knows that Shoko was in love with Hiro and still feels responsible for their breakup. She thinks her wish only messed up things more, but Shoko reassures her. However, Karada still runs away without even listening to her, thinking Shoko was just being kind. Karada still thinks that everything is her fault and that she caused so much trouble for everyone when she only wanted to make things easier. Tetsu finds her and tells her that she can run away again, but he’ll search and find her again and again. Then he blurts out that he loves her and Karada thanks him with tears in her eyes.
*
Hiro and Shoko clear the air between themselves as well. I knew that Shoko had made a wish too! Even if she didn’t realize it, the wish was in her heart. So now, all four of them have pretty much come to terms with everything in their pasts and the present. But where do they go from here? How will they deal with the future now? I think that Kotomi is very amused by this whole situation.
*
The four decide to return home and Mr. Isogai says that – “sooner or later everyone must return home”. I think Isogai is a very wise man. I even see a little more to his words here. It’s almost like he’s also talking about the girls switching back to their right bodies. And now it’s time too for Hiro and Karada to talk things out. Hiro credits Karada with his happiness and Karada finally accepts that she was never a burden to him. They agree to remain as a real brother and sister which was nice.
*
Back home, life goes on and now Tetsu wants to grow up quickly so he can be with Karada. But I’m not sure how Hiro and Shoko are going to work things out. It’s just plain weird. Kotomi meets with Shoko at the train station. Kotomi is going to go visit her father and will tell him the whole story. Her father had always been a great believer in the wishing stones, even if she wasn’t. But before getting on the train, she hugs Shoko and I think Kotomi too finally believes in the power of the wishing stones.
*
After the train leaves, Shoko feels something in her pocket and pulls out a wishing stone. Kotomi must have slipped it in her pocket when she hugged her. With things resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, I think this one stone would be just enough to change the girls back. And sure enough, it was and I was very happy to see the story end on a positive note. The last scene is the stone disappearing. The ending animation was nice with slight changes to show Hiro and Shoko together and ends with a picture of Hiro, Shoko and Karada taken in the same place as the original photo of just Hiro and Shoko. It seems they are a family now and I was glad to see it.

32

Wicca, did you note that the open was also changed to the adult Karada and the child Shoko?

33

Yes, I did notice that switch, but I thought it should have been done sooner. I also noticed the sand switch. Where the sand used to flow out of Shoko’s hands as an adult, it is now flowing into her hands as a child. And the same for Karada, it had been flowing into her hands and now it’s draining out.

34

Finished up ep. 12, finishing up the series.

This series actually turned out to be rather good and the ending was quite appropiate.

35

This series is already off to a great start. Just got to watching it.

It felt powerful like the feeling of regretting that bad decision and getting a slap in the face for it.
“Do you still love me…even now?”
"SCREW YOU!"
Yikes. O_O