Hidamari Sketch xHoneycomb 02 includes the six Hidamari residents, Yoshinoya, Natsume, Sae and Hiro’s classmates, a bus tour guide, and a pair of third-year general education students. The episode switches focus back and forth between Sae and Hiro’s school trip to Hokkaido and the actions of the other Hidamaris in their absence.
Scene 01: 00:05 - 00:26
C: Yu
Yuno wakes up from a dream. Unlike other dream scenes in previous episodes, Yuno’s dream is very brief and lacking in range of symbolic images. The only significant images are of water, sleep, nudity, and the color pink. The water is animated similarly to Yuno’s bath water, and is therefore representative of cleansing water. Both cleansing water and sleeping convey peace of mind. Yuno is nude in her dream, but there is nothing to suggest she is distressed by this; being comfortable with nudity indicates that the dreamer feels they have nothing to hide and is comfortable with who they are. Finally, pink represents love*. Her previous two dreams conveyed emotional tension about underlying yuri tendencies in herself. Now, however, Yuno is open and relaxed about matters pertaining to love, suggesting she has accepted said yuri feelings and raising her to 4.
Scene 02: 00:26 - 00:49
C: Yu, Mi, No, Na
Yuno and Miyako meet with Nori and Nazuna outside. Miyako expresses concern about Hiro, to which Yuno responds by expressing trust in Sae to take care of her; both earn slight readings. Nazuna thanks Yuno for dinner the previous night (see Hidamari Sketch xHoneycomb 01), earning yurilevels for gratitude. Yuno sighs at her inability to properly recover Nazuna’s failure of a dish, and by extension her difficulty to be dependable for Nori and Nazuna, a desire which raises her to 2. Miyako and Nazuna get 1, while Nori stays at 0.
Scene 03: 00:52 - 01:24
C: Sa, Hi
Sae and Hiro wake up the morning after after sleeping together. Sae shows warmth and kindness for Hiro by smiling at her as she sleeps and gently telling her to wake up, but she quickly becomes flustered when she sees Hiro’s partially-exposed chest. Her discomfort is likely a manifestation of her overall reticence in regards to nudity, which has been seen before in episodes set at the bathhouse, but it still hurts her slightly. She recovers by putting a blanket around Hiro to end with 2. Hiro, though nearly-unconscious through the scene, is responsive enough to Sae to rise out of bed immediately after Sae’s prompting, overcoming her previously-seen nature as a heavy sleeper enough to get a 1.
Scene 04: 03:02 - 03:43
C: Yo
Yoshinoya discusses melons. Her erotic musings are even less yuri than usual since they are in response to a male student’s question, and she ends with 0.
Scene 05: 03:43 - 03:55
C: Yu, No
Yuno contemplates her responsibilities. She is upset over her inability to be a good upperclassman to Nori and Nazuna and resolves to help Nori pull a box from a shelf, both of which indicate the strength of her maternalistic commitment to take care of Nori and Nazuna. Yuno earns a 2, while Nori, who doesn’t speak, stays at 0.
Scene 06: 03:55 - 04:07
C: Yu, No
Yuno attempts to help Nori reach a box. Her desire to help Nori again shows in the grim resolve on her face to get the box, though since the focus is less strong in this scene she only gets a 1. Nori also gets 1 for her concern at seeing Yuno roll away as a result of standing on a chair with wheels**.
Scene 07: 04:09 - 04:41
C: Sa, Hi, Sae and Hiro’s classmates
The third-years visit a lake. Upon seeing a boat shaped like a swan (the usage of which is typically considered a romantic activity), Hiro grabs on Sae’s arm to pull her toward it, earning readings for both the romantic subtext of the boat and for physical contact. Sae earns reciprocal readings from blushing so that Hiro ends at 3 and Sae at 2. The classmates, who deflate the romantic nature of the activity by making it a competition and then proceed to cheat at said competition, get 0.
Scene 08: 04:43 - 05:09
C: Sa, Hi, Bus tour guide
The third-years ride a bus. A comic scene with no yuri interactions. 0s all around.
Scene 09: 05:14 - 05:43
C: Sa, Hi, General education students
Sae and Hiro blow. A pair of general education students express fawning admiration over Sae and Hiro’s failures, an idolization of them that gives the students 2. Sae and Hiro, who don’t interact with each other, stay at 0.
Scene 10: 05:45 - 06:13
C: Yu, Mi
Yuno discusses her ambitions. She still harbors the desires concerning Nori and Nazuna she has exhibited in this episode and the previous one, and as time passes she is becoming more and more upset that she hasn’t done anything to earn their respect. Miyako tells her she’s fine the way she is, an acceptance that is a significant boost for her but is tempered by her implicit admission via advice that Yuno still needs to change her behavior. Both get a slight increase for their desire to emulate of Sae and Hiro, which puts both at 2.
Scene 11: 06:15 - 07:13
C: Yu, No, Na
Nori and Nazuna are stalked. Yuno sparkles with eagerness to look after her underclassmen as Nazuna senses a presence she can’t identify as Yuno; Yuno gets slight readings while Nazuna does not. In her fear, Nazuna trips. While Yuno is reluctant to go help her, Nori chastises Nazuna for her clumsiness before bending down to help her up by means of hand-holding. After Nazuna is back standing up, Nori continues to hold her hand as they walk, an unnecessarily lewd action that raises each to 4. Yuno is upset to see Nori hold Nazuna’s hand since she lost the opportunity to help Nazuna and thus be the one holding her hand, a perverse wish that gives Yuno a 3 since she did not act on her desire for Nazuna.
Scene 12: 07:16 - 08:20
C: Yu, Yo
Yoshinoya talks to Yuno at school. Yoshinoya conveys notable concern for Yuno in their conversation: she asks how Hidamari Apartments is faring in Sae and Hiro’s absence, says she appreciates Yuno as she is, and urging Yuno to relax while touching Yuno’s shoulders. Yuno’s spirit is successfully lifted, bringing her yurilevels for the scene to 2 and Yoshinoya’s to 3.
Scene 13: 08:24 - 09:25
C: Sa, Hi
C: Sa, Hi
Sae and Hiro visit a tower. Sae becomes alarmed that she cannot find novelty spoons with Yuno’s or Nazuna’s name written on them, holding up four spoons with the names of the other Hidamaris on them. Her desire to symbolically keep the Hidamaris united in spoon form shows loyalty to the group that earns her slight readings. Sae and Hiro then have an argument over an errant comment from Sae, the negative effects of which are cancelled out by Sae grabbing Hiro to drag her onto a viewing platform. Sae ends with 1, Hiro with 0.
Scene 14: 09:25 - 09:40
C: Sa, Hi, Sae and Hiro’s classmates
A classmate pranks Sae. Making Sae into the butt of a joke holds the classmate at 0, while Hiro also gets 0 for enjoying seeing Sae embarrassed and Sae ends at 0 for responding with bitterness.
Scene 15: 09:46 - 10:38
C: Sa, Hi
Sae and Hiro eat dinner. Their fanciful plan to return with all the Hidamaris so everyone can enjoy the local cuisine gives them each 1 for their warmth toward the others.
Scene 16: 10:40 - 11:01
C: Yu, Mi
Yuno announces her plan. Her idea to bond with Nori and Nazuna is to take them to the bathhouse she and Miyako first visited with Sae and Hiro in Hidamari Sketch 10. Since this idea for becoming closer to Nori and Nazuna involves being naked and physically close with them, it is suggested that Yuno on some level views her relation with Nori and Nazuna as having a sexual element to it, earning her a 4. Miyako gets a 2 for applauding Yuno’s idea; she also tells Yuno not to reveal the name of the bathhouse, though since her reasons are not revealed until the next scene it will not affect her here.
Scene 17: 11:01 - 11:22
C: Yu, Mi, No, Na
Yuno, Miyako, Nori, and Nazuna arrive at the bathhouse. Miyako gets 1 for knowing Nori and Nazuna well enough to predict their response to the bathhouse sign; everyone else stays at 0.
Scene 18: 11:24 - 11:37
C: Yu, Mi, No
Yuno, Miyako, and Nori enter the bathhouse. Miyako earns a 2 and Yuno 1 for their physical intimacy as they walk in, but other than that nothing noteworthy occurs.
Scene 19: 11:39 - 11:48
C: Yu, Mi, No, Na
Yuno, Miyako, Nori, and Nazuna change before entering the bath. Miyako’s comfort with exposing her nude body to the others gives her a 3, with Yuno getting a 2 for not treating Miyako differently from how she usually does and thus showing her comfort around Miyako’s nudity. The shock and terror of Nori and Nazuna keeps them both at 0.
Scene 20: 11:48 - 12:08
C: No, Na
Nori and Nazuna undress. Under the pretense of saving Nazuna time when she enters the bathing room, a smiling Nori strips Nazuna of a towel Nazuna had carefully put on while staring directly at her chest. While there is no strong sexual subtext in this action, Nori would need to have extremely intimate relations with Nazuna to think nothing of such a provocative action*** and still receives a 4 for her effort. While Nazuna gets some reciprocal readings from having this relationship with Nori, her strong shame at being nude around Nori tempers her readings to a 2.
Scene 21: 12:10 - 14:54
C: Yu, Mi, No, Na
Yuno, Miyako, Nori, and Nazuna enjoy each other’s bodies. After some light banter and encouragement of Nazuna to begin the scene, Nori contributes significantly to the project by asking to touch Miyako’s breasts. After several seconds of prolonged squeezing and kneading, Nazuna asks to join in, for the equally likely possible reasons of having lust for Miyako or wanting to partake in any activity Nori is engaged in. As the two touch Miyako, Miyako is repeatedly shown to blink, implicitly every time her breasts are fondled. This conveys that Miyako is experiencing a physiological, erotic reaction from being handled by Nori and Nazuna, though she may be trying to conceal it. Yuno watches the festivities from afar and clearly wants to also grope Miyako, going so far as to preemptively wiggle her fingers, but becomes too embarrassed and decides not to join. Nori and Nazuna exhibit clear sexual yuri here; Yuno does not, but, in context of her very deep and ambiguously romantic friendship with Miyako, a very strong possibility for her choice to opt out is that Yuno has consciously decided not to push her relationship with Miyako past a point where they would become lovers. Since her actions show that Yuno thinks of Miyako as a possible, even likely, romantic partner, she still gets very strong romantic yurilevels. Everyone ends with 4.
Scene 22: 14:56 - 15:06
C: Sa, Hi, Sae and Hiro’s classmates
Sae and Hiro respond to being talked about. Their level of synchronization in their actions raises both of them to 3 for conveying a joining of minds and spirits as one. The classmates get a 1 for recognizing this closeness and commenting on it.
Scene 23: 15:08 - 15:50
C: Yu, Mi, No, Na
Yuno, Miyako, Nori, and Nazuna return from the bathhouse. Nazuna mentions having had a great deal of fun at the bathhouse, likely referencing her experience with Miyako’s breasts (Scene 32 suggests this was the highlight of her weekend) and thus earning her another 4. Miyako borrows Yuno’s phone to call Sae and Hiro in Hokkaido, dialing Sae’s number to again place Sae as the preeminent member of the pair. She receives 2 for this, Yuno gets 1 for loaning her phone, and Nori stays at 0.
Scene 24: 15:50 - 16:05
C: Yu, Mi, Sa, No, Na
Yuno, Miyako, Nori, and Nazuna talk to Sae on the phone. Miyako tells Sae to send Hiro thanks for all she does for them, presumably including Sae in the message of gratitude. While Miyako receives a boost for this show of fondness, Sae is only confused by her affection, so Miyako gets 2 while Sae and the others end with 0.
Scene 25: 16:07 - 16:37
C: Sa, Nt
Natsume encounters Sae in the hall. Natsume falls into her usual routine of haughtiness, inadvertently revealing a strong envy for the residents of Hidamari Apartments. Rather than react with similar aggression, Sae invites Natsume to Hidamari Apartments, at which point Natsume breaks and sheepishly accepts. Natsume’s idolization of life at Hidamari earns her 2, and Sae also gets 2 for her offer.
Scene 26: 16:40 - 17:33
C: Sa, Hi, Sae and Hiro’s classmates
The third-years talk about the future. Hiro and the classmates are upset that their time together as students is running out, showing they value each other’s company. Sae tries but fails to cheer them up by saying they will still study for college entrance exams together soon, earning friendly readings for at least attempting. Later, Sae and Hiro warmly talk about what they still have to look forward to together, increasing their readings to 2 while the classmates get 1.
Scene 27: 17:35 - 17:48
C: Yu
Yuno considers her social role. She explicitly brings up the motif of the Hidamari residents as a family, idly thinking that Sae and Hiro are the parents of the group and that she wants to be the big sister. Her desire to be a good upperclassman to Nori and Nazuna would translate in this metaphor as being a dependable sibling, carrying the same responsibilities and power but applying it to a much more familiar family unit than a sempai-kohai relationship would have. The combination of wanting to protect Nori and Nazuna with this desire for greater closeness with them raises Yuno to 3.
Scene 28: 17:48 - 17:53
C: No, Na
Nori and Nazuna talk about Yuno. The entirety of the scene is the two agreeing that Yuno is cute, which is brief but warm and gives both 2.
Scene 29: 17:53 - 18:00
C: Yu
Yuno gets excited in bed. She imagines being called “Yuno-oneechan” (ゆのーおねえちゃん), possibly but not certainly by Nori and/or Nazuna, and immediately begins giggling with glee and rolling in her bed. Her sentiments in Scene 27 are thus modified to be indicative less of a desire to look after Nori and Nazuna and more to be admired, which is about equally gay and earns her another 3.
Scene 30: 18:08 - 18:27
C: Sa, Hi, Sae and Hiro’s classmates
The third-years return from Hokkaido. The only interaction in the scene is a classmate ruining Sae’s lingering feeling of triumph, which is certainly non-yuri. Everyone ends with 0.
Scene 31: 18:35 - 19:01
C: Yu, Mi, Sa, Hi, No, Na
Sae and Hiro return to Hidamari Apartments. They each earn slight readings from the closeness to the others they convey in saying “I’m home” (ただいま, “tadaima”) upon returning. The excitement the others have for Sae and Hiro’s return, conveyed by giving them wreaths and applauding them, gives all of them 2. Sae and Hiro, who are not pleased by their reception, earn no side readings from this and stay at 1 each.
Scene 32: 19:03 - 21:40
C: Yu, Mi, Sa, Hi, No, Na
The Hidamaris talk about Sae and Hiro’s trip. Hiro shows the other Hidamaris the video she took of Sae on a riding machine and calls it a fun reminder of their vacation, showing that erotic image of Sae was her most significant memory from the trip. Similarly, Nazuna’s response to being asked how she was while Sae and Hiro were away is that Miyako had great breasts and earns comparable readings to Hiro for it. Nori and Nazuna both agree they had a good time with Yuno and Miyako, finally satisfying Yuno’s wish to be respected and making her happy. She and Nori end with 1, Hiro and Nazuna with 4, and Miyako and Sae with 0 each.
Scene 33: 21:44 - 22:08
C: Yu
Yuno bathes in purple water. Her comments about Hidamari Apartments being normal again with Sae and Hiro’s return and about being relieved that she doesn’t have to work to be the resident upperclassman convey a comfort in the regular social order of Hidamari, and by extension a familiarity and ease with her fellow tenants. Since it’s somewhat obscured in this scene, she only gets a 1 for it.
Final Yurilevel Readings: (both Aokis and Umes are out of 4)
Episode: 1.9007A
Characters:
- Nazuna: 3.350U
- Yuno: 2.232U
- Natsume: 2.000U
General education students: 2.000U - Miyako: 1.959U
- Hiro: 1.894U
- Yoshinoya: 1.828U
- Nori: 1.805U
- Sae: 0.831U
- Sae and Hiro’s classmates: 0.512U
- Bus tour guide: 0.000U
An exceptionally gay episode overall, with everybody but Sae registering very strong yurilevels. The episode was significantly affected by Scene 21, which earned 4s for everyone involved (contributing over 0.5 Aokis just on its own) and continued to impact the rest of the episode through Nazuna’s newfound infatuation with Miyako’s breasts. Yuno’s fixation on being respected no matter what allowed her ample opportunities for yuri, pushing her over 2.0 Umes for the episode, and also gave Nori and Nazuna enough focus to help their readings as well. Miyako, who fell through the cracks in this episode between Yuno’s antics and Sae and Hiro’s vacation, had much less scene time than normal and was therefore more strongly affected by her consistently adequate friendly readings, with Scene 21 propelling her to nearly 2 U. Sae and Hiro, meanwhile, engaged in less gay activities in this episode compared to the last and had lower readings than would be expected. Though it would seem only Sae was hurt by this, Hiro’s readings are skewed by her 4 in Scene 32; if she had earned a 0 in that scene like Sae did, she would have only ended with 0.667 U. The episode in total was somewhat high in yuri, but Scenes 21 and 32 sharply increased the overall to make it exceptional.
Further analysis will continue with Hidamari Sketch xHoneycomb 03.
*: Dream interpretations are again supplied by www.dreammoods.com. **: Standing on a rolling chair is a serious matter. In 2008 there were over 25,000 cases of people being injured by falls at work, many of which were the result of using a rolling chair as a ladder or stepstool. Always use proper climbing equipment.
***: As a side note, this is the third instance in Hidamari Sketch when somebody has taken off what somebody else was wearing. The first was Miyako changing Yuno’s pajamas in Hidamari Sketch 05, and the second was Yoshinoya removing Yuno’s shirt in Hidamari Sketch x365 OVA 03.
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