Sunday, August 11, 2013

Hidamari Sketch xHoneycomb 10

Hidamari Sketch xHoneycomb 10 includes the six Hidamari residents, Yoshinoya, Kuwahara, and Chika, as well as a female teacher at Yamabuki. The first half follows the Hidamaris after a night snowfall, and the second half shows Chika visiting Hidamari Apartments as a messenger.


Scene 01: 00:12 - 00:32
C: Yu, Mi
Yuno wakes up. Miyako calls out to her to “come out and play” (遊ぼ, “asobo”; more literally translated as just “let’s play”), expressing a desire to be with Yuno and earning moderate readings. Yuno, however, does not appear interested in waking up or being with Miyako, and does not earn any similar readings, staying at 0 while Miyako gets 2.


Scene 02: 00:35 - 01:02
C: Yu, Mi, No
Yuno and Miyako look out on their snowy backyard. They both insist that the other should take the first step in the new-fallen snow, conveying that it is an action of significant importance to them that would bring happiness to whoever did so. Consequently, their desire to see the other happy raises both of their readings to 2, while Nori’s taking of that happiness without consulting Yuno and Miyako keeps her at 0 for her selfishness.


Scene 03: 02:38 - 03:14
C: Yu, Mi
Miyako shows Yuno her coat. Yuno worries about Miyako not wearing a coat in the cold weather and encourages her to wear the coat Miyako’s brother gave her, showing concern for her safety that earns her a 2. Once she brings it out, Miyako offers to let Yuno wear the coat as well, a friendly gesture that gives her a 1.


Scene 04: 03:19 - 03:42
C: Yu, Mi, Yo
A visibly ill Yoshinoya begins class. Yuno and Miyako are alarmed to see her ill, showing a concern for her well-being that earns them both 1. Yoshinoya, for wanting to show her cosplay to a mixed-gender group, does not receive any effect to her yurilevels and stays at 0.


Scene 05: 03:45 - 04:13
C: Yu, Mi, Female teacher
Yuno and Miyako have literature class. The poem the teacher reads is “The Lay-Priest, a Former Minister of State” by Saionji Kintsune (1171-1244), which is both written by a man and concerns mortality in a non-yuri way, so the teacher’s selection of this poem does not aid her yurilevels. Yuno and Miyako’s discussion of the poem’s archaic language similarly does not convey any yuri, so everybody ends at 0.


Scene 06: 04:14 - 04:28
C: Yo, Ku
Yoshinoya recuperates in the sick bay. Both of her interactions with Kuwahara are only to further her own interests and carry no yuri intent, keeping her at 0. Kuwahara, in a rare break from her usual weary exasperation with Yoshinoya’s antics, conveys outright anger toward Yoshinoya, also holding her at 0.


Scene 07: 04:35 - 05:16
C: Yu, Mi
Yuno and Miyako are intercepted by the principal. They are both excited to have a snowball fight together, a friendly activity that only helps their readings slightly. After the principal scolds Yuno for wanting to play instead of study for upcoming exams, Yuno runs away guiltily, a shame that negates her previous increase so that she ends with 0 while Miyako earns 1.


Scene 08: 05:24 - 05:45
C: Yu, Mi
Yuno and Miyako have an educational snowball fight. The enjoyment they have at playing together is again friendly in nature, giving them each only 1.


Scene 09: 05:45 - 07:13
C: Yu, Mi, No
Nori joins Yuno and Miyako outside. Miyako invites Nori to join her and Yuno in their snowball fight, a friendly act that helps her readings slightly. Nori hesitates since she was studying, impressing Yuno and Miyako and giving them moderate increases for their admiration of her, but Nori ultimately decides to join them for a non-yuri reason (having nothing better to do). Miyako then composes a combination poem/rap about Nori’s decision to join them which tacitly scolds Nori for abandoning her studies, slightly hurting Miyako’s readings. Eventually Nori decides to leave them again and continue studying, again impressing Yuno and Miyako to solidify their readings at 2. Nori remains at 0 since she had no interest in playing with them.


Scene 10: 07:15 - 07:32
C: No, Na
Nazuna visits Nori with ulterior motives in mind. Nori is displeased at Nazuna’s presence and does not appear to want to see her, a coldness that keeps her at 0. Nazuna, meanwhile, is cheery at visiting Nori and denies wanting to play with her with a blush, signaling yuri-embarrassment and earning her a 2.


Scene 11: 07:32 - 07:40
C: Mi
Miyako composes a tanka about Nori and Nazuna. The scene is only a summary of the previous one and Miyako does not add her own response or commentary to it, and as a result she does not earn any yurilevels from it.


Scene 12: 07:42 - 07:51
C: Sa, Hi
Sae philosophizes to Hiro. Hiro receives an initial increase from casually sitting on Sae’s couch, conveying that her presence is normal and thus that she has a strong intimacy with Sae, but her back is turned to Sae and she is later revealed to be listening to music so she is not actively enjoying Sae’s company, lessening her increase to a 1. Sae spontaneously begins to talk about how being able to study and get along with Hiro and having met her at Hidamari Apartments makes her feel very lucky, a strong affection for Hiro that gives her a 4.


Scene 13: 07:51 - 07:59
C: No, Na
Nori and Nazuna study together. The scene is silent, but Nori’s facial expressions are very irritated and Nazuna begins crying halfway through, so it is very likely nothing yuri is going on. Both get 0.


Scene 14: 07:59 - 08:05
C: Yu, Mi
Yuno and Miyako study together. Yuno is seen to smile at something Miyako says, giving her slight readings for her happiness at Miyako, but since what Miyako said is unknown it does not affect her. Yuno ends with 1, Miyako with 0.


Scene 15: 08:05 - 08:14
C: Sa, Hi
Sae finishes her meditation. She apologizes to Hiro for her comments, displaying a strong yuri-embarrassment that raises her to 2. Hiro, who didn’t listen to Sae’s monologue, remains at 0.


Scene 16: 08:14 - 08:26
C: Yu, Mi
Miyako composes a tanka about Sae and Hiro. Her poem describes Sae and Hiro as being “on the same wavelength” (一身電子に, “isshin denshi ni”), conveying Miyako believes them to be extremely close in mind and spirit and giving her a 2. Yuno’s only role in the scene is to react with surprise to Miyako, and she stays at 0.


Scene 17: 08:32 - 10:08
C: Yu, Mi, Sa, Hi, No, Na
The Hidamaris gather around Hiro’s table for hot milk. Sae briefly compliments Miyako’s newfound poetic aspirations, earning her a slight increase. Yuno asks Nori how her and Nazuna’s studies are going, displaying a casual interest in her, but Nori is unable to respond and does not earn reciprocal readings. Nazuna becomes worried she is holding Nori back from studying optimally, and is then relieved when Nori insists Nazuna is helping her; both receive increases for appreciating each other’s company when studying. The scene ends with everyone laughing happily, a friendly warmth toward each other that earns everyone slight readings so that Sae, Nori, and Nazuna end with 2 and Yuno, Miyako, and Hiro earn 1.


Scene 18: 10:11 - 10:28
C: Yu
Yuno composes a poem about Hidamari Apartments. Her poem mentions the residents of Hidamari laughing merrily, which is seemingly a reference to the end of the previous scene. Her extrapolation of this event to be representative of their lives as a whole suggests Yuno views being happy with the Hidamaris as the most important part of her own life, giving her a 2 for the significance she places on her relations with the others.


Scene 19: 10:35 - 11:08
C: Sa, Hi
Sae informs Hiro of Chika’s impending visit. Sae’s upset tone of voice and request to not prepare special food convey that she is decidedly unhappy about Chika visiting, keeping her at 0. Hiro immediately begins looking forward to throwing another gyoza-frying party for Chika (see x365 05), displaying both an excitement for seeing Chika and a readiness to ignore Sae’s requests, the yuri effects of which balance out to give Hiro 1.


Scene 20: 11:08 - 11:41
C: Sa, Hi, Ch
Sae and Hiro greet Chika. Chika jokes that she thought Sae was pretending not to be home, casually conveying Sae’s dislike of her in a way to suggest she has grown used to it, hurting both her and Sae’s yurilevels. Hiro offers Chika tea, and Chika says that she would want to have some but cannot, which still gives her a slight increase for the sentiment. Chika then grabs Sae’s arm and tells Hiro she’s “borrowing” Sae (借りします, “karishimasu”), presumably from Hiro, suggesting Chika thinks of Sae as being part of a tightly-bonded unit with Hiro that requires Hiro’s permission to separate, a yuri interpretation of their relationship that gives Chika a significant increase and Sae and Hiro moderate ones. Chika ends with 3 overall, Hiro with 2, and Sae with 1.


Scene 21: 11:48 - 13:51
C: Sa, Ch
Chika relays a message to Sae from their parents. Sae acts as a poor host to Chika by acting coldly toward her and throwing a bottle of tea at her, negatively impacting her yurilevels for the scene. She then admits that she applied to colleges close to home out of consideration for Chika to allow her to go to a non-local high school, a kindness that earns her moderate readings but angers Chika, who considers it patronizing. Chika’s lack of gratitude conveys a dislike of Sae that keeps her at 0, while Sae earns 1 overall.


Scene 22: 13:51 - 14:05
C: Yu, Mi, Hi, No, Na
Yuno, Miyako, Hiro, Nori, and Nazuna prepare gyoza. Yuno mentions “everyone” (みんな, “minna”) looking forward to making gyoza for Chika’s visit, showing a shared anticipation for seeing Chika again and earning them slight readings, but Hiro is unaware of the others having such plans so is not included. Everyone but Hiro gets 1 while Hiro stays at 0.


Scene 23: 14:08 - 15:23
C: Sa, Ch
Sae and Chika continue talking about Sae’s future plans. Sae apologizes for her patronizing attitude toward Chika, and Chika tells Sae she appreciates her talent and should go to college wherever she pleases; their attempts at reconciliation earn them each moderate readings. Chika then leaves for the gyoza party in Hiro’s room, saying “Nori and the others” (乃莉ーたち, “Nori-tachi”) invited her. This construction incorporates both the “-tachi” suffix to refer to a group of people, placing Nori as the most important to Chika, and omits an honorific for Nori’s name, conveying a strong closeness with Nori, and gives Chika very significant readings for her attachment to Nori. As Chika leaves, she comments to Sae that the gyoza party will be in Hiro’s room and suggests she believes Sae would be visiting Hiro at some point in the day with or without a gyoza party, interpreting Sae’s relationship with Hiro as a close one and giving both her and Sae moderate increases. Chika ends with 4, Sae with 3.


Scene 24: 15:25 - 21:04
C: Yu, Mi, Sa, Hi, No, Na, Ch
The Hidamaris and Chika eat gyoza. Sae continues to express discomfort from being around Chika through the scene, diminishing her yurilevels. Chika tells her that she informed all the Hidamaris except for Sae about the gyoza party, simultaneously showing closeness to them and a distance from Sae and earning a slight net increase. Once the gyoza is finished cooking, the Hidamaris express their delight with the taste, but since everyone but Sae created some they could just be praising their own work, and the resultant uncertainty prevents anyone but Sae from receiving readings for it; Chika gets a slight increase from complimenting the gyoza of Hidamari in general, displaying an appreciation for the others’ cooking. Chika then teasingly asks Sae what she will be doing for Christmas; Christmas is treated in Japan as a romantic holiday, hence Chika is implicitly asking if Sae has a date, to which Sae responds that she will be eating cake with the other Hidamaris, associating spending time with the others to a romantic event and earning Sae considerable readings. Hearing Sae say this disappoints Chika, who ruefully comments that Sae is spending Christmas with women again, showing a desire for Sae to be heterosexual and significantly detrimenting her yurilevels. Sae is hurt as well by falling for Chika’s bait and pretending she has had a boyfriend that she never told Chika about. Hiro discusses her plans for the future to train to be an art teacher which surprise Yuno and Miyako; Yuno imagines Hiro as a prim, elegant, and mature teacher while Miyako suggests she could model her teaching style off Yoshinoya’s highly-lewd example, giving both readings for their respective admiration of and lust for Hiro. Nori and Nazuna reflect on Sae and Hiro’s impending graduation, Nori by saying she finds it hard to believe Sae and Hiro could be parted (interpreting their relationship as inseparably close and earning significant readings) and Nazuna by saying she finds it hard to believe Sae and Hiro will leave (a desire to stay close to them earns her moderate readings). Miyako and Nori end with 3, Yuno, Hiro, and Nazuna earn 2, and Sae and Chika receive 1.


Scene 25: 21:09 - 22:05
C: Sa, Ch
Sae and Chika sleep together. In xHoneycomb 05, Sae promised Nori that Chika would sleep with Nori during her next visit, and consequently Chika’s presence in Sae’s bed significantly hurts Sae’s readings for her willingness to abandon her promise with Nori. She still gets significant readings for sharing a bed and blanket together with Chika, as does Chika, since it’s a show of strong intimacy between the two. Sae furthers this intimacy by asking Chika in a roundabout way to tangle their legs together; since Hidamari Sketch is shown on television, Chika cannot be explicitly shown to do this, so it cannot be confirmed if she accepted Sae’s request. Both end with 3.

Final Yurilevel Readings: (both Aokis and Umes are out of 4)
Episode: 1.5519A
Characters:
  1. Nori: 2.076U
  2. Miyako: 2.031U
  3. Nazuna: 1.936U
  4. Yuno: 1.528U
  5. Sae: 1.467U
  6. Hiro: 1.453U
  7. Chika: 1.447U
  8. Yoshinoya: 0.000U
    Kuwahara: 0.000U
    Female teacher: 0.000U

Yuri in this episode was predominately of a friendly nature, which kept final readings moderate across the board. Part A was about the Hidamaris wanting to play together and deciding to study together instead, neither of which provided strong yuri, while Part B focused on Sae and Chika, which is always detrimental to overall readings due to their strained relationship. Scene 24’s running time of 339 seconds (nearly a third of the episode) weighted Miyako and Nori’s 3s to place them at the top of the character chart and similarly cemented Sae and Chika at the bottom. xHoneycomb overall is spending more and more time on exploring the effects of Sae and Hiro’s impending graduation on the other characters, which is having a very positive effect on yuri due to their closeness with Sae and Hiro, and the last two episodes of the season are set to give more attention to this issue which means Aoki readings should be significantly higher from here on.


Further analysis will continue with Hidamari Sketch xHoneycomb 11.

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