We open with Shuuji watching the preparations for the universities Hamabi festival. He flashes back to Professor Kouda telling him Hagu has been offered another chance to study oversea’s. She asks if He’s ok with Hagu going back to her hometown after she graduates, that isn’t she just worried about being a burden on him? Shuuji thinks how it’s everyone’s last festival and that they should all enjoy it and do their best. While searching for brush cleaners, Hagu finds a postcard with a painting of a moon shining over a river on it. Shuuji tells her its by Munch,the guy that did the scream, and he got it with some friends a while ago.
Shuuji flashes back to being with Harada and Rika at a river with the moon over the river,like the painting. Harada wonders if this is what is meant by the song moon river they all just heard in a movie and starts walking in. Shuuji tries to restrain him, but then Rika tries to get in and he has to let go of Harada to catch her. Harada walks into the river and asks Rika to join him. Shuuji keeps yelling no and thinks about Harada’s death. He then wakes to find it was a dream.
He thinks about how they had a small funeral for Harada after he died, how Rika couldn’t come because she was in the hospital, the pain that awaited and how she tried to kill herself by not eating. But Shuuji told her she couldn’t see Harada that way, and she stopped chasing after him. Whenever Shuuji saw her, he though a silent scream was coming from her, and realized it had always been him and Harada/Rika, he was watching over their happiness. Seeing how much pain she was causing, Rika told Shuuji they shouldn’t see each other anymore. He thinks how he couldn’t carry her, but like how Hagu has supported him, she needs Mayama to support her to her future.
Rika and Mayama are seeing a customer off by train, who remarks how him and his partner are so old he wonders who will go first. Mayama thinks how Rika’s been there before, losing someone. Another train arrives from Sapporo, which is the train you take to get to Hokkaido where Rika’s hometown is, and Mayama pushes them both onto that train, with mayama blushing profusely. Rika asks him why, and Mayama says that doesn’t she want to see her hometown? A person comes and asks if they have tickets. Mayama is about to say something, but Rika interrupts and asks if they have a room available. they do. Rika thinks how it will take nineteen hours to get there, and that they didn’t bring any work with them. She wonders how long it’s been since she spent so much time doing nothing. That somehow makes Mayama feel happy.
It’s getting late, and they both decide to get some rest. Rika goes to take a shower, and Mayama says he’s going to stay upstairs. She say’s that he’s too big for that, and should take the bed downstairs. This makes Mayama incredibly happy. They both go to bed. Mayama thinks how setting the alarm, turning the lights off, being with Rika makes him very happy. When Rika wakes up, she see’s that Mayama decided to sleep upstairs instead. At Otaru, Mayama asks how far away her town is. Rika say’s it’s actually pretty far, and she just came to the city a lot when she was young (this is the city that was on the webcam Mayama spied on). Mayama goes to rent a car.
On the road, Rika asks if this is Mayama’s first time in Hokkaido, to which he say’s yes and is surprised at how vast everything is. Rika thanks him for the blanket he got for her leg and asks if he got any sleep, because Mayama keeps downing super strong mint gum to stay awake, though he furiously denies it. They arrive at her hometown to find her house torn down. Apparently it’s common practice in Hokkaido to tear down a house, lest the snow knock it down. The last time she was here was when her father died. Harada oversaw the demolition and covered Rika’s eyes, saying how he was the only home she had to go to. Rika goes and buries some biscuits for her dog that she had when she was young and spent all her time with because there was no one else around, and thanks Mayama for bringing her here. Rika say’s how there’s nothing here for her now. Mayama thinks how one more tie to this world has unraveled for Rika, and that he’s slowly losing her.
Somehow they both end up sleeping together. Rika tries to leave early, but Mayama put something on her bag that made noise when she tried to leave. He asks her if she was trying to hurt herself by sleeping with him or had another plan already. Was she trying to console him because they weren’t going to Spain together? He knows she only booked one ticket and one apartment, because he’s looked through all her mail, faxes, etc. He knows she wants to die after Harada’s last project, but he won’t let her. It was a mistake to meet someone like him because he doesn’t let things go. He starts crying and begs Rika to live. He asks her to go downstairs to have tea while he pulls himself together, but holds on to her bag. When they get back to tokyo, Rika flies away somewhere. When Mayama checks her email, he finds that the apartment has been changed to a two bedroom one…
Young Rika is the most Moe thing I’ve ever seen. That is the definition of Moe right there. In all seriousness what a surprising development this was. The scene change from them standing by her old house to being in bed was quite abrupt and left me going wtf for awhile. It seems Rika and Mayama both know their feelings about each other and want to be together. I don’t know whether to applaud or condemn Mayama’s stalkerish ways. On the one hand they got him the girl, on the other hand their downright creepy. Email, faxes, letters, did you also check her trash Mayama? Aside from the emotional development, the animation was absolutely stunning. I’ve never been to hokkaido, but I think I have a good idea of what it looks AND* feels like thanks to this episode. Bravo for the stunning visuals all around. Also, it’s weird how both Mayaman AND Takemoto had to go to hokkaido to sort their feelings out. Is hokkaido some mysterious land of love I don’t know about? And will the other characters make trips there? Next week we turn back to Yamada and Nomya it seems. That’s nice and all, but there’s a reason the first season alternated between Mayama/Yamada and Takemoto/Hagu episodes. I’m starting to feel emotional burnout here…
