Suzuka - 10: Love Rival

Title:Suzuka
Episode:10: Love Rival
Synopsis
With Suzuka's address written on a paper by Miho-chan, Yamato chases to Yokohama - without a clue what to do if he were to meet his rival. The house belonging to the address is huge, indicating a rich owner. With his finger on the doorbell already, the boy hesitates - only to hear a female voice asking what business he might have with this family! Telling her that he expects Suzuka to be with Kazuki, he learns that this lady [image1] is Suzuka's older sister - and she offers him to introduce him to Kazuki if he'd just follow her.
On their walk together the woman reveals that she knows everything about the Fantasy Land date, the boy's confession and his rejection by Suzuka. Just when Yamato is beginning to understand he'd only be a nuisance if he actually met Suzuka and Kazuki together, he can see the girl - praying in front of a tombstone [image2]! Her sister explains how "Tsuda Kazuki the Rocket Starter" died in an accident two years ago, and how Yamato resembles him. So that's what Suzuka took him for: A replacement of her passed-by love... utterly devastated, Yamato turns on his heels and returns home [image3].
From this moment on Yamato stops attending the track&field club while Suzuka is drowning in memories of her late love [image4]. Miki volunteers to find out what happened, but even though she tells Yamato how Suzuka would take his fallback and how Miyamoto-senpai believed in him she doesn't even get an answer [image5]. But on the evening before the Metropolitan Tournament, the boy hears his doorbell ring... [image6]
Comments
(2005-09-12, Devil Doll:)
There we are. After all these long flashback scenes Mr. Photogenic not only has a face and a name but a history as well, and we can see whose "spiral of time has come to a halt" (everything in the OP song does make sense now). Remove "Comedy" from the category list - we're deep in "Drama" territory. With the Asahina family keeping a dog and the Akitsuki family keeping a cat, I wonder how much more underlying symbolism this show is going to provide.
The flashbacks give us a good impression how different Yamato and Kazuki actually are. Compared to Yamato The Late Bloomer, Kazuki The Ace was a lot more self-confident, teasing the girl by toying around with her name ("Suzukaze" = "cool breeze") and wrapping his arm around her for the photograph.
Yamato still does crazy things at times. (But note how he used his brain before ringing the doorbell! Every little progress is greatly appreciated.) This time his sheer luck rallied all possible troops to his support, be that Miho providing the address and Suzuka's sister appearing exactly when he was out of ideas how to proceed. (Nice appearance, by the way - that's how she had to be, given Suzuka's description of her O-nee-san.) Then again, the closing scene of this episode shows him grow more spine than ever before!
Once again I have to praise how this show is using the side characters. Miho-chan is willing to help her cousin no matter what, without ever asking questions; Yasunobu is at Yamato's side even when he doesn't understand what's up; Miki is trying to save the day even if there's nothing she can do. I wonder if Miyamoto is now aware how he underestimated the problems of handling his new sprint talent; he shouldn't "outsource" this problem any longer.
Not a single appearance of Honoka-chan this time - she's stranded in the track&field club without Yamato. Actually her stakes have been rising lately but she must do more to take her chances. Maybe now would be the time to ask Yasunobu for support?

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