Okay, so this time, Hazuki really doesn’t want to stay in the sketchbook dimension. Tired as I am of this repeated realisation, this time Hazuki makes some progress!

Hazuki (looking like Shimao) discovers that sketchbook-Rokka is actually the embodiment of Shimao’s personality from when he illustrated the book.

Sketchbook-Shimao has been pulling Hazuki’s strings all this time, trying to break his spirit by raising his hopes, then dashing them. He presides over the sketchbook dimension, so he could just keep Hazuki from Rokka forever. So why does he need to play with Hazuki’s feelings? It seems to me that Shimao wants his undying, exclusive devotion to Rokka to be validated by Hazuki giving up on her. Hazuki calls him out on selfishly claiming that Rokka belongs to him, so sketchbook-Shimao decides to eject Hazuki to the real world as a ghost so that he can feel the agony of being an ineffectual observer for himself.

This exchange made me feel a little bit sorry for Shimao – it must be awful to observe the love of your life for three years while being unable to communicate with her. Ultimately, though, I have to side with Hazuki, because he’s totally blameless here. All he did was fall in love with Rokka, and he’s being given a really tough time because of it. Still, Shimao’s been portrayed as a standoffish, unlikable mess before, so I appreciate it when I see parts of him that I can sympathise with.

Back in the real world, Rokka is still emotional after realising that Shimao is using Hazuki as a vessel, whereas Shimao is pretty subdued. Maybe he’s trying to suppress his guilt for hijacking Hazuki’s body?

The ghost of Hazuki can only watch as Shimao receives the tenderness he longs for.

It’s a reversal of roles – Hazuki is now a ghost that only Shimao can see. Their conversation is the first between their current selves that we’ve seen since episode 4, yet it feels like a bit of a retread of Hazuki’s talk with sketchbook-Shimao earlier on. That said, having characters interact at all is preferable to lots of inner monologues and flashbacks in my book. Shimao seems conflicted as to whether or not to return Hazuki’s body – he seems to suggest that he will, but his nature is so fickle that it’s difficult to believe him. We are getting near the end of the series, though, so it seems likely that Hazuki will get his body back one way or another.

Rokka soon discovers roughly how long Shimao has been in Hazuki’s body. When she said “Then… Then the Hazuki-kun that I fell in love with…” I was sure that she was going to segue into something like “was really you all over again.” She surprises me, though, and instead says:

Although she grieves for Shimao, it looks like Rokka still has Hazuki on her mind.

And the episode ends there. It’s a nice change to see Rokka dictating things for a change – the conflict between Shimao and Hazuki has been the focal point of many an episode to the extent that it has often felt like Rokka’s affections have been more under their control than Rokka’s. I enjoyed this episode a lot more than the past couple, mainly because it now feels more like a story about three people rather than three disconnected stories. It’s still pretty slow-paced, but somehow the pace is easier to deal when the characters are talking to each other. Character interaction drives the story forward in a series like this, and now that we’re edging closer to the climax, things are getting more interesting.

Last episode, it seemed like Hazuki had hardened his resolve to pursue Rokka despite any lingering connections she may have to Shimao. What does that mean for this episode?

Well, let’s back up a bit before we get to Hazuki. Rokka’s feet have led her to a picturesque forest on a hill. She remembers going for a walk there with Shimao, and you know what that means! Long flashbacks!

Look, I don’t have a problem with flashbacks as a storytelling technique, but there’s a limit to the amount of reminiscing I can take. Too often in Natsuyuki Rendezvous, flashbacks feel like a stalling tactic to freeze time and pad out the story taking place in the present. We learn more about Rokka’s love of nature, see her lament the unfulfilled plans made with Shimao, and hear the little story once told by her mother that highlights her and Shimao’s opposite stances on sacrificing oneself for the sake of another. But… so what? It doesn’t change anything that’s happening now.

Small humanoids? Big grins? Double entendres? Hazuki must have stumbled into the world of Humanity Has Declined!

Back with Hazuki, we see a world akin to that of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (there are only six dwarfs here, but I’m sure there’s a really symbolic reason for the absence of one of them). Snow White Rokka tells Hazuki that he’s got youth and hope over Shimao, but Hazuki seems despondent, sure that these characteristics won’t mean a thing in the eyes of the real Rokka. Hey, didn’t Hazuki resolve not to see himself as second fiddle to Shimao last episode? Yep, it looks like that was just a fake out. Character progression in Natsuyuki Rendezvous? What was I thinking?

Beautiful variety in nature is something that Natsuyuki Rendezvous conveys really well.

With the characters and story almost at a standstill, it’s easy for your eyes to be drawn by the visuals. The flower arrangements made by Shimao are vivid and breathtaking, while the forest feels isolated, yet verdant and comforting. The audio only adds to this effect. Sometimes, I find myself longing to be able to smell some of the flowers, just because I think that would complete the atmosphere! There’s nothing you can do about that with the limitations imposed by anime, though, so although the show does the best that it can to showcase natural beauty… well, it’s always going to lack a dimension or two. Not that I think it’s worthless to spend time on that sort of thing – I just don’t think the show has its priorities in order. It lingers on scenes that would have the same kind of impact if they lasted for a fraction of the time they run for. Take the scene where Rokka runs into Shimao (who she now realises is indeed her dead husband in Hazuki’s body). Her tearful breakdown is milked for all it’s worth and then some (there’s even a flashback in the middle). It’s a strong emotional scene, but it’s just one moment. The show could do a lot more to maximise its short airtime.

“But… that would involve character interaction!”

The episode ends with fairytale-Hazuki now looking like Shimao. If you weren’t convinced that he didn’t actually learn anything from episode 8 before, this should hammer the point home.

It’s looking increasingly likely that Hazuki won’t get his body back until the last episode of the series. This is a shame, because right now, Natsuyuki Rendezvous is a story about three individuals. With Rokka having reunited with Shimao at last, this may change next week. At least, I hope so.

In brief, Natsuyuki Rendezvous is a romance involving Ryousuke Hazuki’s attempts to form a relationship with Rokka Shimao. The major obstacle in his way is Atsushi Shimao, Rokka’s late husband who appears as a ghost that only Hazuki can see. As well as detailing Hazuki’s pursuit of Rokka, the show is about the difficulties of moving on, both for Rokka and for Shimao (the husband – he’s more often referred to by his surname). Even though I’m starting the blog at episode 8, I won’t be recapping previous events in the series, because that would take too long.

The episode begins where the previous one left off – with Rokka’s discovery of a flower display put together by Shimao (who’s currently in control of Hazuki’s body). The display is a timeline of all the flower arrangements that Shimao ever made for Rokka, so as well as being a grand and wonderful romantic gesture, it’s also a punchy declaration that Shimao has returned to Rokka in Hazuki’s body.

So how does Shimao follow this up? He buggers off.

I don’t get Shimao. I don’t even think he gets himself. Sometimes it feels like he’s trying to help Rokka move on from his death, sometimes it feels like he wants her to fall in love with him all over again, and then he pulls something like this. But he doesn’t follow through. Let’s review: he woos Rokka, disappears after Rokka confesses to Hazuki, corrects that little issue by revealing that he has hijacked Hazuki’s body, but refuses to relinquish it because either he has unfinished business or he has no clue what the heck he’s doing. Also, he stays disappeared because for some reason, people in this show seem to think that their problems are far easier to solve without someone else’s help. Rokka’s so confused over who she really loves that she goes for a random night-time stroll. Shimao’s jerked her around so much that I don’t blame her.

Take the hint, Shimao. Four episodes is long enough.

Shimao has now spent four episodes in Hazuki’s body, which is the same number of episodes that Hazuki has spent in his own body. I did not expect this invasion to last for so long, and I don’t really like it because a) Shimao’s a jerk, and b) it makes Hazuki’s sections boring and pointless. Hazuki’s still trapped in the strange dimension created by Shimao’s sketchbook, and all his screentime amounts to these days is poorly disguised introspection. He ponders whether he should just give up the ghost (sorry, couldn’t resist :P) and let Shimao have Rokka, but by the end of the episode he’s decided not to. Good job, Hazuki – it only took you four episodes of talking to a Rokka-shaped pixie to make your mind up.

The major problem with the series, captured in a single line.

Honestly, not much else happened this episode. What I do like are the small, ordinary things that the characters cherish about each other. Hazuki remembers finding a plaster on Rokka’s face strangely alluring, for example. This may sound creepy to some, but it makes total sense when you’re in love. This kind of realism and connection with the audience is what Natsuyuki Rendezvous is aiming for, but unfortunately this lends itself to slow, hesitant and confusing storytelling. Next week, I hope to see Hazuki play a more active role in the show, but I was also hoping for that last week. I don’t doubt that it will happen eventually, but how late will Natsuyuki Rendezvous leave it?

I love how this dog’s mouth is bigger than his head! I’m not gonna turn the show off for good – see you next week for episode 9!