⑨ Moments of Anime #9: Da Capo II Second Season ep 12

by eternal on December 17, 2008

So, I’m a little more than a little late to the party, but it’s better late than never, right? Organized by CCY of Mega Megane Moe (and apparently related to the ABC?), I’ll be doing my part to contribute to this little event known as the Twelve Moments in Anime. Starting at nine (surely because I wanted to do something unique, and not because I was lazy or anything…</sarcasm>), I’ll be counting down some of my favourite moments of anime in the year 2008, celebrating the virtues of this art form that we all know and love. So, read on to hear about my first choice, involving A Certain Magical Sakura Tree.

The Da Capo franchise, as we all know, doesn’t have the best of reputations. It’s generally viewed as fairly good for a VN adaptation, garnering quite a few fans and haters alike, but never – or almost never – conjuring the kind of reaction we get from the bigger names in the genre. My own take on the show isn’t too different from the average person’s opinion, either; it’s good, not great, but still worth watching.

That said, after effectively wasting a season on Robot Girl (I forgot her name and I have no wish to remember it), I distinctly recall the anticipation building as the second season rolled along. I found myself almost entranced by the show, more so than I should have been – even at its highest moments, it wasn’t as good as some of the ordinary moments in After Story. But despite the fact that I recognized the show objectively as ordinary, despite the fact that I knew the story was cliche and that it was impossible for the ending to be tragic, I was still having fun.

That’s where Yume Asakura comes in, with her dramatic confession atop that sunset-drenched rooftop. The romance in D.C. never appealed to me very much – the escapism was a bit too blatant – and the storyline was, as I said, predictable. It’s hard to get emotional about something when you already know how it’s going to end.

However, when I witnessed Yume spilling her heart to the one she cared the most for, I found myself at the edge of my seat.

I’m not sure why, really; this is one of those moments in anime that make little sense to you objectively, but feel almost flawless emotionally. I haven’t given the show or characters too much thought – and I don’t intend on it either – but there was something about that scene, about tsuntsun Nemu-clone building up her courage to confess her love, that left an impact on me. Story-wise, it may not have been the climax of the show, but it was easily my favourite moment, and it was a memorable enough scene to make it into the list.

Da Capo may not be brilliant, but anime doesn’t always have to be brilliant, either – I can only hope that we’ll hear more from Circus’s immortal loli and magical sakura tree at some point in the future.

~ ETERNAL
つづく

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: