Kimi ni Todoke – Chapter 72

And don’t you ever forget it!

After their impressive display last chapter, the time has finally come for Kazehaya to get over himself and tell Sawako how he really feels. This was the first chapter dedicated to just the two main characters in quite a while, though with so many plotlines running at once, it’s easy to understand where the focus went. The reason I like seeing them together this way, aside from the obvious, is that these last two chapter seemed to be full of references to the early parts of the series. Most obvious was last chapter and the “close your eyes for five seconds” moment, but we also have Kazehaya stammering out “I like you!” repeatedly. It’s a nice reversal to how Sawako confessed in the first place.

Another nice touch in this chapter was the conversation between the two and Sawako’s father over the phone. It was the sort of subtle character interaction this series has been great at. I can understand how much trouble he would have letting his daughter stay out late with her boyfriend, and even without hearing him talk, he comes off very well. Hearing his refusal to Sawako eventually lead to an almost token resistance against Kazehaya is a sign that he’s slowly starting to trust them, but is still essentially a dad. A small part of me was confused by how Sawako herself was unable to convince her father, but I could probably chalk that up to her general inability to speak to people.

But mostly, what I loved about this chapter is how it helped reestablish what made so many people like the series in the first place. It’s all about the characters talking about what’s been going through their heads for far too long. I feel like there’s a recurring theme in the series about understanding. How to better understand others and themselves is something the characters all struggle through, which is why scenes like this feel so climactic. Kazehaya has finally been admitting to himself that he isn’t the most perfect guy around, though I still wonder if he’s being a little too hard on himself. Next chapter should have Sawako telling her side of things, so maybe she’ll be able to put things into better perspective for him. If they want to get closer together, they need to be able to keep each other from becoming too negative like this. And if there’s one thing every Kimi ni Todoke fan can agree on, it’s that the best way for these two need to grow is to communicate more often.