Sora no Manimani Episode 11 – Snow Country for Old Sempai
October 2nd, 2009
The Souei High School Astronomy Club meets up with their counterparts from Takami Girls High School for a joint winter outing far from the city lights this episode. The cold winter temperatures are a shock to most of the Souei students as they meet up with the constellation obsessed Takami girls and the stage is set for a Hime-centric episode. The episode probably could have used some more drama in my opinion, instead of having as high of an amount of comedy as it did, but nonetheless we get some interesting developments along with the humor.
Upon arrival the Souei Astronomy Club seems mostly unprepared for the cold climate.
Not that the cold could stop Mihoshi from running off excitedly.
Oddly enough, good friends.
Remember the constellation mythology fangirls from the HSAN?
They prepared this…interesting illustration to try and advise Souei on how to dress.
They definitely write doujinshi.
Gathering inside while waiting for the bus, Kawamura and Minami start lecturing the club on appropriate cold weather clothing, noting that Hime may as well be wearing nothing on her legs in her slim-fit jeans, which she picked out for reasons of fashion rather than comfort. Minami demonstrates step by step the layering process while Kawamura narrates and Saku, Edogawa, and Hime reevaluate what they’ll need to wear. With the other members of the Takami club also present, Edogawa can’t resist trying to act suave to them, but this is undone when the recognize his frenzied pleas to let him be around and take pictures of the girls when he was relegated to the all-male group at the HSAN gathering.
Step one: nullify sexiness.
Step two: strike a pose.
Step three: Gundam SEED pink Earth Alliance uniform tops provide maximum cold protection.
But Edogawa, can’t you appreciate that fujoshi allure she has with her glasses on?
He’s at it again.
Way to scare off an entire school, Edogawa.
Boarding the bus both schools’ Astronomy Clubs head out to where they will be staying and converse a bit along the way. Mihoshi is once again SUGOI excited about the snow, and Saku asks her why she’s that way if she’s probably seen all kinds of things before. Replying that her father used to take her out in the snow, and to other places, for astronomy, Saku apologizes for bringing up the topic. Then, dispelling the funk from last episode’s revelation, Mihoshi acts slightly annoyed and says to stop apologizing and tip-toeing around it already. The Takami leaders, much like Shino and Takako from Kannagi, never miss a chance for pairings and butt in asking if it’s lover’s talk. Hime, understandably, is concerned.
The distorted and chibi faces in this show are once again great.
I kind of wish these two went to Souei.
Their kindred spirits, Takako and Shino.
Reverse-trap Takami teacher is very happy to sit next to Souma. And what is with the winter cosplay, I swear Souma’s jacket reminds me of Xing Ke from Code Geass.
Indeed the stars are much better away from the city.
Somehow every other school in Japan has major connections, because when the group arrives at the place they’ll be staying it has ANOTHER UNIVERSITY/MUSEUM SIZED TELESCOPE! While the heat is on the fritz, it’s otherwise a great place for the two clubs to stay. While unpacking their things, Saku offers to help Mihoshi carry a mysterious cylindrical object that’s heavy, though she declines since it’s some sort of surprise (maybe the optics tube from some kind of short tube telescope like a small catadioptric?). Hime notices this from around the corner and gets understandably jealous, as the final endgame seems to have already been reached in regards to the former relationship square, now barely a triangle, that’s been going throughout the season. Mihoshi offers her a heating pad and other help in staying warm, which Hime angrily refuses, though Mihoshi manages to slip the pad in her pocket before leaving. Edogawa meanwhile meets reality when, in an attempt to get closer to the girls, he’s sent to work like a prisoner at a Siberian gulag.
The mysterious package. Hopefully does not contain radioactive substances or Marcellus Wallace’s property.
Fumie was just forced to retire from the competition, Hime knows her number’s likely up.
Mihoshi’s too nice/dense to understand the reaction. Also, bunny tail Hime!
Edogawa’s ambition.
Reality.
See where your desperation leads you Edogawa?
Back inside Hime is contemplating her clothing options, having imagined how good she’d look next to Saku and not so much how warm she’d be. Having already refused Mihoshi’s offer of help, Hime sets out to the nearby convenience store to buy at least some undergarments to keep warm. But when she sneaks out alone she misses the briefing by the Takami girls about not going out alone and to always carry a flashlight. Complicating this is a blizzard moving in on the area. Finding the convenience store closed, Hime not surprisingly gets lost out in the blinding snow. Mihoshi then leaves on her own to look for her, having noticed her going outside earlier. With now two people missing the rest of the clubs and their teachers and host begin looking for them.
She also has idyllic visions of romance, no wonder her and Edogawa have become friends.
Back in town, Roma, studying for the entrance exams hears about the incoming blizzard. He’s probably already accepted to several schools, he just wants to spend more time in cram school with Oumi 
With the blizzard closing in Hime’s stuck in her light clothing without a flashlight.
Legendary GT-R tuner Yamamoto, reverse-trap sensei, and Sou-nii are very concerned.
Reminiscent of this clip from AMV Hell 3.
Like in episode 21 of Toradora? Nice fourth-wall breaker counter-line by Minami.
Stranded out in the snowstorm Hime alternatingly pushes onwards and starts panicking. She loses consciousness once, dreaming that Saku had come to rescue her, hugging her and telling her how worried he was. Waking up, she presses onwards for a while longer, determined not to have things end here. But eventually the cold and disorientation overpower her again, this time hallucinating several times. She sees her family, memories of being teased about her hair, times she and Saku had together, and the astronomy club. Just as she’s apologizing to all the people in her life she sees the Kuma-tan heating pad that Mihoshi snuck into her pocket lying on the ground, and almost apologizes to it.
If only.
You hear her Mihoshi shippers?! She’s not through with you by damn sight!
So that’s where she got her fluffy hair.
She even imagines Edogawa in a weird pose.
Drama combo-breaker!
After a moment of flipping out about how she almost apologized to the cutsey mascot-bearing (pun not intended, but I wish it was) heater packet Hime starts crying for Mihoshi’s concern about her, even though they are rivals. But just as she says her name Mihoshi bursts out of the snow, having finally found Hime. They embrace, then Mihoshi lends her some old warmup clothes to help protect her from the winds and snow. The two then start trying to find their way back.
Even in a moment of profound emotional outpouring, our Hime never forgets the barbs.
Mihoshi is (Hetalia) Russia?
Not the rescue she was expecting.
They definitely clash with Hime’s style.
Mihoshi came prepared.
But just as they take their first steps Mihoshi ends up making a huge snowball as she tumbles downhill. After Hime frees her they climb into a small snowcave, using the shelter to stay somewhat warmer and wait out the storm. There they have an actual talk such as these two haven’t really had up until this point. Hime says that she feels bad about being so selfish while Mihoshi seems to be above everything, but that she wants Mihoshi to take her seriously as a rival. Hime has accompanying internal monologue in this scene as well, where she runs through her mind past comparisons between herself and Mihoshi, thinking to herself that if Mihoshi is the clouds then Hime is the snow, cold and hard as opposed to above it all. Mihoshi then appears to accept Hime’s request, and says that she won’t lose either.
A very Honey and Clover set of eyes in this one.
Of course Mihoshi would spread her arms and legs out and have fun with near death.
This image pretty much sums up their relationship.
Line of the episode for this blogger.
Heaven or Hell! Let’s Rock!
Just then the sound of the wind is gone, and looking outside the two find that the storm has stopped and the sky is perfectly clear. Both of them are entranced by the clear winter sky, with Hime overwhelmed by the sheer number of visible stars. Back at the lodge Edogawa was trying to use his camera’s flash as a strobe, which Minami then takes to project through the scope. While beams of light like the ones Mihoshi and Hime see wouldn’t really occur (I could only imagine they would see one long beam per flash, and only then if there were fog or dust to reflect off of), they serve to bring them back to the lodge, which wasn’t too far to begin with. Enjoying the now functioning heating the two recover and Hime is given a cup of something hot to drink by Saku before quickly standing up and telling Mihoshi that she only said what she did due to stress. Mihoshi then says that she won’t lose to her rival in staying outside the longest or in who can find the best stargazing spots, leaving Hime rather confused.
The wonders of a dark sky.
Most to all of these are visible now very late/early. I’ve seen Betelgeuse, Pollux, and Aldebaran myself around 1-3am.
Doesn’t really work like that, but it looked cool I guess.
Minor Hime victory?
Why deny it at this point Hime?
Purposefully changing the topic, or dense as a neutron star? You decide.
What’s with the floating triangle in the background? This can only mean we need to Listen to Their Song and Mihoshi and Hime will have an epic singing contest for Saku’s heart set against a massive space battle. Kimi wa dare to kissu wo suru? I WILL ACCEPT NO OTHER ENDING.
Final Thoughts: – With one episode left of the season (plus a DVD bonus episode) I’m left not really sure what to think of what exactly will be resolved. I suppose that depends a lot on whether there will be another season or OVAs. Manga is apparently still going though.
- I find it strange that after giving Fumie basically a whole episode to drop out of the love square that this penultimate episode for the season seems to try and sustain Hime’s competition with Mihoshi.
- Speaking of: I make this declaration now! Barring the reentry of Queen Fumie, President and Protector of Souei High and Its Domains to the fight, I now pledge my wholehearted support to the cause of Makita Hime-hime! I join with you, longtime supporters of The Fluffy One, so that together we may…all be disappointed in the end?
- Again, no real ill will towards Mihoshi, I just like to play up the rhetoric. She and Saku have actually started acting a bit more normal towards each other late last episode/this episode so I feel somewhat less forced by the writing.
- As I mentioned at the beginning, while SoraMani is generally great at having just enough comic relief during serious moments, I think they overdid it a little bit in this episode. I think they could have sustained more serious drama this episode as the last stage of conflict/first stage of denouement and then apply the comedy more liberally in the last episode to wrap up the season on a not too serious note.
-IRL SoraMani: On hold due to WEEK+ LONG CLOUD COVER WTF?! Weather isn’t supposed to break until mid-week. All these new toys and no real chance to get out and use them. However, I’m planning a camping trip with friends two weeks from now to a place with especially dark skies. If the weather cooperates it’ll be epic. It’s primarily for camping and hiking, but I picked the location to ninja in the astronomy :3
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