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Tsukigakirei
Episode 8

by Nick Creamer,

How would you rate episode 8 of
Tsukigakirei ?
Community score: 4.6

The last few episodes of Tsuki ga Kirei have all tackled various specific problems of young love. There was an episode where they were stuck in a faux-relationship limbo, an episode where they were trying to figure out how to actually go out, and an episode dedicated to exploring the ambiguous solidity of their relationship. Akane and Kotarou handled all those challenges with relative grace, so this episode felt like something of a reward for their troubles. After seven episodes of halting and fumbling and feeling insecure, the two of them finally seem like a happy couple.

The episode didn't begin all sunshine and roses, though. After firmly announcing their relationship during episode seven's trip, Akane and Kotarou first had to deal with the consequences of publicly dating. This episode's early scenes focused heavily on rumors and gossip about the two, culminating in a great sequence where Kotarou turned to speak to Akane, saw half the class also turn to watch their conversation, and then immediately walked away. On the more personal side, Akane had to weather questions from her friends, including the surprisingly difficult-to-answer “what do you like about him?” Akane and Kotarou's relationship isn't based in some narrative need each fulfills for the other - they just like each other because they like each other. It's an awkward fact, but it also rings true to life.

After a few minutes of unwanted social meddling, the rest of this episode was completely dedicated to letting Akane and Kotarou have a nice time together. The fluffiness started with their charming pre-meeting rituals, as Kotarou found himself full of bubbly feelings just from saying Akane's name, while Akane took the extra step of reapplying perfume before meeting him in the library. Their following conversation was easily the most natural they'd had yet, moving fluidly from topic to topic without any of the awkward pauses that defined their earlier dates.

I really appreciate how well this show has articulated the small, consistently visible shifts in their comfort with each other. Even though they had a crush on each other from the start, being interested in someone won't naturally make it easy to talk to them. Akane and Kotarou's mutual familiarity has been a step-by-step process, and the fact that we've seen each of those steps articulated in sequence makes conversations like this their own payoff.

After school, the two finally got to have a private date. A visit to Kotarou's dance practice segued into a lengthy sequence at a local festival, where Tsuki ga Kirei put all of its visual chops to work in offering some of its most beautiful backgrounds and color palettes yet. The mixture of warm sunset reds and cool forest colors alternately echoed their sense of excitement and peace, making it clear in a visual sense what Akane meant when she said “being with Kotarou makes me feel safe.” The narrative sequence here offered an unspoken answer to her friends' original question, as the two celebrated their mutual love for old-fashioned things, grew closer through talking about birthdays, and finally shared a kiss under the moonlight.

This episode wasn't the most eventful, the most emotionally piercing, or the most consequential. But it did something very important all the same by showing just how much these kids like each other, making their mutual happiness something the audience can celebrate and share.

Overall: B

Tsuki ga Kirei is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.


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