Remembering Izumi Matsumoto (1958-2020)

It happened on the 6th of October, about a week before the news broke today; Izumi Matsumoto had passed away from the spinal condition he was fighting since the age of three. After enduring it for decades, his doctor reported he went peacefully in his sleep.

Truthfully, this news wasn’t a total shock to the system – Any fan of Matsumoto’s knew this day would come. If there’s one thing I have to commend him for above all else, it’s fighting for so long, and aiming to use his later works to raise awareness for his condition. The number of conventions and fan meets he still went to is truly impressive… Though I never got the chance to meet him, other anime forum-goers I know did manage to do just that. (I hear one even got his autograph!) Regardless, his influence on the genre would be felt for years to come.

February 28th Blog Update

 

March 1st is tomorrow, so it’s OVA time, isn’t it? …Well, not exactly. Instead of only featuring episodic review content, I’ve decided to move towards writing editorial-style posts whenever the inspiration hits me. Possible contenders include (but aren’t limited to) detailing the MSX video game, providing background information on various artists/albums behind the show, the COMIC-ON CD-ROM, merchandise throughout the years, etc.

I still may cover the OVAs in the future, but I’m imagining it in a singular post rather than all separately. And of course “Shin KOR” is somewhere on the horizon as well… Eventually. 2026 anyone?

Reflections on “I Want to Return to That Day”

Finale – Episodes 47 + 48

Before I even knew it, the finale had already arrived—Originally aired March 7th, 1988, thirty years ago today.  This post will be covering the final two episodes as one, episode 47 (“A Presentiment of Farewells – Find Madoka’s First Love”) and episode 48 (“I Found Love! and Repeat From Beginning.”) instead of the usual one-per-week format.

Fair disclosure: This post is also filled to the brim with spoilers. Hey, don’t look at me, this series has been out for decades now. Chances are, if you’re reading this blog you probably have seen the whole thing already, haven’t you?

New Post Scheduled Next Week

As discussed previously, it seems appropriate to cover the two-part finale under one post. If you want to get really technical, today doesn’t even fall on an original episode airdate—1988 was a leap year, and episode 47 happened to air on February 29th. It seems like this week-long break was predetermined from the beginning.

However, I wrote the post today anyway. You still have to wait though.

Episode 46 – “One Snow-White Night – Two Alone in a Gondola”

The finish line is in sight, folks, with just two episodes left at this point. I could do this forever, really, but all things must come to an end. The pacing in this episode lends itself to that feeling, as various characters share intimate moments. (Poor Yusaku almost has the balls to confess his love, but he chickens out)

Episode 45 – “Goodbye Hikaru – And Then There Were None”

Kasuga Kyosuke learns not to take Hikaru for granted, the hard way!

When the normally annoying girl is taken out of his life, he learns to appreciate her presence—and realizes her optimistic, child-like demeanor is what keeps the group all together. The story is told in a “Ghost of Christmas Past” kind of style.

Episode 44 – “The Taste of Love? Kyosuke’s Valentine from HELL!!”

This lighthearted episode is certainly a contrast from episode 43. Notably, it’s the second one that has the distinction of being “from HELL!”. How dramatic.

Little cousin Kazuya uses his mind-switching powers once again, this time to cause trouble for Kyosuke’s Valentine’s Day. Can the naive boy really deal with girls?

Episode 43 -“Heartbroken Hikaru – Follow Her to the Winter Beach”

Hikaru wants the group to get together for a music festival under the band name “The Pikkarus”, but is saddened when Kyosuke stays overnight at Yukari’s apartment.

Only five episodes are left at this point, and I’m debating whether or not to combine the two-part finale into one post. So far I’ve just been going by original airdates, but the final two-parter should really just be seen as one entity. I’ll see when I get there.

Episode 42 – “Madoka the Popular – Kyosuke Finally Confesses”

You get what’s on the tin in this episode; Madoka finds she has a young admirer named Sumire, and Kyosuke confesses his own feelings… in a way. Not in a series-ending kind of way, but he technically does.

The actual confession will come in due time, you’ve got to wait for that one.