Harukana Receive (Episode 7) – We’re Already Friends
It’s back to training after the recent tournament, but then something unexpected happens. A girl approaches Kanata with dreams of joining the beach volleyball club and becoming a beach idol!
What happened?
Akari has it all worked out. She’s going to pair up with Claire or Emily in an attempt to become a famous beach volleyball player and live out her fantasy of becoming an idol. However, Claire and Emily are already a team and have no desire to split up. With the end of that dream in sight, Akari runs off leaving her bag behind.
Haruka and Kanata try to track her down at school and discover that she used to be in a commercial and doesn’t really have any friends because she’s famous. The situation reminds Kanata of when she first met Narumi. She resolves to help Akari, but not before Haruka punishes her for thinking about her old “girlfriend”! They find Akari eating alone in a stairwell and challenge her to a game. If she loses, she has to join the team. It’s going to be one on one against Kanata.
Of course, Kanata is prepared and doesn’t miss a step, even when all Akari has to do is score one point with Emily setting the ball for her. Exhausted, Akari gives in and agrees to join the team. Without a partner, she seems to assume a managerial role, but then the girls head down to the court and find Claire and Emily’s mother waiting for them!
What did you think?
After the excitement of the last two episodes, this one brings things down to a nice chilled vibe. Of course, that is if you take Akari and her pop idol OP out of the equation. I had forgotten about the opening for this episode and thought that I had clicked on the wrong video by mistake. Things quickly become apparent what is going on, but it was still quite a deviation from the normal.
I don’t think this episode really showed us anything new. We’d already seen how Kanata made friends with Narumi and this is a mirror of that situation. The interactions between Haruka and Kanata were funny. I’m also not sure what Akari brings to the group, especially as Claire and Emily’s mother has just shown up to train them. I guess having another character isn’t really anything to complain about.
What have you learnt?
This episode was all blue skies and sandy beaches and that is one of the things that I love about it. Even when they’re not really doing much, they’re fun to hang around. It’s also a good way to change the pace and introduce some new characters. We’ve seen Akari and Claire and Emily’s mother briefly through the previous episodes and this was a nice relaxed way to bring them into the series. Of course, Akari is anything but relaxed, but that should make for an interesting dynamic with the other girls.
Other reviews in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – We Don’t Need Aces
- Episode 2 – Believe in Me
- Episode 3 – I Want to Regain My Former Self
- Episode 4 – Isn’t This Perfect For Us?
- Episode 5 – Until You Break
- Episode 6 – I Won’t Break
- Episode 7 – We’re Already Friends
- Episode 8 – I’ll Keep Our Promise
- Episode 9 – This Is How I Feel
- Episode 10 – The One I Wanted to Fight
- Episode 11 – At This Point, We’re Basically Playing Head-to-Head
- Episode 12 – And That’s Why We Choose Our Irreplaceable Partners
Related Items
Harukana Receive Manga Volume 1
from: Right Stuf, Inc.
Harukana Receive Manga Volume 2
from: Right Stuf, Inc.
Haruka Ozora Harukana Receive Figure
from: Right Stuf, Inc.
Yeah, kind of a mess of an episode. Mid season isn’t the smartest time to toss a new MC into the mix. But I think it worked in the long run, but we’ll see that as the season continues to progress.
I feel like they are trying to keep some mystery for the sake of mystery. Futaro obviously knew her, so there’s something that we’ve not been party too, and then they failed to give us any more. It pulled me out of the story completely, which is not something I enjoy.