Thread by @MagicalEmi

So I have a ton of series I’m behind on, and many more I haven’t even started. BUT, I also have this. I’m gonna do a rewatch thread instead~ I’ve seen this show many times, but the last time I got all the way through it was probably more than a decade ago. So let’s do this! 🦄

First, to set the mood: The opening. a classic. Admire Miki's floofy clothes~

Admire Miki's willingness to shill the official MB goods right away in the OP

Note: the goods appear in ep 1 within the first 8 seconds. Good job, Marketing!

Marmalade Boy ep 1,This series has great episode titles

The classic setup- 2nd year highschooler Miki's boring, but pleasant life is disrupted by shocking news--

But this is shoujo manga land, and they don't do things normally there, even divorce

You see...

Oh that classic divorce, partner-swap-and remarry trope! hahaha :P Poor Miki XD

Clearly, she has the correct reaction to this, and the way everyone else around her is so casual about it makes her feel like she's in the Twilight Zone :)

Just what you want to hear from your parents.

Miki is played by Mariko Kouda, who sings some of the songs in the series. She is great.She is still performing. Like, she had a part in Kemono Friends, and was in Happinesscharge Precure too, among lots of other stuff

Miki's best friend is Meiko. In typical manga fashion, Meiko is Miki's opposite. While Miki is high spirited, athletic, and freaks out over EVERYTHING, Meiko is more scholarly, gentle, and laid back. She also has the best hair. She has HORRIBLE taste though

Face it Miki, you're in Shoujo Manga Land. There is no escape.

This being Shoujo Manga Land, of course there is a twist! This other couple has a child, too! Guy who is Miki's age! Surely he's just as freaked out about this situation!

But wait

He's HOT....

Watching this scene after having watched the MB Movie puts a whole new layer to everything. I'm glad the movie is on the 2nd DVD set though, because it's really better if you don't watch it until later

Miki's love-struck pastels are totally my aesthetic

The world is a beautiful pastel dream, Miki, but you gotta snap out of it and focus! remember the situation!

Miki tries to fight the good fight, but is thwarted by the absurdity of the plot.

Come on Miki, get with the times! These are the 90's you know!

Fine then! Fight on, Miki! Remember, you have an Ally now! Don't give up!

Thanks a LOT, Yuu.

The dramatic BGM during all of this is pretty great, too

Yes, Miki. We are going to spend 70+ episodes learning just that

Poor anguished Miki just doesn't want to lose her parents to divorce! She loves them! Oh, well, if THAT's her problem, then...

See, this is all PERFECTLY SENSIBLE

Surrender Miki, you have been defeated

They thought of everything. You have been out-maneuvered. Give up

Down for the count. Poor Miki

Any more objections are met with massive guilt trips, and Miki gives in. Man, the parents are brutal, lolol

Halfway through ep 1. It's Eyecatch Time. Hey, it's an advance peek at Miwa! <3

They are adorable and precious

It should be noted that with the combined income of 4 working adults, you can rent a gigantic house.

So the adults have all divorced, and are living in sin for a while because women can't marry again until at least 6 months after they divorce. Doesn't stop them from getting the house and moving in together. Yuu will be transferring to Miki's school

So now Miki gets to live with that hottie, Yuu. But you gotta resist the pastel love-vision, Miki!

Because Yuu can be an ass, lol.

It was a surprise to Miki to learn Yuu would go to her school. This is pretty much accurate as to how she reacts to just about everything ^^;

This cutie is Ginta. He's the other leg of the inevitable love triangle. He has known Miki for years, but they are not a couple, for reasons.

And this is Namura-sensei, aka 'Na-chan'. A man of many unfortunate cardigans and questionable ethics. He's voiced by Tuxedo Kamen/Kyousuke/Amuro himself, Furuya Tohru

I'm sorry Miki. You're stuck in Shoujo Manga Land, so there is no avoiding the dreaded Shoujo Ball™

At the school infirmary, I can hear the song start to play, softly at first...

And then the song picks up steam

It's what I like to call the 'OH SHIT' song, it plays at the end of every episode, and it signifies either a genuine cliffhanger, or something dramatic happening that Miki will start FREAKING OUT about, lol

This is the song. Feel the drama ooohhhh shiiiiittttttt

End of Episode 1. (finally, I'm so slow, lol). The next ep preview is pretty much this, repeated

Cut from Miki freaking out, to the very mellow and charming 1st ending song, Suteki Na Serenade

That's the end of ep 1. Thanks for reading. Marmalade Boy is the best, lol. Let's see how far I can make it through the series. Thanks for clinging to the totally for-sale-at-a-toy-store-near-you exchange diary to the very end, Miki. Gotta fund more shoujo anime!

Time for Marmalade Boy episode 2! I just can't skip the opening, ever. <3 <3

In episode 1, high schooler Miki's life changed when her parents decided to divorce, swap partners with another couple, remarry, and all move in together. Furthermore, her new stepbrother, Yuu, decided to kiss her while she pretended to sleep in the school infirmary! OH NOES!

Ep 2 begins straight off with an excellent shot of one of the toys that you, devoted viewer, can purchase at a toy store near you. Thanks, Bandai! It's a voice memo recorder. Hana Yori Dango also had one of these... anyway, Miki is freaking out and here is her catchphrase

Because she is a shoujo manga heroine, it was her FIRST KISS

Title card. I don't think she ever figures out what he's thinking. And he isn't very helpful in that regard....

Oh yeah, this IS a shoujo series, so we're gonna get replays of that kiss TEN MILLION TIMES. Miki will not let us forget

Yuu nonchalantly reads some mysterious paper thing. I suppose in the new live-action version he will be looking at his phone XD Every time he acts casual about anything, Miki freaks out more

Miki helpfully explains the series title. The only time it's mentioned.

Yuu offers an alternative series title

Come on Miki, we JUST SAW THAT

Miki has unparalleled shoujo heroine skills of Attract Shoujo Ball, Repetitive Flashback, and Summon Pastel Bubbles

Meiko is sharp, and after hearing about THE KISS, is very interested in the Love Triangle she can see forming.

Ah! First non-eyecatch appearance of Miwa! I love you, Miwaaaaaaaa

GTFO Namura-sensei

Miki resolves to just forget about THE KISS and ignore Yuu, but it's hard when he's new, handsome, and ridiculously popular. The school's broadcast club immediately interviews Yuu for their lunchtime show that they broadcast to the whole school. And Yuu blabs

Miki panics. She doesn't want the school to know about her family situation, so she crashes the interview and offers some creative facts. I think they're a bit more than friends, lol

Oops, that's an awkward mid-lip-flap screencap ^^;;

Miki is brutal

Eyecatch time!

The first Eyecatch is much more amusing when you realize the love triangle depicted in each

Now we get a bit of backstory about Miki and Ginta. Everyone seems to think Ginta likes Miki, but 2 years ago, he was the one Miki got all pastel-sparkly for

She liked him so much she could summon pastel bubbles AND flower petals

So she summons her courage and writes him a love letter. But it gets into the wrong hands first, and Ginta, under peer pressure, is an idiot

So, yeah. Cue DRAMATIC SPOTLIGHT

Cue DRAMATIC STAIRS (that she somehow doesn't fall down)

Ginta blew it, realizes it, and shaves his head in apology. He and Miki are 'Just Friends' now, though it's obvious to us that he actually/still likes her

Miki, that flashback did NOT seem 'Good'

Come ON now, Miki, lol

Meanwhile, Yuu spots Miki staring at Ginta during her reminiscing, and takes note of her smiling. She's thinking there's no way Ginta could be jealous.

After some family bonding over video games and homework, Miki has a moment of panic as she realizes she's getting used to her weird family situation that she was so dead set against

So she tries to distance herself

She's on the Tennis team at school, so she works out some of her frustration on the court, playing hard. Oh, Yuu, watching Miki playing tennis from a distance, Uh huh...

After school, Yuu grabs Miki to go shopping with him. Turns out it's Miki's mom's birthday, and Miki forgot. Oops. Miki starts feeling thankful to Yuu, and oh, no, the bubbles appear, and the OH SHIT song starts to play

The OH SHIT song plays through the birthday celebration to afterwards, when Miki is feeling pretty happy. But then while still unpacking more boxes from her move, she finds a photo album that belongs to Yuu

As she gets up to give the album to Yuu, a photo flutters out.... and... here's Miki's OH SHIT moment! There's this repeated close ho reaction shot that I really need a gif of.

Close-up* even, hahaha

and I gotta enjoy the drama of this song again

WHO IS THAT GIRL WITH YUU?!?

Next episode preview- A trip to an amusement park! Meiko has a good face, Arimi shows up, and watch out, Miwa can generate ROSES.

Ahh, the chill ending theme~

And that's ep 2. Yay! Yuu is voiced by one of my favorites, Okiyau Ryoutarou. When he was a guest at Yaoicon, I was tempted to get him to sign something from Marmalade Boy, but I ended up having him sign my Hell Teacher Nube DVD set. He's great in that, too...

And he was Jinnai in El Hazard, that laugh, hahahaha

Time for Episode 3! Never skip the OP

When we left Miki, she was just beginning to have pastel sparkly feelings for Yuu, thinking maybe he wasn't such a weirdo after all, when she find a photo of him with a girl who looks like she belongs in a plugsuit. Does Yuu have a girlfriend?! Oh noes!

Meiko calls out Miki in the exchange diary, saying that if the thought of Yuu having a gf bothers her so much, it means she likes him. No way!

Miki denies it right into the episode title card

That 'Had' in the title card looks encouraging, Miki!

Miki really is not one to cross, what with her bashing the broadcasting club guy last episode, and now here she is imaging that girl's face on the tennis ball she's about to hit

GTFO Namura-sensei

Hey Na-chan, go date Ryouko-sensei, please

While Miki ponders the Yuu-girlfriend situation, Yuu goes over to the old library on campus. It has a lot of old books and is rarely used. While he studies an architecture book, someone arrives and sits right next to him, even though the place is totally empty. It's Miwa! <3

Kind of amusing to see Yuu get a bit discombobulated, considering how cool he has been so far. Miwa is smooth, and can generate ROSES, so Yuu has no chance against him.

Yuu tries to deflect Miwa, and gets more confused. hey, does he break the 4th wall there a little?

But Miwa continues to be SMOOTH. <3

Yuu bails, and Miwa is pretty cryptic. Hmmmmmm

On the way out, Yuu runs into Meiko, who is going to the library too. She's in the Literature Club, and claims to love the old library building even though no one goes there anymore because it's peaceful and relaxing, and she likes to read. Uh huh.

On the way home from school, Meiko asks Miki more about Yuu, and she offers her a listening ear and advice. Meiko has a 'mature' vibe, and Miki observes that Meiko and Yuu are pretty similar (rare moment of insight from Miki)

Miki is definitely the type to blurt everything out or lose her temper easily, so yeah, opposites.

At home, Yuu's mom presents Yuu and Miki with some theme park tickets she got from a client at work. Miki wants to go, so Yuu offers to go with her. Omg, cue some pastel bubbles and sparkles

So with Miki thinking it feels like a date, they go to the amusement park, where Miki sucks at video games, and Yuu is good at crane games, but he wins her the wrong toy. Fortunately, I think Bandai probably has some of those for sale too...

And right when Miki is distracted, Who should appear, but that girl from the photo! WHAT AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE! HOW CAN IT BE?!?!

Eyecatch!

Arimi is voiced by one of my favorite Seiyuu, Aya Hisakawa. Also known as Sailor Mercury (among a TON of great stuff), and currently being awesome as Kero-chan in Card Captor Sakura. And I think I read she'll be taking over the role of Bulma

This series hilariously magnifies the drama of this moment by having Miki wander through a funhouse of mirrors thing while Yuu is outside talking with Arimi. She had grabbed him before he could follow Miki inside. So now Miki wanders to BGM I can only describe as anxious

Miki gets increasingly freaked out, and boy this sure is dramatic. I'm feeling anxious for her

When Miki finally emerges from the house of mirrors, she calms down remarkably fast, I was surprised. But then she looks for Yuu, and finds him with...

Ahh, the days before cellphones. Arimi hits up Yuu for his number

Miki might have feelings about this

A little bit Tsundere, Miki?

Miki should be worried, because as cool as can be, Arimi casually says that, yeah, she's here at the amusement park with another guy, but she's gonna dump him. The she runs off. Yuu is like 'Oh that wacky Arimi never changes' and Miki is just... Then Yuu drops the Ex GF bomb

INSTANT FLASHBACK! COME ON MIKI, WE JUST SAW THIS! lol

You are NOT helping the situation, Yuu!

I know, Miki, I want to kick him too, lol

Yuu is a troublemaker, and I like the few times when he has to sweat stuff instead of poor Miki all the time!

And then he goes and drops this info. THAT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE REASON, YUU. *whap*

Miki agrees, and is ready to dispense some justice

Miki's done with Yuu's bullshit and leaves.

At school the next day, Ginta overhears some girls speculating that Yuu and Miki are dating because there were spotted at the amusement park. Ginta feelsjealous/ threatened, and Meiko calls him out on it

Ginta hurt Miki a lot 2 years ago, and Meiko is happy to see Miki liking someone again, and wants her to be happy. Ginta has no right to say anything. Of course, Ginta is an idiot

Ginta and Miki are on cleaning duty for their class this week at school. Ginta can see that Miki is a bit distracted. She is pondering the Arimi Problem.

Ginta also notices Miki is eating some candy. Hey, let's name-drop the heroine of one the mangaka's other series, lol. Mio is from 'Handsome na Kanojo'

Her commercial claims that the candy tastes like a kiss. Oh, Ginta, don't.

Miki doesn't take him seriously, since he already rejected her. Her thought process is like, I;m not gonna fall into his trap, I'll show him...

But he's not joking, and, looking pretty sinister there, kisses her. The OH SHIT song starts playing, and Miki is like, WTF

Miki has managed to slap both guys this ep. Go Miki

Come on, you idiot, you clearly saw she thought you were joking. You blew it, dumbass

Next Episode Preview- Ginta's contrite, but Miki is having none of it.

Ahhhh, wind down to the relaxing ending theme

That ends episode 3! Only... 73 more episodes to go! HAhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Marmalade Boy, Episode 4! Never Skip the opening!

Previously, on Marmalade Boy, both Yuu and Ginta were jerks, so Miki slapped em both.

She's currently more pissed off at Ginta though, because she was pretty sure Ginta didn't like her that way, so she thinks he's messing with her again. (Yuu is still a mystery). But there are 70+ episodes to go; you'll forgive him

Title card!

I like Miki's bed spread/sheets

Miki tries to avoid going to school, or at least wants to get there late, but Yuu forces her to get up and go. He has no idea about what Miki's going through with Ginta. At school, both Yuu and Meiko are like WTF when Miki clearly avoids Ginta, and he looks obviously upset.

But Miki gives Meiko the exchange diary, so Meiko is soon up to speed with current events. She kinda blames herself, because she'd warned Ginta away from Miki. Maybe that just got him fired up. After school, Miki ditches her cleaning duties (lol, pushes it onto Meiko)

Ginta wants to talk to Miki, but lol, NOPE. Cue dramatic orchestra BGM of anguish for Ginta. Yuu wants to know what's going on, but Meiko is more willing to sit back and let the drama play out. Meanwhile, Miki has had 3 flashbacks to the kiss so far

After school, Miki is hiding in her room fuming, sulking, and having lots of flashbacks. She's interrupted by Yuu, who drags her out of the house to run some errands. Perhaps he's trying to cheer her up? His jacket is very 90's colors. Hey now, not supposed to ride 2 on a bike!

Hey now, the Oh Shit song starts playing, but it's not even the middle of the episode! How dare they use it as normal BGM! Yuu takes Miki to see a nice sunset by the water, and is clearly trying to cheer her up/distract her by challenging her to skip stones. She sucks at it

Just randomly throwing a bunch of rocks doesn't make it any better, though her arm smears all over the place. Yuu eventually shows her how, and she gets it on the first try. They have a good time together, and then head home. Good tactic, Yuu

Miki connects the dots and thanks Yuu later with the Bandai-sponsored toy

Out of context, heh

Miki is cheered up, but at school the next day, she still isn't ready to deal with Ginta, so she bails as soon as class ends. But as she gets to the school gate, OMG, look who is waiting there!

Arimi is there to see Yuu, which Miki is not thrilled about. Meanwhile, Ginta is still chasing after Miki. Seeing him coming, Miki makes the best choice/But she drops the voice memo, and Ginta hears Miki's and Yuu's messages to each other. BACKGROUND OF TRAUMA

NEW EYECATCH! It's my cutie ROKUTANDAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~~

Miki has escaped with Arimi in tow. Arimi decides to make Miki pay for dragging her off by treating her to tea and dessert at a nearby cafe. They have a chat, and Miki's good about immediately asking what she really wants to know.

Arimi helpfully gives us exposition on her history with Yuu. She knew of him in middle school, and he stood out, but wasn't interested in handsome guys, and she had her own harem, lol. But then she talked with him, fell for him, and confessed

But Yuu shot her confession down right away. Apparently he was confessed to so often, he had a script for it. Gotta hand it to Arimi for her confidence though.

She manages to convince him to try dating for 3 months. If he hasn't fallen for her by then, she will give up. Amused by her persistence, he agrees. So they date.

But, 3 months later...

SAD VIOLINS AND TEARS

Using her witchy powers, does she try to curse Yuu?

Arimi gave up on Yuu, but then she saw him at the amusement park, and she just cant give him up because she still likes him. She pretty much challenges Miki here. FIGHT-OH MIKI!

Miki ponders Arimi's words on the way home. She tries not to feel threatened. After all, she doesn't even like Yuu... UH HUH, SURE MIKI

But when she gets home, Ginta is waiting for her! Not now, Ginta! But he won't budge. Miki is pretty angry

Tell him, Miki

Miki is upset that Ginta shared her love letter. So of course, Ginta makes excuses. Miki put the letter in a magazine in Ginta's bag, but the magazine wasn't his. His friends found it first and passed it around. Don't be angry at yourself, Miki.

Ginta says Miki was actually really popular with the boys at school because she was so bright & cheerful, and in a stupid shoujo manga way, they all kind of agreed to not date her because they all liked her. I usually see this type of thing in manga for the popular boy at school

His excuses are lame, but ok, this was middle school.

At his confession, they start playing the opening song instead of the OH SHIT song. Ginta was gonna be cool just being friends, but then Yuu showed up, and he got jealous. End of episode!

Next episode preview: Ginta is openly jealous. They introduce more MB merch to buy

Miki feels the drama of being in a love triangle, and we get this bombshell image at the end of the preview. GTFO Namura-sensei!

Wind down with the relaxing ending theme~ Bye, episode 4!

Marmalade Boy, Episode 5! Never skip the opening!

Ep 5 begins with Miki showing off the MB toys, and thinking about what happened last episode. Namely, Ginta's confession. She can't believe it.

BOOM! Title Card!

Pow, we're back at the end of last episode, right after Ginta confessed. He is freaking out, wondering if Miki likes Yuu, and if it's too late for him. He gets increasingly loud until he's outright yelling. Suddenly, they're interrupted.

Yuu casually tells them to STFU. Miki, embarrassed, runs inside her house. Yuu stands there looking at Ginta, and pretty much admits he heard their entire argument, including the stuff about Miki's confession letter. Yuu acting so calm riles up Ginta

And Yuu is always good at ruffling Ginta's feathers

Ginta's so riled up, it takes him a moment to realize this

Ginta gets more riled up, of course. Yuu is not helpful, lol

Ginta, trapped in the PASTELS OF DESPAIR AND SUFFERING

This is hilarious, because his scream is so anguished and it goes on and on and on and echoes. Yuu, indoors, is like, plugging his ears

Upstairs, Miki is fretting about what to do. She also is a bit upset when Yuu teases her like usual because she wonders if he heard everything from earlier. Maybe he doesn't care? He clearly does...

Next day at school, Miki ignores Ginta, and chats with her friends about last night's music variety show. They name drop another character from the Mangaka's other series, Handsome Girl, lol. Meiko listens to Miki's troubles...

Meiko talks Miki down from her constant 'what should I do? what should I do?'s

Miki takes Meiko's suggestion to ask Ginta for time to think about it. The whole conversation is viewed from a distance, where we see Miki talking to Ginta and him replying, but we can't hear what's being said. All we hear is the loud conversation of their classmates. Kinda odd.

Then they immediately show Miki leaving, and Ginta standing there replaying the conversation in his head. Like, they couldn't have just shown the conversation in the first place... But now Ginta has gone beyond despair pastels and straight into the black pit of friendship

He agrees to wait for Miki to make up her mind. In the meantime, Miki feels relieved of her stress. Being in a love triangle is tough.

This show would end a lot faster if she did decide to dump them both

Meiko gets right to the point

Dump them both, Miki

Their conversation is interrupted by Yuu, yelling from across the street. It looks like they have walked by the shop he works at for his part time job. It's sort of a random goods shop and cafe

EYECATCH to commercial!

EYECATCH and we're back! Hey, it's another new one! GTFO Namura-sensei

This is Yuu's boss at the shop. He's very casual and friendly and always in sunglasses

Yuu makes them coffee with a coffee siphon. I have one of these~

As they sit chatting. Yuu takes the opportunity to show off the latest MB item from Bandai. A Medallion that everyone at their school gets. Yuu just got his since he transferred in. But you can no doubt get one from your local toy store, kids

Miki's all excited about the Medallions, but Yuu's not impressed. His deadpan reaction kills Miki's enthusiasm

But, of all people, Yuu's Boss says not to doubt the power of the medallion. Turns out he is an alumni of their high school, and he tells a story about a shy girl who had a crush on a boy who was moving abroad. Too shy to confess, she slipped her medallion into his bag.

And 10 years later, the girl ran into the guy in New York. Yuu is skeptical, but then they spot photos of the Boss in New York pinned to the wall behind the counter. Oooooh. Miki wonders whose photo she should put in her MEdallion, Yuu's or Ginta's.

Later on at school, Miki is practicing hard at Tennis club because they have an invitational match coming up. The boys team is in a panic because Ginta's double partner managed to hurt himself and can't play. Miki suggests Yuu fill in, since she knows he played in Middle school

Yuu is reluctant, but gives in to Miki. Ginta is NOT thrilled. But Yuu's so good, everyone sees him in pastels

Once Ginta realizes how good at Tennis Yuu is, he's perfectly willing to ignore his hatred if it means they can win. Tennis club advisor, Namura-sensei is happy, too.

No, he's not, Yuu. Definitely not.

No...

Ginta has his reasons for agreeing to pair up with Yuu, but Yuu isn't interested in hearing them, and he ditches the rest of practice and hides in the old library

But as Yuu hides in the library someone else comes in. And the OH SHIT music starts to play.

OH NOOOOO

End of episode!

Next episode preview- the Tennis match! Ginta and Yuu will be facing Ginta's cousin?? It-it's ROKUTANDAAAAAA

And Arimi is back again! Looks like the episode will be rough for Ginta.

Relax again to the ending song...

Marmalade Boy, Episode 6! Belatedly deciding to try tagging this so maybe I can find my own spot in the thread easier because it's gonna be HUGE by the time I'm done. Never Skip the opening! Watch it every time! #MBep6 #MBRewatch

I am thankful the DVDs alternate between translated lyrics and romaji lyrics for each ep

We open with Meiko, who has the voice memo and exchange diary. She's having her own flashback about her kiss in the library. Ew, no, stop! She looks at the diary and memo, and just can't tell Miki her secret. She doesn't know that Yuu saw her..

Title card! An accurate description of the series so far...

Correction, Meiko does know that Yuu saw her. She flashes back to her library kiss after Namura-sensei leaves. Yuu comes out and confronts her. Meiko's worried he'll tell, but he says he won't. He just has one concern

Meiko confirms that Miki doesn't know. That night, Meiko struggles to use the convenient-and-easily-purchased-at-your-local-toy-store-MB-voice-memo-by-Bandai to tell Miki, but she can't go through with it, and blabs about hearing that Yuu was gonna be Ginta's partner in tennis

At school the next day, Yuu appears on the school's lunchtime broadcast club show, where they're interviewing him because he's popular and gonna play in the tennis invitational. Broadcast Club guy clearly didn't learn from the beating Miki gave him the last time he got too nosy

Yuu just has no comment, and everyone starts whispering. Miki's anger leverls rise. Ginta is x_x. Broadcast Club guy, you better hide.

Now it's the tennis invitational, and a huge cowd has come to watch, thanks to Yuu's appearance on the broadcast club show. As soon as Miki finds Yuu, they are met by... oh no, it's Arimi! Miki has a good reaction

Yuu didn't tell Arimi. It turns out the school they're playing against is Arimi's. This news actually disturbs Yuu, because there's a guy at Arimi's school he doesn't get along with, a guy who had a crush on Arimi, and who was always jealous of Yuu. This sounds familiar to Ginta

Yes, it's ROKUTANDAAAAAA

Rokutanda has had a crush on Arimi forever, but it'll never happen

This is pretty much Rokutanda's face for the rest of the series

Ginta doesn't like Rokutanda, so he's obnoxiously happy to see him get shot down by Arimi. Rokutanda busts out a 'urusai, urusai!'. They start fighting loudly, and everyone just stares. Then we learn Ginta and Rokutanda are cousins

Rokutanda realizes who Miki is, he blabs about Ginta dumping her due to the love letter even though they liked each other. Somehow, the entire crowd of students hears this, and everyone starts gossiping about Miki's love life right there, talking about the triangle with Yuu

Ginta has ammo to hit Rokutanda with though. And yeah, gotta agree with Yuu

The tennis match is about to start. Ginta and Rokutanda are super competitive. Rokutanda likes to throw out challenges to everyone constantly, and Ginta's immature enough to try to one-up him

Yuu's NOT happy about this, but Rokutanda takes the bet. Time for Eyecatch out to commercial and Eyecatch back!

The tennis game starts, and Yuu and Ginta are actually losing because Ginta is in a slump over Miki's 'I hate you!' words. She hasn't come back to watch the match yet. Ginta keeps making stupid mistakes and everyone notices

After more of Ginta playing awful, Arimi drags Miki back to watch the match, letting her know that the loser has to shave his head. No way Yuu is gonna shave his head! So Miki, shocked at how sucky Ginta's playing, yells at him, which seems to do the trick and he recovers

EXCITING TENNIS ACTION

TENNISING SO HARD

I feel like there should be an attack name yelled here. Putting up a huge fight, Ginta and Yuu manage to come back from behind and win!

Yaaay!

Well, at least Rokutanda is a good sport, kind of.

Yuu and Ginta relax after the game with some sports drinks. Ginta's happy about the outcome, though Yuu cannot waste the chance to remind Ginta that he was pathetic for the first half. But, he recovered well.

Ginta asks Yuu if he likes Miki, but of COURSE, Yuu doesn't answer. This riles up Ginta. As they leave the school, they run into Rokutanda and tease him a bit. But wait, the OH SHIT music starts to play, what is it? Ah! Arimi is waiting for them. Miki's not happy, but then...

UH OH, MIKI!

OH SHIT song intensifies. End of Episode 6!

Gotta bask in MOMENT again!

Next episode: It's the school trip to Hokkaido! Fun times to be had by all!

Relax to the ending theme, ahhhhh

Marmalade Boy, Episode 7! Never skip the opening! #MBRewatch #MBep7

We left off with the end of the Tennis match. Miki is shocked when Arimi suddenly makes a play for Ginta! Hey now, you can't just go grabbing one leg of Miki's Love Triangle, Arimi! Sure, Miki hasn't decided between the two, but that doesn't mean they're available!

Miki doesn't have much time to worry though, because it's now time for her class trip to Hokkaido! Title Card!

The school is flying everyone to Hokkaido. Miki's in the same group as Meiko, but separated from Yuu and Ginta, which she is relieved to discover. It would be awkward to be grouped with them.

In Hokkaido, they are apparently allowed to go sightseeing as they please, as long as they stay with their groups. Miki's group goes to a local tower to see the view, but as she stops to admire the souvenirs (telephone cards!) Miki manages to get separated from her group

As she looks for them, she ends up running into Yuu instead, who says she can join his group, but that idea is not appealing...

Miki says no, and is about to leave, when suddenly, Ginta is ambushed! Who can it be?! WOW, what an AMAZING COINCIDENCE! Thanks, SHOUJO MANGA LAND! lol

Yeah, Miki

Arimi not messing around

Miki's pretty annoyed, so Yuu drags her away. Ginta wants to go with them, but Arimi clings and whines at him to go sightseeing with her, or go for tea or something. He's reluctant, and Miki rushes back to defend him

While the girls are arguing, Yuu realizes something, OH NO.....

It's ROKUTANDAAAAA~~~ <3 And look, he kept his side of the tennis bet!

While Rokutanda is busy challenging Yuu to a rematch (that Yuu is not interested in doing), Armi drags Ginta away. Soon, Miki is able to reunite with her group, and she fills Meiko in on the latest drama. Jealous, Miki?

Uh huh.

Meanwhile, Arimi and Ginta are getting lunch. Ginta is obviously uncomfortable and intimidated by Arimi, but he manages to 'turn her down' and say he has someone else he likes.

But Arimi straight up tells Ginta she's not REALLY interested him him. She was just acting like it to make Miki jealous.

Way to tell Ginta he's trash, Arimi!

Now Arimi, have you never watched a single teen movie? You should know that plans like this never work out how they are intended to...

EYECATCH to commercial and back again!

Not a good idea, Arimi, I don't think Ginta can pull off such a deception.

Just look how easily swayed he is...

I'm not sure if Arimi knows Yuu and Miki live together yet.

Woman laughing alone with salad

At dinner, Ginta is ignoring Miki, so Yuu, Miki, and Meiko take a sky gondola up to a lookout spot for a nice view of the city. Up there, Miki spots Namura-sensei with Ryouko-sensei. Meiko is like '...'

Yuu looks a bit sympathetic to Meiko's plight, but doesn't say anything. That night, Meiko sneaks out and returns to the lookout spot and meets up with Namura-sensei. GTFO Namura-sensei

They enjoy the night view. She sneaks back undetected. The next day, the class heads towards Sapporo. Miki notices Ginta's still avoiding her. As the groups make plans for what sights they'll see, Ginta's very hyped about seeing Odori Park for some reason

That one classmate looks like Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi, lol

Aaaand now we see why Ginta wanted to go to Odori Park

Ginta's in over his head now

Even though Ginta is not very good at lying, it still seems convincing to Miki

But then, a wild ROKUTANDAAAAA appears!

fight! fight!

But Ginta has new strength!

And Rokutanda is defeated! Upset at watching this, Miki grabs Yuu and leaves. Ginta begins to regret...

Torture Rokutanda a bit more

Some good classic anime crying right there

Meanwhile, Miki continues to fret, as the OH SHIT song begins to play. The class heads back home from the school trip. Rokutanda says goodbye in his own way

Miki weighs her options between Yuu and Ginta as the plane takes them home. End of Episode 7!

Next episode preview- there is some drama with her 2 sets of parents, and Miki continues to ponder the Arimi Problem. She feels very inferior to Arimi, who is cool and mature.

Now, relax to the ending theme~ Ahhhhh

Marmalade Boy, Episode 8! Discotek just announced they're releasing it on Bluray, so you all should go buy it when it comes out. I'll be sitting here with my shiny new DVDs, sobbing softly. Anyway, never skip the opening! #MBep8 #MBrewatch

It's a new day, and the episode begins with Miki having a flashback to the Hokkaido trip. It conveniently works as an episode recap. Being in a love triangle is stressful

Bandai wants you to buy the toys

Title card!

Miki has the right idea

It's Sunday, and Miki just wants to be lazy and not see Ginta or Yuu. The title card says 'I'm not jealous' but that means she totally is, of course.

But as mush as she wants to stay in bed, she can't. The family drags Miki downstairs because they're having a family barbecue. They toast to Miki and Yuu's return from the school trip. They are all very cheerful.

Yeah, I'm sure you did, you partner-swapping couples

Miki catches herself relaxing and enjoying the BBQ, before she remembers that she still objects to her family situation

Miki's life is complicated

Just get used to your new normal...

The family is all getting along and smiling and being family-like. Miki is actually a bit thankful, because she was distracted from thinking about Arimi and Ginta for a while. But she's still generally against her new family situation. Her dad suggests a family outing to a movie

Her parents are obviously hurt by Miki's objection, but she doubles down on refusing to go out with them and runs off, feeling angry

After running off, Miki browses some shops, feeling sorry for herself. Then she spots Arimi, and her perfection makes Miki feel even worse

Miki greets Arimi, but Arimi immediately excuses herself, saying she has to go meet Ginta.

EYECATCH! To commercial and back again! Ah! It's the Miwa one again! <3 <3

Miki returns home to hear a loud crash as soon as she walks in the door. A vase of flowers is broken on the floor. Both sets of parents stand in stony silence, obviously angry at each other

Like, waves of anger and silence and frowny faces

Yay, another thing for Miki to fret about

I think that's usually how arguments start, Yuu

What are you looking at, Ginta?

That nightm Miki hears another plate break, and goes down stairs to find her family having a meltdown

And Miki's dad suggests another drastic change

Miki has a strong reaction to that, but her dad is very grim

Poor Miki

Dad's not messing around

As usual, Miki is freaking out, and Yuu is totally cool

Time to REALLY freak out, Miki!

Miki snaps

Can't you see what's happening, Miki?

They're getting you, Miki...

Yeah... you've lost again, Miki

They will always outsmart you

Face it, they played you

Miki's even more pissed off now. I think she may beat someone up

Miki is so DONE with her family. She barricades herself in her room

She has some very lol teen thoughts

At this point, we learn Yuu is a ninja

Again, he was trying to cheer her up, and as she realizes that, the OH SHIT song starts to play

Yuu's comment pretty much describes what Ginta and Arimi are doing

He makes a case for their parents

Miki agrees, and makes up with her parents. The dramatic song gets a little louder as Miki gets closer to realizing her feelings for Yuu

As Miki writes to Meiko in the exchange diary, Yuu's mom comes in with a gift for Miki. Some products from her work. Clearly, Yuu's mom works for Bandai

Miki mentions seeing Arimi earlier, and feeling envious of Arimi's makeup and perfume and mature look. Yuu's mom thinks the perfume she just gave Miki suits her. (go buy the perfume, kids)

Family bonding. While many teen manga characters mysteriously live alone, or have no parents in sight, Miki has an abundance of parents

End of Episode 8! The next episode preview returns us to the romance shenanigans

Time for me to go to sleep. Relax with the soothing ending theme

Marmalade Boy, Episode 9! Never Skip the opening! #MBRewatch #MBep9

Previously, Miki's parents tricked her into admitting she's gotten used to her weird family, and she pretty much finally gives up her last protest over the arrangement. She also felt envy towards Arimi and is worried about Arimi x Ginta

Miki confides to Meiko in the exchange diary that she's hating herself a bit because she is indecisive. She's jealous of Ginta + Arimi, but also starts to like Yuu. Meiko tries to reassure Miki, but Meiko has her own insecurities about her affair with Namura-sensei

Especially when she sees Namura-sensei with Ryouko-sensei. Meiko is pondering all of this at the old library, when someone arrives. She turns, expecting sensei, but it's Miwa! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Title screen~ this seems logical

Miwa already knows Meiko's name, and when she asks how, he starts working his charm. Meiko isn't impressed, lol

Miwa is not deterred, heh

Ahh, Meiko also knows his name~ but it's because he's student council president

Shot down~

Meanwhile, Ginta is feeling depressed and stressed over his fake-dating scheme with Arimi. It really wasn't a good idea, Ginta

Miki's after-school tennis practice is cancelled, so Yuu asks her to help him out at his part time job, since they're having a sale and will be extra busy Miki is reluctant at first, but he drags her there and she does a good job helping.

.... only to discover most of the patrons of the store are women, and they're all fans of Yuu. They vie for his attention and ask for his opinions on the clothes they try on. Miki is NOT amused. She makes some good faces

The shop owner offers Miki a job, which draws a surprising protest from Yuu, with dumb reasoning, but Miki looks like she's flattered

She's so touched, that no less than 3 seconds later she replays it in her head, and adds pastel bubbles and sparkles

Miki's feeling pretty happy when, oh no, look who arrives... ready to upset her

Ginta's starting to waver. but Arimi's not having it

Since we gotta get everyone into this shop, outside, Rokutanda is passing by with some friends when he spots Ginta and Arimi

Rokutanda bursts into teh shop, looking for Ginta, and gets even more angry when he sees Yuu there too. He's gonna challenge someone, I know it.

EYECATCH! To commercial and back!

Rokutanda starts making a scene in the store, but the boss is more amused than angry. Rokutanda yells a lot at Ginta for dating Arimi, the girl he has liked since childhood. Arimi has no time for Rokutanda

Sad, sad, sad Rokutanda. Arimiiiiiiiii

No one has time for Rokutanda

Again.... 'Arimiii'

Rokutanda resorts to hurling insults at Ginta and telling embarrassing stories about Ginta from their childhood (he used to wet the bed! etc) to humiliate him. Ginta is angry at Rokutanda's lame tactics. So the boss, seeing an opportunity, proposes a challenge

And with a challenge, Rokutanda, can't resist proposing his usual penalty for the loser

So the contest begins, and starts to draw quite a crowd. Yuu has his usual group of fangirls to buy stuff, and Ginta manages to sell some things too because he's cute and awkward. Rokutanda has less luck

Also, Namura-sensei and Ryouko sensei wander by the shop (Ryouko had asked Namura to run an errand with her after school) and we learn they know the boss of the store. He's their sempai.

And since we really gotta have EVERYONE at the shop, Meiko is walking by, trying to shake off Miwa, who is walking with her. She spots Namura-sensei and Ryouko sensei together and is NOT happy

Meiko runs away, with Miwa following. At the shop, the contest is over, and of course, Rokutanda lost. No one feels very sorry for him

Sorry, Rokutanda

That evening, when Yuu and Miki finally get home, they're greeted by a startling sight. What's this?!

The sensible parents strike again! Now the dramatic version of the op song starts to play. I can't believe they didn't use the OH SHIT song here, but maybe they just reserve that for when it's only Miki freaking out

But Yuu is clearly startled, too. With their parents on vacation, that means, Yuu and Miki will be ALONE together, woooOOOHHHOOOOHHHHHH

Next episode preview~ Yuu and Miki, alone~ where will their teen hormones take them~

End of Episode 9! Enjoy the relaxing ending theme~

Marmalade Boy, Episode 10! #MBRewatch #MBep10 Never Skip the opening!

We left off with the parents being totally sensible, as usual.

Miki's heart is all aflutter at the thought of being alone with Yuu. What if SOMETHING happens?!

TITLE CARD Once again, that's quite an episode title there...

Miki has a right to be worried. It was their previous trip to Hawaii that started this whole mess. The parents are annoyingly cheerful about their trip and take off without a care.

The moment the adults are gone, Yuu tries to get Miki to be the good wifey and make him food. She's not keen on the idea, but caves in, and then he has the nerve to criticize it. Jerk.

Give him a good kick, Miki.

Don't even try that, Yuu

But Miki is weak to flattery

You don't have to do that Miki. But I guess it gives them a chance to get all domestic. Yuu starts to realize perhaps he made a mistake

On the way home, Miki spaces out, imagining she and Yuu must look like a couple, when Yuu pulls her back from walking into traffic. Good faces here

Yuu starts to complain about having to carry all the shopping bags, which are heavy because Miki bought the whole supermarket. Miki enjoys taunting Yuu for being weak. Lol at the faces of the crowd

That lady behind Miki, hah

See, she'll beat you up, Yuu. Wait, did he drop the groceries? Why is his hand free? Oh wait, now he's holding them again. Hmm

They run into Yuu's boss, and we learn that Yuu took some time off from work while their parents are gone because he didn't want to leave Miki home alone since he gets home late when he works. Miki's touched by his consideration.

Then they stop to get the most shoujo manga style drink. That looks tasty

Yes, Miki, considering you wouldn't even know Yuu if it wasn't for the partner-swapping parents

Me when I cook

As expected, Miki manages to make a mess and ruin dinner, Yuu pushes her out of the way, and casually makes a feast because he is frustratingly competent at everything he tries.

Miki has the right idea here though

Oh, DON'T EVEN, Yuu

Now that the distraction of dinner is over, Miki starts to feel awkward being alone with Yuu. She flis through TV channels. I like what's on TV

Yuu leans suggestively closer to Miki, only to suggest they watch a video they rented. Miki's mind is in the gutter

EYECATCH To commercial and back again~

As Miki waits for Yuu to get the video, the lights go out, and Miki freaks out. She freaks more when Yuu sneaks up from behind and puts his hand on her shoulder. LOL at the movie he rented. Ahh, that classic!

They watch That horror classic, 'Elm Street on Friday' and even though Miki had claimed to not be bothered by horror movies, she gets a bit scared. Can't blame her, it looks horrifying, lol

But she actually manages to distract herself from her fear by watching Yuu (who is unbothered by the movie) and thinking sappy thoughts about how cool he is.

She was thirsty, Yuu

Miki's mind in the gutter still

Ahh, thinking sensibly. What an excellent idea, Miki. What could possibly go wrong

Miki's blood-curdling scream is pretty good here. Yuu, what is with your body. Where is your ass

Yuu gotta Yuu

He can't resist

Miki's turn in the bath~

Ok seriously, I thought tennis-champ Miki was supposed to be an athlete. How did she manage to live to be a teenager, she is so inept and clumsy in this episode

Miki gets overheated in the bath and passes out. Yuu has to break down the door to get to her. As he calls her name, she has these romantic hallucinations

The OH SHIT song starts to play, and Miki's hallucinations turn into nightmares about her love triangle

Even in her dreams, her parents aren't that helpful

Spinning out of controlllllll

Miki finally wakes up to a concerned Yuu, who looks relieved when she opens her eyes.

Ouch!

End of episode!
In the next ep preview, It's Yuu's birthday! Miki makes plans that are soon ruined by the rest of the cast

End of Episode 10. Wind down once again with the relaxing ending theme

Marmalade Boy, Episode 11! With current series, we'd be almost to the end, but for amazing 90's shouo anime, we've barely made a dent in the episodes~ #MBrewatch #MBep11 Never Skip the opening, it sets the mood

We left off with Yuu & Miki home alone. Miki managed to forget how to bathe and passed out in the bathroom. Yuu helped her, but now Miki's waking up, finding herself in just a towel, and she slaps Yuu hard. She's instantly regretful, and Yuu just rolls with it and leaves

Miki's embarrassed that Yuu saw he like that, in nothing but the towel. Time for the TITLE CARD

Miki is a ball of misery and awkwardness and embarrassment, while Yuu acts casual and pretends nothing happened. He starts trying to cheer her up and calls her princess and makes her breakfast. Hey, you should treat her like that all the time :P

Then the TOTALLY SENSIBLE parents decide to call, and they ask Miki to wish Yuu a happy birthday. Yeah, the parents planned their vacation during their child's birthday

They don't even ask to talk to Yuu himself, They're like, wish him happy birthday! BYE! *click* Yeesh.

Yuu's impressed they actually remembered. As usual, Miki can't believe how insensitive their parents are, and gets mad at them on Yuu's behalf. Miki is fired up, but as with the whole remarriage thing, Yuu's very low-key and unbothered.

Miki wants to have a party for Yuu, who is reluctant and claims he's not a child. But Miki is really taken with the idea, and they argue a bit to the point where she is pretty much inflicting the party on him whether he wants it or not.

At least Miki has come to recognize the limits of her cooking skills. She buys pre-made stuff

No, Miki. Don't get any ideas. Step AWAY from the cake pans.

This is similar to what I saw at stores in Japan- they sell small quantities of ingredients and decorations- tiny bag of things, so you can make 1 very small, cute cake at home. But Miki really needs to re-think this

But wait, surely she can't mess this up, right?

I have a feeling we're about to find out

Once again, I love Miki's pastel imagination

Meanwhile, Arimi has also remembered that it's Yuu's birthday, and she wants to give him a gift. She goes to his part time job, where she learns he's on a break from it due to the family vacation. I don't remember Arimi learning about the divorce-remarriage though

Ahh, the days before cellphones.

It's cake moment of truth time. She did it?!

... or not

Now you're talking, Miki

Miki manages to get Yuu to stay away until she has everything all decorated and set up nicely in the dining room. Then she gets dressed up in her nice outfit (the one she wore to the original family-meeting dinner). She puts on the makeup and perfume Yuu's mom gave her

Miki did manage to set up a nice dinner. Even Yuu is impressed.

With the candles and everything, there's a nice mood, and Miki gets flustered because Yuu keeps staring at her, they lean closer...

EYECATCH!

Yuu pulls Miki closer and...

DOORBELL!

Who is it? They're gonna face one pissed-off Miki

Oh, of course.

So happy to see them

Kill them, Miki

Thanks, Yuu

Come on Miki, you had the wrong idea all last episode

Miki starts to say that she and Yuu haven't done anything, but then she remembers the towel-only fainting-then-slapping scene, and the candlelight leaning closer scene, and her protest dwindles and she flushes. Poor Ginta

Ginta flips out and pushes Yuu against the wall in a sort of kabe-don-like situation, and glares menacingly at Yuu. Yuu, of course, just messes with Ginta

Ginta's easy to mess with

Meanwhile Arimi plots to mess with Miki

Make up your mind, Miki

But then the doorbell rings again, and it's...

ouch, lol

Basically, Rokutanda spotted Ginta and Arimi on the train, and followed them. Miki's Anger-meter is really soaring. But she gives in, and they all sit down to enjoy the meal she prepared for Yuu

Rokutanda learns Yuu and Miki live together

POW!

Ginta and Rokutanda start to argue, so to shut them up/distract them, Miki suggests a game of cards. She goes upstairs to her room to look for her deck whe she discovers Ginta has followed her. She pushes him out

But Ginta is all kinds of jealous, and he asks about Yuu being allowed in her room, and Miki's perfume. The OH SHIT song starts to play.

Jealousy never goes well with Ginta.

But Miki won't let him back into her room. I feel like... some symbolism going on here... just maybe...

Miki reminds him about Arimi, and Ginta admits he's not really dating Arimi. And then lays this choice on Miki

>_>

End of Episode! Next episode preview-- More Tennis! This time Miki's gotta Tennis so hard

Life in a Love Triangle is so stressful!

Time to relax and enjoy the ending theme

Ok, time for Marmalade Boy, Episode 12! 1/6 of the way through the series, woohoo! ^^; Never skip the opening, it sets the mood! #MBRewatch #MBep12

We left off with Ginta telling Miki that it's up to her- if she doesn't want him, he'll date Arimi instead. I'm not sure why he thought this was a good idea. Miki frets about it as she fills Meiko in on the details via the exchange diary. Boom, Title card!

At school, Miki tries to avoid Ginta, but of course he finds her right away. Miki ditches him though, and rants about her situation to Meiko

But then she's called into the teacher staff room, where she's told she has been selected to play in a tennis invitational. The one that Yuu played in was so popular, they decided to have a match for the girls, too. Miki will play against Arimi's school this time

She has to go to tennis practice to prepare for the invitational, so she can't avoid Ginta. Sure enough, he's there, and putting the pressure on. Miki tries to delay again.

Miki buys some time as Ginta agrees to wait until after the match for her decision. But at home she's just a worried mess. She doesn't have much time to worry though, because the sensible parents have returned and are super eager to talk about their amazing Hawaii trip

Considering all of her personal worries, not to mention the disaster that happened to her life after the last Hawaii trip, Miki is not too eager to hear them talk about it. Yuu isn't either.

The parents rocked some amazing fashion in Hawaii

Still unimpressed, Yuu and Miki excuse themselves. Aware that Miki is distracted by worry, he suggests she go visit Meiko. That's a good idea, so she does. Meiko's family is rich, and Meiko's room is gigantic

Even this ship would be better than Meiko x Namura-sensei

EYECATCH

The next day at school, Meiko and Miki are ambushed by Ginta, but it's not about relationship stuff, he's fired up about the tennis match and wants to help Miki train. Miki agrees, and ethy enjoy a lighthearted tennis training montage of Good Friendship. There is much Tennis-ing

Miki is a bit nervous about the match, so to take her mind off of it, Yuu suggests they go shopping to get Miki a new tennis dress. But of course Yuu gotta be Yuu about it

Yuu is quickly reminded of what Miki is like when shopping, as she can't decide on an outfit, and declares pretty much everything to be super cute. Again, Yuu gotta Yuu

They spend the whole day shopping. It's pretty much like a date, really. If you've seen the Marmalade Boy movie, it's like Yuu managed to swap places with Meiko. They have a good time, and Miki makes Yuu carry everything

Miki and Yuu banter about finding a place to eat, and Miki realizes that Yuu took her shopping as a distraction. The realization makes her go all pastel sparkles and bubbles

Time for the tennis match! It's being held at Arimi's school, but everyone fro her school came to watch. Of course Ginta and Rokutanda get into it again. Also, the girls at this school spot Yuu, realize he's a hottie

And suddenly Yuu has another fan club, lol

The match starts, and there is fast tennis action. Miki manages to win the first set

But then look who shows up

Miki is distracted, and misses one ball, but unlike Ginta, she immediately recovers, buckles down, and plays her best. So much Tennising happens

Miki's so good, even the tennis ball turns pastel

Miki wins, yay! Ginta's happy for her (hey, it's the guy from the broadcast club. ) Poor Rokutanda loses again. Meiko reminds Miki that all she needs to do now is give Ginta her answer to his confession. The gentle sounds of the OH SHIT song start to play

Arimi makes a move and as usual, is harsh to Rokutanda

Sorry, Rokutanda

DRAMA. Miki hasn't had a chance to give her answer yet

Which way will you go, Miki?!?!?!?!

End of Episode 12~ Next episode preview- Miki finally gives Ginta hs answer, and it's probably not the one he wanted

Ahhh, relax after that tough decision at your beach house, during the ending song, Miki

Marmalade Boy, Episode 13! #MBRewatch #MBep13 Gotta watch the opening to set the mood...

We left off with Miki winning the tennis match, and now Ginta is waiting on her to give him an answer to his confession. Miki has a flashback that recaps everything that happened last episode and she gives her feelings a lot of thought.

If Ginta had ever watched the opening theme, he'd know how this was gonna go, but if not, this episode's TITLE CARD spells it out

At school, they have all switched to summer uniforms! Miki is lost in thought, and Ginta is understandably nervous. This is his nervous face

It's time for Miki to end the love triangle, and Ginta is totally ready for it

On the school roof, Miki basically says that she likes both Ginta and Yuu and she can't date Ginta while having uncertain feelings like that. Besides, he wouldn't want to date someone who has feelings about someone else, right? But Ginta's like, no problem!

But Miki lives with Yuu, and she'd have to see him all the time, etc. She can't do that to Ginta, so she thinks he should go date Arimi. She's not thrilled, but she can't date him fairly. Ginta protests and thinks of telling Miki the truth...

Sorry Ginta!

Aww they give him a SPOTLIGHT OF DESPAIR

MIKIIIIIII

After school, Miki attacks her tennis practice with renewed energy, while Ginta continues to regret not telling Miki about his deal with Arimi. But he can't tell her now.

Meanwhile, in the old library, Miwa bothers Meiko, who is really annoyed he's there because then she can't secretly meet with Namura-sensei.

Miwa's presence ruins everything for Meiko, and when Namura-sensei actually show up, he can't say anything to Meiko. At a cafe, Meiko tells Miki about Miwa, and Miki is excited, but she still doesn't know about Meiko's dating a teacher. Miki is super cheerful, and Meiko sees all

Miki's embarrassed at being caught out like that. Meiko then makes things worse by saying perhaps Miki should have picked Ginta after all. Miki freaks out and Meiko is in the middle of apologizing...

... when she spots Namura-sensei through the cafe window and promptly ditches Miki

Miki gets a SPOTLIGHT OF INDECISION AND REGRET

EYECATCH!

Its now a day off from school, and Miki is by herself shopping in Shibuya. But she feels depressed and lonely. Just the perfect time to run into Arimi, who is immediately up to her tricks

Arimi leads Miki to think she's sleeping at Ginta's place before saying 'Just Kidding!', but Miki is already gone

Oh well

Miki rides the train of sadness home, and the OH SHIT song plays over a flashback montage Miki has of her entire relationship with Ginta. She's seriously regretting her decision. But when she gets home, she finds someone waiting for her

It's.... Ginta, and when Miki confronts him about her belief that Arimi is spending the night with him, Ginta is pretty surprised

This prompts him to FINALLY tell Miki about the fake dating scheme with Arimi

Miki falls over in surprise, and Ginta helps her up. She says that she's glad that he wasn't really dating Arimi. This fires Ginta up, and he thinks he has a chance with Miki again, so he grabs her shoulders to pull her close, but she pushes him away

And this is why Miki's better off without Ginta.

Once again, Ginta grabs Miki, who protests (seriously, gtfo Ginta) but then they're interrupted...

By Yuu (I guess Okiayu Ryoutarou finally showed up to work to deliver his 2 lines for this episode, lol) But Yuu, your reasoning is NOT any better...

Go home, Ginta. There was no moment for you

Meanwhile...

End of Episode 13! Miki is better off without any of these people. Next episode preview-- Miki frets some more about the love triangle situation, and Arimi shows up at her school to make a bold move on Yuu

Gotta relax with the ending theme, this ep has been stressful

Ok, time for Marmalade Boy Episode 14! Gotta watch the OP

Oops, I should hashtag this so I can keep my own place in the thread, lol. #MBRewatch #MBep14 #marmaladeboy

Ep 14 opens wit Meiko providing the flashback recap of the last episode as she writes to miki in the exchange diary. She regrets making Miki doubt her decision to dump Ginta. She tries to make for it by telling Miki she's brave to give Ginta up

TITLE CARD

Miki isn't too keen to go to school or face Ginta or Yuu after all the drama last episode. But Yuu treats her as if nothing happened, so she manages to get through the morning

Meanwhile, in Meiko's class, homeroom teacher Na-chan is laughing it up with all the students...

... while Meiko stares at him and thinks of their last date together at an aquarium

Namura has the tiniest bit of a conscience, saying that he can't go out with a student he is in charge of, so the aquarium is their last meeting in public until she graduates. Note that he doesn't stop dating her or meeting in secret or anything

GTFO Namura-sensei, don't EVEN go all pink pastel bubble-background here

In class, Ginta employs that classic pre-text-message technology called 'passing a note' to let Miki know that he also told Arimi about how he spilled the beans on their fake relationship. Miki doesn't really react to the news

Later, Miwa skips over to the old library, looking for Meiko. But he's disappointed, as she's nowhere in sight. He does, however, spot Yuu. Yuu's asking about a book on architecture. The author's last name also happens to be Miwa. HMMMMM

Miwa helpfully offers that he has the book at home and Yuu can come read it if he likes, but I'm pretty sure Yuu thinks Miwa's hitting on him, and he gets flustered and makes a hasty exit

Miki's late for tennis practice and is running there when she's approached by Arimi, who apparently has lots of time to commute from wherever her school is at. Arimi is not there to wait for Yuu or Ginta this time. Instead she's there to call out and tell off Miki

Arimi starts off by apologizing for the dating deception, but insists that it did Miki some good because it helped Miki realize she likes BOTH Yuu and Ginta. However, Arimi hates that, and thinks Miki isn't good enough for Yuu

Hisakawa Aya really builds up some steam as Arimi here, laying into Miki, saying Yuu doesn't open up to others, but he's softer around Miki and might like Miki. But she doesn't care! Miki can't have him! Girl, it's not your decision

So with that dramatic proclamation, Arimi runs off, leaving Miki upset

Arimi's upset, too, and she runs off... right over to Yuu, and clings to him

Gasp, school gossip, start!

This is a nice effect

Arimi is all sobbing and clinging and Yuu just stands there like "..."

Arimi's really sobbing, and yells at him to do something, but she's the one who ends up doing something. And here we have more ill-advised pastel bubbles

The violins in the BGM have turned the drama up a notch, and the camera circles The Kiss like this was a kdrama or something.

MEanwhile, Yuu is still just standing there like "uh...' and all his classmates are dying from shock

This dramatic scene will lead us to the commercial

EYECATCH! Every frame in each eyecatch is super adorable

Elsewhere, Miki is still thinking about her confrontation with Arimi. I guess she skipped tennis practice? It's a good thing she didn't witness The Kiss

Miki has a flashback to the conversation with Arimi in case we got amnesia during the commercial. Clearly the answer to this is 'Why not both?'

Then Miki's friends helpfully fill her in on the drama she missed. and wow, that's quite a reaction, Miki! Not pastel at all!

Of course, all the adults decide this is the time for alcohol

Oh come on, Na-chan. You can't say you don't interfere with your students...

Yeah, you're drunk

Ryouko-sensei says she's jealous of the students because Arimi and Miki both acted on their feelings. It's obvious that she likes Namura-sensei, but is too scared to tell him

That evening, both Miki and Yuu are lost in thought

While Meiko hides in her mansion, listening to her drunk parents argue about their lovers

Meiko can't take the fighting anymore, so she runs out of her house into the night. The OH SHIT song starts to play. Namura-sensei and Ryouko-sensei are walking home from the bar, and Ryouko asks Namura if he'd like to come up for another drink

Na-chan manages to turn down Ryouko-sensei, who is pretty bitter about it

Meiko makes a beeline for Namura-sensei's house and bangs on the door, but he isn't home. She's startled when he's behind her, having just arrived

Meiko flings herself into his arms (a lot of that going on in this episode) and he comforts her as she cries. He expression looks pretty skeevy to me, lol

End of Episode 14! Next week, Miki learns that while she pours her heart out to Meiko, Meiko has been keeping secrets

Whew! Gotta relax at my beach house now

Had to move on to DVD 3 of this set! Vital to remember to switch to the subtitle track. Whew! And now, Marmalade Boy! Episode 15! Hurrah! Let's watch the OP yet agaaaaiiiinnnnnn~~~~~ #MBRewatch #MarmaladeBoy #MBep15

Ep 15 opens with Miki doing her usual fretting over love triange stuff as she struggles with what to write in the exchange diary to Meiko. She gives up and decides to call Meiko instead, but she isn't home. We all know Meiko went over to Namura-sensei's place...

TITLE CARD (uh oh, Miki finds out about Meiko!)

Miki leaves for school early to avoid Yuu. She's worried when she sees that Meiko isn't there, and remembers that Meiko wasn't home last night when she called, either. But then Meiko arrives just before the bell, and Miki is relieved. Funny how Meiko arrives right before Namura..

At lunch, Miki once again finds that Meiko is gone. Miki forgot her lunch, but Yuu helpfully brought it for her, so she has good feelings towards him again. She notices that everyone is gossiping about The Kiss in the schoolyard with Arimi, but Yuu is ignoring it.

Meanwhile, Meiko is over in the old library, obviously hoping to meetup with Namura-sensei again, but the one who arrives is just Miwa again. He is always ruining her secret rendezvous

Miki worries that Meiko won't be back in time to eat any lunch before the break ends, when Ginta calls her aside for a chat. Apparently, he has decided to wait for Miki. Uh huh. How nice of you, Ginta. You're gonna be waiting a while

Look at this master of persuasion

*FACEPALM*

You're digging your grave, Ginta

She's totally gonna date you now, Ginta

Miki and Ginta get into an argument, but it's really just playful needling, and Miki is actually happy/relieved, because they haven't goofed around like this in a while. She decides to chill for a bit

Meanwhile, some Very Imposing Adults head to the school Principal's office. Uh oh, what's going on?

At tennis practice, Ryouko-sensei eyes Namura, and recalls when he turned down her invitation to go up to her apartment. She gets concerned when a school admin calls him away...

While Miki basks in her uplifted feelings, Namura-sensei is in trouble~~~

What's with this narration, Miki? Who are you talking to all of a sudden?

EYECATCH! Meiko's is first this time

Building Miki up just to break her down, I see!

Miki's feeling pretty good in the morning when she goes to school, but once get gets there, it's obvious something has happened. There's a weird atmosphere, and everyone is whispering. The word is out! Some PTA parents saw Meiko leave Namura's apartment the previous morning.

Everyone asks Miki if she knew about it, but Miki is just as shocked as they are. Miki is not just shocked at the news, she's also shocked and hurt that her best friend never even told her

Ginta actually steps up for a moment and defends Meiko when some girls start gossiping more

When Meiko arrives to class, she's very cool and calm about it. She gets her bag and leaves

Naturally, Miki is hurt and confused. As she leaves, Meiko passes Miwa, and while she didn't say anything to Miki, she has a comment for Miwa

Yuu just remains silent in class (after all, he knew about it all) while Miki rushes to go talk to Namura-sensei. But she's blocked by the Vice Principal. In the staffroom, Ryouko-sensei looks pretty grim, as now she knows why Namura rejected her

After school, Miki runs to Meiko's place to talk, and Meiko is thre to greet her. They go take a walk, where Meiko explains the truth about her dating Namura-sensei, and what happened the night she went to his place (her parents fighting, she just fell asleep there, etc)

The school actually believes her about the just sleeping part, but they WERE dating, and gotta be punished. Only Now, Meiko seems to realize perhaps dating a teacher wasn't a great idea

But she wails about how she was so upset that night, she didn't have anywhere else to go. This, of course, also hurts Miki

Miki asks Meiko about Namura, and MEiko explains when they met. Miki is just so surprised that she never had any idea

Miki thinks of Meiko as her best friend, and wishes Meiko could have told her. But Meiko clearly has different thoughts about their friendship than Miki

Miki is pretty straightforward, so yeah, she thinks best friends trust each other, but Meiko is not down with that

And Miki is pretty much crushed here, as the OH SHIT song starts to play

Miki, crushed, turns and runs home. Meiko actually seems surprised by this and calls after her. Um, what were you expecting there...

At home, Miki runs straight to her room, crying. Yuu asks if she's ok, but she doesn't reply. *sobs*

End of Episode 15!
Meiko narrates the next episode preview. Looks like Namura's gonna resign~

Miki definitely needs a break at her beach house now...

Marmalade Boy Episode 16! So many more episodes left, lol. #MBRewatch #MarmaladeBoy #MBep16 Here's the obligatory OP!

We left off with Miki devastated at Meiko's words about their friendship. They clearly had different ideas about it. Miki is still upset, and doesn't know what to write to Meiko in the exchange diary

TITLE CARD
GTFO Na-chan

Miki remembers how she met Meiko, at the school entrance ceremony. Miki admired Meiko right from the start and hoped they could be riends. She was really happy when they did. But did Meiko feel the same? Was Miki just annoying her? Who is the real Meiko? Meiko feels far away

While Miki agonizes over Meiko, Meiko is still thinking about Namura-sensei and worried he'll be fired. She doesn't think about Miki until she spots a photo of them on her nightstand

Meanwhile, Meiko's parents, who always fought with each other over their infidelities, are now arguing about Meiko and blaming each other

Miki's parents, hearing that Miki is upset, manage to get her out of her room to try to cheer her up. But once they hear the news about Meiko, they show, once again, what GREAT AND SENSIBLE parents they are, lol. Good job, parents.

EXCELLENT, RESPONSIBLE ADULT ROLE MODELS YOU ARE! They are totally on board with Meiko's romance.

Miki's had enough, haha

Miki doesn't have time for Yuu's teasing either. That's a good face. I want the cell of that

But he defends Meiko in a way that helps Miki understand her a bit more

But she notes that it sounds like he's speaking from experience

At school, everyone's still talking about the scandal. Some of the guys are pretty upset, though really, not so much

Meanwhile, the girls are pretty okay with it all too

Such maturity from the girls

I should note that none of them, Miki, Yuu, Ginta, or Meiko, sit in the 'main character' seat in the class, in the back by the window. They are all scattered around the middle. I kinda want to get a look at who IS sitting there, and to wonder what anime they're starring in, lol

So, the vice principal is the substitute teacher while Namura is 'away'. The class demands more info about what's going on and wants to see him, but the VP is icy. Ginta defends him too.

Side note- in the sequel, Marmalade Boy Little, Ginta, as an adult, is a middle school teacher.

Meanwhile, in the Principal's office

The Principal is actually trying to convince Namura not to quit. All the adults in this are amazingly OKAY with this teacher hooking up with his student

EYECATCH

In the staff room, all teh other teachers are gossiping about Namura. Ryouko-sensei pauses to flashback and reflect on how she's had a crush on Namura since high school, but she never told him, and he was clueless

The teachers are all just SHOCKED that Namura might possibly be fired for having an affair with a student

Ryouko-sensei rushes to the Principal's office to defend Namura. And she finally seems to realize she didn't have a chance with him.

Ryouko's shocked to learn Namura resigned. Why are there no police involved in this...

Anyway, Namura has made his decision, and he has a plan

The OH SHIT song starts to play as Namura explains he's leaving Meiko to go to Hiroshima. He's doing it for her own good. Someone overhears this conversation from around a corner

Ryouko-sensei just can't understand how Namura can quit being a teacher when he loved it so much. She really has blinders on for him....

And then we see that the person who overhears the conversation is... Miwa! He likes Meiko so clearly he sees his chance now....

Ryouko-sensei dashes off, tears in her eyes. Miwa takes this opportunity to confront Namura and totally calls him out for running away

Parting shot from Miwa

Namura faces his class and tells them he resigned. Somehow everyone, even Yuu, is so shocked their teacher would resign over his affair with a student. Shocked enough to turn purple and blue

How can it be?!?!?

End of Episode 16! Next episode preview-- Miki is suddenly all concerned about the future of Meiko's relationship with sensei, and Meiko doesn't want him to leave

I gotta chill at Miki's beach house now...

Okay! Marmalade Boy Episode 17! #MBRewatch #MarmaladeBoy #MBep17 Gotta watch the op theme to get in the mood

When we left off, Meiko's affair with Namura-sensei had been discovered, and he resigned from the school. Strangely, everyone (from other teachers to the students) was against this. All were shocked at the idea that dating a student would be something he should lose his job over

Seriously. wtf

Anyway, Miki still hasn't made up with Meiko yet, and this episode opens with a gloomy rainy evening, capturing Miki's depressed feelings very well. Not even Bandai toys can brighten the mood

Miki wants to call Meiko, but then remembers their last conversation, and she can't. TITLE CARD

Meanwhile, Meiko is stuck at home, and her parents continue their nonstop arguing. They are awful parents, and we never do see what they look like. They're only ever shown from below the neck

Namura-sensei actually has the nerve to show up at Meiko's house, but her dad tells him to GTFO. Namura brought a school locket. It has his own pic inside. (is it Meiko's locket then?) He removes the pic and drops the locket in the mailbox, then strikes an anguished pose

There's a montage indicating a little bit of time passes- Meiko has been stuck at home. Miki obviously misses her presence in class. Yuu notices Miki missing Meiko. Namura has packed all his things up and is leaving for Hiroshima to live with his parents

Meiko has pretty much only thought of Namura this whole time. She looks at this group photo, and it's just Namura she pines for. Yeah, to hell with Miki, I guess

Meiko's housekeeper finally lets one of Namura's calls through (she had been blocking them on order from Meiko's parents) and Namura tells Meiko he quit his job and is moving and basically breaks up with her. So noble

My reaction to this whole story line, really... (and I usually love teacher-student manga, but I just don't like Namura very much...)

Meiko may not have spared a thought for Miki, but Miki has spent most of her time worried about Meiko.

Now that she's been dumped by Namura, Meiko remembers Miki. She goes to Miki's house, where Yuu is surprised to see her. He brings Meiko to Miki's door, but Miki is reluctant to let Meiko inside, as she remembers the hurtful things Meiko said. Meiko talks to Miki through the door

EYECATCH!

Meiko finally apologizes to Miki. And with Yuu watching, tellls her the backstory on how her relationship with Namura-sensei started. Sh met him when she was a Junior high 3rd year. So about 14-15?

She had visited the old library at the high school because she loves books. It was pretty much love at first sight when she saw him, complete with soft focus and pastel bubbles. She didn't realize he was a teacher initially

He just graduated college. They neca,e friends. Meiko would meet with him in the library after school every Wednesday. She read, he prepped for classes, and they talked,

But then they had a little argument, and she thought he didn't like her anymore, and she ended up confessing to him. He puts up no resistance, really

This is about it

And thus, they started dating, and so ends Meiko's flashback story

Meiko apologizes again and asks Yuu to take care of Miki as she leaves. Yuu watches her go in a taxi and realizes something

Quick, it's time for action!

Yuu's all ready to go get Meiko back, but Miki is paralyzed. Um, actually, Yuu, Meiko's not sticking around, you think she's running off with Namura, so Miki's right?

It takes some convincing, but Yuu finally gets Miki to go after Meiko with him. Super dramatic music plays as Meiko rides in her taxi

She arrives at Tokyo Station. The Marunouchi side, shown here before the renovations that were completed a few years ago...

Namura's pretty surprised to see Meiko, considering he just dumped her

So he turns her down again. And not really because he, as a teacher, shouldn't be dating her, but more like, he can't handle the responsibility and doesn't think she'll be happy with him (despite her protests)

Meiko gets no mercy

And off he goes. Meiko tries to kiss him one last time and he has no reaction. He just allows the doors to close

And the sad ballad plays *sob*

He leaves, and Meiko is left behind. Miki and Yuu arrive to find MEiko on the platform, looking forlorn. I'm wondering if Miki and Yuu had to buy $$ shinkansen tickets to get to the platform like that? Pretty sure there's a ticket gate somewhere

Because she's your FRIEND, Meiko...

GTFO Namura

So, Exit Namura, stage left. End of episode

Next episode preview has Meiko back at school, Miki still worrying, a return of some love-triangle angst, and some funny faces

Time to relax at the beach house after the longest episode ever

Time for Marmalade Boy episode 18! This thread is gonna be 10,000 tweets when I'm done. #MBRewatch #MarmaladeBoy #MBep18 Hello upbeat opening!

Btw, what happened to the Marmalade Boy bluray? I thought it was announced to release next Tuesday, but I don't see any listings to buy it? Was there a delay? (though I just got these DVDs, so I'll just stare wistfully at the BD set when it eventually comes out)

Anyway, last episode, Namura-sensei dumped Meiko and left town. Good riddance...

Miki remembers that Bandai pays the bills and shows off the toy again. TITLE CARD

Miki's still fretting and worrying over Meiko. Yuu just sits back and watches. He must be pretty chill, since he's barely had any lines in the last couple of episodes

Yuu tells Miki that the best way to comfort Meiko is to treat her normally. He also manages to throw a playful insult in there, which gets this excellent reaction from Miki

Meiko returns to school, and all her classmates are happy to see her and welcome her warmly. They form a barrier around her when she walks down the halls and defend her against other students who start to gossip about her

Again, Miki reminds us that Bandai pays the bills and will not forgive neglecting the diary and voice memo in the last couple episodes. Thus, we get a NEW toy! Behold, the, uh, smart calculator thing. The fortune telling interface there is the same as on the ugly toy in HYD

See, look at that heart shaped touch sensor on the calculator and on HYD's Inspee, lol

Miki offers the toy to Meiko to try, but Meiko refuses (no doubt alarming the sponsors, lol) and wanders away in a spotlight of sadness and pretty BGM to go cry in the old library. Miwa sees her there, and for once he manages to leave her alone

The sad vocal BGM track they use for Meiko is really nice though, so they should get as much mileage from it as they can

Meanwhile, Ryouko-sensei is also pretty sad since Namura went away and her crush was over before it went anywhere. After school, Ginta and Miki finish tennis practice and talk about Meiko. Ginta credits Miki's support for helping Meiko get through this, but Miki remembers --

--it was Yuu who convinced her to help Meiko when she was reluctant. Ginta's all fired up now though, and proposes a picnic to cheer Meiko up even more

Ginta's not happy when Miki says they should go to Yuu's work and tell him about the idea too. And Yuu, busy at work, is interrupted by... Arimi. There is a lot of weird character art in this episode. Miki's not happy to see Arimi because she's reminded of the KISS

Yuu likes the idea of the picnic at a nearby park/ranch, but Yuu gotta Yuu

Arimi asks to go too, and Miki relents, then immediately regrets the decision when Arimi immediately clings to Yuu and offers to make lunch too. Miki tries to take the high road

Meiko agrees to go on the picnic, so we're off to the EYECATCH!

Miki hums the OP song as she makes enough food to feed an army. They get to the ranch, and it really is a ranch. Because the food basket is so heavy, Yuu suggests eating first. Arimi brought food too, and when Ginta wants some, she pulls away and offers it to Yuu first

Miki brings out her food, but it isn't as pretty as Arimi's.

Yuu's gotta Yuu again, and this time Arimi feels jealous as she observes Yuu and Miki goofing around

Their reaction to her food is not encouraging

After lunch, they take some boats out onto teh lake, where Meiko feels sad remembering a similar time Namura too k her out on a boat, But she recovers quickly. Then the group enjoys various activities at the ranch. LOL at that horse's expression

They watch some horses in a field and reminisce about the school trip to Hokkaido. Of course Meiko remembers meeting up with Namura-sensei there. Then, while the boys are getting drinks, Meiko's hat flies off and into the area where the horses are. Miki offers to go get it

Of course, Miki somehow manages to upset the horses, and one of them rears up and runs towards her. Miki runs, but she's gonna get trampled. The guys see what's happening and rush over to help, and I'm sorry ,I am DYING of laughter here

Yuu LEAPS a dozen feet through the air and tackles the horse, stopping it from rearing. Ginta, who was RIGHT THERE somehow disappears for a moment. Yuu is suddenly a horse whisperer and calms it down and sends it off with a slap on the ass. Miki is scolded, the others get jealous

Meiko grabs her hat and walks off with this parting comment directed at no one, but conveniently heard by Arimi and Ginta. END OF EPISODE 18

Next episode preview- It's official! Miki and Yuu's parents have completed their partner-swap and remarriage and the paperwork is submitted. Miki once again has mixed feelings about the situation. Plus, her school finds out about it! (lots of drama at that school)

Let's relax after horse-trampling antics with a trip to the beach house...

Okay! #MarmaladeBoy epispde 19! In the last episode, Meiko returned to school where everyone was cool with her affair with a teacher, and Yuu tackled a stampeding horse. #MBrewatch #MBep19 Here's the op~

Miki starts us off with a shot of the voice memo toy. The recording on it from Meiko reminds her to study, as exams are coming up. Meiko seems happier now, but Miki knows she hasn't gotten over Namura. TITLE CARD

At dinner that night, It's just the moms. Miki's mom asks Miki & Yuu to come home from school right after the exams are over because they plan to register their marriages. It has been 6 months since the divorces and the women can now remarry. Miki happily agrees but feels weird

She's accepted her family situation, but it still feels odd to her

And boom, the next day, Miki's mom marries Yuu's dad, and Yuu's mom marries Miki's dad.

I like this city employee who apparently wears sunglasses to work

Nice collar there, Yuu. Stylish

Miki goes with the family to city hall for the marriage registration, and she acts happy, but Yuu can tell she's upset. When it's over, and the family heads to the celebratory dinner, Miki bails and runs off by herself to think

Miki wanders around for a while, observing families and remembering good times with her parents

It's evening time- Miki has been siting and thinking for a while, when she's finally interrupted by Yuu, who reveals he's been stalking her all day. He's had practice at this, and is quite good, as we learn later...

Yuu wonders if Miki's *still* mad about the partner swap, but that isn't it this time

She is more sad that she doesn't share her mom's last name anymore. I guess it's a feeling like her mom is going away or something. Yuu just responds with 'Oh?'

We also learn later why he has been generally calm and uninterested/worried about all the partner swapping stuff, unlike Miki, who has been freaking out most of the time. But we have a ways to go before that.

EYECATCH! And we've got the Miwa-Miki-Yuu eyecatch again, which always cracks me up, because in this one, Miwa's not a contender for Miki

Before going home, Yuu and Miki stop at the creatively named 'Burger Shop' to grab burgers. I can't remember if this place is included in that Anime Burger Time panel @VamptVo

Yuu spends the entire time bitching about how they could have had fancy food at the famous Italian restaurant their parents went to. Miki can see through him though

Miki gets all pastel sparkly and bubbly on her own and Yuu is like. "what?"

When she gets home, Miki swaps out the pic of her parents in her amulet with one of Yuu

But the next morning- big scandal! The guy from the school's Broadcast Club has camped out in front of Miki's house and has recorded Miki and Yuu leaving together! Huge scoop about Miki and Yuu's cohabitation~

He totally blurts out the news on the lunchtime broadcast, and the school is shocked~ Well, that'll stop the gossip about Meiko now, I guess

The guy also got video of the parents leaving the house and kissing each other good bye. Classmates can recognize that the parents are swapped

Yuu and Miki are called to the Principal's office. The Vice Principal is upset, but as usual, the Principal is remarkably laid back about the situation. This is the guy didn't think Namura-sensei should leave after dating a student

The Vice Principal wants to blame Namura-sensei for not telling them about this, but Miki confesses the secrecy was all her idea

She tells them that she initially thought the situation was weird, and if she felt that way, everyone else would too. The V.Principal jumps on that and agrees and thinks there's something wrong with the parents. But this gets Miki upset, and she defends them

Miki is constantly having to defend the arrangement. Like the times her parents tricked her or guilted her. Anyway, she also defends Meiko and Na-chan too. Finally Yuu speaks up

Yuu basically just tells them to mind their own business. Just then, the broadcast club guy shows up, with all the parents in tow. Classmates told him what his big scoop had done, and he felt awful so he brought them all in

When the Principal asks who Miki's mom and dad are, all 4 of them respond. They do the same when he asks who Yuu's parents are. The parents then finally take responsibility for their actions . The Principal LOLs and finds all of this amusing and sends them on their way

As they leave, Yuu notices Miwa watching them. Miwa seems very focused on Yuu's mom. Miwa greets Yuu as they go by. Miki is excited that Yuu seems to know the class president. Yuu is shocked. He had no idea that weirdo was class prez. He's more shocked that his name is Miwa. Why?

Miki has no idea what Yuu is so worked up about. He runs after Miwa and calls out to him. Yuu reminds Miwa of his previous offer where he invited Yuu to his house to look at architecture books.

Woooo what's going on between those two? END of episode 19! Next episode, Miki has a new worry and a new RIVAL!

Fight-oh, Miki!

Poor Miki, relax at the beach house to prepare for next ep.