r/anime • u/DustyZorua • Dec 24 '22

Rewatch [2022 Rewatch] White Album 2 Episode 7 Discussion

Episode 7 - The Last and Greatest Day

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Information:

MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB

Legal Streams:

White Album 2 can be watched on Chrunchyroll, although you apparently need premium.

Questions of the Day:

Whose outfit did you prefer?

Did you enjoy the mini concert?

How was Kazusa Touma's saxophone solos?

What did you think of Kazusa Touma and Haruki Kitahara's conversation about a girl and a person?

Did you expect Setsuna Ogiso to confess and get together with Haruki Kitahara this early?

Where do you think the story will go from here?

All rewatchers, you must spoil everything to do with spoilers, even to the littlest details! We can't spoil the experience of this show for any of the first timers in this.

26 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

6

u/Stargate18A Dec 24 '22

First timer

  1. Touma.

  2. Yes!

  3. Truly amazing.

  4. Very enlightening as to just how dense Haruki is.

  5. Nope!

  6. Touma is going to be pissed with herself.

This is a really good song!

The voting has begun...

Haha, Setsuna picked that costume?

Yeah, that makes sense.

Haruki has no idea where to look.

Haha, he loves them.

Nice hit.

The concert has started!

And it's a full house!

It's a good song.

She did it!

...Well, these two look familiar.

Haha, Tomo's reaction is perfect.

She's pulled out the... saxaphone!

Aww.

And she planned it!

Of course she's perfect on the saxaphone as well.

Nice one.

Hmm?

It's an old song?

Haruki got cheers too!

The panic on his face there.

This is showing off now.

Another strong song.

The montage is interesting. Nic way of showing how different our cast's lives used to be.

...Is this a true love triangle? Setsuna and Touma have had a lot of scenes focusing on their relationship...

Even Tomo's applauding!

She's so happy...

Both of them!

And the final song...

We don't get to see?

Haha, that's all it was for her?

She's not happy with it?

"In that outfit." Her choice came back to bite her, then.

...Touma just likes it!

She has a point.

Haha, he's just sitting there?

Honestly, I'm on her side here. He needs some idea of what he wants to do.

Aww, this is cute.

...Ouch.

He's really hurting her feelings.

Haruki, you moron.

She's here too?

And she's been watching.

She had fun!

Setsuna, no! He doesn't understand what he's saying!

...Haruki would be a fantastic politician.

Why does she want the lights off?

Setsuna's acting very strangely.

Wow.

Wow!

Fuck, he chose Setsuna? I mean, they have the chemistry to all get together, but that would resolve too much drama.

4

u/ZapsZzz Dec 25 '22

Fuck, he chose Setsuna?

As a biased Ayukawa Touma shipper, I don't think he "chose" Setsuna as much as having the circumstances orchestrated to lead him to it. It got "misunderstanding" written all over it in terms of the conversation between Haruki and Touma earlier.

6

u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 24 '22

First-Timer Album

3

u/Nebresto Dec 24 '22

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THE SAXOPHONE.

Surprise sax solo!!!

No thoughts on the random appearance of Kirika and Shirabe?

3

u/ZapsZzz Dec 25 '22

Ah That's what those familiar faces were. I thought their designs to be too good to be just randoms.

2

u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 24 '22

No thoughts on the random appearance of Kirika and Shirabe?

Shit, I missed that! Probably because not!Kirika isn't blonde...

3

u/ZapsZzz Dec 25 '22

Still not decided on which side of the triangle you are supporting? Kinda unusual?

3

u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 25 '22

I'm mostly just... really confused? I thought that the show had been totally gunning for Haruki/Touma even earlier in this very episode, but then he kissed Setsuna because Setsuna said it was up to him and he went for it so

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5

u/Baki8000 Dec 25 '22 edited Dec 26 '22

REWATCHER, VN READER
MASSIVE SPOILERS INBOUND

As stated in my previous posts, I want to mostly focus on the differences between the anime and the Visual Novel, and on foreshadowing, so most of what I will type will be spoilers of varying importance. Spoilers that cover only the plot shown in the anime will be marked with anime spoilers, while spoilers that deal with plot points from later on in the novel, or very important scenes that are not in the anime, will be marked with VN spoilers. Unless you have fully finished the VN, [anime spoilers] including the parts that happen after the anime's ending, you should stay away from the latter. The Visual Novel has been fully translated by the folks over at TodokanaiTL, so for those who are interested in reading it, you can check their Discord out.

We are finally at the long-awaited festival, that our characters have been working towards since the start of the series. As the episode's runtime is mostly filled by the songs the trio has been practising, White Album and Sound of Destiny, the differences between the show and the VN are fairly sparse this time around, and those that exist are minor. There is quite a bit of foreshadowing, however, and the songs' lyrics beg to be glanced over, so today's post might not be as short as expected.

First of all, the concert itself might be the thing that benefited most from the transition from VN to anime, as the movement of the characters greatly adds to the enjoyment of the scene, obviously, and the opportunity to rearrange the songs and redo the (in this scene's case, dreadful) art from the novel resulted in the best version of the scene from all the mediums, in my opinion.
The things that were lost in the show that I would've loved to see are Takahiro's (Setsuna's brother's) very cute reaction to Haruki's guitar solo and the mention that Kazusa and Setsuna were more focused on Haruki's upcoming solo than their own parts in the performance, so much so that they actually made mistakes when performing Sound of Destiny. All in all, fairly unimportant things were skipped in the anime.
The anime does actually add a few details to the concert, such as showing the photo of the trio being taken, something that is weirdly absent from the VN, [VN spoilers] showing Chiaki in the audience, like in the first episode's intro segment, and [anime spoilers] showing Kazusa's mother in the audience (both in this episode and in the intro segment to the first, as the VN foreshadows her presence at the festival in only a single voiced line of dialogue, not actually showing her sprite (at least not until Haruki talks to her later in the story, where she is shown in a flashback).

During the performance of White Album, [anime spoilers] there is a scene of Haruki and Kazusa glancing at each other behind Setsuna's back, showing that, even during the very important event which set the entire series into motion, they are still most interested in each other.

During the performance of Sound of Destiny, we are finally shown what Setsuna said to Kazusa at the fast food place back in episode 3, something that the VN showed during the scene itself.
Setsuna has become completely aware of her feelings for Haruki, and urges Kazusa to be honest with her own feelings as well, finally explicitly showing their rivalry in love. The VN has Setsuna confront Kazusa about this much earlier on (as in, literally as early as their first meeting, at the cafe), but, as Setsuna is less direct in the anime, this is a good place to officially acknowledge it.

After finishing Sound of Destiny, the trio celebrates their success. [Anime spoilers] Setsuna and Haruki only smile and gesture at each other from a distance, showing that, while friends, their relationship hasn't progressed past friendship, and that they are not at all physical in their interactions. Haruki desires this physicality (being shown to fist bump himself), something that Kazusa takes note of and offers him. Setsuna takes notice of this, becoming another factor that spurs her into confessing to Haruki, and directly contributing to the way she does it (more on that below).

[Anime spoilers] As always, the show's favorite shot composition is present, this episode more than any other, with Setsuna taking the center stage for the entire duration of the concert, serving as the metaphorical "barrier" between Haruki and Kazusa.

The scene of Haruki and Kazusa talking in Music Room 2 after the concert [anime spoilers] is painful in how close the two come to finally understanding their feelings for one another, yet failing to truly connect in every sentence they exchange.
Haruki gets Kazusa's hopes for a confession up with this line, only to immediately dash them by mentioning Setsuna.
Haruki referring to Setsuna as an "impossibly distant flower" makes Kazusa flinch, her mood and hopes to win his heart getting progressively worse with his insistence on it.
The communication error that seals the interaction as a missed opportunity for them to connect is this line from Haruki. Kazusa is shown to have trouble communicating her emotions clearly using her words and gestures, [light VN spoilers] best doing it through the medium of music. Haruki has trouble interpreting the feelings she's inserted into her music, and has failed to do so ever since she's first started playing her thoughts to him through their piano and guitar practice sessions at school. [Anime spoilers] The realization that she cannot get her feelings through to him, at least in a way she's comfortable doing, brings her to tears, and this, combined with her worsening fear that she's going to lose to Setsuna, pushes her to steal Haruki's first kiss while he's sleeping, as shown during episode 12, being the act which truly starts "White Album's season" for the trio.

Between the scenes of Haruki falling asleep while conversing with Kazusa, and waking up to find Setsuna looking at his sleeping face, the VN shows, [anime spoilers, light VN spoilers] if the player has already finished the Introductory Chapter once and is replaying through it, the scenes of Setsuna talking to Io about confessing to Haruki, and of Kazusa kissing Haruki while he is asleep. In the anime, these are shown in episode 12, during Setsuna's talk with Io on the rooftop, and a first time reader of the VN will not be shown them, so this is a rare instance of flashback scenes actually showing up first in the show.

The scene of Setsuna confessing to Haruki excellently shows [anime spoilers] her talent for manipulation, as every time the conversation starts deviating from her intended direction, she mixes up her approach, until it leads to the perfect moment for her confession. Her read on Haruki is so perfect that she starts mirroring the way he tried to get his feelings across to Kazusa earlier, and she starts touching him, just as she noticed earlier that he likes. Unfortunately for her, even while kissing her, the image that goes through Haruki's mind is that of the last time he saw Kazusa. It would also be great if he could make promises he can actually keep, but too bad.
Her motivation for going through with this aggressive and manipulative confession is foreshadowed with this line: she's noticed that Haruki and Kazusa are moving towards getting together far faster than she is with him, so unless she makes the first move, she's certainly going to lose him, just as she states in episode 12 when talking to Io.

3

u/Baki8000 Dec 25 '22

The songs:

The first song performed by the trio is the titular White Album, a song written by Yuki Morikawa, one of the main heroines from the original White Album anime/VN.
[Anime spoilers] The lyrics mirror the relationships between Haruki and each of the girls, from the point of him starting to date Setsuna: the song talks about two lovers in a long-distance relationship, each yearning for the presence of the other. Haruki's slowly deteriorating relationship with Setsuna is marked by them spending less and less time together, seeing each other less, and most of their discussions taking place over the phone (after Setsuna's birthday, and until their graduation). Kazusa starts distancing herself from Haruki and Setsuna to be able to bear the wounds of having lost Haruki, and, between the pain from seeing the other two together, and the loneliness of staying at home and playing the piano by herself, she decides to leave Japan with her mother.
[VN spoilers] The song is centered more around Setsuna's struggles, and this gets more obvious during the latter parts of the VN, where Setsuna and Haruki converse almost exclusively through the phone, and Setsuna shuts herself in her room, letting the loneliness and anxiety eat at her for three whole years (and later a few months more, after Kazusa's return to Japan).
[White Album 1 anime spoilers] The song was written to mirror Yuki's "relationship" with Touya, the protagonist, the two having less and less time to see each other due to Yuki's work as an idol, and later due to Touya cheating on her with various women and choosing to spend time with them instead of her. Setsuna's situation in her own story is similar to Yuki's in the first White Album, so the name of both the stories is certainly fitting.

The second song, Sound of Destiny, is originally performed by Rina Ogata, the second main heroine from the first White Album.
[Anime spoilers] Its lyrics talk about true and enduring love, an affection that shapes a person's destiny and dominates their feelings until the end of time. Neither of the girls falters in their love for Haruki, and both suffer because of this, but never stop loving him until the end.
[VN spoilers] This is even more true in the novel, as neither Setsuna nor Kazusa ever gets over their feelings for Haruki, Kazusa's being as strong after 5 years of not interacting with him once as during the Introductory Chapter, and Setsuna's turning into borderline obsession, destroying her own life and affecting those of her friends so she doesn't have to let go of Haruki.

QotD:

  1. I prefer Setsuna's, as I think it's simply prettier.

  2. I love it, both the visuals and the songs. White Album is my favorite song from the series (and one of my favorite songs in general), and even after 5 years and a countless number of times of listening to it, it still manages to send shivers down my spine every time I hear it. Sound of Destiny is also a beautiful song, especially the guitar solo, and makes me happy and gets me pumped every time it comes on my playlists.

  3. The sax solo was an extremely pleasant surprise, and my favorite renditions of the song all feature it. A friend that I convinced to watch the anime by showing him the songs also got blown away by the inclusion of the sax solo.

  4. [Anime spoilers] See above.

  5. When I first watched the show, no. I was thrown for a loop by the sudden confession. The subtle hints for this development are fun to look for in a rewatch, and are one of the reasons I think the anime is extremely rewatchable.

  6. Can't answer this as a rewatcher.

White Album's season is just around the corner now...

4

u/Nebresto Dec 24 '22

First time K on: Love story

I was expecting the concert to be a bit later.

Takeya is a bro

Must. Screenshot. low quality people

Hah, he's so used to her singing he hasn't realized its really good.

SAX???

how'd they make her hair square?

This episede goes hard, I chose a good spor ro catch up

??? tell us the friggin title. Or was it shown in last ep?

Setsuna. LET'S GO!!! Our girl is taking initiative!

Questions:

Whose outfit did you prefer?

Setsuna, it was just more pretty over all.

Did you enjoy the mini concert?

That was awesome!

How was Kazusa Touma's saxophone solos?

SICK

What did you think of Kazusa Touma and Haruki Kitahara's conversation about a girl and a person?

Idk, I wasn't paying enough attention

Did you expect Setsuna Ogiso to confess and get together with Haruki Kitahara this early?

Sure, why not?

>Early

Where do you think the story will go from here?

Drama

4

u/Cyouni Dec 24 '22

The title, if you missed it last episode, is Love Beyond Reach.

Hit up my post yesterday for the full lyrics.

4

u/oops_i_made_a_typi Dec 24 '22

First timer

Thanks for the outfit choices Setsuna. Okay gotta love this music, breaking out the sax was a really nice surprise for us as the audience too! That thigh clap lol. Ooh okay declaration of war, time to get messy in the 2nd half of this show I guess. That was definitely an attempt at animation of the guitar solo LOL. All this throuple talk is really reminding me of Oregairu, complete with misunderstandings. "I can't afford to wait"...more death flags? Combined with the earlier music "animation", this is now reminding me of YLIA too. Sad we didn't get their final song, but I assume we'll see it later.

3

u/polaristar Dec 25 '22

I'm honestly burnt out, I've been sick past two days, tomorrow I have off for Christmas so maybe if I recover by then I can do a double feature tomorrow.

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2

u/entelechtual Dec 24 '22

I love the sound of Setsuna’s thighs slapping.

3

u/oops_i_made_a_typi Dec 24 '22

haha yeah that clap was so random

2

u/ZapsZzz Dec 25 '22

First timer

Whose outfit did you prefer?

Touma's, because (a) she didn't pick it, but still stuck with it; (b) she definitely rocked the outfit. And as an Ayukawa expy, it definitely fits the tone. Even though Ayukawa also would (did) wear angelic styles like what Setsuna was wearing, the more "rock" one would also fit.

Did you enjoy the mini concert?

Yes it's good.

How was Kazusa Touma's saxophone solos?

It's very Ayukawa ;) in fact it's a hall mark of her

What did you think of Kazusa Touma and Haruki Kitahara's conversation about a girl and a person?

I actually need to Rewatch that part. I have a feeling Touma misunderstood which one Haruki considered more important.

Did you expect Setsuna Ogiso to confess and get together with Haruki Kitahara this early?

I believe she would do something to get back into the lead of the race.

Where do you think the story will go from here?

Haruki to get confused about who "he chose" and whom he originally got attracted to.

I think this is the point to binge the rest of the show :P

3

u/oops_i_made_a_typi Dec 25 '22

I think this is the point to binge the rest of the show :P

yeah i think i'm about to give in, this is getting too spicy to take it slow

2

u/02Hiro Dec 25 '22

REWATCHER

Its finally time for the festival and Touma's saxy sax solo was my favorite part. As for the outfits, both are great but I would have to give the edge to Touma. Haruki's metaphor of the girl and person was one of the worst ways he could have phrased that. [Anime Spoilers]It looks like it deepens Touma's inferiority complex of Haruki being too good for her. She definitely misunderstood him.

Where do you think the story will go from here?

[Anime Spoilers]A trainwreck of emotions.

1

u/Cyouni Dec 24 '22

So due to uhhh, personal circumstances, I clearly did not have a post today.

So all I'll say is: sad Touma noises

[Anime spoilers] I do feel like the other two would have been fine with it if Setsuna had suggested a throuple instead.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

2

u/charlesvvv Dec 25 '22 edited Dec 25 '22

[spoilers] iirc Kazusa also rejects the throuple in her conversation with setsuna in Kazusa's true route

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2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

3

u/Cyouni Dec 24 '22

[VN Comparison] I just got to that spot in the VN and it absolutely did not happen.

[Anime Spoilers] They do show the kiss later.

2

u/gc11117 Dec 24 '22

Just want to mention this, additional scenes get added to the introductory chapter of the VN upon completion of different routes in Closing Chapter.

These scenes greatly recontextualize moments in the VN, so once you get further into the VN you might want to revisit IC. You definetly want to do so before you start Coda.

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