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Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 12 – Quick Summary
In Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 12, “If This Feeling Isn’t Love, Then There is No Love in the World,” Chiyo Sakura had wanted to give Umetarou Nozaki Valentine’s Day chocolates. But he had been busy all day observing other couples so he could get material for his manga. Can she work up the courage to give them to him, even late? Later, Chiyo ran into Umetarou at a festival. There would be fireworks later. Is this the right time for her to make her move? Will Umetarou surprise her? And will Hirotaka Wakamatsu ever figure out why Yuzuki Seo is dragging him all over the festival?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 12
Umetarou’s heart is in the right place. Capture from the Blu Ray.
Umetarou is a bright young man. But he suffers from the same disease that I do: he is blind to the obvious. He is so far into his own creative world that he misses obvious clues that other people give him.
For example, consider the circumstances surrounding my favorite quote. Chiyo had wanted to give him Valentine’s day chocolate. But every time she tried to approach him, he had dashed off to observe another couple so he could take notes. She had tried to keep up, but she had only ended up exhausted.
She had tried to offer the candy to her friends, but when they learned the story of why she still had it, their pity would not let them. So, Chiyo decided to try one more time. Holding candy in front of her, she set off in search of Umetarou.
He came around a corner and accidentally knocked the candy onto the floor. He felt terrible. In fact, it was as close to panic as I’ve ever seen him. He really cares about how she feels. So he offered to buy her a treat to make it up to her. She said she would love some candy.
But he thought she was furious with him. He interpreted everything she had in the worst possible light. When she said candy, he thought (08:43), “Candy? Is that slang for something? Candy and the whip?”
His heart is in the right place. Too bad his brain isn’t there with it!
Best in Show Moment for Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 12
Chiyo has chased Umetarou for the entire season. Finally, she’s beginning to understand how to interpret how he is. Capture from the Blu Ray.
Setup: Love Takes Many Forms
I think finally, after watching this series at least a dozen times, I’ve started to understand why I like it so much. It’s because of its uplifting message about love – in its many varied and splendid forms.
Think about the title of this episode. “If This Feeling Isn’t Love” applies to all of the main couples in this show. You have Masayuki Hori and Yuu Kashima. She makes him absolutely furious, and he doesn’t suspect it’s because of his affection for her. She casually adores him, as she told Chiyo and Yuzuki Seo. Yet neither of them appear to feel what we usually think about when we think about romance.
And it wasn’t what Chiyo considered romantic, either.
Umetarou was as close to panic as I’ve ever seen him at the idea he had upset Chiyo. That shows a high regard for her feelings. Capture from the Blu Ray.
Even farther away from the norm is the relationship between Hirotaka Wakamatsu and Yuzuki. He thinks he feels sick around her out of revulsion. Yet his every action serves to proclaim his affection. She is so comfortable with him that she crashed on him during a movie in previous episodes. In this episode, she energetically drug him all around the festival. She felt exuberant around him – and as the title said, if that feeling isn’t love, what is?
Even if it’s not the kind of generally accepted idea of romantic love. And now we come to Umetarou and Chiyo. She’s learned a lot about love this season. She could barely talk to Umetarou back in episode 1. She’s gotten very comfortable around him. Now, she’s beginning to understand him, as she will show in my favorite moment.
Delivery: Chiyo Is Figuring Out How to Love Umetarou
We got a hint of that moment when he met her at the festival. He stared at her so hard she began to feel self-conscious. Now, instead of just freaking out, she asked him if she had put on her yukata correctly. He said he didn’t know, which prompted her to say (15:42), “That’s not good enough, Nozaki-kun! You plan to use this for your manga, don’t you? If it’s wrong, you’ll be a nationwide disgrace!”
She gets him.
At the very end, they had gone to a hilltop overlooking the festival. Umetarou wanted to take some scene-setting pictures to inspire his manga. He helped her climb the monkey bars, because that’s tough in a yukata. Caught up in the moment, sitting beside Umetarou and watching fireworks, she thought (20:12), “I’m quite sure you see me as just a friend. But, Nozaki-kun… I will always, always… love you.”
While she’s with Umetarou, Chiyo felt like she could be herself. Capture from the Blu Ray.
Only afterward did she realize she’d said that last two words out loud. He answered her, but she couldn’t hear him, so she asked him to repeat it.
“I also love… fireworks,” he said, turning his attention back to the show.
Her laugh almost sounded relieved. Of course, she longed to hear him say he loved her, too. But she knew Umetarou. She knew he had almost panicked when he knocked the chocolates out of her hands. She knew he relied on her to help with his writing. And Chiyo knew he enjoyed just walking home with her. Finally, she knew he was in his own world most of the time. Despite all that – maybe because of it – she still delighted in his company.
If that’s not love, then I’m not sure I know what it. It also means there’s hope in the world even for people like Umetarou and me who get lost in our own heads.
What did you think of Chiyo’s friends’ advice about Valentine chocolate? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 12: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: [Spoilers] Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun – Episode 12 – FINAL [Discussion]
- The Glorio Blog: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 12 and Final Thoughts
- Lost in Anime: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun – 12 (End) and Series Review
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 1: This Love… Is Being Turned into a Shojo Manga
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 2: Say Hello to the New Heroine
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 3: Violence vs The Prince
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 4: There Are Times When Men Must Fight
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 5: The Man Who Envisions Love
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 6: I’ll Cast a Spell on You
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 7: The Manga Artist’s Brain, Nozaki-kun
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 8: The Prince (Girl) of the School’s Problems
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 9: Do You Have Enough Excitement?
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 10: What’s Strengthened is Our Bond and Our Reins
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 11: Let’s Rice
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Episode 12: If This Feeling Isn’t Love, Then There is No Love in the World
Yes! This is my favorite episode of the series! And my favorite scene of the entire anime is the fireworks scene! In fact, I love that scene so much I named my blog after it! Anime Hanabi means anime fireworks!
That’s so cool! I didn’t know that.
You’ve certainly chosen a great scene as the namesake for your site! What a great positive energy!