Sora no Manimani Episode 12 – And the Sky Full of Stars (Plus MASSIVE Image Spam of Best Moments and Fumie Love <3)

Now, after much anticipation, the subs are out for the final episode of the season of Sora no Manimani. While there is a DVD episode coming out (and Koharubi has stated that they will sub and release it), this is likely the last episode for actual narrative scenes since the DVD special is about events that happened before episode 10.This last episode also marks the first series I’ve blogged from start to finish, as well as the first series I ever posted about in general. Last episode Hime was recovered from the snowstorm, and now the club members are waking up and preparing for the day with an obligatory onsen scene…

Astronomy hangover.

Hime dual wielding showerheads.

Don’t worry Hime, how could they hold it against you with that face?

Oh my…

I’m surprised they didn’t scream and try to cover themselves.

As the club members are getting ready for their night of stargazing up on the mountain, Roma is sitting under an oppressive fog of exhaustion from studying for his college entrance exams when Oumi finds him. She offers him some gum to put a little sugar into his bloodstream and then suggests that they hang out. After first stopping at a book store for study guides she grabs his arm and asks to keep hanging out, taking him to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Apparently she’s already known there from her family’s many visits, and after the meal she takes Roma up to the terrace. There, despite the city lights some bright stars are still visible, made clearer when she hands Roma her (coordinated to match her outfit) binoculars. Then, Oumi wants to BE FRIENDLY but stops a moment short when Roma is still clueless, though at least they get a cute picture together.

I’m glad I don’t live in a country where standardized tests determine your fate. SATs and GREs weren’t nearly this bad.

Oumi worries for her love’s sanity.

Wearing a Chinese-style shirt, Oumi has indeed planned this well in advance. I like that.

It’s those eyes! And speaking of, it’s a rare sighting of Roma’s eyes.

Roma, you’re only excused this one time due to test-induced stress.

They’re really going! The 40, the 30!

The 20! This is incredible!

Ooooh, Roma trips and he’s down! Well at least he’s set up with the first down near the endzone.

Nightfall on the mountain brings out the club members who begin setting up their astronomy and photography equipment. Edogawa has managed to use his connections with the Photography Club to bring enough cameras for everyone, and the girls school astronomy club has already found the Pleiades (M45). They’ve also already started freaking out about how moe the constellations and their mythology are, clearly making them equal opportunity fujoshi.

Ready to go in cute hats!

It’s not going to work, but you’re taking a step in a better direction. It’s easy to improve when your previous attempts included stalker photography and covering your nearly naked self in rose petals.

I love those two.

Orion was going for the harem end.

“If you only knew the power of the moe side.”

Then as the others are setting up the big catadioptric telescope Mihoshi reveals what her secret package was. Although her father’s telescope was destroyed in the accident, she was able to salvage his set of eyepieces and has brought them along. Evidently of a high quality, she gives them to the group to use for the night’s observations. After taking a moment to look up at the winter constellations and stars, Saku and Mihoshi head to the scope, where Saku is allowed to line up the scope with Saturn. While small and blurred from time to time by the wind, the planet becomes more detailed with focusing.

It wouldn’t be something of Mihoshi’s if it didn’t have drawings and stickers on it.

Bringing up the old memories one last time for the last episode.

A nice thematic touch, mentioning how the constellations from one year ago have come full circle around again.

:3

No wonder he’s having trouble, starting off with a 10mm eyepiece (larger number = less magnification but wider field of view. I usually start off with my 32mm then go up in magnification after centering an object.)

Wait, you’ve paid for that huge Vixen catadioptric and you didn’t buy a motorized mount?

I like how the show doesn’t sugarcoat how things can look and give viewers unrealistic expectations. Saturn and Jupiter are about this small, though you can get more detail in real life.

As an end of season thing we get a fairly long montage of everyone from the show, whether they are there on the mountain, at home, or on vacation. Mihoshi pauses it in the middle to tell Saku how her dream has been passed down from others who have shown her the stars and nurtured her interest, and how she plans to continue showing people the night sky. The other school’s club talks briefly about the seniors graduating, and Ann finds some more confidence to lead the club when her time comes to be president.

All has happened according to Mihoshi’s design.

“If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.“

The club will be in good hands. Ann has found the confidence to be an Heir to the Stars.

Under the same sky.

And our Queen Fumie deservedly gets Her own scene, not merely a quick shot and a line! All hail the Queen of Souei High, who in Her benevolence and compassion has brought Her Literature Club to a hot springs to aid them in their writing. While making sure that Her followers have actually done some work on their vacation, She mistakenly talks to the bamboo pipe in the corner on account of not wearing Her glasses in the bath. And then one of Her followers looks up to see a shooting star and the three look up at the same sky that ties all the characters together.

Everyone gets some parting screentime.

Ah, my Queen. “President of the Student Council, President of the Literature Club, President…of your heart.”

Poor Fumie without Her glasses.

I especially like the framing on the second shot.

Once the new school year starts the Astronomy Club mounts its campaign to recruit new members and maintain their minimum club size now that Roma has graduated and has gone to be all rabu-rabu with Oumi in college. Mihoshi’s star suit certainly gets attention, but doesn’t work very well for her surprise Saku hugs. Hime then gets a little end of season scene too. Now separated from Saku in their new classes, she’s worried about not being able to see him. While she still has the Astronomy Club, she’s still worried until she asks Saku if she can peek in on his class from time to time. Re-energized with fighting spirit, Hime takes to the love battlefield once more. She’ll keep fighting! And she’ll win!

Falling star.

I loved Saku’s instant, deadpan reply of “No.”

OTP accomplished!

These are the adventures of the Souei Astronomy Club. Its continuing mission: to bring us new astronomy info and new mythology, to seek out new characters and new love polygons, to boldly do better concepts that other series have done before!

Edogawa might have an outside chance if she were to ever give up on Saku.

This picture might be redundant, but it’s too cute. Go Hime!

Stay strong Hime.

The credits begin to roll as we get one last scene. Saku has written up a flyer to advertise for the Astronomy Club and he and the other members begin passing it out to the new students. And as he’s doing so Her Highness returns to the fray! Taking a flier, she looks it over while Saku congratulates her on being reelected as Student Council President. While She sees Saku’s writing skills as going to waste in service to the Astronomy Club, She compliments it and clearly blushes even more while Her underlings tease Her. Then, as at the start of the series, Mihoshi has climbed to the top of the school, throwing little foil stars and calling out for new members.

YES! She’s back in the fight. Sorry Scamp and other Hime shippers, my joining your ship was predicated on Fumie being out of the fight. Though the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so I declare that I will take no offensive action against Hime until such time as our common enemy is defeated.

While Fumie could easily rule by right and competence, She even allows the plebs to have a vote. As if they would pick anyone else.

“Join me Saku, and together we can rule Souei as tsundere and tsunderella.”

All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.

And I’m really, really, really looking for another season!

Yes please!

Final Thoughts: – Oh why did they have to leave so much unresolved? I need moar!

- Oumi X Roma FTW. I’m sure that missed opportunity on the restaurant roof was only a minor bump on the road to happiness.

- Fumie getting back into the fray was very pleasing to this blogger. I really didn’t expect that they’d bring her back as an interested party after almost a whole episode walking her off stage.

- I’ve had a lot of fun blogging this series. It’s the first one that I’ve ever blogged, and the first one to blog until completion. I’ll definitely blog a second season if one comes out, and I’ll certainly make a post about the DVD special.

- The show was also the spark that got me back into astronomy and even getting more organized about it, buying a telescope and taking notes while I’m out there.

- I’d like to thank the readers and commenters for being part of the experience. You guys make it all worth doing and just that much more fun.

- Special thanks to my shipping rivals Scamp and RabbitPoets for the dueling blog entries. Isn’t it odd that we all instantly took to different characters, that there was no overlap? It worked out perfectly.

- IRL Sora Mani: After about two weeks of really crappy weather I’ve had two decent nights to get out and stargaze. Since getting the new set of eyepieces and filters I’ve been able to see a lot more clearly too. I’ve also tried out that light cannon thing, and it doesn’t work. I’ll try holding a flashlight to the eyepiece tonight, but I really doubt it works. As fall has come along I’m starting to see different constellations, even the winter ones if you stay out late enough. Below are a few from recent outings. Some were taken with the camera mount, some without, and some without the telescope. Full resolution here.

Taken through a 32mm eyepiece with a #23A light red filter. Kind of evil looking.

The Pleiades star cluster (Messier 45) taken through my starter 25mm eyepiece. The blue glow from the surrounding nebula shows in my newer, better eyepieces, unfortunately the ones I took last night came out really blurry. Hopefully I’ll have better pictures in time for the DVD episode post.

Perseus in the upper right, taken with my camera without telescope on 15 second exposure. Added the sepia tone in Paint.net to bring out the contrast. Easier to see more stars at full resolution.

MASSIVE Image Spam of Best Moments and Fumie Love (in case there just weren’t enough images in this post.)

Our Queen, showing her many sides as competent leader, tsundere sweetheart, strict enforcer, quiet intellectual, and touchingly sweet love interest.

Members of the club that made it so entertaining, and Mihoshi’s relentless pursuit of Saku.

Our fluffy princess. Long has she stood against insurmountable odds!

The relentless, inexhaustible, master of chibi faces: Mihoshi.

Saku, who went from wanting to read peacefully to fully embracing astronomy. Plus his very entertaining mother.

Ah, a couple that did happen (even if we didn’t get the on screen kiss we should have.) Club president couple! Roma, whose health could never match his enthusiasm, and Oumi, the one with the mysterious, deep eyes.

Edogawa: Comic relief done right.

And let’s not forget the supporting cast. Sayo never really got much development, but she was fun to have around. Plus the mythology fujoshi from the all girls school and Haruka, mistress of the planetarium.

See you space cowboy.