>>Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with the vibe he and Kaname have in this
>>one. Gods help him, the boy actually manages some minor
>>banter. I think it follows nicely from where we last saw them,
>>at the end of First Dates & Firefights. I think it would be a
>>frustrating step backward (with which, I have to say, their source
>>material is rife) for them not to find themselves in a slightly
>>more comfortable place after all that.

Yes! Another entertaining story, and I -had- noticed through the scene with Sosuke and Kaname that there was a clear growth curve there. Nothing too far along, or crazy, but enough to make it clear they're human beings and not tools to deliver the same gag over and over again for multiple seasons.

It reminded me strongly of how OWaW handles character relationships. The constant, pointless -dithering- for years in the canon stories drives me up a wall, and Gryphon made it clear, I believe in the Annotations to one of those stories, that yeah, they're soldiers in wartime AND a bunch of teenagers, and as such are hardly going to be celibate.

Mind you, I'm not saying Sosuke and Kaname are in some sort of relationship. Far from it, at least yet. I'm saying that they're growing and learning and changing like normal people do, rather than archetypical static anime characters.

>
>I would think though that Kaname's fan would still be within easy
>reach, in case of backsliding....

Oh, I don't doubt it. But it should slowly become less and less necessary as Sosuke is gradually growing into his clue.

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Fearless creatures, we all learn to fight the Reaper
Can't defeat Her, so instead I'll have to be Her