Kimagure Orange Road episode 22

An Adult Relationship! Madoka's Secret Morning Return.

Aired:
Aug 31, 1987
Synopsis by:
George Robbert
The episode opens with Kyousuke remembering studying with Madoka (back in episode 17). At that time he was more than a bit distracted by her femininity. It's summer, and he's trying to finish his homework. He walks into Abcb, asking ``Ayukawa, I tried to do this myself...'' A different woman is working there instead. Madoka is somewhere else, getting into a car with a man she calls ``Shuu-can'' (which implies some closeness). She tells him she doesn't have to check with her parents about being late since they're in America.

Back at Abcb, Kyousuke has spilled his coffee, ``Ayukawa quit!?'' he can't believe his ears. The woman behind the counter kids him, ``I said she might have... Maybe she found a boyfriend.'' When he doesn't take this very well, she tells him, ``Boys become overconfident so easily. By the way, are you her boyfriend?'' Kyousuke laughs, embarrassed, and says he isn't. The gal says there's no problem then, and goes off to fill another customers order. Kyousuke then remembers talking about homework and such with Madoka the other day on the swings. She told him if he did well, she'd make him a chocolate pie. He leaves in a hurry. The waitress notices him go, and remarks to herself, ``So that is Kasuga.''

Kyousuke is trying to find out what Madoka is doing. He is in a grocery store with Hikaru asking her. She is trying not to tell, but it's obvious she's hiding something. She takes the first opportunity to ditch him with a fast getaway. He turns the corner after her, only to be bowled over by a runaway cart and crash into a large stack of cans. Hikaru wants to go help him, but Yuusaku stops her. ``It's for Madoka's sake,'' he says pushing Hikaru away.

Later that day, Kyousuke and Hatta are over at Komatsu's house. Kyousuke is lying on the bed, wondering what Madoka is up to. The two fellows are calling up girls on the phone, trying to get them to go out. Kyousuke imagines Madoka on one of Komatsu's bathing-beauty posters, and hears her answering machine message. ``Where is she?'' he wonders. Hatta is still on the phone asking various things like ``Are you naked now?'' and Komatsu wants to know who he's calling. It happens to be Kurumi. They fight over the phone. At the other end, Kurumi's dad warns her about strange guys calling over the summer, since this was a pretty strange phone call. She doesn't help when she tells him it was her brother's friends.

The next morning, Kyousuke is out with his homework again, when he sees Madoka and another fellow come out of a building. He hides and watches them. The guy, Shuu, asks if she wants to get something to eat, but Madoka is tired and just going to go home to sleep. He's worried that they're really close by the informal speech they use with each other. As their car drives off, Madoka notices Kyousuke's homework that he left when he hid. After the car leaves, Kyousuke notices the signs on the buildings around here, ``Papillion,'' ``Hotel Candy,'' and the like. The idea that Madoka might have spent the night in a love hotel shocks Kyousuke, ``It was like being hit by a hammer.''

Kyousuke is sitting on the swings in the playground, lost in thought. The waitress from Abcb comes up, asks if he remembers her and introduces herself as Yukari. She asks him out, takes him by the arm, gives him a wink, and takes him to a movie. It's a love story, and more adult than he's used to watching. Kyousuke falls asleep (from worrying and working too hard on homework). His arm falls on Yukari's lap, so she snuggles up to him. Kyousuke wakes to find her like this. He wonders if Madoka is interested in an adult relationship; that would explain what she's been doing. He also starts thinking about having one with Yukari.

Kyousuke and Yukari are waiting at a crosswalk after the movie. Hikaru shows up, and gives them a shove to surprise them. The traffic ends up just barely missing the two of them. Hikaru is all upset with Kyousuke, yelling at him and pounding on him, because he never told her. ``Why didn't you tell me you knew her?'' She figures that since he knows Yukari, he knows ``the secret'' too. Yukari doesn't help matters by calling him ``Kyou-chan'' (a rather intimate name).

The three end up going out for a hamburger together (at the place by the aerobics establishment). Hikaru tells Kyousuke that Madoka's been trying to call him, but he doesn't really care. When Hikaru grabs him with, ``let's go,'' he refuses to go. He thinks it's to go do something with Madoka and her new boyfriend, and wants no part of that. He grabs Yukari and drags her off, ``Let's go somewhere else.'' Hikaru is totally confused by this. Outside, Yukari says she'll take him to a good place.

Madoka is sitting with a band's setup. She is all dressed up and even has her hair permed. She is surprised that Kyousuke said he wouldn't come. Yuusaku asks if they had an argument, and Hikaru suppresses him for that comment. Madoka replies, ``Well, if he won't come, I won't force him.'' Hikaru says she's never seen him this upset before. When Shuu calls that everything is ready, Madoka suddenly remembers seeing Kyousuke's homework as she drove off with Shuu after the all-night practice. Now she understands better.

Meanwhile, Yukari has taken Kyousuke to a place called 1987 Candy, telling him, ``you said you'd go out with me today.'' When Kyousuke is reluctant (and embarrassed) to go in, she understands, ``I see, it's your first time. It a wonderful feeling.'' Kyousuke thinks that even Madoka does this, and his anger overcomes his inhibitions. The camera pans back to show Shuu's car in the parking lot outside.

Madoka and the band are playing their first number. Hikaru, Yuusaku, Kurumi, Manami, Komatsu and Hatta are all dancing to the music. Madoka has a bit of a worried look on her face, since a certain someone isn't here. Inside the hotel, Yukari corners Kyousuke in front of a door. She moves to kiss him, but instead, opens the door so he falls down inside. It's not what he expected inside. It's a large room, a band, an audience, and Madoka playing guitar in the band.

Shuu stands up and introduces the ``new face'' in the band. Kyousuke now knows what she was doing and is embarrassed for not trusting her. She wasn't fooling around, she was practicing with the band, and wanted it to be a surprise for him. Hikaru is overjoyed he's here, ``I knew you would come.'' Shuu continues, ``Please listen to this song that Madoka wrote... and to my girlfriend Yukari.''

Yukari appears on stage and begins to sing ``Like a Salvia Flower.'' At the beginning, Madoka glances at Kyousuke, which has a lot of meaning if you look closely at the words of the song. During the song, Yukari takes a red ribbon, wraps it around Madoka and throws the other end to an astonished Kyousuke. Madoka is so surprised that she stops playing, but the rest of the band keeps on. Yukari gives a wink to the two of them. Kyousuke is surprised and relieved by this too. He remembers the times he's had with Madoka: playing on the island, discovering she didn't hate him for being weak, being close by the fire on the island. By the end of the song, Madoka has recovered her composure and is playing again, still tied by the ribbon to Kyousuke. He thinks, ``No matter whether it is adult relationship, or merely a youthful one, it is important to build it up bit by bit.''

At Abcb, after the concert, Kyousuke and Madoka are sitting at a table. Yukari runs out and Shuu follows her. Kyousuke gets up to see what the deal is, but Madoka stops him. She explains that those two are really close, but have their own problems in their relationship. When Kyousuke asks about Shuu and Madoka, she laughs and explains that he's her cousin, surprising Kyousuke. Before they can discuss relationships any further, Hikaru comes up with her new ice cream, the ``Hikaru Special.'' It's a huge sundae, she says it's for special occasions, like the end of summer vacation.