Kimagure Orange Road episode 45

Good-bye Hikaru! And There was None

Aired:
Feb 15, 1988
Synopsis by:
George Robbert
Kyousuke is at school. Hikaru comes into his classroom and gives him an exchange diary (of love). Komatsu and Hatta are jealous, but he's a bit embarrassed about it. He quickly hides it when Madoka comes into the room. Hikaru really wanted to do this, so Kyousuke went along, but not enthusiastically.

Later, Yuusaku hears about the exchange diary and asks Hikaru if he can join in and make it a group diary. Hikaru doesn't like this idea and suggests that he do a picture diary by himself (this is a typical elementary school holiday homework). He remembers one of those from long ago. It basically was ``Hikaru hit me again today.'' He's not too pleased with this idea, or with Kyousuke and her sharing a love exchange diary.

During a break, Kyousuke is on the roof and decides to read a bit from the diary. In the entry he reads Hikaru describes taking a bath with Kumagoro-chan (her teddy bear). He doesn't really think to highly of this entry, but he writes in a polite response asking if he could borrow Kumagoro-chan for a bath too.

After school Hikaru and Kyousuke are at Abcb. Madoka tells them that Master has a new menu. She invites them to come to her place tomorrow and try out the new items on it. Hikaru is excited, as usual. Kyousuke really likes the idea of Madoka's home cooking. Hikaru then suggests to Kyousuke that they bring along their exchange diary and let Madoka read it. ``She'll be moved by our love.'' Madoka turns away at this, and Kyousuke doesn't think it's such a good idea either. Hikaru then sneezes. She's got a cold, but claims that she'll be fine tomorrow.

At home, Kyousuke is thinking that it might not be bad if Hikaru's cold got worse. That way she wouldn't come to Madoka's and Madoka wouldn't have to read the exchange diary. He imagines Madoka and himself having dinner alone together at her place. He wishes that Hikaru would be home in bed with a fever. Then he falls asleep.

Kurumi and Manami were outside his door and heard what he wished. They think that he's going a bit too far, and decide to make him pay for it.

The next day at school is a bit different. There are a flock of ravens flying around, and one of them crashes into the hall window and dies. Kyousuke walks into the classroom and finds everybody crying. Komatsu and Hatta tell him that Hikaru died. He doesn't believe them; they've got to be joking. ``Today's Hikaru's funeral, remember?'' they tell him. Even though she was just recently healthy, she caught a sudden cold and passed away. There is a vase of flowers on her desk. Kyousuke still doesn't want to believe that Hikaru's dead, and knocks over the vase trying to deny it.

The funeral turns out to be a huge affair. It's a state funeral, all of the schools and companies are closed for it. Kyousuke's still having trouble believing the extent of it. Everyone is there, and all are sad. Even Jingoro is crying. Madoka comes in wearing a veil, dressed in black. She doesn't want to talk to anybody right then, and her tears hit Kyousuke the hardest of all. Yuusaku is in the front, bowing as an honor guard for Hikaru's coffin. Kyousuke is elected to give the eulogy, but can only get a few words out before he collapses in front of the microphone sobbing.

The funeral procession is as grand as the funeral. It is led by a truck carrying a large picture of Hikaru. There's another truck carrying a band playing sombre music. Kyousuke and Ayukawa follow in a limousine, she is given over completely to crying now. At the grave-site, Kyousuke brings Kumagoro-chan to be buried with Hikaru. The coffin is lowered into the ground and everyone breaks down in tears.

The next day, Kyousuke is sitting on a park bench with Komatsu and Hatta. They lament that Hikaru was the only one who laughed at their stupid jokes. They've made up their mind to become good students, for Hikaru's sake. Their youth is over, so they'll study hard for Hikaru, who can't study even if she wants to.

Kyousuke and Madoka are talking in the park at the top of the stairs. She's leaving for America tomorrow. ``This town is filled too much with Hikaru's memory.'' Besides, there's no point in staying without her. She thanks Kyousuke for being nice to Hikaru, and when he asks, ``what about us?'' tells him that she probably loved him because Hikaru was around. She rides off with a friend on a motorcycle, leaving Kyousuke forlorn.

He goes home, only to find his dad cutting up his negatives. He's going to quit being a photographer. Without Hikaru to photograph, there's no point it pushing the shutter anymore.

Kurumi and Manami come out. They've shaved their heads and are going to become Buddhist nuns. ``Hikaru-chan died to prove that beauty is short lived.'' They're going to devote the rest of their life to praying for her spirit. Even Jingoro has taken up a routine of striking a bell for this.

Kyousuke finds Master tearing down the Abcb cafe. Since everyone is going away, he might as well close the place down. Kyousuke says he doesn't have to demolish it, but Master says that it's better to clean things up this way. He enjoyed watching all of them have fun, but that's over.

Yuusaku passes by, carrying a backpack. He's going on a pilgrimage for Hikaru's sake. ``I probably won't cry anymore. I used up all the tears I had.'' Kyousuke sits on the swings and thinks. He realizes that Hikaru was the one that made them all feel happy. He wishes she was around.

He remembers right after the funeral, everyone was sitting in Abcb, sad and dejected. Hikaru's ghost comes in, happy as usual. She tries to cheer them up. Komatsu comments that she really is Hikaru, she doesn't even worry that she's dead, she's so cheerful.

Kyousuke goes to her grave, and re-reads the entry in her diary. He tries using his powers to raise her up, after all why does he have ``power'' if not for this. All he succeeds in doing is breaking the grave marker. He then goes to the stairs and tries to do a time slip back to when Hikaru is alive. He falls down the stairs many times, but never does a time slip.

Kyousuke goes back to the grave and digs it up. He apologizes to Hikaru that he couldn't do anything. A dark figure, dressed in black robes appears in the tree and asks if he really wants her to come back to life. Of course he does, ``I'll even chew peanuts with my eyes.'' The figure tells him to dig through this mountain before the sixth day of her death.

He goes there and immediately begins chipping away at the rock. Part way through tunneling he runs into Ushiko and Umao, dressed as miners. Finally, he breaks through to a light and sees Hikaru. He runs toward her and jumps to hug her.

He ends up falling out of his bed onto the floor. The dark figure is still in front of him. It takes off its mask to reveal that it's his grandfather. Kyousuke is upset at his sisters and grandfather for manipulating him like that, and gets into a wrestling match with grandpa. Kurumi is happy that her scheme worked.

Kyousuke runs into Abcb looking for Hikaru. Madoka tells him that she was with Yuusaku and was talking about having made up her mind to say goodbye. They were going to perform some ceremony. Kyousuke says he has to stop her. This confuses Madoka, ``Don't you want to split up with her?'' Yes, he does, but... He runs off with Madoka to find Hikaru.

They find Yuusaku and Hikaru by a river. It turns out, though, that she wanted to say goodbye to her girlhood days, and sets Kumagoro-chan and dolls afloat on a raft. This surprises Yuusaku, he thought it was about Kasuga. Hikaru is surprised they came to say goodbye too. She's doing this because Kyousuke said that she was a little childish in the exchange diary. When he says that's what he likes about her, she's overjoyed and sends Yuusaku to go retrieve the raft. She happily embraces Kyousuke. Madoka looks on, coldly unimpressed.