Kodocha Volume 3: Crush of Truth (1996)
Released by: Funimation
Animation Production: Studio Gallop
Running Time: 100 Minutes
By Kakumei Shojo

The Premise

Hyperactive Child Actress Sana Kurata learns the pains and pleasures of life as an actress and as a girl, while troubled withdrawn Akito Hayama realizes he has met his match.

Story

After an unexpected kiss from Hayama triggers a chain of events, Sana is forced by her Mama to face the truth about her love life. Humiliated that it was not what she believed it to be, Sana runs away from home. She runs into Hayama, who convinces her to try to deal with the situation. But how can Sana come to terms with such a painful and embarrassing discovery?

Meanwhile, Rei kun decides to be the best manager of all time and get Sana a ton of work! Now her free time is so consumed with the commercials Rei kun has booked for her that she has difficulty finding time to be a good friend to the girls in her class. To make matters worse, another crisis within Hayama’s family arises, and Sana is once again called upon by Hayama. When Sana’s classmates shun her for not being there when they need her, Hayama with the help of Tsuyoshi kun stand up against them, but now something is wrong with Tsuyoshi kun! Will Hayama and Sana be able to help him?

Review

This 3rd volume in Funimation’s release of Kodocah features episodes 9 through 12 in the series, which include:

Episode 9
Sana has been kissed by Hayama, and he has the NERVE to act nonchalant, as if it mattered nothing to him! Sana, feels as though her purity has been tainted, and hides herself away in shame from Rei kun. It is up to Mama this time to confront the culprit!

Episode 10
An unexpected visitor drops by to see Rei kun, and Sana is furious! Mama once again steps in and decides the time has come for Sana to know the truth about her relationship with Rei kun. Utterly humiliated at this painful revelation, Sana runs away from home. How will she ever face Rei kun again?

Episode 11
Sana is intercepted by Hayama, who convinces her to confront her problems. Heeding his advice Sana reluctantly returns home. Rei kun, ridden by guilt concludes that in order to at least succeed as a good manager, he must work her extra hard. But problems arise again in the Hayama household, and once more Hayama turns to Sana.

Episode 12
The events in Hayama’s family are resolved, and so Sana delves into her busy life as an actress. Unfortunately, all her time outside of the classroom is occupied by her film work, and when Sana misses out on her friend’s party the girls in class ostracize her. Hayama, with the help of Tsuyoshi kun, (who has been acting stranger than normal lately) stand up against this injustice, and just when everything seems to be getting back to normal Tsuyoshi kun does not show up for class the next day! Can Sana and Hayama find out what is going on and help their friend?

Volume 3 of Child’s Toy marks the beginning of Sana’s coming of age. The happy days of childlike naivety and innocence begin to erupt with harsh realities, which Sana is forced to deal with. The majority of the obstacles she must overcome focus mainly upon her love life. How she deals with her feelings, confronts them, and executes her decisions are perfect examples of her evolution into womanhood. Sana emotionally matures very quickly through the first 2 episodes, and I found myself liking her even more than I did when the series first began. By the time Sana has confronted her fears, she does so in such a mature manner that you tend to forget she is only an 11 year old child.

I found the mini story arc in which Sana faces the truth about her relationship with Rei kun to be one of the most bittersweet moments in anime I have ever seen. The powerfully emotional performance given by Oda san beautifully demonstrates Sana transitioning from a spastic and overly emotional child to a serious and level-headed young woman. More depth to Sana’s character is added in spades, and if you didn’t like her at the beginning of the series you will by the time you see how she ultimately conducts herself regarding a painful truth and a difficult decision.

Hayama also has quite a bit of character development as he confesses to Sana when she tries to run away how much she has done for him, and how much he appreciates it. Although not nearly as much foresight is given into Hayama’s character, we begin to see glimpses of how he thinks, and just how complex he is. Hayama admits to disliking some very embarrassing and personal things about himself to Sana. This is very difficult for him, but he wants Sana to know the difference she makes in his life. Even more is revealed when Sana bumps into Hayama’s father, who explains to her how Hayama says certain things that, in actuality have a much stronger meaning than what the words he uses indicate.

Not only do Sana and Hayama mature individually, but the bonds of their friendship strengthen. Hayama and Sana find themselves there for each other when they are needed most, and think of one another as the first person to turn to in times of desperation. This is a new concept for both of them, as Sana always had Rei kun to run to when she needed someone. Now, embarrassed by everything that has happened, she finds herself haphazardly bumping into Hayama and glad to have him there for support. Hayama on the other hand turned to no one until he met Sana. She was there for him whether he wanted it or not, but now Hayama finds himself glad to have her as a shoulder if he needs one. It seems as though when there is no one else for them to turn to Hayama and Sana find what they need in each other.

Sana and Hayama, the quintessential example of “opposites attract”, compliment each other perfectly. Where one has weaknesses the other has strengths. This is what enables them to help each other when it counts most despite their constant bickering on trivial matters. They are able to set aside their differences and be there for each other through difficult times.

On the product front this DVD also had a commentary by the ADR director on one of the episodes. There are no character profiles though, because by now you should know who the characters are. Besides, the beginning of each episode reintroduces them, just in case you might forget. There are also previews for upcoming series.

Final Thoughts

Don’t get me wrong. I know the majority of this review is a character analysis, but just because things get dark and serious in the series doesn’t mean that the humor completely disappears. Actually, some of the funniest moments in the series take place on this DVD. One such moment is when Sana’s mom confronts Hayama for stealing her daughter’s first kiss. Just like the previous two volumes, these episodes are loaded with a perfect balance of serious situations and laugh out loud humor.

In my opinion this DVD contains the episodes which start the most crucial portion of the series. Episodes 1-8 are more character introductions than anything else. The next four episodes introduce some conflict beyond Sana and Hayama’s rivalry. Episodes 9-20 are the coming of age episodes for Hayama and Sana. These are the episodes through which they mature and the majority of their friendship evolves. The obstacles which they must overcome escalate in difficulty, and as they confront their problems together they learn to rely and care for each other even more.

For now, the whirlwind of turmoil in Sana and Hayama’s lives is finally dissipating, but now their friend Tsuyoshi kun is having troubles of his own. This is the first time we have seen Sana and Hayama work together to help a friend in need. It is also the first time that one of the other kids becomes the focus of the story. Will Sana and Hayama be able to help Tsuyoshi kun? Find out when I review Kodocha Vol 4!

Kakumei Shojo