As the Dog Days of Summer give way to the last cries of the cicadas and hopefully a cooler September, “Kaoru’s Summer,” delivered exactly what I wanted: a return to Kouka post-summer vacation, and another glorious character study. That’s honestly a simplification of what exactly episode 8 brings to the table because in truth, this week’s episode is a Kaoru-centric piece that really fleshes out her character, even if that’s… kinda apparent from the title, right? Still, it’s a nice change of pace and excellent use of half an hour, placing Kaoru at the center of a wider discussion about pedigree, legacy, and figuring out why you want something.
This episode does all this on three levels. First, it reveals short-haired Kaoru, which – aside from being THE BEST thing in anime literally ever – ties into her dreams of being an otoko-yaku. Second, it utilizes one of my…
