swaggahsaurus said:So much Makoto, oh my gosh, he's an angel. I think he's very fit to be a swim instructor because he's experienced with caring for children, and he really seems to like them- note his close bond with his younger siblings, Ran and Ren. He also has an easygoing, sociable personality that makes him better suited to coaching than the other members of the team, so I was wondering if he might consider pursuing the career in the future, because he was obviously disappointed when Goro said he was going to be replaced. Makoto takes naturally to helping people. Ooh, I wish my swim coach was that nice...
One of the major things that occurred to me during this episode is how Haru keeps quietly encouraging Makoto to go his own way. This is something that Makoto has difficulty coming to terms with, seeing as he spends much of his daily life supporting others, especially Haru, and doesn't take consideration as to what will happen when he himself needs to move on and will no longer have to be at somebody's side. I'm sure he'll feel very lost without Haru's presence. We first see this in the race against Haru, where he's starting to realize that he won't be able to keep up with Haru and he needs to figure out what he's going to do with his life. Kisumi's appearance and his part-time job as coaching might be symbols of this necessary transition, the need to branch out and do other things. But even though Haru doesn't want to prevent Makoto from having an independent life, he's also scared to be apart from Makoto. After all, the two have been best friends ever since they were children. Both of them fear losing each other when that inevitable fork in the road appears and they'll each have to take a separate path. Haruka wants Makoto to live his own life, but in a sense, he also doesn't want him to because of what that might imply for their relationship in the future. That's perhaps also why they added "I Need You" from the OST of the first season. In the first season, that song played when Makoto had almost drowned and Haru revived him. As soon as I heard it playing, something clicked in my brain and it just seemed like another representation. The first time, Haru had almost lost Makoto. Now, when it played again in the second season, it reminds the viewer again that they're both at risk of losing each other. They seem distant, and I think Kisumi's appearance will quicken the pace of the change in their relationship. Haru has realized that Makoto can have friends without him- not only friends, but also a life. Makoto doesn't want to leave Haru so abruptly, though.
Ah, speaking of Kisumi! His bouncy hair and equally bouncy personality give me life. There was only time to get a few first impressions about him, but I noticed that he's very caring about his brother and about others. One of the things that was really important to me was that whenever he talked to Makoto, he made sure to include Haruka in the conversation too, even though Haru didn't really want to take part. This shows that he's sociable but also willing to include everyone. Every time Makoto or anyone else said Kisumi, I started cracking up because it does sound like "kiss me"! I think he's very nice and cheerful, and I really like his personality so far, though with his appearance there will be some inevitable contribution to the growing distance between Haru and Makoto. It's obvious that he's not going to be just a side character; he's going to have some sort of impact in the plot, and I can only guess at what it might be.
To Haruka, perhaps Kisumi represents a part of his life when he felt alienated and apart from the steadfast Makoto. He obviously wasn't very pleased to hear that Kisumi had reappeared in Makoto's life, perhaps because he fears that Makoto will be taken away from him. Again, this goes back to the idea that he wants Makoto to move on, but Haru isn't ready to let go either. But with Kisumi to be a friend to Makoto, I think this will leave some room for Haru to consider what he wants to do with his future. Now that he can worry a bit less about Makoto finding his own path and friends, Haruka will be able to think about himself. What does he really want to do? Why does he swim? I can't help but imagine that he'll end up following Rin, because Haru seems like someone, though acting cold and standoffish, needs a steadfast person to be by his side at all times.
Lastly, we got a confirmation on the theory of Sousuke's injury. I'm beginning to feel some sympathy for him now, because he's seeing people like Nitori who will be able to swim competitively and follow Rin, when he's going to be left behind in the dust. Like Makoto, he needs to find his own path, lest he be left an empty shell when Rin leaves.