H2O ~Footprints in the Sand~

[Buffalobiian]

http://anime.webnt.jp/h2o/image/top2.jpg

Plot Summary: Takuma Hirose, a blind young male high school student, though the cause for his blindness is undetermined. After his mother died an unexpected death, it left a deep emotional scar on him, which caused him to become very lonely and reserved. Due to this, Takuma and his father move from the city out into a rural area and Takuma is enrolled into a new high school. At his new school, he meets several new girls, though three of whom he gets to know the most out of anyone else. They are, the firm and obstinate Hayami Kohinata, the kind and obliging Hinata Kagura, and the cheerful and mysterious Otoha. As Takuma interacts with these girls, his medical condition gradually begins to heal. (Source: ANN)

The first of 12 episodes released by BakaWolf & m.3.3.w.

ep 1 (http://m.3.3.w.fansub-torrents.com/%5BBakaWolf-m.3.3.w%5D_H2O_-_Footprints_in_the_Sand_-_01_%28XviD%29_%5B9FC965F8%5D.avi.torrent)

[KrayZ33]

wooo... sounds interesting somehow
i hope the characters do a look better than on the pictures.

edit: weehhh.. i dont like the char design at all.

[Buffalobiian]

Well, I actually like the characters quite a bit. Not just them, but the story as a whole. First episode takes us right into the troubles of the school. First punching scene makes you really wonder why the guys are so shameless, and why the girl puts up with it. Hinata doesn't seem to be the only person to refer to the main character as -sama. Pretty good first ep, I'll be on the lookout for more.

OP/ED had a nice feel to them too.

[Yukimura]

Wow this show already has pretty much everything I look for in a show about school life. A 'queen bee', a dopey main character with a shady past, a hyper formal timid girl, a tsundere, and unexpectedly gritty undertones. Plus they threw in the semi-loli character designs. I can't imagine not continuing on with this one, it looks to be a blend of Myself Yourself, School Days, Magikano, Clannad and a bunch of other themes from school anime that are more than just slice of life.

[NeoBear]

oh i like this it always shocks me how in anime things that would be so unexceptibull here in the states are often explored without out so much as a flinch. im betting this will be more then your typical harem anime, hell ill even go so far as to bet we dont get a hot springs episode how often can you say that =O

[David75]

Geez, quite ecchi if you ask me, that butt on his face thing was a bit embarasing... :o

[Ryllharu]

Well, I didn't really expect much after I saw the ridiculous promo video that was partially in English, but I'm pleasantly surprised in the series so far. Many questions all from the start.

- The class rep's (Hinata, who looks exactly like ToHeart2's Sasara) excuse for calling him "-sama" really didn't seem to make any sense, and as it turns out, her grandfather also refers to him that way. Is she from an ancient ninja clan, or is Takuma and his family a lot more important than we suspected.

- Yui controls the school quite obviously, but why does she pick on Hayami so consistently, and moreover, everyone in the school either tolerate or endorse it? How does Hayami's family fit into the social structure of this rural town?

- Who or what the hell is Otoha? She claims to be a spirit, which Takuma didn't take seriously until she actually made him see. So far, no one else has seen her, and she disappeared completely before the Takuma and the boar came across Hayami. I suppose we will have to take her at her word.

I'm sure these will all be answered in time, but this is a very good start.

[animus]

It was Ok for a first episode, but the art just looked so mangled a lot of the time.

[Board of Command]

The 720p version looked like it had a blur filter on top of the video, making the edges look fuzzy and distorted... It looks like watercolor in some scenes.

(it's not due to pausing in the middle of motion or anything, since this blurry stuff is consistent throughout the entire episode)

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/8820/snapshot20080105225251csa9.th.jpg (http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=snapshot20080105225251csa9.jpg)
^ watercolor eyes and distorted edges

As for the episode itself, I thought it was a pretty good start. Lots of mysterious elements and interesting characters. The plot has quite a bit of potential.

[David75]

Edit:
The 720p version is the MKV one.
At first I didn't beleive it since the file were the same weight around 170MB... since the MKV wasn't labelled as 720
Thanks for pointing out there's a better resolution (even if not better quality?)

[Kraco]

Not too many series start with guys beating up a girl. Quite a shock start.

The whole blindness thing seemed peculiar though. It's hard to imagine any regular series could have a main character with such a disability due to the obvious constraints it imposes (unless we are talking about Daredevil), and so unless the blindness is a central theme of the show, it's obvious it will get bypassed one way or another. And if that happens, why was it there in the first place? Now it looks like the dude got rid of his unseeing eyes already in the first ep (it would actually make sense if the other students thought he was just faking the blindness during the first day for extra attention whoring).

This looks like a show with spirit.

[Yukimura]

I think the blindness is there as an obstacle to be overcome through interaction with the heroines. His visions and memories seem to include enough detail that I don't think he's always been blind also. Maybe he's not actually blind in the physical sense but he can't processes what his eyes show him normally for some psychological reason. Then there's the whole magical girl element which makes things even more murky. All in all it seems like it could be pretty interesting.

[DDBen]

I found this one pretty questionable it didn't flow very well for me and as stated why make a guy blind and have his eye's work on occasion in episode 1 of all things it just seems to soon.

Anyway not sure I'll finish this series but I'm willing to give it another episode or 2 in order to find out if it gets interesting.

[Buffalobiian]

I was also trying to figure out if they guy is really blind or not. And also, the significance of the beach and sand. We have no idea if that school is near the shore, but nothing hints it, and the narration about God not being there when needed. I thought it was the girl being beaten, but in the ep, it was the guy who ventures into the sand. Guess I'll have to wait for next week.

[Ryllharu]

I thought it was much clearer after we find that Ami Koshimizu, narrating the opening scene, was playing the boy and not the girl getting beat up. Take that with what Otoha kept calling herself and doing to Takuma (the boy) and it makes perfect sense.

Takuma talks about God "not being there when he needed [her] the most." Hayami is getting beat up by the loli-bitch's two goons, and Takuma is stuck sitting at the house, blind, with the rain pouring down. Otoha granted him two times in the first episode alone the ability to see. Now that Hayami truly needs him to defend her (even if he is just a weakling), there's simply nothing he can do. Obviously blind again in that scene, he's unable to find his way to her, especially in the pouring rain where he can't hear anything.


The beach was just a figurative thing near as I could tell, maybe even a dream Otoha is somehow getting near him. The town is deep is the mountains.

[Buffalobiian]

Bakawolf & m.3.3.w's episode 2.

Xvid. (http://m.3.3.w.fansub-torrents.com/%5BBakaWolf-m.3.3.w%5D_H2O_-_Footprints_in_the_Sand_-_02_%28XviD%29_%5BD66CD5DE%5D.avi.torrent)

H264 (http://m.3.3.w.fansub-torrents.com/%5BBakaWolf-m.3.3.w%5D_H2O_-_Footprints_in_the_Sand_-_02_%28H.264%29_%5B91A1A7B3%5D.mkv.torrent)

[Ryllharu]

How quickly a series can turn from promising...

In the first episode, the mysteries were interesting, but now they've just become trite and pointless. Hinata is supposed to be "saving" Takuma from something, and the evils of Hayami, but not bothering to explain it by now just makes it seem incredibly childish.

Yui becomes beyond annoying, attacking Hayami for no reason, and no one, even the teacher, doesn't give a shit?! Apparently she's not even as affluent or as important as Hinata, but she's somehow the dominating force in the town and school. Maybe that's because all Hinata ever does is make the pouting noise and get all quiet.

Yui's interactions with Hamaji were cute the first time, getting all angry, but in this episode they were just obnoxious.

Everyone uses Hayami as the whipping boy, but by not explaining why, it just becomes stupid and pointless. So everyone hates her, tell us why. It's already been established that everyone hates or avoids her, she's done something to make her the ultimate target, but now it's just wasted time that could have been used for development.

The, to top it all off, they take Takuma's blindness, and make it appear that no one noticed he was blind in the first place! Why even bother, other than make the opening scene of the first episode more dramatic because he's suddenly helpless again. Even if we assume Otoha is so powerful to not only make him be able to see, but also make it so that everyone thought he was never blind in the first place.

Even the animation got worse.

Subsequently, I'm dropping this series here. I could barely even finish this episode.

[Board of Command]

I agree with Ryllharu. This series turned sour pretty quick. The blindness thing is my biggest problem. Nobody seemed to care or notice that he's able to open his eyes all of a sudden - not even Takuma's uncle! What's up with that?

[animus]

By the sounds of it, you guys saved me from a headache.

[narutosharingan]

I definitely thought the whole blindness thing was odd...what is going on. But I'm going to watch a couple more episodes and see if they explain all of this. Maybe there's a reason for the complete switch.

[Yukimura]

It's been 2 episodes and people are complaining about lack of plot development already? Even without the the miraculously cured blindness, which I'm happy to ignore if the cast is willing to ignore, this show is still plenty mysterious and I want to know what the secret is. Why do they hate Hayami, to the point of shunning her to the other side of a bridge, why does the teacher condone her getting abused, why does she take it, even seek it, why is the guy important to the head family? There are too many questions I want the answers to to give this one up, and I'd hardly expect any answers from an episode 2, even from a 12 ep series.

The way it's going to probably go is each of the next few episodes will develop Takuma's relationship with one of the girls in some way, all the while dropping hints towards the overall 'event' that ties everything together. Then by around the mid way point things will start to move forward more coherently and eventually Takuma will make a decision which lets him end up with one of the girls (Hayami) and he'll help her grow out of her current personage. I suspect the blindness will be back, but not for at least a few more eps.

[Ryllharu]

It's not the lack of development so early in the series, it was the utter lack of any worthwhile information in this episode. What did we actually learn in this episode that wasn't established in the first:

- Hinata is richer than Yui
- Hayami lives in an abandoned train
- Hinata and Hayami used to be friends

I am generalizing to make my point, as there are refined points introduced in the first that we didn't know about. But a 12 episode series should not be wasting time so soon in a series. We learned absolutely nothing of value in this episode. Usually, episodes with this startling lack of content are loaded to the brim with fanservice, but there was more of that in the first episode.

My two biggest problems are the utter lack of reaction to Takuma's sudden vision, and the way they are bullying Hayami. Hinata of all people seems very obsessed with Takuma's well being, seems to be the "childhood friend that knows everything about the protagonist" type of character, and dotes on him excessively. However, even after all the fufu-ing over him in the first episode (Lead him here, lead him there, call him -sama), she doesn't even remark on such a significant change?! This should be something amazing to her, like Hayami's reaction at the end of the first episode. But even she doesn't even seem to care that he can suddenly see by the beginning of the second episode.

The second is the way they are bullying Hayami. Yes, it is supposed to bother the audience. I also believe they are supposed to be in middle school (if they are in high school, that makes it that much worse). However, they are acting like elementary schoolers. Name calling, throwing toilet water on her, and then going back to name calling are the best they can come up with after beating the shit out of her in the opening scene and at the end of first episode?

Many of us have seen girls completely ruin each other's lives in series like Great Teacher Onizuka without a single punch thrown. Once you cross the line into violence, you can't backslide from there. It makes it look extremely childish. They already beat her up at the end of the first episode. Days later, they call her smelly. You can't take that kind of antagonism seriously anymore.

If you want to keep the audience interested, you do not simply reiterate the mystery again, without any new information. In you want your antagonists to be taken seriously, you have to maintain their level of hostility or resolve whatever issue there was (and thus end their role as the antagonist).

[Pyro411]

wow I wish I read this thread before watching episode 2... I agree it was a massive disappointment. I'd say the only good scene in this episode is what she did to him after him seeing her shower.

they're definitely going to have to pull something out of their proverbial arse to get fans back after this stinker of an episode.

Off topic... What's up with those guys dancing in horse heads before & after the show? that's one of the few things bout the anime that gave me the "WTF" moment...

[narutosharingan]

Sure, the fact that he has started seeing again is odd, especially since they didn't explain it. And yes, it is very odd that no one has questioned it. But I'd like to believe there's a reason to all of this, and the producers aren't stupid. I understand that it's only a 12 episodes series, but I think it's worth spending more time watching to see how they explain it. It may very well make sense afterwards.

The interesting thing about the treatment towards Hayami is not only the students. Yes, they dislike her immensely. But there are certain factors that make it even more interesting. First, Hinata seems like a very nice person in general, but why is it that even she does not want to associate with Hayami? And why did the teacher not step in and do something about it? Those two points make this situation even more suspicious. Also, Hinata's father (I believe) may feel the same way. What exactly happened for everyone, including adults, to turn on Hayami? They showed a flashback of a fire, which may have some of the answers.

So basically, I'm curious to see how this resolves. I don't think it's fair to judge this two episodes in.

[Ryllharu]

Sure, the fact that he has started seeing again is odd, especially since they didn't explain it. And yes, it is very odd that no one has questioned it.This part was obviously Otoha, she said she did it the two different times in the first episode.


I don't think it's fair to judge this two episodes in.
Yes, that's true. If I hadn't joined watching School Days, Higurashi, or ef - a tale of memories as late as I did, I may have dropped them early on and missed out. However, H2O has neither the reputation of School Days, the enormous story of Higurashi, or the visual innovations of ef to keep me entertained until the main story kicks in. (In the case of ef, it turned out to be a very short wait.)

In fact, this episode was a dramatic drop in animation quality (forgivable, but it doesn't help it).

Perhaps it is better to say I've become increasingly critical of what I watch. I have a lot less time now that I've graduated, and over the years, I've gotten tired of being let down by a series. However, 12 episode series are tend to have fast pacing and dense story lines, with the corresponding number of notable exceptions. Those exceptions made it clear from the start they weren't trying to make anything new, and were not attempting to do anything special. Most of them were comedy series anyway.

Drama series are an entirely different matter. They don't have time to waste. Half-season series that fail to utilize the majority of the time in each episode show they lack the material keep the story going.

Compare the two episodes. We learned a lot in the first episode. Otoha and what she can do (though we do not know why), that everyone hates Hayami, that Yui is the "queen bee" of the town, Hints at an uncomfortable relationship between Hinata and Hayami, etc. Here, we learned nothing other than Hinata's social position, and that she and Hayami had a past together.

Has H2O Rocked my Soul (http://randomc.animeblogger.net/2007/12/23/random-musings-h2o-rocks-your-soul/)? Decidedly not.

As such, I'm not going to drag this on any further. This will be my last post in this thread for a while, or if I get enough of an indication that the third episode completely redeemed the series.

[narutosharingan]

This part was obviously Otoha, she said she did it the two different times in the first episode.




Yeah I understand it was Otoha, but I'm more wondering why he can see again (for what reason), and more importantly the others' reaction

I realize that this is only 12 episodes, so they do need to hurry with the plot. But I'm willing to wait this out a while longer to see. Hopefully they explain these events well.

[David75]

There was massive screen time for the Takumi/Kohinata.
I guess they really wanted to higlight their budding relation as it is a key to some major development later.
As you said, they have no time to loose. If they choose to really put the stress on their relation-mostly being Takumi really pushing towards kohinata- that should be more than important.

Why is there this monster thing? I thought that the bridge is well maintained... for a bridge leading to a monster.

Why are Hayami's and Kagura's first names are so similar -Kohinata and Hinata (hinata meaning sunflower? I wonder what the "Ko" prefix adds)

There's that house burning and Hinata turning on Kohinata.

For Otoha, to me she isn't human or doesn't exist for anyone but Takumi.
She is either a spirit or something related to the Monster... her being the
balancing good. Or she is the link to a difficult time Takumi had.
If she's a spirit, with some powers it seems, then maybe that would
also explain why no one is making a fuss about him being able to see.
Cheap explanation I know.

I wonder where they are headed, but plot advancement is not only based on facts and elements. There are also relationships and feelings.

[kainu1329]

Well I'm not dropping this one. Is to early to do that. everybody is complaining about his vision. You must remember that his lost of vision is emotional. He must overcome his psicologica problems to be abble to see. However, I still think there's something more misterious to it and I hope they dont ruin the serie by letting us know very late in the show.

[Buffalobiian]

There was massive screen time for the Takumi/Kohinata.


Why are Hayami's and Kagura's first names are so similar -Kohinata and Hinata (hinata meaning sunflower? I wonder what the "Ko" prefix adds)




Kohinata is Hayami's last name. Kohinata Haymi and Kagura Hinata. I would guess Kohi- is one character. Complete guess. Most likey wrong.

As for the series, I'll stick to it for a while longer. I still want to find out what the Kohinata family did. I'm assuming it's now something Hayami did herself, by something similar to a family feud or such. Otoha said she was the wind spirit of time or something. Maybe that time aspect explains it. I bet they'll never realise it when he's back to blind neither.

[David75]

Kohinata is Hayami's last name. Kohinata Haymi and Kagura Hinata. I would guess Kohi- is one character. Complete guess. Most likey wrong.

As for the series, I'll stick to it for a while longer. I still want to find out what the Kohinata family did. I'm assuming it's now something Hayami did herself, by something similar to a family feud or such. Otoha said she was the wind spirit of time or something. Maybe that time aspect explains it. I bet they'll never realise it when he's back to blind neither.

Oh, I switched the name positions...
Kohi as in black then... Well I wonder if it's worth scrutinizing this. It's fun at least

[Buffalobiian]

Well, Hayami's hair is black, and Hinata's hair is a shade of yellow, but that's all I can come up with.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 3 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=3958) by m.3.3.w and BakaWolf. Lets see if it can win some fans back.

[narutosharingan]

That was an interesting episode. I still can't figure if he's blind or not. He says his illness is better, but he still has to use the speaking alarm clock in the beginning.

And now we know some of why Hayami is disliked...status. They didn't want her and Hinata to become friends. Boy that sucks

[Yukimura]

Wow Hinata is a little brain-washed bitch. Poor Hirose is just trying to be nice and she just bends over backwards trying to fuck things up for him.

I refuse to believe even mountain villagers would be backwards enough burn down a house, , cast out a family, and completely ostracize a little girl just because she was friendly with the wrong person's daughter, but this is Japan so maybe it's not as weird there. But I think Hayami's family must have had something more that was wrong or unpopular about them which made Hinata associating with Kohinata that much more outrageous to the townsfolk.

I felt like Hirose bringing up the sight thing really messed the show up too, he and everyone else seem to know he used to be blind and can now see, but no one marvels at all...maybe these mountain people are just that much more backwards then I had thought.

[shinta|hikari]

Its confusing right now, but maybe they will elaborate later as to why and how he can see again, as in the actual specifics of the voodoo cast on him, and its effects on everyone.

[Kraco]

I'm not sure I'll continue watching this. This episode was just pissing me off, and I had to fight against an urge to close the player in the middle of it. I particularly dislike the main character, which is not a good thing. I just can't figure out what he's thinking or trying to do, and why he sees even less with normal vision than when he was blind. And his goody-goody attitude isn't helping either, even if it's nothing new in anime in general, but at least in usual shows the goody-goody character is still somehow shounen strong. This dude is weaker than all of those brainless girls surrounding him, both mind and body.

[David75]

I'm not sure I'll continue watching this. This episode was just pissing me off, and I had to fight against an urge to close the player in the middle of it. I particularly dislike the main character, which is not a good thing. I just can't figure out what he's thinking or trying to do, and why he sees even less with normal vision than when he was blind. And his goody-goody attitude isn't helping either, even if it's nothing new in anime in general, but at least in usual shows the goody-goody character is still somehow shounen strong. This dude is weaker than all of those brainless girls surrounding him, both mind and body.

I think he's just your usual guy trying to live in the community, being the least possible hypocrite, forced to close his eyes at times and weakly willing to improve things.
Thats a very common way of reacting.

[Buffalobiian]

H20 OP Single (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20H2O%20~FOOTPRINTS%20IN%20THE%20S AND~%20OP%20Single%20-%20Katayoku%20no%20Icarus%20%5BSakakibara%20Yui%5D .zip.torrent). While the show has lost some of it's spark, I still find the OP quite catchy.

[Buffalobiian]

H2O ep 4 by BakaWolf/m.3.3.w (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4125) Looks like a trip to the beach this episode.

[Yukimura]

TRAP, TRAP, TRAP, TRAP, TRAP, TRAP, TRAP, TRAP, TRAP!

Now I truly understand what that word means...so wrong.

Anyway, cute ep, but once again the plot points from the previous episode are not addressed which is getting annoying, but it was still kindof fun i na more light hearted way.

[Board of Command]

Big time trap. Ugh.

[NeoBear]

bleah i just want to know whats going on with the dark haired girl so i can get on with my life fast forwared to about the last 7/8 mins

[Everon]

I tried watching this and I think I'm going to stop here. I just can't get past how the adults ignore the physical abuse to Hayami.

Maybe its a poor copy of Higurashi (a bizzare cult town).

[Ryllharu]

I cringe that anyone would associate Higurashi with this, but I can see where some parallels might come from.

- Outcasts
- Paranoia
- Isolated mountain town
- Very strange social order
- Supernatural elements (Hanyuu, etc)
- One character very rich, separate one very influential on society (Mion, Rika)
- New male character in town, recently moved (Keiichi)
- Physical infirmities (the....condition)
- Occasional traps (Keiichi's 'punishment' cosplay)

It's like they got all the social constructs and many of the character archetypes, but left out all the depth, storyline, moral conflicts, decent character design/development, mystery, and tried to make it a romantic comedy.

[Everon]

Oh I'm not associating this with Higurashi at all, but a "cult town" is my only explanation for why everyone treats or ignores Hayami to this level.

Ryllharu, I agree that this story doesn't have much depth. They're stretching the already paper-thin plot by adding bizzare plot twists (hamaji is a cross dresser?).

[narutosharingan]

Well I'm honestly not all that impressed either so far. It just seems as though they haven't really thought this through that much, the plot just isn't good so far, and I'm not enjoying it yet because I don't see a direction.

But I'll wait it out for a little longer...I'm hopeful.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 5 by our usual BakaWolf/m.3.3.w:

Xvid (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4264)
H264 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4270)

[narutosharingan]

Well, the grandfather is a douche. At least he confirms that he wants a marriage for his own selfish reasons. Hirose grew some balls finally.

[Buffalobiian]

That Grandfather really is something selfish. It seems that Otoha was Hinata's sister or something, and her death was blamed on Hayami's supposedly misfortune. Either that, or Otoha was supposed to marry someone important willingly, but died, so Hinata has for unwillingly take her place. Thing is, what did they do with all those people and the torches? We never really saw any burning or anything. I was initially expecint them to burn down their house as well as probably Hayami's parents or something. It seemed to early in the plot to reunite the two, but I'll go along with it.

And I don't think Hamaji is a cross dresser....:)

edit: then again, in the minds of old school people, securing family status, especially one such as Hinata's, is seens as a responsibility.

[Buffalobiian]

So the girls are friends again...for now.

H2O 06 (XviD)(SDTV) (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4423)
H2O 06 (h264)(HD upscale) (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4424)

[narutosharingan]

Indeed they are. And Otoha says his time is running out. Time to stay there, or time to see?

And now we know why they were disliked

[Buffalobiian]

It's almost like everything's been solved, and we're only half way through. I believe that he's going to go blind again at the end of the next episode. It's not so much the story that's captivating me, it's more curiosity at how they'll complete this series. No one wondered how Hirose could see, I wonder if they'll notice him going blind again. I personally think they will, for no reason at all. More to the episode, I actually thought we'd see more of Hinata vs Kagura Grandpa, but we didn't see much at all, and the next day, Hinata was just as nice to Hayami, as if her Grandfather didn't do anything at all. I find this really strange, since we've been shown now much the old Kagura upholds his family pride and right in the village, and how much Hinata listens to him. The only thing I can think of is that Hinata somehow convinced him that this was all to get on Hirose's good side.

btw, who else is still watching this series, besides me and narutosharingan?

[Yukimura]

I'm still watching, I think for the same reasons you stated, I want to know what happens/happened. I'm not particularly drawn to any of the characters in this show, except maybe Kohinata a little, but the mystery of why everyone hated her kept me downloading. With that solved I may very well lose interest unless something new comes along that holds me to it.

Anyway, does anyone recognize the name Haruka? I can't think of a character we've seen with that name.

[narutosharingan]

This certainly does not draw me in. It just isn't put together well, nothing is explained well (at least so far). I'm curious to see what kind of affect this has on the villiage as a whole. Are they going to riot again because people are associating with Kohinata? I'm also wondering if the man Hirose is staying with will play any part, even if he's there for "comic relief"

[Board of Command]

I gave up after the previous episode.

[David75]

Well, this show may not be stellar, but there's something soothing watching it.
I can't explain why since violence and hatred is well present.
But the atmosphere and pace feels really good.
Sometimes a show is not just about characters and plot ;)

[Buffalobiian]

More H20, how long will their friendship last? (And Hirose's eyesight.)

[BakaWolf-m.3.3.w] H2O - Footprints in the Sand - 07 (XviD) [5FA4AD4A].avi (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4555)
[BakaWolf-m.3.3.w] H2O - Footprints in the Sand - 07 (H.264) [A220066B].mkv (http://tracker.anirena.com/download.php?id=4554)

edit: To those who left this series, at this point, I'd recommend you pick this up if you're bored at any point. The gap difference between this and previous eps is comparable to ef's episode 7 and ef's ep 1-6. That said, ef did start at a much higher level.

So Otoha was really Hinata, and Hinata is Hotaru, the not so bright second Kagura. I never expected this. It all fits in with why the Kagura Elder was pressuring Hina- Hotaru from the beginning. It wasn't that she had to be good, it was she had to be an entirely different person. Music and story fitted well this episode. Hair dragging was 0.o. I have to say, I'm surprised at the roller coaster ride H20 gave. This might just be a randomly good ep like ep1 was, but it deserves credit nevertheless.

[narutosharingan]

Well well, a very good episode comes through. I defintely did not expect that. Music was terrific. I gotta say, the grandfather and the rest of that family are douchebags.

[Buffalobiian]

ED released.

[Nipponsei] H2O ~FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND~ ED Single - Kazahane [Shimotsuki Haruka].zip.torrent (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20H2O%20~FOOTPRINTS%20IN%20THE%20S AND~%20ED%20Single%20-%20Kazahane%20%5BShimotsuki%20Haruka%5D.zip.torren t)

[Everon]

episode 8 is out. too lazy to post link.

[Buffalobiian]

The links Everon was too lazy to post. :p

Xvid (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4676)
H264 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4675)

[David75]

Another facesitting in that ep, amongst high doses of fanservice.

Weird ep, not very interresting, not that comical.

Well... let's see what next ep gives.

[Buffalobiian]

Despite not being a serious ep, I found it kinda interesting, though probably not in the usual way. With this, Otoha takes her leave, though she still left Hirose with his sight. He can swim now as well. I don't remember him learning it anyway, so I guess it's the "if I believe it, I can" thing.

[Yukimura]

Lol I watched the [m.3.0.w] version first, pretty much the same content but much more entertaining. I'm not sure what the point of this was, but I guess it just means Otoha is gone and won't be coming back. The fanservice and hilariousness were fun on a Friday night though, especially since I'm losing interest in the 'real' plot.

[Board of Command]

Big episode of WTF.

[DDBen]

Lol I watched the [m.3.0.w] version first, pretty much the same content but much more entertaining. I'm not sure what the point of this was, but I guess it just means Otoha is gone and won't be coming back. The fanservice and hilariousness were fun on a firday night though, especially since I'm losing interest in the 'real' plot.

yep I did the same thing the Meow episode was pretty hilarious especially being that I constantly couldn't believe with the video that something all that different was even going on.

I really hate the fact he spent episode 1 blind if with Otoha leaving he's not going back to you know being blind. This series confuses me and him gaining skills like swimming despite it being stated he directly couldn't swim earlier continues to make this show boggle my mind.

Given I've just watched a good 15 episodes of ZZ Gundam so nothing can really surprize me at this point.

[narutosharingan]

This is too confusing. What in the world is going on. I hope there's some kind of point to this eventually

[Everon]

Ugh, its a trap!
http://www.itsatrap.net/ackbar.jpg
I'm done with this. Don't care anymore.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 9- Hayami fanservice

Xvid (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4799)
H264 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4798)

edit: Well, they did say Hirose's blindness was psychological, or at least implied it, at the beginning. I'd say his mother committing suicide, especially if it was in front of him, would've been enough shock. Rivalry has all but settled this ep, with Hotaru accepting that Hayami is the one in Hirose's heart. Hirose has always cared more for Hayami than any other character, but whether it was because of her situation wasn't always clear, which made the love rivalry fun t watch, despite feeling a little sad for Hotary. lol at Yui undoing her hair and all. The Elder also surprisingly didn't take the opportunity to drive Hayami away. Guess with the village accepting Hotaru now, he's rethought how everyone should act around Hayami. As he says, Karma.

edit2: And the moon really suits Hayami.

[narutosharingan]

It was interesting to see Hirose's uncle in a serious setting as well

[David75]

Episode 9- Hayami fanservice

Xvid (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4799)
H264 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4798)

edit: Well, they did say Hirose's blindness was psychological, or at least implied it, at the beginning. I'd say his mother committing suicide, especially if it was in front of him, would've been enough shock. Rivalry has all but settled this ep, with Hotaru accepting that Hayami is the one in Hirose's heart. Hirose has always cared more for Hayami than any other character, but whether it was because of her situation wasn't always clear, which made the love rivalry fun t watch, despite feeling a little sad for Hotary. lol at Yui undoing her hair and all. The Elder also surprisingly didn't take the opportunity to drive Hayami away. Guess with the village accepting Hotaru now, he's rethought how everyone should act around Hayami. As he says, Karma.

edit2: And the moon really suits Hayami.

Yes, they did state that Hirose's blindness was psychological.

[Buffalobiian]

[BakaWolf-m.3.3.w] H2O - Footprints in the Sand - 10 (XviD)(SDTV) (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4943)
[BakaWolf-m.3.3.w] H2O - Footprints in the Sand - H2O 10 (h264)(HD upscale) (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4944)

edit: Wow. The preview for next episode reminds me of that final breakdown episode of Evangelion. More to the episode itself, it seems the Elder was fine with not killing, or driving Hayami to the edge, but taking Hirose from, in his mind, Hotaru wasn't something he's letting happen easily. The plot twist was rather unexpected, but didn't blow me away. Hirose keeps saying it's got nothing to do with Hayami, but doesn't act that way, while Hayami returns to her old self. I wonder what "lies" meant in th preview. It's the first serious preview we've had, so I'll expect next ep to be pretty full on. Sure he's found out a lot of things, but I can't see any of those as lies....guess the wait is on for next week.

[narutosharingan]

Well that sucks for Hirose. Finally see some kind of real emotion from him.

[Buffalobiian]

Mental Breakdown.

H20 11 Xvid (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5106)
H20 11 H264 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5105)

[David75]

Mental Breakdown.

H20 11 Xvid (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5106)
H20 11 H264 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5105)

And then last scene ;)

Very interresting episode.

[Buffalobiian]

I don't think I've hated any anime character as of late as much as that Elder. He really needs to get over it or just die. Even the other two Kohinata haters hesitated, and Yui was probably the most vengeful one in the village, so there should be no reason why any other person can't forgive her. Another thing is, no one noticed he was ever able to see. I guess that's anime for you. I think a happy ending is a definite, but how happy is yet to be revealed.

[David75]

I don't think I've hated any anime character as of late as much as that Elder. He really needs to get over it or just die. Even the other two Kohinata haters hesitated, and Yui was probably the most vengeful one in the village, so there should be no reason why any other person can't forgive her. Another thing is, no one noticed he was ever able to see. I guess that's anime for you. I think a happy ending is a definite, but how happy is yet to be revealed.

The elder is incredibly interrested in marrying Hotaru to Takuma. I guess Hirose familly is rich/powerful. But even then, it's incredible he would go as far as killing a teenager for his goals. I guess there's something we don't know explaining his behaviour.
The other problem is Hayami, why does she want to be beaten to death so badly? What happened that gave her that kind of suicidal behaviour, does she think she only exists in the hatred and rage others feel toward her?

Yes I guess the end will be a happy one, eventhough some arcs have proved to be quite dark, everyone of them finished on a very positive note. Yui is probably the strongest example. But who knows, no pantsu this ep, maybe we can have a big surprise?

[narutosharingan]

Hayami is just selfloathing, made that way because of the despicable people of the village.

That Elder certainly is hatable. One hopes he gets his just reward.

[Buffalobiian]

Final Ep.

[BakaWolf-m.3.3.w] H2O - Footprints in the Sand - 12 - [Final] (XviD) [F2214C20].avi.torrent (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5239)
[BakaWolf-m.3.3.w] H2O - Footprints in the Sand - 12 - [Final] (H.264) [0F276804].mkv.torrent (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5238)





edit: *Sob* Beautiful ending. I can't think of anything else. So the full story of Takuma's past is revealed. I have to say I didn't expect anything that happened this ep. Hirose going back to his childhood memories. His mental hurdle of accepting his mother's death crossed. Hayami - she really loved him, if it wasn't evident before. Beautiful emotional conveying from when she died up till the very end. With so many characters dying this week, having her back as a spirit really cheers me up. Final pairing was rather a shock. Takuma x Hamaji. Who would have guessed?

This show started up with high hopes twelve episodes ago, but lost many fans in the next three. Many who were expecting the dark plot didn't stick around, and the show proceeded with what was thought to be school life and fanservice. Then it hit home with character development, multiple plot twists, love confession and to quote BoC, a "Big episode of WTF", and finally ending gracefully, tying up all loose ends, and music that pulls at your heart. I recommend this series to those who are looking for a short, light series with a much darker underlying theme and a, what I thought was a sad-then-warming ending.

Having finished this, I've still got Hayami's voice in my head - Thank you for the world.

[narutosharingan]

Really? What part of Takuma's past was revealed in this episode? It just seemed as though he was suffereing delusions the whole time, and Hayami dying was just so damn out of the blue.

Just wtf on this one, unless you want to explain it to me

[DDBen]

Really? What part of Takuma's past was revealed in this episode? It just seemed as though he was suffereing delusions the whole time, and Hayami dying was just so damn out of the blue.

Just wtf on this one, unless you want to explain it to me

That his mother didn't commit suicide or abandon him but instead gave her life to save either him or another little boy I was unsure which.

As for the ending I'm left speechless this whole thing was out of left field and I felt it was overall a trainwreck of a ending. I mean they killed Hayami out of nowhere for no reason you could have had her save the boy and resulted in the same effect instead of him coming out of his trance just in time to see her made into train pizza.

[Sapphire]

I watched the first episode, and I thought it was absolutely beautiful in characters, animation, camara angles, dialogue, plot, everything. Then around episode 4 I started to get a little bored, and now I'm in episode 6 and it's not doing a very good job catching my attention. So I ask you guys who bothered finishing, is it worth it to sit through the remaining 6 episodes? Or should I just watch the last one.

The initial story was actually quite beautiful, similar to the greatness of Key even, but the selfishness and igorance of the characters is something i've never really liked to watch

[narutosharingan]

That his mother didn't commit suicide or abandon him but instead gave her life to save either him or another little boy I was unsure which.

As for the ending I'm left speechless this whole thing was out of left field and I felt it was overall a trainwreck of a ending. I mean they killed Hayami out of nowhere for no reason you could have had her save the boy and resulted in the same effect instead of him coming out of his trance just in time to see her made into train pizza.


Ok I figured that's what they were getting at. But like you said, completely out of left field as far as Hayami is concerned. They could have had her save the boy and live. But this was just stupid.

[Buffalobiian]

I watched the first episode, and I thought it was absolutely beautiful in characters, animation, camara angles, dialogue, plot, everything. Then around episode 4 I started to get a little bored, and now I'm in episode 6 and it's not doing a very good job catching my attention. So I ask you guys who bothered finishing, is it worth it to sit through the remaining 6 episodes? Or should I just watch the last one.

The initial story was actually quite beautiful, similar to the greatness of Key even, but the selfishness and igorance of the characters is something i've never really liked to watch

If you're up to six, you've sat through the worst. It only goes up. Seven will be a BIG surprise, and really the turning point of this series. I say, watch it. :)(but that's just me. We're getting some mixed reviews here.)


They could have had her save the boy and live
I thought it was more realistic(and emotional) to have her do that. After all, it shows exactly what happened to Takuma's mum. And if she did survive, it'd be hard to justify why Takuma's mum couldn't dodge the train while she could.

[DDBen]

I thought it was more realistic(and emotional) to have her do that. After all, it shows exactly what happened to Takuma's mum. And if she did survive, it'd be hard to justify why Takuma's mum couldn't dodge the train while she could.

The reason why both couldn't dodge it is exactly the same instead of letting them finish the motion of saving the child. In both cases Takuma called to them and they turned around to look at him causing them to be hit by the train.

I'm glad we all agree that they should have simply made Hayami save the kid and live. It would have both made for a better ending and it would have given a nice contrast to what happened to his mom providing both the shock and realization of what happened to his mom as well as giving him a path to move on with a better life. I'm thinking the writers just figured thats what a normal author would do and he wanted to have a twist and so instead we get her brought back from the dead a random number of years later.

[narutosharingan]

It wasn't emotional for me, it was more of a what are they doing sort of thing. What's the point of revealing how someone died to have another person die in the same episode the same way? Just because Takuma accepted how his mom died doesn't mean that Hayami needs to die as well. They need to do the same thing to Hayami to show how Takuma's mom died? That's some odd logic for me.

[tystic]

Wow. I'm sad it's over, mostly because that was a terrible ending to a wonderful series.

Maybe I over-analyze too much, but when I see Hayami brought back from the dead so many years later, I think "wait... her body was destroyed by the train, what did they do? Make another and age it, then stuff her mind back into it?" Sorry, that's my inner mind essentially telling me there's a plot hole big enough to solve the landfill problems of the United States.

I wish they would have done something realistic... either Hayami survive the train incident by some miracle, visit at the end as a spirit like Otoha, or never show up again. Oh well, if Otoha can cause Takuma to fall into a crazy world where his uncle dresses like Madonna-clownsuit, then I suppose anything is possible.

I'll just pretend the entire series was a dream. Aaaah much better.

[Board of Command]

Final pairing was rather a shock. Takuma x Hamaji. Who would have guessed?
How can that be? Hamaji is a dude. I thought the baby belonged to Maki and Hamaji.

[Buffalobiian]

How can that be? Hamaji is a dude. I thought the baby belonged to Maki and Hamaji.

Serious? I thought that was just a joke, the whole crossdresser thing. And the baby looked like Takuma, so I assumed it was his, since they commented on it.

[David75]

Serious? I thought that was just a joke, the whole crossdresser thing. And the baby looked like Takuma, so I assumed it was his, since they commented on it.

I thought the same thing, but it was so strange because there's nothing to back that up.
There's nothing shown of takuma's life after the second train accident.

Also, I don't know why the exact same thing would happen twice in the life of someone.
Why would Takuma witness the death of a female dear to him twice in his life, with almost the exact same setting: boy, ball going to the rails and boy following. Then mother/hayami trying to save the boy and dying there.

Also, why wouldn't takuma be even more traumatised the second time? Why having a second person die the same way awaken him from his selflocking?

It's also extremely a strange role Hayami has through this show. She's only there as a means to extract anything dark/bad from everyone in the village, and in the end Takuma.

I understand the author wanted to choose a end that wouldn't be too nice. But it's true that the way he/she did isn't very interresting.

Oh, and we didn't even witness Hayami's funerals.

Is there anything in the manga that could fill in the huge blanks?

[Buffalobiian]

Is there anything in the manga that could fill in the huge blanks?

Manga meaning Visual Novel? Or is there really a manga adaptation?

[David75]

Manga meaning Visual Novel? Or is there really a manga adaptation?

I thought there was something. I didn't know that potentially this anime didn't have a manga as a base. I should have searched before I guess.
But if I was wring in thinking there's a manga, I wonder why the blanks are so huge...

[Buffalobiian]

I thought there was something. I didn't know that potentially this anime didn't have a manga as a base. I should have searched before I guess.
But if I was wring in thinking there's a manga, I wonder why the blanks are so huge...

Looked around for a bit. There is indeed a manga adaptation based on the visual novel. Guess we both were half right. :)

Seems like Hamaji really was a crossdresser (first Haku, now this. I'm broken.) I initially thought Hayami came back in spirit form since she had a bell around her neck, and I thought Otoha, aka Hinata had one too, but she's really alive. It makes a bit more sense that she said "look after her properly this time". Oh well, the more heart warming it is for me. Even if it's just me. :p

[David75]

Looked around for a bit. There is indeed a manga adaptation based on the visual novel. Guess we both were half right. :)

Seems like Hamaji really was a crossdresser (first Haku, now this. I'm broken.) I initially thought Hayami came back in spirit form since she had a bell around her neck, and I thought Otoha, aka Hinata had one too, but she's really alive. It makes a bit more sense that she said "look after her properly this time". Oh well, the more heart warming it is for me. Even if it's just me. :p

So she disapeared from Takuma's life for a number of years right after this train accident.

Humm, I guess I have to get out of my lazyness and seek material for myself.
Thanks for catching my attention on this ;)

[Board of Command]

Serious? I thought that was just a joke, the whole crossdresser thing. And the baby looked like Takuma, so I assumed it was his, since they commented on it.
But in one of the last scenes, Hamaji's little sister said something like "Why are you still wearing that?"

[Buffalobiian]

Soundtrack is out.

[Nipponsei] H2O ~FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND~ Original Soundtrack.zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20H2O%20~FOOTPRINTS%20IN%20THE%20S AND~%20Original%20Soundtrack.zip.torrent)

btw, does anybody know anything about the manga?