[roan]

Originally Posted by typhonsentra

Okay, after watching this episode I gotta say I'm very disappointed in the way they changed Kitamura's reason for behaving the way he did.

Spoiler:

In the original he never planned to confess to Sumire, he merely wanted to spend more time with her. When her plans got moved up earlier than expected though he freaked out as he was told the clock had already run out, he wasn't prepared. On top of that, she was going to be doing something he could never hope to do (Study overseas and become an astronaut), he was jealous and didn't feel worthy of her.

I felt like this reason and explanation was much more relatable for someone at his age.

Spoiler:

I chose that picture as it'd be the one that'd carry the most significance to her.

On top of that the only other picture of him I remember them mentioning was a "Scary" one of him running. It doesn't really matter which it was though... but we do get to see the picture down the line?

Spoiler:

Sorry, but that's not the impression I got from the volume 5 Japanese　(in reference to Minori and Ryuuji finishing the race together being a picture she'd want to keep).

The scary face one is exactly the one she picked. At least from the Japanese, I got more of the impression that when Ryuuji pointed out the Kitamura picture, she was really looking or more like focussed on the Ryuuji one. That's the one that really made her happy - and in fact, the race got painful for Taiga when Minori joined, going by the way the writing and scenery descriptions went (the Ryuuji + Minori relay finisher hurt).