[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Quarkboy

One other thought: Does anyone else think it might be more than coincidence that the name "Neko Ramen" and "Lucky Cat Chinese Restaurant" both have to do with cats?
Remember is was the master of the Neko Ramen stand who saved Ozu and Watashi from Honwaka and Aijima mysteriously... I think that the master of Neko Ramen is actually the "big boss" of the Lucky Cat Chinese Restaurant. He knew all about the history of the proxy-proxy war, too...

I was thinking the same thing, I think it's safe to assume he's related to the Lucky Cat Chinese restaurant, though I'm not so sure about him being the big boss. And thanks for posting about the symbols, I was wondering what the other five represented.

Spoiler for episode 9:

As he proclaimed last week, this time Watashi was ready to use any means necessary to reach his rose-colored campus life, however, he headed down the wrong path. It was surprising to see him so "evil" in the beginning of the episode, the answer he came up with to find happiness this time was money, clearly the wrong one. He managed to get money and women, but in the end he was still lacking, and lost sight, of the most important thing: love. Yes, I know it sounds cliché.

As a result, Watashi and Akashi grew further apart than in any of the previous iteration. Watashi was so blinded he didn't even manage to pick up her Mochiguman, even though it was begging for it. Good thing Ozu found it for him. Speaking of Ozu, this episode proved once again that even though his methods are more than dubious, his motivations are pure. So his girlfriend was Kohinata, huh...

Higuchi's speech was very inspiring. The rose-colored (perfect, ideal) campus life does not exist. Life is full of ups and downs. No matter how much different possibilities Watashi explores, he will never be able to find happiness as long as he strives for such an unrealistic goal. As Ozu is always saying, he should be more honest with himself and enjoy life as it comes, and moreover grab the opportunity always dangling in front of his eyes... I was so sad for Akashi in this episode, it's obvious she was deeply hurt by Watashi's behavior.

I just love the fact my and most people's expectations were completely crushed at the end of the episode, much like Watashi himself. He's in total despair now and will become a shut-in next week (leading to the bearded Watashi we saw a while back). Can't wait to see how he'll snap out of it.