"Babbit here! We're keeping the spoilers off these wonderfully heartfelt moments, so go check out the series if you haven't. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
Even though it's known for its comedy, Kodocha is first and foremost a Shoujo series, and of course, both versions (anime and manga) have a ton of heartwarming moments as follows:
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General
- Akito stands up for Tsuyoshi after nearly the entire classroom laughs at him for calling Ms. Mitsuya "mommy".
- Even before Akito fully reforms, seeing Sana cry gives him a surprised yet concerned look as if he can feel her pain.
- Rei is always kind and patient with Sana's antics, going out of his way to put her to bed when she falls asleep, act as her backup when things go wrong at school, and offering her comfort when she gets upset.
- When Sana convinces Akito to try to reconcile with his broken family. Especially since she was acting like his Missing Mom, Koharu.Sana: Aa-chan, Mama loves you...
- Natsumi preparing rice porridge for Akito when he was sick, only a short time after she realized how horrible she had been to her brother for so many years.
- Rei accepting that he was running away from Asako because he still loved her after so many years of having been separated from each other. All of this was thanks to Sana reconciling them, which was just another great moment for her.
- Sana giving Aono, Tsuyoshi's little sister, the baby chick when she believed that a regular egg from the supermarket would hatch (aahh, kids are so innocent).
- While alone in the woods and down a steep hill in episode 15, Akito does his best to comfort Sana, who's upset about Misako's book about her being published soon. He then tells Sana how much he owes her for repairing his home life, thanks her for it, and in return tells her that if she needs a shoulder to cry on, she can always talk to him and he will listen while giving off a slight smile. While still having trouble admitting his true feelings, he at least tells her that he wants to be there for her. This is followed by Sana, now witnessing him both smiling and blushing, chasing the nervous boy back onto the main path of the lodge area, ending with Akito receiving a huge and admittedly cute glomp from Sana, the cute welcoming image on the page here. It truly is amazing to witness the entirety of this scene, as it shows how far they've already come since being sworn enemies in the first episode.
- The reassuring talk that Misako has with Sana after the day at Ribon Land with Keiko, doubling as a Tear Jerker.Misako: Sana.. I'm so very sorry, for putting you through that.. Maybe it was a mistake to tell you everything when you were still so very young, but I was always so afraid.. Afraid that someday your real mother would show up and that she would take you away from me forever.. And I just, I just wanted to find her first and make sure that she understood that.. That Sana.. Sana is my daughter..
- Naozumi and the Kamura Academy choir perform every year on Christmas Eve, all of whom see each other as a huge family. Naozumi even performs their song for Sana.
First Season
- When Sana was not prepared for her math test and if she failed, she would not be able to go to middle school, Akito goes backs to his old ways and secretly blackmails Mr. Tanaka with another photo to cancel the tests. Even though it was not the most honorable thing to do and was actually lying about the photo, Akito had good intentions.
- Even if the methods to her motives aren't exactly the greatest, the fact that Shizuka considers Sana worthy enough to take over the family's inn, despite not being a Kurata by blood, is still pretty touching.
- Akito, being a "not-hater" of dinosaurs, goes out of his way to teach Kurosaki's son how to make a stegosaurus. This was not too long after finding out that their mother is dead as well.
- In episode 40, with Sana now being homeless and light on school supplies, Gomi, in an act of genuine kindness, gives Sana an eraser that literally looks like gold poop. Even if she thinks it's funky-looking, She still thanks him for it, which unexpectedly makes his face turn red.
Second Season
- After rumors and gossip begin to surface about Nakao's disappearance, all of Sana and Akito's old sixth-grade classmates band together alongside Fuka to defend the two despite barely getting along the previous year, showing how much they have matured since then. Mami even makes her first canonical appearance since the season's first episode.
Manga Continuity
- When Akito is stabbed, Sana refuses to leave the hospital during his surgery, causing her to be late for a job. When the producer is informed of the circumstances by Rei, he is dismissive and demands that they get to the studio. Just as Rei is about to hang up, Naozumi takes the phone to see what’s going on. After Rei tells him the situation, Naozumi tells them and stay put and immediately announces that he’ll act as Sana’a stand-in until she can get there. He does exactly that, despite it interfering with another job
- Later, the producer informs her that if the program ends up becoming a proper show, they'll be looking for another host, which Sana accepts. As the producer leaves, he asks if her friend is alright. Sana cheerfully says yes. It's a small moment, but it is nice to see that the world Sana lives in isn't totally heartless.
- Even after near-fatally stabbing Akito, Komori apologizes once he starts to recover mentally. He then makes the assumption that he and Akito will never see each other again now that he's moving again, but Akito then asks for his contact information, ensuring them that the two will indeed remain friends. Akito later keeps his promise by keeping correspondence with Komori through letters, giving him updates about his rehabilitation.
Miscellaneous
- Many of the Kodocha-themed commercials for the Ribon magazine have a few moments that show Akito drop his stone-face act and put on expressions that are odd by his standard, including smiling more frequently.
- One of the final few commercials (specifically the New Year edition featuring the 1998 Ribon calendar) actually shows Sana giving Akito a quick kiss on the cheek towards the end of it. It's the only instance of the anime version of Sana willingly kissing Akito.
- In 2023, Miho Obana collaborated with close friend and Ribon colleague Mihona Fujii to create an art piece
featuring Sana alongside Erika Sakurai from Fujii's series, Passion Girls, which was being serialized around the same time. Months into the following year, celebrating the 30th anniversaries of the original Kodocha manga and the Marmalade Boy anime, they were joined by Ribon senior and Marmalade Boy creator Wataru Yoshizumi to create a piece that put Sana with Miki Koishikawa alongside Gals! protagonist Ran Kotobuki.
