Before the kiss

One of the reasons I enjoyed Nadesico so much is the believable romance between Yurika and Akito.

At the time Nadesico was made it was very unusual for anime romances to have a resolution—especially a happy one. In most cases the couple you wanted to get together would be separated by tragedy or last minute plot twists. Sometimes they'd just walk away from each other for no reason (cough, Escaflowne). Bah!
 

Added: 5/22/22 From: Private Sale
 
Before the kiss