Near the end of the second OVA series (Patlabor: New Files), in the episode titled "Snow Rondo" (episode 14). At the end, Asuma Shinohara says it's not a dream and there are hints that it wasn't a dream, but also bits to indicate that didn't happen either.
Can anyone explain what exactly happened?
The OVA stated that the two timelines are real,
In the past Sinohara walked the girl (Yukie Kashima) in the snow, he liked her but he didn't say anything, maybe because he didn't have the courage to do so.
The first timeline is when Sinohara met her at the class reunion. They had a good time together and they both liked each other. When finally Sinohara tried to say something she stopped him and said good bye. In this timeline we all know that she is some kind of spirit.
The second timeline is when Sinohara wakes up again, and he hasn't gone to the class reunion. Although he didn't see her again, he got the clue that his experience was real. The proof is the postcard he got in the second coat. And he knew what Noa get for him before she even told him.
It's a love story, the spirit just wanted to say goodbye for the last time before she went to a place far away, and this is the most romantic and fun way she could ever done that without making him scared or sad.
ps: it will help you if you watch Groundhog Day, the movie made on 1993. It has looping time, different from "Snow Rondo" but essentially the same.
Its just about Asuma moving on from idealistic dreams of how his future would be, lines like "I look at this and think, is this really where I want to be?" Hint towards this interpretation and the scene at the end where lets go of the red balloon showing that he's satisfied with what has life had become. This interpretation is further solidified with the events that take place in episode 16, showing us that Asuma is having to face the difficult parts of his past becoming a part of his future.
