I really appreciated the difference in tonal shifts with this episode. Where the first episode was mostly seriously throughout and the second episode went from mostly upbeat to mostly serious, this episode went from mostly serious to mostly upbeat. Lifting the melancholic mood for a bit energized me more for writing this post.
Then I come it here and see people complaining about it being boring and stuff, and I'm just flabbergasted. I get that drama isn't everyone's cup of tea; I just do not understand the perspective that only sees this as ordinary (even if it is in specific senses). But enough about those people, because I'm finding this to be great so far.
The title cards are becoming less distinctive, particularly Reunion::Neighbor (the others being Everyday::Contradiction and Intention::Promise, which I think are fairly self-explanatory in context)-- but said reunion with Kuze did lead Renji to think things through with Chihiro more, some I'm glad that happened. In all honesty, I'm glad Chihiro was afraid of being forgotten; it sounds like she would have committed suicide otherwise. I thought the waiting-in-the-rain part was fairly obvious, but the explanation was more understandable than it usually is (well, on Chihiro's part). Also, I realized that the story unfolding in the eyecatches is either the story Renji seems to be writing for Chihiro, or the story Chihiro herself will end up writing. In any case, Renji's desire to help Chihiro is endlessly endearing. I'm just glad that he's coming to realize how much responsibility that entails.
Also, I'm glad it was cleared up that Hiro does indeed know about Chihiro, since Kei mentioned Chihiro's cold to him in the text. I think this strengthens the likelihood that they are indeed blood siblings, although Kei's actions are still a bit odd. It seems like a combination of genuine concern, attachment to Hiro (though some speculate it's romantic, I think it can be interpreted either way), and an apparent intense dislike for Miyako. In the end it does come off as bossy, however.
Speaking of whom, Miyako is such a fun character. I love what she represents: In stark contrast to both Renji (who is feeling the pressures of society and is uncertain of what to do) and Hiro (who is doing well enough in terms of societal standing but is still dissatisfied), Miyako disregards societal pressures in order to do what makes her happy. While I wouldn't condone dropping out of school, so many people are so overly concerned with so-called "obligations" like going to college or getting a certain kind of job that they miss out on pursuing their purpose in life. Having such an upbeat attitude despite being (apparently) hated by some of her peers is admirable, I think, and her unabashed presentation of herself makes me think she's an honest person. It's too bad that Hiro's either too dense or too disinterested to notice Miyako's obvious interest in him. I mean, I get that she didn't literally drop anvils on him as is required in some stories, but she's mentioned that she doesn't like being alone; she told him she was nervous (more or less) when she met him the second time; and this time she treated him to lunch (remembering that he complained about paying for everything on Christmas). I don't know why she's particularly interested in him, but he should be picking up on the cues already... Meh. He'll probably figure it out sooner or later. Hopefully.
On another note, Hiro mentioned getting the key to the roof from his older sister. Keeping in mind that Kei and Chihiro are both a grade lower (and therefore a year younger) than Hiro, that means we may be seeing another character related to him... such as the ethereal woman, perhaps.
Oh, and I'm all but certain that said "ethereal woman" is indeed ethereal now. She appears and disappears so quickly that it seems supernatural. I'm not sure how that would be incorporated into the storyline if that's true, but her sudden appearances and disappearances are hard to explain otherwise.
I'm glad Kyosuke is starting to be developed since he brings the various perspective about society full circle. I think he's more different than anyone else so far except maybe Kei. Rather than being uncertain (Renji), unassuming (Chihiro), unsatisfied (Hiro), or unaffected (Miyako), Kyosuke appears to be uncaring. He takes individualism and the pursuit of his dream to such an extreme that it crosses into the territory of selfishness-- in many senses, his position is the only one that is truly rebellious toward society. It is because of this that his development has so much potential. I'm looking forward to seeing how he progresses.
That being said, I do think Kyosuke's decision to leave his club was the right one. If he isn't willing to work in a group, he shouldn't. I'm not sure how it will work if he gets paired with Kei; that could potentially be a rather volatile combo, but maybe it'll end up being constructive?
Going back to my point at the beginning of this post, although these characters could be considered rather "simple" or "ordinary" in isolation, when you connect and contrast them like this story is doing, it becomes something greater than the individual parts. These are well-thought-out characters, and everything has occurred so far indicates that the story knows what it's doing with them. There is a statement being made here. What that statement is, I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later.
I'm loving this show. |