IT HAPPPENNNNNEDDDDD!!!!!
Ahem. Sorry. I usually try to keep my more, er, effusive expressions of my reactions to episodes to Twitter, but you guys saw the episode! You saw the same things I did! YOU KNOW. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
Usually, I have some sort of idea of what I want to say when I start writing these posts—but I ain’t got no clue what I’m gonna say today. My brain is just a mush of warm, adorable fuzzy feelings. Because that’s just the sort of show Ore Monogatari!! is.
So, where did we start off? Basically, a date—for which Takeo was miserably underdressed and for which Rinko looked absolutely adorable. I do like little touches like that, especially in anime where characters changing clothes somewhat less common/easy to pull off than in live action. It’s a nice expression of their divergent expectations about what exactly this social encounter is. Rinko bringing cakes is normal at this point, but the inclusion of tea made me instantly think of a picnic and, well…picnics are a big deal! Or something. Anyways, neither of them are really on the same page, although Rinko’s hint dropping gets progressively more obvious—”You always eat a lot of my baking. That makes me happy.” It’s just a shame that Takeo is so convinced that she couldn’t possibly like him that none of the signals are getting through.
And again (from last week), there’s an undercurrent of tragedy in Takeo being so certain that Rinko couldn’t possibly love him that such obvious clues go straight over his head. I mean, Takeo is dense, sure, but it’s more like he’s been hit in the head so often by life that he can’t see straight than he’s just outright dumb. To add on to that, it makes Rinko’s tremendous efforts (she almost confesses in the park!) and her subsequent breakdown kind of sad, too. It’s not just Takeo who’s suffered from his past treatment now; it’s spreading out to affect someone else, too. (Side note: the musical score actually does a great job of underlining this, introducing a note of melancholy into what’s otherwise a pretty positive conversation.)
Fortunately, the savior of the day (and namesake of the episode, interestingly enough) is there to straighten things out. It’s pretty telling that Suna is the first person Takeo runs to after Rinko dashes off (and, you know, the same person Rinko goes to), not only because Takeo is still convinced Suna is the one Rinko likes. We’re already established that Takeo relies on Suna quite a lot and cares about his quiet friend with a huge heart, so it’s really nice to see Suna’s character just bask in the light of being a really, really great person.
Actually, now that I think about it, Sunakwa’s crowning virtues are a seemingly limitless store of patience and a great sense of humor, two traits you wouldn’t necessarily associate with his flat-faced exterior. Between Takeo’s intense lack of regard for personal space and exceeding inability to trust Suna’s continued assertions about Rinko’s feelings, Suna really does put up with a lot—but he does so without ever getting flustered or annoyed. Maybe it’s because of the clear affection and friendship he has for Takeo, maybe it’s just his personality. Either way (or both) Suna somehow becomes the strange magnetic force that finally brings our adorable bumbling lovebirds (kingfishers, perhaps) as they make their confessions of love to each other in his bedroom as he glamorously continues on with his reading. Again, you have to wonder whats going on in Suna’s head throughout all of this—and we sort of get to see it!
As for the confession itself, I don’t really have much to say about it. You don’t need me to analyze it or pull out any subtext—because there isn’t any at all! This is just totally honest emotion, laid out in parallel shots, between two high schoolers. It’s adorable, it’s sort of romantic (certainly, it is to them!), it’s hella fun to actually watch and squeal over, and it’s utterly without guile. “No tricks, no gimmicks.” (+1 to you if you can leave me a comment telling me what the reference is from without looking it up.)
And then there’s that stupid, stupid cake! Kyaa! I wanted to give Suna a cake after that tour-de-force of friendship. Despite how great it is to have an actual romantic couple THREE EPISODES INTO THE SHOW, the dynamic between the three of them is still really compelling to me, as is the relationship between Suna and Takeo. And I guess the relationship between Rinko and Suna. Heck, they’re all such nice people to watch and to watch interact with each other…and the fact that they’re doing it in about the cutest way possible just makes it better.
It’s really interesting to me that Suna didn’t remember the Red Ogre-Blue Ogre story (although Yamato quickly chimes in that she remembers) and that he considers the aid he gave to Takeo and Rinko to be entirely unexceptional. Or, maybe it’s more about the way he says it, “That’s just normal, man. There’s nothing amazing about it.” I’ve talked before about how Takeo over-romanticizes things as a sort of function of his over-the-top personality, so it’s neat to see that Suna occupies a position where acts of (really) great kindness are normal, not some great feat of superhuman integrity.
As much as I freaked out over the confession scene, it was the final moments of the episode before the credits with Takeo’s realization of how true a friend Suna has been to him all this time that really moved me and brought me to tears. Romantic love and adorable infatuation is nice and I really like it, but that kind of unconditional love (especially when communicated through friendship) is just something that always moves me. In that note, I thought the post-ED tag actually was a nice little cap to that reflection, showing us why Suna treasures his friendship with Takeo the way he does and why he’s so invested in his friend. These two have been together for a long time and Suna just legitimately appreciates who Takeo is as a person. What a bro. I just pray that he doesn’t have to suffer ala Taichi…
Mage in a Barrel 
Bless!
You have decent tastes you know that? 😛
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No one ever tells me this… :’)
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Well, I think you have a clear answer for this question. To be honest, to me it still feels like your usual shojo (it’s definitely different than ones like Chihayafuru or Yona, I think it’s closer to Kimi no Todoke) but cutting the misunderstanding and having them get together in 3 eps instead of a season is really a huge thing in its favor. Especially in the manga, where this whole 3 episode is done in one extra long (2/3 of the first volume, pretty much) chapter. This is also the reason I’m wondering why they extend it to 3 eps instead of 2 episode, as even one episode of misunderstanding is enough to frustrate some people last week.
Also, this will definitely be repeated all the time by everyone watching, but let me be the first in this comment to praise the Best Bro Sunakawa. It really is just a decent thing any normal people will do, but something as simple as “who’d date girls who talk shit about their best friend?” is what makes him really amazing. It feels bad to drift away from the protagonist, especially one as unusual as Takeo, but I could really do with more focus on him (as long as it’s not suffering!).
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Ha, yes, they definitely aren’t playing the “will-they-won’t-they” game anymore! Seriously, though, have the confession happen now opens up such an insanely wide range of possibilities for the show and automatically exempts it from a whole bunch of tired tropes! I’m sure we’ll see some familiar locations (beach date, etc.), but the dynamic is way different when a girlfriend/boyfriend go to the beach than when a girl and boy who secretly like each other do.
As far the misunderstanding goes, all the stuff I’ve been writing about the tragedy of Takeo’s character more or less made that pretty much a non-issue for me and I do kind of think the people who have been complaining about it weren’t reading very much into why Takeo was thinking and acting the way he did.
Sunakawa is just A+++. That’s all I’ve got for him.
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My heart… have mercy on my poor heart…
Throughout the episode, my face was as red as that of our bumbling loveducks. I don’t say this of many shows, but this… THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SACCHARINE KAWAINESS!! Savour it, it’s not everyday we get this.
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Savour it like cake 😉
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This is a story that values friendship (like GENUINELY values it, not just being obligatory about it), and I’m very happy to see that.
It’d be really interesting to see where they go from here, 24 episodes is a lot and manga’s also still unfinished. There are probably going to be some pure fluff filler episodes (beach date, park date, etc.), but I got the sense that the show’s next primary conflict is how the new relationship is going to put a lot of strain on Takeo-Suna friendship: when you’ve been buds for life, having one of you be in romantic relationship for the first time is going to shake up the dynamic really hard. I don’t necessarily think Suna is going to develop romantic feelings for Yamato (or Takeo, I guess) and if it happens I’d be kind of disappointed, but there’s still huge potential for emotional complications and awkwardness, especially since Takeo and Yamato are the kind of people who would drag Suna along just so he wouldn’t feel left out. Also, that fairy tale foreshadowing.
I see Suna’s sister makes a cameo appearance there. I’ve read the manga but only up to the part where she makes a major appearance, which I expect to happen in another episode or two. She might actually be my favorite character (and that’s really saying a lot.This show is basically populated by Fantastic People).
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I am quite interested in seeing how Ore Monogatari!! walks the line between the intense adorableness that’s characterized the episodes thus far and creating enough drama and tension to keep it compelling and engaging. I certainly don’t want melodrama (low-stakes stuff would be good by me), but I’d also rather see content with more weight than just “Takeo and Yamto go on a date and OMFGJ:SLDKJF THEY ARE SO. CUTE.”
Please show, no bully Suna. ;-;
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Yes, I’m enjoying this very much. Nice to see the soft-hearted giant get the girl for once.
“No gimmicks, no tricks.” That’s from Saint Tail, isn’t it?
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Well, I screwed up the quote (>_>)—it’s actually “no tricks, no gimmicks,” so that’s my bad! You can take another shot at it if you want!
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No, that’s the best shot I had. Those words are part of the little prayer she says before going off on a mission, but obviously not the droids you’re looking for. 🙂
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I know that reference! 😀
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http://www.tv.com/m/shows/saint-tail/trivia/
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The bromance we all wish we have.
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Be the bro you want to have!
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I TRY TO! It’s hard for someone who have few friends and slow on making new friends, but I promise I will keep trying!! /doitbravely
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I’ve been waiting for SO LONG to see that damn cake animated. Thank you shoujo Gods. Also I never really paid attention to this while reading the manga, but I find it so adorable how Yamato actually fell in love with Takeo on their first meeting, and how she’s actually one of the rare female characters in the genre to actually make active moves on Takeo, heart eyes and all! It’s so refreshing to see.
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THE CAKE OMG
And yeah, Yamato has been really active basically since we met her, which is awesome. And I love that her rationale, at least initially, is “he’s so cool! how could you not fall for that!” And the way she’s shocked that he doesn’t already have a girlfriend—”Of course he does…”—kyaaaaaa!
oh no another meltdown coming in 3…2…1…
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The Kawaii is strong with this one….
This is really interesting though. So often romance anime put most of their focus on the buildup to the big confession, and the revelation of feelings basically IS the climax. Doing it this early and giving us 21 more episodes to see them actually being a couple, well that just throws a lot of the “predictability” factor right out the window. As the audience we’re all familiar with the steps of the “will they or won’t they” dance, which is as standardized as a waltz, but once the couple’s actually together things can easily go in 50 different directions. Fortunately, between Takeo and Yamato’s mutual inexperience with relationships, his general lack of social skills, and the Suna factor, it feels like there’s still plenty of fertile ground for this series to cover.
On a side note, which also ties into our exchange of comments about magical girls on the other thread, I just found out that Morio Asaka also directed Cardcaptor Sakura for Madhouse way back when. CCS has been fairly high on my “plan to watch” list for a while, because I liked the parts of it I saw on TV years ago and thought it was really well done, but I’ve never sat down and watched the whole show from start to finish. Now that I know it’s an Asaka series, though, I think I’m going to just go right ahead and make that the next non-simulcast that I watch.
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I’m super excited to see how Ore Monogatari!! deals with both the honeymoon stage of the relationship and the “okay, now I’m realizing you’re a person, not just a romantic ideal” stage. I think the show can pull it off, but some of that stuff can get a little dicey, so they have to be willing to really commit to it. Takeo and Yamato are adorable together and do share a lot of similar personality traits, but they’re still different people—and we don’t even really know Yamato yet!
And oh, yeah, Asaka’s got some seriously well-liked shows to his credit: CCS, NANA, Gunslinger Girl, Black Lagoon…he’s a very talented guy. Incidentally, CCS also has some of his Chihayafuru/Ore Monogatari!! staff involved—pretty sure it’s where a lot of them met.
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Yep. How will Takeo respond when Yamato needs his help and support instead of being the one ready to help and support him? Will Yamato still be as patient as Suna after the 500th time Takeo invades her personal space? The answers to those kinds of questions will decide the path of their relationship, and tell us a lot about them as people too. It’s a journey I can’t wait to see. If they do this right, it has a chance to join Toradora and Pete Hautman’s novel “The Big Crunch” at the top of the list of my favorite teenage romance stories.
I knew Asaka did Gunslinger Girl at least; I actually just bought that series last month. There’s only one new show on the summer simulcast list that interests me right now, so I’m planning to use that time to put a big dent in my backlog list, and that includes a Gunslinger Girl re-watch now that I own it. So depending on when I start that and/or finish CCS, I could potentially have three Asaka shows queued up at the same time! Didn’t know about Black Lagoon, though. That’s also on my list but further down, so I hadn’t looked up the cast and crew yet.
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I was attacked by a disease named Diabetes Otakus. It’s a very rare disease, but there have been some cases regarding it. Most of the cases are caused by watching a very sweet anime, so sweet that it will affect your blood sugar level. Seeing a very cute confession scene, a kawaii girl, even a bromance are a strong cause also. The pre-symptoms of Diabetes Otakus are; hyper-actively giggling, blushing and sometimes scream “kyaaa!” in your heart even though you’re a man, smiling uncontrollably every time you’re about to watch the anime, and others. The doctor said, the medication of this disease is almost none. The best medication he can advise me is to stop watch sweet anime (In this case, OreMono, the doctor said that my disease caused by that darn anime). Then again, I am a kind of guy who don’t drink his medicine even though he’s already in fever for 5 days.
Seeing your post, I’m afraid you have been attacked by that disease as well, blessie…
Well then, now that we have our confession, we can go to many route. Honestly, having a romance that progresses so darn quick like this making me a little… strange. I truly cannot predict what will come in the next episodes, and unpredictability is a good thing for me. Seriously, getting that strange disease after seeing such a cute episode? Worth it.
Entertain me more, MadHouse, OreMono. Kill me with your sweetness.
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Oh my gosh, I hope you are okay! But I’m not diseased! I’m infected with loooovveeeeee
I know! We have no idea, really, where things are going to go—this is relatively untrodden ground for anime! Exciting times.
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THIS EPISODE DESTROYED ME. I nearly cried over the confessions moment and then Suna’s memories at the end were so funny and adorable I almost cried again! Didn’t see the misunderstanding being cleared up so quickly, but I’m so glad it was! I can’t wait to see what happens next!
~Jamie
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Suna’s memories were exciting for me because it was the first time we’ve really gotten inside his head—which is neat since he’s so stoic all the time. I hope we get more of that going forward.
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Well, that was different! Quite a refreshing change from the usual “will they/won’t they/check back in 23 episodes” nonsense so prevalent in romance anime.
So many directions they can go… With the setup so far, I’m crossing my fingers and looking forward to it. What other tropes will they fold, spindle, and mutilate?
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Or what things will they do that aren’t tropes at all! That’s always an (unlikely) option!
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Suna is indeed awesome, but for me, this episode really made me love Yamato. When it’s much more common for ANYONE, boy or girl or adult, to just go completely red and flustered and stammer objections rather than actually admit to ANYONE that they might possibly like someone… Yamato’s honesty and determination is really refreshing. We now have absolute confirmation that Yamato has liked Takeo from the very beginning and thus all of her actions are clearly meant to woo Takeo. She looked up the guy’s address and went to his house uninvited, totally left her cell phone there on purpose to have an excuse to see him again, was very forthright about exchanging phone info, admitted her feelings to Suna right away and asked his advice and when it became clear that Takeo was going to keep making Suna tag along she bravely asked him to meet alone. Everything she’s done has been an effort to make Takeo hers. And she’s totally honest about it, even going so far as shouting her love multiple times in her crush’s best friend’s room. This girl has GUTS! Which you wouldn’t expect from her typical cutesy appearance. I am absolutely in love with her brave, gutsy, adorable, enthusiastic personality.
Also, I’m dying here for your next BBB post!
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Heh, that’s a nice point about the contrast between Yamato’s cutesy appearance and the assertiveness she’s shown in this relationship so far! Heck, it’s not even just in terms of anime characters—Yamato’s farther along than many real world people are!
& I’m hoping to work on the next BBB post today and get it out either today or Thursday! Sorry it’s been such a long wait!
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