Don’t you hate it when someone randomly hits you up after ghosting you? All you can think is, Oh no, what the hell do they want now? Considering how it’s Azuma’s ex-boyfriend, dude’s probably just looking for a quick hook-up. He knows she won’t throw a fit, so he probably figures why not shoot his shot? The problem with Azuma is that she under-reacts, but this makes her the perfect polar opposite for Taira. Sure, he’s an overthinker, and there are lots of underthinkers among the cast. But his main problem is that he over-reacts to everything and everyone around him. Girls giggling off to the side? They gotta be making fun of him! And Azuma is the direct opposite of that. She refuses to take offense; she just goes with the flow. Sadly, that also makes her a doormat — the chill, easygoing girlfriend that usually just ends up being second, third, or fourth priority. And it’s infuriating because she knows she deserves an apology from her ex, but it doesn’t take her more than a couple seconds to get over it. Girl, c’mon. Where’s your self-respect?
Naturally, Taira has the opposite problem. At a hangout with his current friends, he sees people from his previous school. Immediately, the despair creeps in. He’s allowing their mere presence to ruin his night. I just… c’mon, you’re out with your new buddies. That’s the past, this is the present. Just move on. I know it’s easier said than done, but… I dunno how else to put it. The world’s got billions of people on it, and you’re letting a handful of them ruin your night. Get some perspective, buddy. What he needs right now is a little dose of Azuma’s “go with the flow” mentality, which is exactly what he gets. She allays some of his fears — not all of them, but enough to get him through the night, at least. In the end, the night ends without much fanfare, proving Azuma right: whether or not they noticed Taira, they weren’t going to say anything to him anyway. Taira still allows them to live rent-free in his head, but at least he got to mostly focus on having fun… I think. He did have fun, right?
Well, if some of Azuma’s going to rub off on Taira, then he needs to return the favor, right? After all, for him, those former classmates were merely that: people he went to middle school with. Taira didn’t hang out with them regularly or anything. On the other hand, Azuma did. When Taira questions her about them pretending not to see her, she spills the beans on the situation. All we really need to know is that her former friends weren’t and still aren’t very considerate of her feelings. For them to treat her the way that they do — an ex tries to get back in with her, a girl acts all friendly when she’s not — it’s all pretty disrespectful if you think about it. For most of us, the solution seems so simple: just go no contact. Out with the trash, basically. Azuma doesn’t needs to make a scene and directly confront her former friend group. The problem, however, is that she always leaves the door open for their toxicity to sneak back into her life. She admits something rather astonishing and frankly kinda troubling: “Once I like someone, I can’t really bring myself to hate them.” What…? Even if they abuse you? Where’s your sense of preservation? Luckily, Taira can over-react for her, but in this case, it’s just the right level of reacting. More than anything, he’s giving her something that she sorely needs: just some damn consideration: “You’re the only one getting worn down here, right?” And even though his first action the next day is to apologize for his spiel, he ultimately does it because, again, he’s considering her feelings.
Whether or not Taira and Azuma become an item is ultimately unimportant in the grand scheme of things. What matters more than anything is that they have this special rapport. He’s not the only one who cares about her, because Suzuki also wants Azuma to be happy. But ultimately, Taira’s words resonate tonight, because they have a connection through their past. And this is great character development for Taira, because up until now, he’s mostly served as a negative counterbalance to all the sunshine around him. He’s the “straight man” in a group full of unbound joy and happiness — so much joy and happiness that some people find it unrealistic. Well, Taira is the balm for those jaded souls. If anything, he has been kind of a bad influence on Tani. Nothing serious, but he was totally wrong about Suzuki’s motives in last week’s episode. But for once, tonight, Taira’s outlook legitimately helps someone.
I love the street lights1 imagery as Azuma heads home on her bike (scooter?). They represent a transition period in life. As their glow pass you by, it’s a reminder that you might know your destination, but you’re just not there yet. As I said before, Azuma likes to go with the flow. She’s not exactly out of the woods yet; she hasn’t started seizing the reins because one conversation isn’t going to completely change a person’s life. But it’s a start. Azuma ends the night with the realization that maybe she hasn’t been taking care of herself.
1It’s also the name of a song I liked before a certain artist went off the deep end and destroyed all the good will they earned. Well, I still like the song, but it’s hard to ignore the associations.
Meet the parents
With the brother and father away for the weekend, the Suzuki ladies quickly seize the opportunity to invite Tani over. Unfortunately, the mom feels a little insecure when she finally sees who Suzuki is dating. All of a sudden, the delicious-looking takeout she got is no longer good enough. It’s funny that she acts like this, because I don’t really see Tani as being more sophisticated or whatever. If you knew nothing about the show, you might assume that Tani is prim and proper. You might assume that Suzuki is the ditzy, dumb gyaru to juxtapose her genius bookworm of a boyfriend. But is that really the case? He’s not prim and proper; he’s just stoic. Suzuki’s not dumb; she’s gotta be smart if her friends are gonna regularly copy her notes. And if we’re talking emotional intelligence, then there’s no contest: Suzuki has Tani beaten in that department in spades. Tani doesn’t even realize that the mother is nervous! Bro, are you blind? Hell yeah she was nervous! In a lot of ways, bro can be a complete numbskull. So while I understand her mother’s reaction, it’s just funny.
Meanwhile, the dad comes home early and decides that the best way to impress a stranger is by wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Welp.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— Suzuki is planning dates and activities as the season turns. Good. Take advantage of all the free time you have as a kid. Once the responsibilities start piling up, it be hard to find the time and energy to go on dates with your partner.
— I love Suzuki’s goofy faces.
— Sometimes, I’m taken aback by Tani’s relative cluelessness. The girls have to explain why they take photos all time, but… I dunno, this should be self-explanatory?
— I’m not really a sweet potato for desserts kinda guy. I prefer it to be savory, which probably sounds oxymoronic. But roasted sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika is a really nice change of pace from having regular ol’ potatoes all the time. As a dessert, it just gives me the same vibe as red bean paste, i.e. okay, this is nice, but I’d rather just have cream and chocolate.
— Tani takes a photo of Suzuki mid-bite, so it doesn’t portray her in the most flattering light. This whole scenario reminds me of that joke video.
— I’m sure we have one of these booths somewhere in America. I just dunno where nor am I rushing to find one.
— Dude just stands completely still the entire time. Bro, at least try. Humor your girlfriend. Even if this isn’t your thing, you gotta make these small, harmless concessions when you’re in a relationship. But I guess it doesn’t matter, because Suzuki is still happy with the results.
— I like that the kids will wear different clothes from scene to scene, but I wish the boys would put in a little more effort. Just gonna drape those bags over your chests and call it a day, huh?
— Taira seriously needs to chill.
— It’s the exact scenario I was just talking about!
— Speaking of which, I’ve never bowled in my life. Thanks to American sitcoms, I’ve always associated bowling with uncool, middle-aged fathers.
— Suzuki’s reaction to her gutterball is pretty funny. The dub actually makes it even funnier. I like how watching them back to back actually enhances my enjoyment of both.
— Ah, even though this isn’t a shoujo, we still sorta get those shoujo bubbles…
— Suzuki’s nickname for Taira and Azuma keeps getting weirder and weirder.
— Sigh, now I want take-out, but I’ve got a budget to keep… being an adult sucks.
— Oh? Just straight up Spotify? Not some legally distinct version like Snotify?
— Suzuki’s fine with it, but someone like Tani is just way too quiet for me. Jesus, say something, my man. This far into the relationship, and they still have awkward conversation lulls. All he can ever do is grab her hand unprompted. She has to drive the conversation, she has to ask for a hug, etc. Is this gonna work longterm? Is he still gonna do this when they have kids?
— I was never grilled by any of my girlfriends’ parents. I did get one of those, “You better protect her” talk, though. Maybe that counts as grilling.
— I had to look up what the Kaitai Shinsho is. Apparently, it’s a medical textbook from the Edo period. I’m tellin’ ya, Suzuki’s pretty smart.
— I won’t ever be a dad, so luckily, I’ll never know or understand how this feels. As a non-dad, I feel like they overreact to this kind of stuff. Meh, kids grow up. They have to.
