For now, we’re still just simmering. Anyway, we’re starting with Miki, who thinks her bestie is doing alright. But after the group hangout is over, Koyuki quickly reveals that she’s in (emotional) pain. Koyuki is like a cat. She has gotten better about it, but she used to put up a defensive posture whenever she met new people or was put into new, unfamiliar situations. But also like a cat, she tends to hide her pain. Away from prying eyes, she has had numerous lonely nights, tearing up in bed just thinking about her regrets.
Miki should feel a little bad that Koyuki opened up to the Nishi-clone before her. I just think besties should feel comfortable confiding in each other. I always thought it was odd how Miki went into this full blown delusion about how Koyuki was possibly in love with Yota only to realize she was wrong at the start of the second season.
Next up on the drama carousel is Minato. We get this flashback where the guy tells himself that he’s always been more concerned about other people’s feelings. Eh, I don’t agree. He can tell himself that, but I think his problem is that he doesn’t want to look like the bad guy. That’s as selfish as it gets. And this is proven through his actions. I don’t care what he personally believes about himself. Don’t people generally know themselves more than others do? Generally. But people can also lie to themselves to protect their own feelings. I simply don’t trust Minato. I don’t think he’s a bad kid, but he’s still very, very immature, and his approach to interpersonal problems will continue to bring him trouble.
The problem is that Minato learned the wrong lesson from his painful experiences. He thinks that his brother might not have left if everyone had tried to get along better. Sure, but first, we’re talking about family. The problem is that Minato is taking this lesson too far by applying it to everyone. If he pisses Momoka off, then she leaves. Oh well, no big loss there! This might sound harsh, but she’s just some random girl. Plus, they’re going to leave anyway. Minato already has a string of failed relationships in his young life, so his approach is not exactly working, now is it?
Second, there’s an even bigger lesson he should’ve taken away from his brother leaving: even if his family had tried their best to get along, it’s entirely possible that his brother still would’ve moved out anyway. That’s just life. Despite our best efforts, certain people are simply not compatible with each other. Minato wasn’t compatible with his previous girlfriends, and likewise, his brother and the rest of the family were probably like oil and water. Mixed them up all you want, but over time, they’re destined to separate. The healthiest thing you can do is to accept what life gives you instead of trying to force things that don’t work.
We see a metaphor of Minato unlocking these lonely kids’ hearts by befriending them. He thinks he’s doing the right thing. Look, I think it’s great that Minato tries to steer his friends away from badmouthing some random kid. That part is fine. What’s not fine is him dating girls just because they like him. His approach to romance is what’s fucked up. Minato’s doing it partly for them, but what I think he’s dishonest about is how he’s also doing it for himself as well. He actually shouldn’t feel this bad when others feel bad. He shouldn’t let himself get pulled into a relationship he doesn’t truly care about just because they might be broken-hearted. The goal isn’t to address people’s emotions at the moment. The goal is to arrive at the best overall outcome even if the initial results are hurt feelings. And you can only do this by being open and honest.
Unfortunately, Minato is too concerned by what’s in front of him, so he can’t think two or three steps down the line. Minato believes he’s gotten the best outcome with Koyuki because she’s all smiles (on the surface) now. He thinks if he had confessed, he would’ve scared her away and they wouldn’t be able to hang out together like they do now. The irony is that he doesn’t understand the situation at all. He has no clue that she lies in bed crying over him. Some people are utterly transparent, but most of us aren’t going to wear our emotions on our sleeves. Just because you don’t see smoke doesn’t mean there isn’t danger. For someone who believes he’s so in tune with others — who thinks he can unlock their hearts — Minato is utterly clueless about the girl he likes. And again, I think it ultimately comes down to his selfishness. His biggest fear was her no longer being in his life, not what was best for her. If he was truly selfish, he has to accept that the best thing for Koyuki is him being out of the picture.
Last and very least, we have the Momoka portion of the episode. I don’t really care about her. I really don’t. Momoka is an unpleasant person in general. But fine, let’s do this. Apparently, guys would ask her out just because she was a trophy to brag about, not because they actually like her for her. As a result, she’s chasing something more authentic. I suppose you could call it true love if you believe in that sort of thing. The problem is, she’s barking up the wrong tree. I don’t know why Momoka thinks Minato, of all people, can give her what she truly desires. Minato has never given Momoka any indication that he likes her for who she is, only that he wants to avoid making her sad. And she knows it, too! She wouldn’t be so anxious about him and Koyuki if she didn’t! “Even if he likes someone else for now,” Momoka tells herself, “his feelings for me might change as time goes by.” Yup, that’s pure cope. She’s lying to herself. Here’s the difficult truth: Momoka picked Minato because he’s attractive. That’s simply it. She’s just as shallow as all those boys who asked her out.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— This mangaka really likes bowling, huh?
— Hah, all this buildup just for Koyuki to announce that she won’t do anything. But ultimately, it’s too late for her to make a move. In fact, she’s still going to catch flak from Momoka even though she’s going to maintain the status quo.
— Koyuki doesn’t want Miki to feel bad, so she opens up about how she and Igarashi have buried the hatchet. But like I said last week, I think closure is overrated.
— So… Minato saw his brother off at the train station by himself? The kid also went back home by himself? I know Japan is generally safer than the US, but sheesh.
— Ah, if only friends could talk and clear the air instead of jumping to conclusions.
— Minato frequently updates Momoka on what he’s doing. He thinks he’s being a good boyfriend. The reality is, he wouldn’t need to do this if he was emotionally open to her, which he’ll never be. After all, he doesn’t actually like her. If Minato was never gonna open his heart up to her, then they never should’ve dated in the first place. Giving her a play-by-play of his day isn’t going to make up for that.
— Momoka can hope and pray all she wants, but Minato is never going to cut Koyuki off. Then her frustrations will boil over and make her bully Koyuki. You can bet your money on it.
— Momoka asks Minato why all of his previous relationships have failed. Again, the guy lies to himself. He simply says they all dumped him, so he has to work extra duper hard to make sure things work out with Momoka! Bro, c’mon, that’s such a shady answer. The truth is, he never once reflected on any of those failed relationships. He doesn’t want to admit that he played a part in them failing. Again, he never wants to be the bad guy! And Momoka even knows it! But she’s going to forge on with this relationship anyway. What a mess.
— Honestly, if this season wasn’t completely barren in terms of bloggable anime, I’d have kicked this show down to Romance Roundup.