Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: A Sister's All You Need
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Mojave
 Posts: 178 |
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It's interesting to see how different people can view an episode so differently. I agree with Christopher that this episode was its best so far, but for completely different reasons. In my view, the high point wasn't Nayu and Miyako's bonding, including the party and Nayu's novel for Miyako. Those parts were strong, but for me they were definitely eclipsed by the part of the episode that Christopher didn't like; Haruto's slow pursuit of Miyako at the theme park.
The reason that this is the strongest part of the entire season so far (for me) is that the emotions hit home so realistically. Haruto's actions here aren't creepy, or pathetically desperate as Christopher claims. Everyone's life has ups and downs, and Haruto is in a pretty down part of his right now. It's been suggested throughout the entire series that his bravado is just a false face, that there's a lot of insecurity and awkwardness within him. So this absolutely is not a case of a cocky hot guy having a rough go and pathetically latching on to the most normal girl around him. What we're seeing is someone who's always masked his insecurities realizing that he doesn't have to mope forever while he's at this low point, that there is good around him and that he can grasp that good even at this low point if he has the courage to try. I'm honestly shocked that Christopher mischaracterized this so badly. They have little setups throughout the episode to make it clear that Haruto doesn't have experience with relationships, that he's not just some playboy pursuing Miyako out of a sense of desperation. He's being brave here, trying to take steps he's never taken before in his life because he understands that he can either mope about how bad things are, or try to take steps of his own to be happy, despite how terribly his anime adaptation is going. This is character growth on Haruto's part. And the ways that Haruto expresses this at the theme park are incredibly realistic. When everybody says they're nervous about the first thrill coaster, and Haruto gives that awkward little laugh and says that he's just as nervous, but for an entirely different reason, that brings forth the emotions of every time I had ever realized that I wanted to ask a woman out on a date but was still building up the courage to do it. And then he subtly takes small chances to get closer to Miyako, like just having a banal conversation with her while seated on the opposite ends of the same bench. The realism here is overwhelming, taking little chances to get closer to the person you like while not being ready to take the plunge and try to close that final distance between you. And then we have the scene where Haruto's hopes are dashed, which brings forth incredibly real and raw emotions, not just on his part but on Miyako's part as well. Having the emotional maturity to realize that the person you like is hopelessly in love with someone else, and being able to move on even as you deal with the pain and disappointment of it, are real, valuable emotions. It's a further part of Haruto's character development. He feels almost exactly like a real person here. After hitting a low point, he's taken the initiative to make things go upwards from there for him, and here he realizes that his courage to try for his first real relationship isn't going to pan out. But he doesn't have a meltdown, as a pathetic entitled person would in this situation (which is another reason as to why I'm so shocked that Christopher misunderstood this arc of the episode so badly). Instead, he has the emotional maturity to not try to push things, to accept Miyako's hopeless feelings for Itsuki, to realize that his feelings for her are now the same way, and to accept that and to resolve to move on. He's hurting, you can see the sadness in his eyes and hear it in his voice. But he's still moving forward with his life. And Miyako has an even deeper sadness in her eyes here. They both put on brave faces, but they're hurting inside. That feeling of having that pain and disappointment in you even as you try to keep moving forward and smile are things that I think nearly every person alive has felt. The way that Haruto and Miyako's feelings are treated in this episode is possibly one of the single best arcs of any series this year. It was realistic, heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, and all too relateable for pretty much anyone. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I don't think that there was anything wrong with how Haruto acted, it was not like he was forcing himself onto Miyako, or feeling some sense of entitlement. His interactions with her pretty much pleasant and in line with their relationship already, and almost if anything he was kind of keeping larger distance like on the bench. His decision to stop pursue was for her, again he never did anything to make her feel uncomfortable. Just apparently some context that he would try something while in a low point.
I was kind of more interested in the bonding of Itsuki and Nayu. I suspected that one of the reasons that Itsuki himself has refuted it is that he does not want to Nayu to be dependant on him. That her being with him because she worships him from helping her out of a bad time would be wrong, and the more natural stuff is cuter. It is kind of like an antithesis to what the reviewer thought was wrong with the episode. |
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klv
 Subscriber Posts: 84 Location: Ba Sing Se |
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It was subtly hinted that he was crushing even before the episode where his anime failed. This isn't out of nowhere. It is just unfortunate timing that he did not notice her crush on Itsuki before he worked up the resolve to do something about his feelings. He was stopped dead before he could say a word upon seeing her longing glance, and that is super painful, but it does make me laugh a bit - now everyone in this show is in a thwarted haze! Everyone except for Chihiro, whom we do not know as well as the others.
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2184 |
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Alas, the review misses the most crucial part of the episode: that in the end credits, every single person listed chimed in on the full nude/lingerie debate.
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klv
Subscriber Posts: 84 Location: Ba Sing Se |
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Darn, I am going to go back and see that. I did notice that Itsuki is nude when he faces his friends at the end of the OP, which made me laugh pretty loudly. This entire episode was hilarious. That zinger at the end of the review! Atchyah! So true! Lucky I'm enough of a perv that there is no barrier to my particular entry. |
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Hades_ANI
Posts: 20 |
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After reading this season for the first time the reviews - before that, I always only looked at the score, since I watch nearly all shows which are reviewed - I think the reviews to this show are one of the best ones.
Not because the reviews are perfectly align with my opinion, not because the reviews are so deep and perfectly written, but because the reviewer tries really hard to find more in the single episodes and tries to connect these. Because of all the fan service and because of some really dubious moments, I can see how many reviewer would give every episode the standard C- and wouldn't even try to understand what happens in the show at all. Personally, I love this show and even with all these strong contenders for best anime of the season (looking at you Houseki no Kuni, for me a personal surprise), this show is still at the top for me. This show really tries using the strangest ecchi moments to the hilt, but not only using it as a fan service, but also as a tool to convey something as character development is refreshing. This anime is without discussion not for everyone and if someone asked me, what happened in this episode (someone who never watched an episode before), I wouldn't even now how to react, since nearly everything (maybe a hyperbole, but you know what you mean) is strange out of context. But back to the topic. I like the reviews and reading opposing opinions is in this case refreshing. PS: I hope the BDs will fulfill all my dreams. |
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Catseyetiger
Posts: 779 |
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No way this episode equals a B+ ! What strange opinions the reviewer have!
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Skyletv
Posts: 81 |
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Amazing, the previous episode had a B+ and this one a C-...
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Again I feel like the review is being harsh, and in way of trying to pain the events in the harshest light.
Opposed to thinking that Chihiro was forced by her parents to pretend to be a boy to protect her from her stepbrother, I don't think it is the case. Instead I think there is the case she has done it herself, and right now is in a case that she is kind of happy that he cares about her regardless of being a brother or sister thing. And regardless of how vocal he is it is not like he does not appreciate his younger brother, but she is afraid of seeing that relationship change. Off from thinking that there was no point to showing a bit of his mother this episode, contextually I think it actually did point at something. We really have not had evidence if it started before, but I think that his little sister obsession comes from a place of his missing his mother. He resents the idea that his father could move past the loss of his mother, so to fill it in he started to project into ideas of a guy being dedicated to a girl, and be just because they are family. I know it would sound especially weird to say he likes little sisters because he misses his mum, but I think it is actually kind of what fit some of the pieces together. They said a few episodes back that strangely Itsuki actually has a female following, along with Nayu. But without actually able to read his series, I suspect in some subconscious way he puts in the appreciation for woman like he had for his mother, and maybe this is what can even help them. Like why Nayu went from depressed to feeling more self assured after reading his work. It is like the set up of the series, people seeing just the trash side of something and expecting the worst. They put labels on, assume it is lazy, and playing to some sort of base instincts with being mindless. But there can be quite a bit hidden under the surface that just the right person can feel that it hit them in the right spot and mean something to them. That even window dressing of something like perversion should not be just shunned, but part of a complex person. And an added that the date with Nayu was also not pointless. We have steadily see these two get closer. And it is not part of some goal where some sort of ecchi topic can be involved, but it can kind of be despite that, and that Itsuki does not have to just be uncomfortable with the topic, but just be comfortable with her. This was Itsuki recommending something that was just the two of them, there were not any alternate motives, and he had fun with her. It is not even something on the Nayu side of just obsessed with him over some fantasy she had. It is down right healthy. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2184 |
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That's a weird way to spell "Haruto sees that his sister cares enough about him to painstakingly read his works and appreciates her more". |
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klv
Subscriber Posts: 84 Location: Ba Sing Se |
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If he wants to be famous as himself, he has to delay marrying someone who is already famous until after he has already made a name for himself to the public and the press. He wants to accomplish his goal first and foremost. That is what I read from his speech at the end.
He does want to marry her and doesn't mind that she's more talented than he is, except in the way that marrying her before he's gotten famous would kill his dream of being famous in his own right. Eventually, if he can get there on his own, even if he never becomes quite as famous as she is he can still feel free at that point to join his name and reputation to hers without resentment or regrets. I think this shows maturity and foresight on his part. The guy has a dream, alright? And preserving that dream is more important to him than rushing a relationship that would be more happily pursued at a later point in his career. Here is how I see it: he doesn't want to overcome Nayu, he just wants his worth to be recognized in its own right – regardless of who else is out there. |
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AnimeFlyz
Posts: 364 |
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I was gonna post about how you missed the point of his speech entirely, but @klv kinda did it for me already. Why would he rush into a relationship? He has his own set of goals and dreams. Yes he feels inferior to Nayu, but that doesn't mean he wants to surpass her. He wants to be seen as equal to her. So people don't see him as "that guy who the famous author Nayu married."
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Hades_ANI
Posts: 20 |
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And imagine the case, that he would get famous after being married to her - then he would never know exactly, why he got famous, only because of her ? And the same thing can be said about him in the public. |
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Calsolum
 Posts: 898 |
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I can't help but think that this review may have slightly misinterpreted Itsuki's desire to not be in her shadow and at least stand beside or ahead of her.
@klv and @AnimeFlyz already touched on this and I agree with their opinions. My take on this is that most people in any art or public job where your 'worth' is decided by fame wouldn't want to or should settle for standing in someone else's shadow. They should always aspire to outdo their rivals(fairly of course) and from what he says if he marries her now then he'll have to settle for being some less accomplished author who married someone better than him. It doesn't seem like a bad choice on his part and I'm saying this as neutrally as I can, but if the genders were reversed and a woman had to choose between furthering her relationship or furthering her career they should be supported regardless of the choice. Thus just the fact that he's thought this through is pretty rare, at least in what I've watched. What I do think they should have added to the conversation is that by doing this Itsuki runs a very likely risk that Nayu's feelings for him may dwindle(since we know she sorta just jumped straight to Itsuki and hasn't had any experience with other men... I think) and she might even find another person she loves more and Itsuki will have to deal with the fact that he chose his dreams over pursuing a stable(sorta) relationship with her because while he may be the main character of his life, Nayu is still the main character of hers. |
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klv
Subscriber Posts: 84 Location: Ba Sing Se |
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Thank you @Calsolum for your eloquence! I considered expressing this hypothetical, but I just didn't have the words. You sure said it. I think back to that first episode and his reaction to her novel, and I like to think now that it wasn't just the novel that made him cry, but the realization that (a) he really really likes her, and connected with her novel in such a way as to want her more and (b) that he could get serious enough to marry her possibly and (c) that he couldn't pursue both a serious relationship with Nayu and his own dream at the same time. Result: he was really sad. |
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