Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Higehiro
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pip25
Posts: 151 |
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It's funny: all too often my criticism of light novel adaptations centers on how they leave everything hanging, nothing is resolved and the ending of the series is basically on big advertisement saying "buy the original". Well, this time the adaptation went through the novel series from start to finish... and I find myself wishing it didn't.
Too much has fallen by the wayside. Yes, Sayu and Yoshida were the central parts, the heart of the story, but not to the extent that it could get away with ignoring everything else, especially since the culmination of said story was... let's be nice and say it was underwhelming. Thus aside from this less-than-stellar ending, all we got were plotlines that seemed to be heading somewhere, but then abruptly dropped off the face of the Earth. I guess sometimes less really is more.
Well, at least one of the images during the credits seems to suggest that he ultimately chose to reject Gotou, even if she still remains interested in him. |
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4829 |
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I do not agree AT ALL about the series "selling out".
It most certainly told a very real story about real human emotions...and I found many scenes way more touching than pretentious, try-hard crap like Your Lie in April (OH YEAH I SAID IT) 
I think this review of this touching finale is totally missing the point and misleading but whatever.
Such as what? Were we really supposed to care about the side characters? Cause...I pretty much didn't. Asami was cool; she was there to be supportive and she was. Not a lot could be done with her. Mishima....tbh I couldn't stand her later on lol And the Gotou subplot was wrapped up; Yoshida rejected her....but he's definitely not in love with Sayu, you guys........sure bruh, keep trying to fool yourself 
Last edited by Chiibi on Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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dm
 Subscriber Posts: 1360 |
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Somewhere soon after she's introduced Asami warns Yoshida about Sayu's "fake smiles" --- she smiles to hide her true thoughts, to avoid certain topics.
Every time she smiles I wonder if it's one of her fake smiles, or a real one, and I'm never really sure. Otherwise, the anime never seemed to give any significance to Asami's warning. I sort-of feel like the phone call between Asami and Yoshida --- "you're not working late, right? You're going straight home so I can show you my novel, right?" --- was Asami setting up the surprise meeting under the lamp-post with 19-year-old Sayu. And, yes. Something should have happened at Yoshida's workplace in the intervening two years. |
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we love lain
Posts: 145 |
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Sayu is not 16 at the start of the series; she's 17. By the time her and Yoshida are parting ways, she's actually getting close to her 18th birthday. This more than likely puts Sayu at the age of 20 by the time she reunites with Yoshida; just thought I'd put that out there. That being said, and this is towards you James; What exactly is the problem with this story being a potential romance between Yoshida and Sayu besides the obvious age difference in age?
In your write-up, you make it sound it's a problem that the show would stage a potential romantic relationship between the two as if it takes away from presenting Sayu's mental trauma in a compelling way. Why can't the show both be a teenager falling in love with an older man while being a compelling drama about two people who legitimately made each other's lives better. I don't think adding an element of romance inherently takes anything away from that. If anything, criticize how the story doesn't handle the drama effectively enough, which to be fair you did do that. It just feels like in your pursuit to criticize the drama, you cite the romance as being a reason that held the story back from being engaging when that has nothing to do with the inherent quality of the storytelling. Again, why couldn't the story be about Sayu and Yoshida falling in love with each other despite it being taboo while also working out the deluge of psychological turmoil churning within Sayu? |
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pip25
Posts: 151 |
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Well, good for you. The fact remains, however, that the series was making us think it was trying to do something with these characters - and ultimately didn't. That's not good storytelling by any stretch of the imagination. What was the point of getting that rapist guy introduced, for instance? His character disappears so abruptly as if someone attacked the series with an eraser. |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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Oh, that's easy; he was brought in to show Sayu's change of how she should think about casual sex with strangers. Unfortunately the anime cut a lot of the dialogue from the manga (I haven't read the novels yet). But Sayu has this monologue of "how terrified she suddenly is when the man assaults her...even though she used to have sex with men all the time...and she doesn't understand why she feels this way now." It was to test Sayu's character growth. And he didn't "disappear from the story"; remember he helped Sayu avoid her brother? Once the story continued on to Hokkaido, there was no reason to show him again. @we love lain RIGHT!? Thank you for addressing those points; I feel the same way! Lately I feel there's such an awful obsession with how things like 'age gap romances' can't POSSIBLY be wholesome stories because "reeeeee PEDO GROOMING REEEE" and....I simply don't agree at all. They refuse to look past face-value of such a story. I don't get it....but it's pretty annoying. Purity Culture is so lame. |
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b-dragon
Posts: 452 |
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Its not the age gap itself for me- not really. Its the things that correlate with it: the severe power imbalance, the maturity difference, the wish fulfillment aspect, the role confusion, etc. Not all of those are inherently bad- entertainment as wish fulfilment is obvious for example- but together with someone who was trying to act in a semi-familial role it doesn't land well to me. Its not just the age gap "taboo"- and arguing it is (on either side,) seems fairly reductionist to me. If they had met at the ages and general life status that the finale ends on, it would have been much less notable. The relationship post time-skip is not nearly as problematic to me. Even then though, I still do have concerns-ones that are easily answered, but are currently left vague. Does Sayu have a plan/employment, or is she just hoping to show up and resume being his fanservice brownie? Related: she's able to exist with her trauma now, presumably. Now what?
I do share the issue others have with the cast and dynamics remaining stagnant. Wait, thats not true. Not just stagnant but regressing. Coworker was, I thought finally getting the idea that her and Yoshida was a ship that was never leaving port. And yet... This all kinda ties to my main 2 issues with the backend of the series. The side characters are so much potential that never amounts to anything. And even that would be forgivable if not for the biggest issue: Yoshida. Does he ever actually have a character arc that sticks? Do we know what he wants or wanted out of life? Anything about his family, history , other than an ex with big boobs? I never felt like he was a well defined character. If the show wasn't going to develop its secondary characters well, it should have done a better job with the main character. I didn't mind the poor production values. I don't have an issue with the mundane horror of Sayu's trauma- I've met kids out on the street for similar. What irks me, looking back, is the show's need to return to/stay at status quo- even if it means spinning its wheels for episodes at a time. I don't hate the show- I think the first few episodes are really solid. But it just falls off. |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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That's just it though...I never honestly saw Yoshida that way. I saw him as a young adult with morals, rejecting the advances of a younger girl despite being tempted to say yes. Someone who didn't realize his own feelings until she is out of his life again. From my experience on other sites, the whole "Yoshida is like her dad" vs. "No, he's freaking not" is quite divisive with the fanbase/people who watched the show. You can tell which side of the debate I am on lol.
Since she got a part-time job as a teen, she's probably open to resuming working somewhere again. Yeah, that is just an assumption...but that is the impression I get from her...but we know she certainly isn't a lazy girl...and she doesn't like being alone in that house; she likes being around other people more.
Do they actually, though? I found them kinda one dimensional....but afterall, this is Sayu's and Yoshida's story...If the work was longer there might be time to expand on the side characters but it's a very short work. All of it went to the leads. But it wasn't something I even minded...cause like I said, I didn't care about them lol I don't think the author cared about them either...unless there were a lot of cuts. Five novels translated into 13 episodes does feel a little skimpy. It's normally three. But since it's such a small story, I felt like I didn't need their own stories.
I get what you're saying...and you're not wrong. But...given his role in the story (to support Sayu) I don't think this was necessary either. I kinda felt like I knew him already through his actions and dialogue. Like I could predict what he'd say and do...for the most part. And I also found him quite likable despite not knowing his entire life story. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11363 |
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It seemed to me like the moral of this story is that if you can keep it in your pants until they're legal, your Nice Guy™ patience will be duly rewarded. Which I suppose is a more uplifting message than "go for it while she's offering." Oh, and also that a man liking older women is a fetish, but liking younger women is normal. |
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a_Bear_in_Bearcave
Posts: 512 Location: Poland |
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That's even worse, he is trying to destroy her life by blackmailing her and overpowering her when she resists, and then not only Sayu isn't troubled by working with him, he's now even a helpful figure. Using that kind of rape plotline to just show Sayu isn't now into sex with strangers and that's all is worse then Koikimo pretending adult stalking teenager is romantic. While anime cut a lot of lines from the source, it's not like the source hadn't had it's own problems, like introducing yet another harem member for Yoshida - his ex, that apparently waited for him for like decade because she couldn't find a better guy. Combined with all his office harem ladies still trying to get into his pants for two freaking years while he still waits for Sayu, this really shows Higehiro was only harem wish-fulfillment anime that was lucky to have strong beginning. Beside that, I agree with most of b-dragon issues with the show. I was annoyed with the constant preaching about how great Yoshida is, and like msot people wrote, that putting all side-characters into statis after pretending they are important is really weak writing to ensure that the end couple will end up together. It makes no sense that Yoshida, after remembering how nice it's to have someone in your life, would get together with the hot lade that likes him back, at least if he was actual character instead of cutout for self-insert to appeal to people who want to save a cute troubled girl and marry her after "repairing" her. This and Vivy are the biggest example of wasting a good beginning to get to a mediocre ending, though Vivy had stronger start. |
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yeehaw
 Posts: 423 |
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The series has always been very blatant about this mindset since I can't think of a single character in this show who wasn't flabbergasted at the fact Yoshida hadn't slept with a runaway teenager and had no intention of doing so in the future. Everytime he said he wasn't interested in a sexual relationship with a child everyone basically went "sure you don't  "
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16935 |
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Alright Chiibi you need to cool it. People can have other opinions than your own without getting snarky or rude comments and insults from you. I've removed your last 2 posts for this.
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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I really don't understand how that could possibly be "worse" than anything KoiKimo did. KoiKimo was so awful...just....overall.
...there were only two office ladies who wanted him...can we not cheapen such a nice story into a "harem wishfulfillment"? That doesn't feel right. The show really didn't focus on "harem stuff". I felt it focused so much on the main two that the others were just side characters. And every rom-com has a couple of 'rivals'...but I wouldn't put a show like this and something like 'Rental Girlfriend' in the same category at all. This is more like 'Tora-dora' with heavier elements.
I don't feel like the show "pretended" they were important. If it did, I wasn't tricked. Again, since the end of the story takes place in Hokkaido, there wasn't really a place for them.
He didn't. If you mean Gotou, he's apologizing to her during the credits...which I took as a rejected confession. Because he's realized Sayu is the only one in his heart now. @yeehaw I don't think people were focusing on the fact that Sayu was a minor but that she was a very attractive and well-built young woman living under the same roof as Yoshida. They were sure something would happen...because living together....well...it does seem likely. Especially if one of them got very drunk...or was half-asleep...it doesn't even have to be intentional. But stuff happens. And something did happen; they both fell for each other by the ending...like all the characters predicted. |
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Piglet the Grate
 Posts: 566 Location: North America |
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Did one of us miss something? The final episode ends with Yoshida seeing Sayu sitting under the same street light as when he first met her two (assuming two years if she was in her second year of high school when leaving home and having to repeat that year) before.
If Sayu had not come to Tokyo after (presumably) finishing high school to find Yoshida, would the two get back together, or would Yoshida assume Sayu had moved on? And of course we are not told if the two had any communication between Yoshida leaving Sayu in Hokkaido and Sayu coming back to Toyko. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11363 |
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So all his friends were sure he'd move on from statutory rape to actual rape and that's just to be expected? Wow, and you think Koikimo was the too-creepy series? |
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