The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife

Episode 8

Last week, I brought up the idea of a potential power imbalance in the relationship between Tounome and Yakou. This episode didn't go into that idea specifically, but it played around with this sense of unevenness between them. It definitely feels like a conversation that the two of them needed to have at some point. Yakou is blind, and because of that, she does need certain accommodations that most other people don't. The show has been mostly subtle about this, but it is implied that she has always had somebody help guide her around situations, such as her mother. It would make sense that she is very hyper-aware of people who treat her a little bit differently than everybody else. Sometimes it's understandable, like when people need to guide her around the room but other times people might take advantage of that blindness to something like what happened with the sweet potato scene in this episode.

I love how Yakou rides this line with wanting to avoid being too overly reliant on Tounome, who has been nothing but the perfect boyfriend. However, she also really does like being pampered, which I think is really cute and funny. She wants to make out with her boyfriend, she wants him to do her hair, and she wants to be taken care of, but she also recognizes that that could be a potential problem in the future. There is a power imbalance here in that Tounome is seemingly TOO capable, and she worries he is always in capable mode around her, maybe even more so because she's blind. This is definitely something that they needed to talk about before they eventually live together, because the amount of time they spend together is going to substantially increase. Yakou sleeping over had some funny jokes that leaned into more adult territory (like how Yakou might be more naughty than even she is aware), but I like the idea that they literally shared a space, which also offered up an opportunity to close the emotional distance between them.

The irony is that Tounome reveals that part of why he is so capable is that he was literally trained to be incredibly capable from a young age. I was not expecting the massive lore dump about how invisible people are viewed in this society, but my God, it is a lot darker than I thought the show was ever going to get. It's not like anything explicit was stated, but just that one shot of Tounome as a kid studying with what I assume to be his mother or teacher holding a riding crop right next to him made me think that this guy had a bit of a rough upbringing. The fact that invisible people were treated as potential society weapons rather than genuine people is really sad, and I feel for Tounome. I also feel for how complicated this situation is because he's just trying to be capable and present himself as the best possible partner that he can. But now that's sort of being used against him because he's too capable in the relationship.

This episode is marking a bit of a transition. The season is almost over, and the ending twist of the episode with the hairdryer seems to be implying that there is still a lot bubbling beneath the surface regarding where Tounome is coming from. At the very least, he is hiding something. It could be anything between a previous relationship to maybe something much darker. I don't think the show is gonna go full tilt because that would completely clash with the tone that the show has set up for so many episodes. But I do like that these next couple of episodes are going to focus more on where Tounome is coming from. As this relationship escalates, I want these two to continue to learn more about each other.

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The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.