In the Clear Moonlit Dusk

Episode 8

Welcome back, class. I'm so sorry about what happened last week. I thought the quad would be an inconspicuous place for a group this size to gather. It was far too naive of me to think that we wouldn't be targeted by the anti-DEI troops in such an open area. I'll send out an email with the time and location for Jacob, Ethan, and Isabella's memorials. Thank you to Madison for volunteering her dorm room at the last minute so we could meet this week. Although Madison, do you mind cleaning up a bit ahead of next time? At least get the dirty underwear off the floor and take the dishes to the kitchen. Maybe throw out the empty pizza boxes. I think we'd all really appreciate that.

But never mind the smell, let's get into it! Yoi and Ichimura are now officially dating. Much like at the start of their fake-dating period, Yoi expresses discomfort at the idea of leaping headlong into a romantic relationship. What would have been a conversation about boundaries in a normal relationship becomes a formal meeting between her, Ichimura, and their respective pairs of brothers. There, she reveals a six-month plan for them to gradually reveal their romantic relationship to the public, with items such as maintaining a three-meter distance between them whenever they are within two kilometers of the school. It is, of course, patently absurd, but that's our Yoi! Cue the laughtrack.

Discussion questions: What do you think is an appropriate pace for a new relationship to develop? Do you set explicit boundaries ahead of time, or do you negotiate as you go?

As the two stumble their way toward intimacy, I want to highlight a single line from Yoi: “He's treating me more like a girl.” Now, I would love to dig into what that means, since to treat someone like a girl would mean to buy into a range of assumptions and stereotypes about femininity and masculinity. However, I can't. Why not, you ask? Because I have absolutely no clue what she means by that.

Perhaps this is in part due to my weariness with the rather stale plotting of the story, but to me, there was little perceptible difference in how Ichimura treated Yoi from when they were fake dating. I suppose that he is more insistent that he walk her home, but as I recall, he generally did that before as well. He knocks a praying mantis off her shoulder, because it's feminine to be scared of bugs and masculine to not be. (Never mind that in my home, I'm the one who traps and releases any stray insects that scare my husband.) 

This is presented as a good, positive shift in their relationship, even though the premiere made it clear that Yoi can take care of herself in a dicey situation. She wants to be treated like a girl, and being a girl means being sheltered and protected rather than being seen as competent and capable in her own right. I'm not saying that men shouldn't take steps to help protect women in their lives from predatory men and assault; all people should do their best to protect those more vulnerable than themselves, regardless of gender. 

Let's unpack this further. Yoi seems to experience genuine gender euphoria at being treated like a girl, rather than as a prince. However, Ichimura is well aware that she can handle herself at least as well as he can in the face of danger. Why is it that being treated like a girl is preferable to simply being treated as Yoi? I believe that In the Clear Moonlit Dusk has a limited view of gender relations, where being treated as belonging to a category of person is more affirming than being seen as an individual. 

Discussion questions: What does it mean to “treat someone like a girl”? When is it appropriate to treat a person differently due to their gender, if ever? Does the conversation change when it comes to subjects of intersecting marginalized identities, such as trans and queer women?

Ryan, if you tell someone that you'll show them how you treat a girl while sitting on a bed, I am going to remove you from this class and give you an F.

But I will grant you that you've given us an opportunity to segue into the next topic of discussion and… hold on a second, someone's knocking at the door. Madison, you cleared this with your RA, right? Did you tell them exactly what we were doing, or just that it was a large group meeting? Ah, I see.

…

Okay, that was the RA after all. I promised them I wasn't a professor trying to start an orgy with a group of students, but they still seemed suspicious. Let's continue.

Ichimura convinces Yoi to go on a weekend trip to his family villa in Kobe with him over the summer, but she's uneasy at the idea of spending the night alone in the house with him, and who can blame her? It's not like he's shown much respect for her boundaries thus far. And so, she convinces him to invite along their blowjob siblings. Her friends convince her to buy a special outfit, including clip-on hoop earrings that match his. Matching couples' jewelry is a trope that has come up a few times in anime and manga, including in the delightful series Wotakoi. When Ooji notices them, he asks Yoi if they're dating. She confirms, and he asks her to help him shop for a gift for his little sister.

We, the audience, know that Ooji's intentions are not good. The soft lavender background and blush on his face when he learns Yoi is dating Ichimura tells us that he's acting on his crush now that he knows she's unavailable. Yoi, however, takes him on good faith and agrees to go with him. This is a classic case of dramatic irony: the audience has information the protagonist lacks, and seeing her make decisions based on her ignorance of the full situation is painful.

I hear jackboots stomping around outside, so let's cut things off here. When this situation comes to a head, as it inevitably will, we'll talk in greater depth about the wisdom of Yoi's acceptance and the heteronormative assumptions around this storyline. For now, Tyler, will you kindly kick out the screen so we can get to the fire escape? Keep your eye on the Signal chat for next week's meeting location!

Rating:

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.