In the Clear Moonlit Dusk

Episode 9

Hello again, class. So glad to see those of you who have made it safely to this Denny's. Hannah says that the manager is her big sister and is cool. So, enjoy the free coffee! I hope the caffeine helps you focus even though it's four o'clock in the morning. It's too bad we don't have Waffle House in this region, but Denny's is a PVP-enabled zone at this time of day as well. Before we get started, let's have a moment of silence in honor of Jack, who fell off the fire escape last week.

It's fortunate that we have such an interesting and exciting place to meet, because this week's episode of In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, “A Goodnight Hug,” was dead boring. The gang arrives in Kobe, and Yoi immediately puts up a parasol, leading Ichimura to comment on the paleness of her skin. So, let's talk about beauty standards!

The premise of the story is that Yoi acts masculine because she feels that she fails to conform to Japanese beauty standards: she's tall and broad-shouldered, with a strong jawline (never mind that none of these qualities are particularly visible in her character design) rather than small and delicate. However, it appears she has been blessed with light skin, which both fits the beauty standards she has failed to meet and is feminine-coded!

The episode frames Yoi as wanting to avoid sunburn. As someone who burns easily, I can sympathize; however, there are greater signifiers to this. Consider how in anime, women are almost always colored with paler skin than their male counterparts, unless they're coded as “tomboys.” Furthermore, she specifically utilizes a parasol over sunscreen, although Japanese sun blockers are higher-quality and more effective compared to what we in the US are used to. The parasol is a visible sign of her feminine desire to protect her light skin and avoid the sun's harsh rays. The unspoken message once again: Yoi is truly a feminine girl, despite what you may think looking at her.

Discussion questions: There's an old proverb in Japan: “White skin makes up for seven defects.” What does this mean? Does In the Clear Moonlit Dusk appear to be following this standard?

After some light sightseeing, the group makes their way to the Ichimura family vacation home and… I'm sorry, but are they in a concrete bunker? 

I'll have a Grand Slam and a hot chocolate please. Thank you!

Thank you Makayla for the comment that apparently, reinforced concrete is a popular building material in Japan! To me, those unadorned grey slabs on the interior walls make it look like Ichimura's family vacations in a murder dungeon, but I suppose Yoi and company's gasps at the high class interior design are sincere. Less excusable, however, is the way that instead of animating Ichimura hopping over the back of the couch, the animators blatantly drew him in a sitting pose, then dragged him across the screen. Yoi's weight doesn't shift, nor does she react in any way to him casually hopping over the back of the couch. It would be funny if I weren't ready to cry about how yet again, shoujo anime gets short shrift in terms of animation quality.

The episode has two notable scenes for the progression of Ichimura and Yoi's relationship. The first takes place in the middle of the night, as the two arise from bed to spend some time together, just the two of them. Well, we here sure know a thing about clandestine late-night meetings by now, don't we? Ava, wake up sweetie. We need you to keep an eye on the people in the neighboring booths.

Yoi and Ichimura use the time to actually discuss their relationship and boundaries, rather than Ichimura barrelling on ahead while Yoi tries to introduce arbitrary restrictions to how close they can walk to one another. Up until now, Ichimura's relationships have been purely physical, so he doesn't know how to express interest other than through touch. This conversation put me in mind of love language theory. While Ichimura may be used to expressing attraction through touch, Yoi has not yet figured out how she's most comfortable showing affection.

Discussion questions: What is your love language? What is Ichimura's? Based on this episode, what do you think Yoi's is?

Just kidding! Love language theory is largely debunked, with only weak evidence to support it. In actuality, thriving romantic relationships need a mix of all five of its major tenets: gifts, acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, and quality time. Although the ideal level of each varies for each couple, it's a far more complex equation than everyone having a single primary and a single secondary love language.

For example, I love being able to freely discuss gender in anime and not be arrested. But let's move on, because those “truckers” look like they might be wearing bulletproof vests. Ha ha, I sure love Denny's hashbrowns. That's actually what I meant.

The second crucial scene of the episode is Yoi and Ichimura's date. Yoi comes out wearing one of the ugliest dresses I've ever seen, a long white sack that makes her look like she should be accessorizing with grippy socks, if you know what I mean. They pick a classic date spot: the aquarium. Some may even call it a cliche. The two cavort about among the fish and adorable marine mammals, Yoi eats sweets, and finally they exit through the gift shop. Ah, the gift shop… is there any more beloved capitalist endeavor? Your memories aren't enough; you must add a tchotchke to the clutter of your home to commemorate your day out, until it fades into the background and you stop thinking about it.

But that's not the crucial part. The two talk about the sibling-related traumas that broke them: Yoi's sister is classically feminine and Yoi overheard the boy she liked talking about how he'd prefer to date a girly-girl like her sister. Ichimura's older brother had a bad breakup that somehow led to his falling out with their parents and his exile from the family. Both left them feeling like falling in love wasn't worth it. Meeting each other, however, is changing their minds.

Discussion questions: If you have an older sibling, how did their experiences model the world and shape your expectations? If you're an older sibling yourself, what do you hope to impress upon your younger siblings?

Oh crap, they're coming this way. Hannah, tell your sister that I'm sorry about dining and dashing!! 

Rating:

---

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.