Yuri Is My Job!

Episode 4

This week's episode of Yuri Is My Job! is almost entirely a flashback showing Mitsuki and Hime's childhood friendship from beginning to end. And while it does its job of giving us both Mitsuki and Hime's points of view, where it really succeeds is in developing who these two characters are at their cores—which are the same now as they were then.

The conflict between Mitsuki and Hime is one of EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient). Hime is a person with an incredibly high EQ. She is able to read the room to an absurd degree even at a young age. She can tell exactly what a person is thinking and the emotions that are causing them to act how they do. This allows her to say “the right words” in almost any situation—to keep those around her happy with her. She is a master at playing all sides. It doesn't matter if she likes said people or not, she's willing to say whatever makes them see her in a favorable light—even if it's a bald-faced lie.

But while Hime is willing to say words that will appeal to those around her, she is not willing to act against her own wants or beliefs. The girls in her class want her to join in bullying Mitsuki but she doesn't want to harm anyone, so she lies—verbally sidestepping their attempts while still staying in their good graces. And, unfortunately, this is something that young Mitsuki isn't able to understand.

Mitsuki is someone with a low EQ. She is smart and hardworking to a fault. She follows the rules and always gives it her all—because why would anyone ever half-ass anything? She literally cannot understand why other people act the way they do. She is unable to empathize with them or see their points of view. In her mind, there is only one way to do things: the right way—her way.

To Mitsuki, it's simple. Lying is bad. So she doesn't understand why Hime lies to the other girls—even when it's for her benefit. She thinks, that if Hime doesn't like them, she should just say so. Yet, Mitsuki never even considers the social consequences of such an action.

Then there is the emotional component—which leads to the destruction of their friendship. Knowing that Hime lies constantly, Mitsuki fears that she is being lied to as well—that their friendship is fake, just like the one between Hime and the bullies. So she acts out—exposing what Hime told her in confidence. It's likely Mitsuki assumed things would go back to normal if she told the bully girls how Hime truly felt about them. There would no longer be any need to lie and they could spend more time together.

However, Mitsuki completely missed what Hime was trying to tell her by admitting her lies so readily when they were alone. For someone like Hime who can talk herself out of almost any situation, words are cheap—it's actions that matter. She may tell the bullies what they want to hear but it's Mitsuki she is spending her time with. She quits playing the piano with Mitsuki because their constant contact is causing the group of girls to increase their bullying of Mitsuki. In other words, she gives up something she loves to spare her friend's pain.

This is why Mitsuki outing Hime has such a devastating effect on her. It's an act of betrayal—not only of her confidence but of her self-sacrifice as well. It's not that Hime couldn't talk her way out of the situation—normally she could. However, she is so shocked by what has happened—so utterly hurt that the friend she showed her true self to could do this to her—that her façade is completely shattered. Despite her high EQ, she is unable to understand why Mitsuki did what she did. To Hime, it just appears to be hatred for hatred's sake.

This is why she doubles down on her façade in the years to follow. Not being able to understand what happened, the only thing she can do to protect herself is to prevent a similar situation from occurring again. She can never let the façade drop even for a second. She must make sure everyone likes her—and try even harder if she comes across someone who doesn't.

But that can't work with the now-grown-up Mitsuki. She already knows the truth. She is an enemy who can't be won over—one who has hurt Hime and has the power to do so again. It's no surprise she is unable to act like normal when they return to the café floor.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• Kids are mean, man.

• Now I'm even more curious to learn how Kanoko found out Hime's secret. It seems impossible from what we've seen that Hime would ever open up about her true feelings again.

• To be fair, is it any surprise Hime didn't recognize Mitsuki? She's done a lot of growing in just a few years.

• It'll be interesting to learn how and why someone with such a black-and-white view of lying ends up as an actor.

Yuri Is My Job! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.