Cervial said: Read this earlier on CR: “Well every instance of 'attractive' or 'hot' was a translation choice for the word 'kakkoii'. They are not necessarily wrong, but it may have been better to translate the word as 'cool' instead. 'Kakkoii' has strong overtones of admiration and also softer undertones of physical attraction. The word is translated as 'cool' or 'attractive' depending upon the context of the situation.”
That said, I actually loved this episode. The end is a bit trippy but I’m really loving the developments so far. I have always felt that the “we see the future” thing was a bit silly, and it wouldn’t shock me if it had more to do with mental state and perception than magic or psychic powers.
As far as Sachi and Hiro: She clearly sprung the “boyfriend” thing on him, and I love that. Why? It’s realistic. Oftentimes people just end up in relationships as opposed to purposefully choosing them. You hang out with a friend you’ve found attractive and then suddenly you’re in a relationship before you even realize it. It also speaks to how she used him. He clearly cares for her (if in a childish and immature way), yet she has shown no such indication. She lied to him about getting tests just so she could hang out with Touko (which, why? Once before she said that Touko was coming and so he sneaked out, but this time is different?). I’ve been in a similar situation before so it hurts to watch. That look on his face? UGH.
RE: Yuki, Kakeru, Yana, and Touko (plus Hina) - Yuki lost his mojo whenever Kakeru faced him down. His response? Why, none at all. He let two girls stand in for him, and regardless of how right or wrong he was in not racing, it was likely a blow to his eighteen-year-old-masculinity. His confidence has already been an issue as seen in his race. Regarding his staring at Hina...she just chased him down on a bike to tell him to stay cool...are you seriously suggesting you wouldn’t stare down someone that did that???
I think Hina did it because she thinks that her sister likes him, because nothing seems to say that she has feelings for him. If anything, she is clearly concerned with her sister’s wellbeing. Yana appears to be lashing out because Yuki isn’t being the man she wants him to be, and she’s likely hurt hasn’t done anything about her confession.
Touko is...Touko. I think the notion that she is seeing people’s feelings/hearts is fairly reasonable, I’m not 100%, though. Yuki told Yana that he would figure something out in a previous episode, so I’m assuming that he has been thinking and contemplating what his next step will be, but a guy taking time to process his emotions isn’t exactly cool, now is it?
Seems that Kakeru hasn’t really done much wrong, the race instance aside. He doesn’t deserve the hatred of the characters, but it is understandable. When things shift and change we, as a species, do not like it. It makes us uncomfortable and disoriented, and as a result we often lash out at whatever appears to be causing our problems as opposed to handling the problem we actually have.
Lastly, the two imaginary Kakeru’s. It’s not the slightest bit weird to me. Hasn’t Kakeru seemed a bit “off” since he first stepped onto the scene? I’ve also found his relationship with his parents to be outside the realm of healthy. Also, I really do think these “sparkles” have something to do with their mental states.
To say the least, I’m excited to see where this goes, and doubly thrilled annoying manga fans aren’t able to whine like in Tokyo Ghoul.
I really agree with your points. I personally think some words and their meanings in Japanese cannot be translated well as the meanings changes in different usage.
I think Yana, Hina and the other girls admire Yuki when he runs at his best. After confessing to Touko and been rejected, he lost his so called "attractiveness" because he is so over-obsessed and distracted with Touko. Why Yana is blaming David for it, because he snatched Touko away, which breaks Yuki's feelings. (Although she gets the opportunity of getting Yuki back). But it is really funny when Hina is riding chasing after Yuki, as she don't even know what cause Yuki to lose his confidence. Or she is a plain fangirl, who just want to support him from behind. But yet they failed to show even some scenes of Hina looking at Yuki from far apart from her swimming class (which makes her a plain side character).
About Sachi and Hiro, I think its perfectly normal for a guy and girl to become a couple just like that. They are so used to each other and Sachi is really comfortable to be with him and she show signs that she likes him too. But using Hiro and the others to spoil Touko's date, its also understandable. Touko is such a dear friend to her, she will definitely become jealous when someone takes her dear friend away. She wanted to keep the group together like how they hang out always, so she blames david for disrupting it. But she is missing out the other reasons why the group is breaking like the confession between Touko, Yana and Yuki.
I'm a fan of David-kun and I hope he gets to be with Touko. Although the getting together between them is really fast. Suddenly he touch her face, and next they were holding hands. It feels like I have been missing a part that I accidentally skipped. The part of him not being clear that they were a couple is also not acceptable. I really wanted to see them together!! Apart from that, I find him to be attractive, even in the race part, shows that he is jealous, and he wanted to make her his own.
I really hope they focus a bit more on the visions and give us more background explanation why are they seeing it. Too much love dramas make the anime draggy. I love the ravens flying part, finally the pace raises to some climax. Hope they keep the tension high until the end and then 3 couples happily together after it ended. (HAHA I love cliche happy endings) |