@saeed1m This is just my interpretation, although it is never said because the series runs from the point of view of the protagonist, with a good analysis of her character and environment you understand perfectly what she saw in him, her falling in love was not sudden and like the protagonist, it was gradual and grew throughout the series.
In the manga it is alluded that Anna, is afraid of men or in general the way the world and people perceive her.
This is largely because of her appearance and how much she attracts attention, she fears that people and the environment around her only see her as an attractive girl and not as a person who seeks to surpass herself, she herself is aware of her attractiveness and that people often tell her that she is very pretty, in fact, she says so at the end of season 1 if I remember correctly, although she likes to show off and she is not bothered in the least by this kind of comments, that this is the only good thing they see of her terrifies her, in the scene of episode 1 she shows no interest in the popular guy and his compliments about how pretty she is, after all, she is used to it, however she shows interest when he says “you are someone interesting”, at that point she demands details and her enthusiasm is in the air but she is quickly disappointed to see that the guy seems only interested in her LINE contact, even when she is forced by this popular guy, she shows no fear or despair, she just accepts the situation thinking that it is what she has to live and that she can do nothing about it.
In the second season it is revealed to us that Anna suffered from anxiety and at this point her peculiar taste for food is understood, as it was the fuel that helped her fight her problems and identity crisis due to how people treat her, for better and for worse. She herself mentions that she fears that people and her social circle hate her, she herself is aware that she is a failure as a human being and that is evident from the beginning, she is quite dumb, she has average grades, she has no social skills or natural talent in something specific, it can be easily said that her only good point is her appearance, she knows it, that is why she desperately seeks to stand out in something to give herself that worth, confidence, security and recognition that she needs so much, she needs to be recognized, She must convince herself somehow that she is more than a pretty girl, that's why she hates that there are people better than her in many aspects and in what she wants to be better, she has a vision of perfectionism so idealized that she acts on the basis of a loop, where she runs desperately for the answer to something that will never come, which is that perfection that she longs for but that does not exist.
She herself often says that she is surrounded by wonderful people, but also by people who are not honest with her and who seem to agree with her always for some reason, of course she knows that it is due to her appearance, she even fears to disappoint her parents, so she sees these ties as something superficial, because she knows she has no talent or something more remarkable than her appearance, this makes sense since she is a teenager and is going through that rebellion, for that stage of life of which she herself is not aware.
Now, having analyzed her character, where does ichikawa come into all this?
The MC is intelligent, has social skills, has proven to be a good leader, is quite handsome, has potential as a model because of his blue eyes, has also proven to be someone protective of people and their environment but his problem is his shyness and low self-esteem, Anna knows that this guy has potential and it all starts since he throws his bike to get away from the stalker of the first episode, for her, who seemed to redeem the situation and just accept it, this generates much interest, she realizes instantly that the MC threw the bike for her, that's why, while laughing, she tells him “you are someone interesting” this word “interesting” has double meaning in Japanese and is used depending on the context, it also means “funny” but in this scene it is valid for both contexts since Anna laughs because of the MC's reaction and the cheap excuse he invented to hide his real intentions, at this point, she knows the real reason why he threw her bike so she calls him someone interesting, but also someone funny because of his strange reaction. First impressions are very important and at this point, the MC made a good move without knowing it.
Now, if I mentioned good points about the MC, these are only superficial and only serve to generate intrigue and interest in Anna Yamada, this is what happens at the beginning of the series, she wants to spend more time with him, she makes excuses to be by his side and even wants to know about his social/family circle, it's just INTEREST at a certain point, this doesn't mean she likes him by far, she really is aware of her feelings for him when she realizes how strange she was acting, like the MC, she doesn't understand his feelings and emotions, it's normal when we talk about first love and only in that instant, in the Te con leche scene, she understands that this guy is different, as he doesn't show much interest in her looks and seems more aware and interested in her personality, tastes, her profession as a model and actress and ways of acting and expressing herself, she knows he doesn't put her on a pedestal and shows interest and disinterest at the same time, he is able to say things to her face and be sincere in some occasions.
While in the middle of season 1 it is very evident how much he cares and likes her, that feeling continues to grow and explodes in season 2, thanks to him, she learns to love herself or at least, to accept herself as she is, the manager of her job tells the MC that she considers him her pride and joy, she herself says on one occasion how much she admires and respects him, while rejecting the boy who used to often harass her at her graduation.
There is a conversation in which she and he interact deepening their feelings, ichikawa tells her “I wasn't angry with my parents, it was with myself, I was afraid of not being a good son”, in that particular scene, Anna is afraid and doesn't think she is capable of playing her role as a rebellious teenager because according to her, she has never gone through that stage, ichikawa says he envies her and proceeds to tell her what I mentioned a while ago, that simple phrase means a lot to her and that scene is very well directed, without saying a single word, she just looks at him shocked and hugs him, she finally understands that anxiety she has felt during all her adolescence, so she hugs him and at the end thanks him, because now thanks to him, now she can play that role with confidence.
Kyotaro saw in her that determination she lacked to move forward no matter what problems arise, Anna, saw in him that acceptance and courage she needed so much.
This is my analysis and I may be wrong, many people get confused and do not understand very well the message of the work in general, it is common to think this because this series is a masterpiece of telling and not showing, the author wrote this story to give more freedom and analysis to the reader / viewer, personally, I appreciate this. |