A Sign of Affection
| I prefer Oushi over Itsuomi any day. Spoilers for pretty much everything ~ First, Itsuomi is an extremely bland Gary stu character and it really disappointed me. I wanted to like him so badly, but he had NO flaws. Someone said he has no regard for boundaries, but It was presented more as an 'aloof' thing than an actual PERSONALITY flaw. Regarding 'aloof'ness - aloof characters are nice, but need to be written in an interesting way. His character makes very little sense in this regard because he's aloof but also can just turn it off an be extraordinarily outgoing and present. And his aloofness is just lack of expression and ignorance. His character is inconsistent, has no flaws, and is very predictable. He also shows a few red flags. Takes advantage of Yuki's disability by covering her eyes so she can't read Oushi's lips / signs at the train station. Like I mentioned, gets up in her space and makes her uncomfortable. His understanding of consent is also very questionable. He comes up behind her all the time knowing she can't hear him. He has no life problems, ig he's rich and just does whatever he wants, lives alone, liked by everyone, gets all the girls. No struggles. His biggest struggle was learning a language. Wow. Oushi is probably the most interesting character in this show. And it's really a shame that childhood friends never get the girl. He learned sign specifically so that he could help Yuki and keep her safe. He was always looking out for her at school and making sure she wasn't being exploited or put in bad situations. His behavior isn't always nice, but at least he's not a bland perfect character. I think he intentionally didn't share his feelings with her because he didn't want her to feel alienated if things didn't work out. So he could always be there to watch her and support her in a world where other people couldn't. It's really hard for me to put into words why itsuomi felt so lifeless, so I'm sorry if I didn't get it across effectively. But really, Oushi's screen time was just so much more interesting. His handling of emotions is so prevalent and interesting to watch. I hated his confrontation with Itsuomi because itsuomi is just a perfectly mature guy who gets shaken by nothing and feels no threats by other men. Just stalwart statue. Is this just me? Please tell me I'm not crazy?? |
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| It's standard shoujo romance slop, your red flags, others absolutely love. This sort of cheesy overload of shoujo tropes was the final straw for me, will be extremely picky with upcoming shoujo titles. It's not that surprising you weren't able to connect to some of these characters, it's all very artificial. Itsuomi, Oushi, all lame. Oushi, I was indifferent, until he decided to cry on Itsuomi's chest, case in point, a "nawww" moment for some, a "get this shit off my screen" for others. This show should be thanking it's lucky stars for having a good production, at least it looked good for the most part IIRC. |
| Bro L TAKE Itsuomi is more alpha male than Oushi |
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Blindfight said: The thing is, you are seeing two very different people at very different ends of the spectrum on their emotional journeys. I like Oushi and I was rooting for him to grow as a person because that's what he needed. It sucks that his feelings for Yuki are unrequited but coming to terms with uncomfortable truths are a part of life. Itsuomi, on the other hand, is more mature because he clearly had time to process and understand his feelings and wants to live a life where he can genuinely help people. Ironically, that seemed to be the conclusion that Oushi came to as well. I def agree that they represent different levels of emotional maturity! I think what bothered me more was itsuomi was the EXACT SAME in high school! we are shown him acting the exact same way. aloof, unbothered, mature. We could have been given some really good development for him but were left dry... |
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H1NAT4 said: bait used to be believable genuinely not bait, buddy. I feel this way. sorry that differing opinions are automatically rage bait in ur eyes lmao |
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SenshadouOtaku said: Yes. You’re delulu. Only you. You wrote a whole essay just for me to counter with this: the first word that childhood “friend” (although I should say childhood bully) said to this poor disabled girl was “you fool” He's not a bully lol. Yuki literally told him he helped her feel like she wasn't alone and him signing to her was comforting. Him signing to her "you fool" was very much to represent the way he handles his emotions. he handles them like a child. He signs to her "you fool" as a child and then again as an adult. So we are seeing that he isn't mature enough to communicate his true feelings. Yuki knows he doesn't hate her or think she's stupid. I think if she considered him a bully she wouldn't interact with him at all. also apparently I'm not completely delulu since *some* people here agree with me, |
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SenshadouOtaku said: StarryyChai said: He's not a bully lol. Yuki literally told him he helped her feel like she wasn't alone and him signing to her was comforting. Him signing to her "you fool" was very much to represent the way he handles his emotions. he handles them like a child. He signs to her "you fool" as a child and then again as an adult. So we are seeing that he isn't mature enough to communicate his true feelings. Yuki knows he doesn't hate her or think she's stupid. I think if she considered him a bully she wouldn't interact with him at all. also apparently I'm not completely delulu since *some* people here agree with me, I’m gonna stop you at “no”. Yes he is. He never said not one good word towards her okay mister senshadou otaku, your word is law 🫡 good day to you, o holy one also double negative so I guess he did say something good toward her! nice |
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SenshadouOtaku said: StarryyChai said: okay mister senshadou otaku, your word is law 🫡 good day to you, o holy one also double negative so I guess he did say something good toward her! nice Aww. Did I make a point and that’s just you running away? That’s cute 🥺 And you know what I meant. He has never said one good thing to/about her, to her face no I just didn't come here to argue he said/she said. your opinion is yours and mine is mine. like ur literally not gonna change your mind so there's no way I'm gonna take time to scrub thru and find fuckin quotes lmao. so thanks for sharing |
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Blindfight said: StarryyChai said: I def agree that they represent different levels of emotional maturity! I think what bothered me more was itsuomi was the EXACT SAME in high school! we are shown him acting the exact same way. aloof, unbothered, mature. We could have been given some really good development for him but were left dry... I thought they were in college, not high school. I remember Yuki saying she was 19 and Itsuomi 22. yeah, they're in college during the show but we got a flashback to itsuomi in high school. sorry I should have been more clear |
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StarryyChai said: I prefer Oushi over Itsuomi any day. Spoilers for pretty much everything ~ First, Itsuomi is an extremely bland Gary stu character and it really disappointed me. I wanted to like him so badly, but he had NO flaws. Someone said he has no regard for boundaries, but It was presented more as an 'aloof' thing than an actual PERSONALITY flaw. Regarding 'aloof'ness - aloof characters are nice, but need to be written in an interesting way. His character makes very little sense in this regard because he's aloof but also can just turn it off an be extraordinarily outgoing and present. And his aloofness is just lack of expression and ignorance. His character is inconsistent, has no flaws, and is very predictable. He also shows a few red flags. Takes advantage of Yuki's disability by covering her eyes so she can't read Oushi's lips / signs at the train station. Like I mentioned, gets up in her space and makes her uncomfortable. His understanding of consent is also very questionable. He comes up behind her all the time knowing she can't hear him. He has no life problems, ig he's rich and just does whatever he wants, lives alone, liked by everyone, gets all the girls. No struggles. His biggest struggle was learning a language. Wow. Oushi is probably the most interesting character in this show. And it's really a shame that childhood friends never get the girl. He learned sign specifically so that he could help Yuki and keep her safe. He was always looking out for her at school and making sure she wasn't being exploited or put in bad situations. His behavior isn't always nice, but at least he's not a bland perfect character. I think he intentionally didn't share his feelings with her because he didn't want her to feel alienated if things didn't work out. So he could always be there to watch her and support her in a world where other people couldn't. It's really hard for me to put into words why itsuomi felt so lifeless, so I'm sorry if I didn't get it across effectively. But really, Oushi's screen time was just so much more interesting. His handling of emotions is so prevalent and interesting to watch. I hated his confrontation with Itsuomi because itsuomi is just a perfectly mature guy who gets shaken by nothing and feels no threats by other men. Just stalwart statue. Is this just me? Please tell me I'm not crazy?? Completely AGREE. I can't stand perfectly ideal complete charecters like Itsumi. Humans has flaws and that's what make every charecters interesting, I also hated Yuki for it though as she was very willing to be lovey dovey from E1 but didn't even tried to consider why Itsumi did or sais what he did. |
ANIk_003 said: StarryyChai said: I prefer Oushi over Itsuomi any day. Spoilers for pretty much everything ~ First, Itsuomi is an extremely bland Gary stu character and it really disappointed me. I wanted to like him so badly, but he had NO flaws. Someone said he has no regard for boundaries, but It was presented more as an 'aloof' thing than an actual PERSONALITY flaw. Regarding 'aloof'ness - aloof characters are nice, but need to be written in an interesting way. His character makes very little sense in this regard because he's aloof but also can just turn it off an be extraordinarily outgoing and present. And his aloofness is just lack of expression and ignorance. His character is inconsistent, has no flaws, and is very predictable. He also shows a few red flags. Takes advantage of Yuki's disability by covering her eyes so she can't read Oushi's lips / signs at the train station. Like I mentioned, gets up in her space and makes her uncomfortable. His understanding of consent is also very questionable. He comes up behind her all the time knowing she can't hear him. He has no life problems, ig he's rich and just does whatever he wants, lives alone, liked by everyone, gets all the girls. No struggles. His biggest struggle was learning a language. Wow. Oushi is probably the most interesting character in this show. And it's really a shame that childhood friends never get the girl. He learned sign specifically so that he could help Yuki and keep her safe. He was always looking out for her at school and making sure she wasn't being exploited or put in bad situations. His behavior isn't always nice, but at least he's not a bland perfect character. I think he intentionally didn't share his feelings with her because he didn't want her to feel alienated if things didn't work out. So he could always be there to watch her and support her in a world where other people couldn't. It's really hard for me to put into words why itsuomi felt so lifeless, so I'm sorry if I didn't get it across effectively. But really, Oushi's screen time was just so much more interesting. His handling of emotions is so prevalent and interesting to watch. I hated his confrontation with Itsuomi because itsuomi is just a perfectly mature guy who gets shaken by nothing and feels no threats by other men. Just stalwart statue. Is this just me? Please tell me I'm not crazy?? Completely AGREE. I can't stand perfectly ideal complete charecters like Itsumi. Humans has flaws and that's what make every charecters interesting, I also hated Yuki for it though as she was very willing to be lovey dovey from E1 but didn't even tried to consider why Itsumi did or sais what he did. A nearly good example is Fruits Basket, man I hated first 80% of S1 as it showed how a perfect ideal guy like Yuki is so close to Thoru, Kyo had a gf so I thought ain't no way Kyo was getting a good ending, man Fianl Season showed author has the right idea, and S3 got so high rating because of the ending. Now tell me everyone who do you prefer? Ideal Perfect Shoujo Male lead or imperfect interesting human character? |
Adeptusastro77 said: Y’all gotta read the manga omg I actually read the first volume of the manga before watching the anime and enjoyed it! it didn't occur to me while reading that itsuomi was boring - quite the opposite I found him pretty dreamy and oushi seemed ick. so it's a little weird how my feelings switched up between the two haha |
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ANIk_003 said: ANIk_003 said: Completely AGREE. I can't stand perfectly ideal complete charecters like Itsumi. Humans has flaws and that's what make every charecters interesting, I also hated Yuki for it though as she was very willing to be lovey dovey from E1 but didn't even tried to consider why Itsumi did or sais what he did. A nearly good example is Fruits Basket, man I hated first 80% of S1 as it showed how a perfect ideal guy like Yuki is so close to Thoru, Kyo had a gf so I thought ain't no way Kyo was getting a good ending, man Fianl Season showed author has the right idea, and S3 got so high rating because of the ending. Now tell me everyone who do you prefer? Ideal Perfect Shoujo Male lead or imperfect interesting human character? fruits basket is a good comparison. because FB is one of my faves, and the whole while I couldn't stand Yuki. because perfect ideal "prince" types are boring. Kyo was always much more interesting to me because he had development to be done and issues to work through. (I think I'm just outing myself for liking tsundere) but like really, both shows have 1. silver haired prince perfect type and 2. tsundere trouble expressing himself struggling kid. I can still appreciate the perfects as characters, but when they're the focal point and can commit no wrongs it's so irksome |
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shash_sama18 said: I literally got an Oushi pfp on my discord lol. Yes I can relate with you on the fact that Oushi as a character was more of the kind I would have liked to watch instead of Itsuomi. I am so done with these Mr. Perfect in Romance animes. Although I won't agree on some points like "he doesn't have a care for her privacy or consent" and all shit, dude they were literally in a relationship and if you are gonna count consent and privacy in a relationship then there are no emotions involved. If you ever have been in a relationship, you would realise that loving someone is about removing all these boundaries and getting together as close as possible while enjoying each other's presence. So yeah that argument seems more like you have the problem with their relationship which is not true I mean he handles her well from his behalf. Oushi > Itsuomi for me too in terms of a lot of different aspects including character development opportunity to his shortcomings as a person relations are absolutely about breaking boundaries, but you still need consent within a relationship :) also, before they started dating he touched her a lot, tickled her, just kinda did whatever he wanted. he wasn't very respectful of that the entire time. I'm glad we can relate on other aspects tho! |
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| Oushi put me off for being controlling levels of overprotective and immature in a way that comes off annoying more than cute. Saying Itsuomi is inconsistent and predictable. Which is it? He cant be both. |
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| Oushi to Itsuomi :- "Put Me Out of My Majesty, Your Misery!." |
| I'm usually in "childhood friend" team. Too much, in fact... But.. Oushi never made an effort to understand what his friend wanted. If he cared, he should have taken care of it, not just disagreed with her decision to go to college and that's it. We're not talking about teenagers, they're already adults. He should have taken action there... and he didn't. It's not that I like Itsuomi very much, but it's the normal behavior of a person of that age when wanting to start a relationship. |
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| I agree that Itsuomi is a little too perfect/boring of a guy and Oushi is more interesting, although reading the manga may help when it comes to fleshing out Itsuomi a bit more as a character. Learning his background got me a little emotional. In regards to the ship - I pretty much always can't help but root for the childhood friend, even though we all know it's never gonna go that route anyways, and I especially like how Oushi learned sign language because of Yuki and always secretly looked out for her. But tbh, I got put off by Oushi quite a bit when he told Itsuomi to break up with Yuki. Like, he literally had no right to say that, especially when it's his fault for never making a move after all these years. Oushi was my favorite character up to that point, and now I don't really have any strong feelings for any character in this series. Still like him overall (childhood friend + tsundere is the ultimate combo for my favorite male character trope lol), but yeah, I can understand why someone would like/dislike either character. |
  "As promised, all that you seek, all that we desire, is prepared up there. On top of the Tower." |
traed said: Oushi put me off for being controlling levels of overprotective and immature in a way that comes off annoying more than cute. Saying Itsuomi is inconsistent and predictable. Which is it? He cant be both. inconsistent in his mannerisms around other people, predictable in his actions with Yuki. like his actual personality is not very fleshed out imo. and everything he does is very shojo ikemen lmao |
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ShySeishuro said: I'm usually in "childhood friend" team. Too much, in fact... But.. Oushi never made an effort to understand what his friend wanted. If he cared, he should have taken care of it, not just disagreed with her decision to go to college and that's it. We're not talking about teenagers, they're already adults. He should have taken action there... and he didn't. It's not that I like Itsuomi very much, but it's the normal behavior of a person of that age when wanting to start a relationship. mhm and I think that's the justification the show basically gives for why he isn't the lead haha. it's pretty acknowledged that he didn't take the right steps and do the best things. but that's also why we see him trying to change, be nicer, do better. which is much more interesting than already being perfect ☆ |
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Xiao said: I agree that Itsuomi is a little too perfect/boring of a guy and Oushi is more interesting, although reading the manga may help when it comes to fleshing out Itsuomi a bit more as a character. Learning his background got me a little emotional. In regards to the ship - I pretty much always can't help but root for the childhood friend, even though we all know it's never gonna go that route anyways, and I especially like how Oushi learned sign language because of Yuki and always secretly looked out for her. But tbh, I got put off by Oushi quite a bit when he told Itsuomi to break up with Yuki. Like, he literally had no right to say that, especially when it's his fault for never making a move after all these years. Oushi was my favorite character up to that point, and now I don't really have any strong feelings for any character in this series. Still like him overall (childhood friend + tsundere is the ultimate combo for my favorite male character trope lol), but yeah, I can understand why someone would like/dislike either character. Him using the "I'll do anything" moment to tell Itsuomi to break up with Yuki was very predictable and while you're right he has no right to say that, it also made him realize why he wanted that. it's what made him finally break and realize he loves her. I think I can forgive him for saying something as rude as that since he was drunk and in his feelings haha |
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EatPlants said: You are SO real for that Itsuomi was painfully boring!!! Oushi is messy, ableist, immature, and an asshole but at least he’s interesting, I feel something when he’s on screen, but Itsuomi??? I just feel like I was given no other reason to like him other than the show telling me to. Truly, thank god for Oushi and the whole Emma situation for keeping the show interesting I probably would have dropped without them, the supporting cast is so good. I think Oushi is so interesting with his flaws because even though he is being an asshole with the things he says, they always have an undertone of "I care, but don't know how to say it". he always has a look in his eyes that makes the viewer know he isn't being mean, he's being sincere and is worried. so even though he has all this shitty qualities it's hard to truly hate him for me, and makes him dynamic. ur so right, I loved the supporting cast and honestly wish they were more present. romance shows with prevalent side character relationships that get equal screen time are underrated. Just came from watching kimi ni todoke s3 and it's perfect for that aaa ♡ |
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| definitely not. oushi's just a walking ball of negative energy who has no fun in his life and his whole character revolves around trying to get yuki unlike itsuomi who actually has goals in his life outside of her and he treats everyone equally. also this post makes no sense, you say itsuomi has no flaws yet go on to list ''red flags'' like there's no tomorrow lmao if being mentally mature is supposed to be a flaw nowadays then sure lol. oushi only has problems because he creates problems for himself, the fact that he's been fumbling for so many years when no other guy approached yuki but now that she got a mans who's actually honest with himself (as everyone deserves) then oushi wants to take chances lol it's utter clown behavior. him learning sign language for her doesn't get him any extra points either because i mean, itsuomi literally does the same. all in all, he had a lot of potential and his backstory is strong but him in the current timeline as a grownup is pretty bad and always has me hoping he gets off screen asap. although i will say he's still probably the most interesting 'love rival' i've seen, because usually there's nothing to like about them at all so at least oushi had a good foundation. |
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