Yesterday wo Utatte Episode 8 Discussion

FlamepriesT said:
This series has been enjoyable, but I really wish it would pick up the pace already. I appreciate what the characters have to go through, but at this point it feels they're going around in circles for a little too long. I almost feel like picking up the manga to avoid the wait... except for the wrong reasons

gaussian_ said:
I must say I really respected Rikuo for just walking away when Shinako changed her mind. If a woman says no, it really means no.

Mylmyzan said:

Rikuo gets to my nerves because he's spineless af : get yourself together and move. Also trying to get 100% into your job to forget the mess that is your sentimental life will just make you an emotional disaster like most of your fellow citizens.

Final comment : don't they have phones? I mean, they definitely have some as one of the topic in the beginning was sharing their numbers.

ToraiS said:
He feels he isn't worthy to be in a relationship right now, very important, especially with someone he holds in a very high regard.

It's like being a below-average student trying romance the model student with high grades, good looks, and really good at extracurriculars.

It's overwhelming for him and he feels like he doesn't deserve Shinako right at that moment. That's maybe why he tunnel-visioned into his job to better himself to be worthy of Shinako. That's what I interpret anyway, we rarely see a glimpse to his psyche now.

ToraiS said:
I think handheld phones took off in the 2000's for Japan. Handhelds are probably rare and expensive at the time the anime is in. I think beepers are more prevalent but they are mostly for emergency services and businessmen. What they mean about sharing numbers is probably landline telephone numbers and not handheld phones.

Mylmyzan said:

I did not get that feeling, I mean he confessed to her so that should mean he does imagine himself in couple with her... right? But for sure it would make sense as him feeling like that way would explain part of the situation. And not having much clues about what's going on in his head does not help yes...
You're being very positive about him, while I'm just assuming he's a basic insecure guy without much thoughts haha.

antohachan said:
I'm so bored with that Shinako, why she have so much screentime? She is really too boring and too depressive for her age. Why she can't die already like her last crush about a billions years ago? Where is our dear friend Truck-kun, when we need him? I just want to watch at Haru and I don't need anything else, please, anime creators, stop bulling me. All you have to do is show me Haru 20 minutes every week, is it that hard?

Bibimbapski said:
I'm seeing a bit of growth with Rikuo and Shinako, more on Rikuo. He found a job that interests him and he finally, to an extent, told Haru to fuck off. I wish he would be more direct about it instead of keeping the idiotic girl on the sidelines like some kind of plan B or side bitch just in case it doesn't work out with Shinako. I fucking hate those types of people.

Rou was my favorite in the beginning because I liked his character design the most but honestly, he hasn't progressed much. He did confess his feelings to Shinako but who knows? Maybe we'll get to see more in the next episode.

NakolHira said:
I'm enjoying the struggle Shinako is having, like what to do. She is finally getting into the war Haru had declared.

I'm happy for Rikuo, He is finally getting serious on his life.
I really don’t get why Haru is so much attached with Rikuo.... It feels annoying to have a stalker, no matter how much the stalker loves you one really couldn’t get behind it.

Marinate1016 said:
What I love most about this manga/show and what makes it hit is that the characters do stupid shit. But it’s realistic stupid shit that shows how contradictory and irrational humans can be. People just do stupid shit.

We’ve all had moments where problems could be solved if we just communicated better, followed through on what we wanted, were more direct, etc.

Rikuo is right outside Shinako’s place and has the opportunity to go inside, but runs away in fear. The two of them then don’t call each other to actually talk about things for weeks after. Simple solution for a simple issue

Haru took that friend zone like a champ 😔 she deserves much better than Uozumi. Great episode as always, enjoyed the direction and use of silence during tense moments. DG are doing an amazing job bringing this to life.

ToraiS said:
@Ashik01 Bruh, chill out. We already know that Rikuo's gonna end up with Haru in more ways than one. She's the end-boss and everyone knows it. Just let things mature a bit, you can't rush wine else it would taste sour.

I'd say that realism is subjective: people say that it mirrors real life romance and relationships quite well (me and my experiences included) and the show has its fair share of romance tropes, but don't go around saying it's not realistic at all when it subverts your expectations. That's just a shallow way of thinking.

Ashik01 said:
Rikou wont end up with Haru 'but don't go around saying it's not realistic at all when it subverts your expectations'i didnt say it because it subverts my expectations,it started out great,but in terms of reality Rikous obsession towards Shinako feels unrealistic to say the least after all this shit.

ToraiS said:


Lol, my existence is unrealistic then because I've been stuck in purgatory for five or so years to a girl that I tried my hardest to notice me. It was only a few years ago that I manned up and confessed so that I can finally be rejected formally. It's not only a me incident but quite a few of my friends also experienced it too, male or female. Unrequited loves do exist and is much more common than you think and calling such things unrealistic debases their experiences.

As the saying goes, "Truth is stranger than ficiton."

Ashik01 said:
But what about after your rejection,did you obsess over her after that,or did you keep trying for her attention even after that?In case of Rikou,even after getting friendzoned he was kinda used by Shinako,lots of insensetive and selfish acts on Shinakos part,even after that those things doesnt affect our MC at all,pretty damn unrealistic if you ask me.

ToraiS said:


Bruh, a rejection doesn't mean that you are absolved of all feelings from the one that you have an unrequited love with. For some, a rejection just establishes clear borders; they can still be friends but there is unwritten rules on what to do and not what to do. Rikuo's rejected, yes, but he is not willing to toss the things that he built up for the past five years because can't have a relationship with her at the moment. IDK about what life experience you're on, but his decision is very understandable and human. Logically sound? No. Human? Yes. That's why Rikuo's been continuing on his friendship to Shinako with ulterior motives; i.e if she warms up to him, he would try to elevate their friendship to a romantic status.

While Shinako is unknowingly manipulative and prone to going in circles and Rikuo not picking logical decisions, life is like that. And calling the show unrealistic because fictional characters pick ultimately human decisions is just nitpicking and shallow.

Ashik01 said:
i dont think you get my point,anyway peace out

Spaceship said:
The ball's in her court, and if I were Rikuo, I wouldn't even give her the time of day anymore.

ToraiS said:


Lmao, what? If I couldn't get your point then please refrain from posting in public forums if you're willing to post your opinion, but not willing to expound your points even if "I don't get it". Which is, undeniably, the point of a public forum.

Ashik01 said:
you are fixated on your opinion,you are not seeing things clearly

herrickluk said:
I really feel for Haru’s character and the end of this episode heartbreakingly displays why she’s my favourite character. The more I watch her, the more I get the impression that her short discussions with Rikuo and her passing glances of him are all she has. She’s incredibly fragile and this episode really showed that — her optimistic, intrusive facade is slowly beginning to peel away, and we are starting to see why she’s just as broken as the other characters.

I was really impressed with how Rikuo approached Haru, trying to be as delicate with his words as possible so as not to hurt her. You can really tell that Rikuo honestly cares about her and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some chemistry build between them (and possible romance). Regardless of what he meant, Haru’s reply really says it all...
”I’ll be careful going forward.”



She’s heartbroken and gets a dose of reality from Rikuo to essentially ‘stay away’ for her own good.
I definitely see this being a breaking point in their relationship however, in a good way, as I believe Rikuo will begin to see the qualities Haru has, which will undoubtedly reveal themselves when her backstory gets addressed.

“He takes forever to make up his mind, but when he does, he goes ahead without asking for anyone’s opinions or anything.” Haru’s line really shows how much she understands him, and of course she does, because she spent five years of her life doing so. I just hope Rikuo is there to understand her too, when she’ll inevitably need him most.

As far as Rikuo is concerned, he really is kind to a fault... I feel bad for him in this episode especially. Not many would be as patient/understanding as him with all the mixed signals he gets from Shinako. Part of this is due to reservations he has about himself, and the confidence he lacks because he doesn’t feel good enough with where he is in life to be with Shinako. We see this particularly with his line, “Part of me was kind of relieved when she said what she did.”

Now as for Shinako, she's really a polarizing character, as this episode showed. One minute she's feeling lonely enough to invite Rikuo up to her apartment, and the next she's standing him up. If I were to view just the end of last episode and the beginning of this episode by itself, I'd say she's using Rikuo when it's convenient and playing with his feelings despite his kindness. However, just like all the other main characters, she has a reason for her behaviour as I'm slowly beginning to accept.

As assistant series director Ryouta Itou masterfully showed, there has been a constant link between Shinako and cherry blossoms. In Ep 2 they go from very beautiful looking, almost excessive... to downright somber, and almost oppressive because it’s constantly being linked to the death of the one she loved.






And then in Ep 3 when we see she has a cherry blossom in her room as well, and we realize that a lot of her pain is self-inflicted. I love how they use the framing of certain motifs to drive a point across, ie. cherry blossoms and the parallels with Shinako’s mental state.

Just in case the earlier episodes didn't make it clear, the motif is pervasive and recurring, as this episode showed. Now as for what its change in appearance might symbolize, we'll have to wait and see!




This episode really beautifully highlighted how important timing is...ie what they could’ve done but didn’t.
- Rikuo believing he missed his once in a lifetime chance with Shinako when he walks her home for the second time and isn’t asked to come up.
- Shinako not taking any chances with Rikuo and simply being content with their status quo.

With Rikuo beginning a new chapter of his life, this could really spell disaster if his mentality changes from waiting for Shinako, to moving forward without her. Quitting his job at the convenience store and working full time at the studio...things are looking up for him. I just hope Shinako doesn’t regret not taking those earlier chances when it's too late.

Excellent episode as always, looking forward to next week's!

ToraiS said:


Think that's just a normal, white ceramic bowl. While, honest to god, I don't want to see any Rou x Shinako right now, I think she just wants to reconcile with Rou (hopefully not romantically, else I'd flip) because it's been a while since she was avoiding him from 'that' incident.

Although how much time she spent waiting for Rou just cooking to pass time and makes me question her sanity; that short scene from Shinako seems like escapism and trying to relive her memory of taking care of the late older brother, but instead it's Rou. But hopefully not because it's another problem from an already problematic cast. Let's expect that it won't come to that, and its just a wholesome, "I'm sorry for disappearing." meal from elder sister to younger brother, without any complications whatsoever.

herrickluk said:

Just in case the earlier episodes didn't make it clear, the motif is pervasive and recurring, as this episode showed. Now as for what its change in appearance might symbolize, we'll have to wait and see!

PaninaManina said:


Remember that Shinako commented about having made too much food? She will bring some of that food to Rikuo and will let Rou knows. I think she waited for Rou to confront him, to make clear that they'll never be together the way she wants and that she is moving on with someone else.

Jdr1 said:
I feel so bad for Haru. She knows she can't win, but also she can't give up. Rikuo building a career is something nice to see.

Ashik01 said:
i think she is more broken than Shinako,yet she is more mature and likable than her

ToraiS said:

The ball is in her court, alright. I just hope she wouldn't go for a foul in the process.

herrickluk said:

And then in Ep 3 when we see she has a cherry blossom in her room as well, and we realize that a lot of her pain is self-inflicted. I love how they use the framing of certain motifs to drive a point across, ie. cherry blossoms and the parallels with Shinako’s mental state.

Mylmyzan said:

Ooh, are you saying she might have cancelled because her place was messy ? 'did not make this link and understood the scene as a way to show her "mature & responsible" side. And also a way to show is not depressed, as one of the usual main clue of somebody's not feeling good is their living space getting neglected.

Ryuseishun said:
Every episode of this show leaves me physically and mentally tired by the end, to where it'd feel like my biological functions would completely shut down.

The more and more I watch this show and how it conducts itself, the more it occurs to me how childish it is. None of these individuals can make a non-romance-related/involved/connected decision to save or move their own asses.
Where's the actual progression? Where's the actual "maturity"? Where's the true sense of realism? Where's the actual genuine character development? Next to none.
WHAT ISSS THIS GOOOOD FOR??

Answer:


And with worst character Rou coming into play again to start shit for next week, optimism is out of the window. I've already signed the devil's contract to continue all the way. There IS a sliver of hope that it'll improve, but based on some whispers I heard about the manga's ending, it seems very doubtful.

puruprendo said:
What a fucking disappointment.
I really, really thought that Yesterday was better than this and wouldn't pull out a 'lol I don't want you to come in my apartment after all haha' right after that cliffhanger of a finale. You call this shit *realistic*? Don't you realize that the show has been doing the same fucking thing with Shinako's indecisiveness over and over since the beginning? On and off willpower that benefits the authors' blatant desire to fill their romance of clichés and nonsense. Clearly they're capitalizing on that without really resolving any of the other stupid dead-ended storylines so that they can stretch as much as possible this crap.
Also, the 'no means no' praise for Rikuo in the apartment scene is hilarious. We aren't talking about a sex scene where Shinako is uncomfortable and Rikuo withdraws or something. What else really could have happened? The docile and kind Rikuo suddenly goes berserk, aggressively takes out the key from her hand, forces himself in her room, and fucks her till morning? Lol, that would be a hilarious scene. So, according to the same reasoning, since Rou didn't rape Shinako right on the street in the last episode but let her go he's a great feminist #MeToo and 'no means no' symbol or what? It's also amusing considering that the episode states that Rikuo felt relieved somehow from Shinako changing her mind at the last second, it's rather hard to miss.
Anyway, I'm done with this. I can't take its bullshit seriously anymore.

puruprendo said:
What a fucking disappointment.
I really, really thought that Yesterday was better than this and wouldn't pull out a 'lol I don't want you to come in my apartment after all haha' right after that cliffhanger of a finale. You call this shit *realistic*?

sabishiihito said:
I really, really want to slap Rikuo and Shinako. Haru's younger than both of them but seems to be the only one that really knows what she wants. I guess in some ways teenagers are less afraid of love eh?

Ryuseishun said:
Every episode of this show leaves me physically and mentally tired by the end, to where it'd feel like my biological functions would completely shut down.
The more and more I watch this show and how it conducts itself, the more it occurs to me how childish it is. None of these individuals can make a non-romance-related/involved/connected decision to save or move their own asses.

Ryuseishun said:

Where's the actual progression? Where's the actual "maturity"? Where's the true sense of realism? Where's the actual genuine character development? Next to none.