There are shows that remind you of specific phases of your life. Either they resonate with you because of the time you watch – like I first watched Tatami Galaxy when I was in uni just like the characters are, or Monogatari series when I was at the time didn’t really know what to do with my life – so Monogatari series was kind of therapy for me; or the shows remind you of specific places where you watched it – like I rewatched Eccentric Family when I was in Kyoto, thus I experienced the settings on a whole new level of appreciation (it’s magical). OreGairu 2 is another example of this. I watched it when it was airing back in 2015 when I was in Cannes. And throughout the midst of movie frenzy and hours waiting in lines, I still squeezed some time to follow it and boy I felt it. I felt the personal struggles Hachiman and the girls have. I felt the same feeling of Hachiman trying to fix things up by sacrificing himself, doesn’t realizing the fact that he hurts the ones who care deeply for him by doing that.
If I had a minor issue from the spectacular second season though, that would be that Yukinon’s whole character development had been stiff. I get the intention, after all Yukinon reaches the stage where she needs to act on her own agenda, and because she doesn’t know what she wants her character understandably has been “frozen” the entire time. That is why in these first two episodes, it is rewarding to see she stands up for herself and moves forward. I would definitely prefer this to be the ending point of the second season though. Not only does she commit to sort out her family issues, she also takes on Iroha’s request by herself as a means to… prove herself, I suppose. The sub is not quite clear here so I don’t get the subtext behind it (as for this elephant in the room, please read down at the bottom section for my thoughts on it).
With this second episode we also witness a new side of Haruno, Yukinon’s older sister. This new shift of development actually caughts me off guard, as prior to this episode I always considered Haruno the closest of OreGairu’s antagonists, given her tense tension with Yukinon and how her snide remarks affect Yukinon’s self esteem is something that I feel utterly dark but realistic. That is why her shift in attitude towards Yukinon’s decision is understandable, and actually goes one level deeper of what we see her so far. Their rivalry is still there and I don’t think Haruno would stop belittling her sister any time soon, but at least she respects Yukinon’s decision (some would say that what Haruno hates the most of Yukinon is her inability to make her own decision) and would do her best to support that.
This episode 2 also sets the stage of the coming arc for this last season: the prom night orchestrated by Iroha. Iroha is one of my favorite characters in OreGairu so it’s good to see her having some major roles in this coming arc. Her plan is obvious: she wants to go big this year so that she could dance together with Hayama on that prom night (maybe it’s just me but when I heard of “prom night” I immediately thought of Carrie). Yep, she has ulterior motives and yep, that is kind of selfish but that makes Iroha such an endearing character for me, as she knows what she wants and tries her best to grab it. It could be her way of thanking this trio as well, as we all know more than anyone, our trio in every sense deserves to be enjoying the night together and Iroha opens up that opportunity.
And thus we get to the important 5 minutes before the credit rolls where for the first time in a while, we get to know someone else’s perspective other than Hachiman’s, and that is our beloved Yui. I have so many thoughts on these 5 minutes alone so I will try to arrange it the best way I can. First, for the entire 2 seasons, we follow the point of view of Hachiman and his thought process. He’s observant, but he’s also an unreliable narrator when it comes to understanding others’ feelings to him. This triangle romance has been hinted at and has slowly built up for 2 seasons so it isn’t that much of a surprise to see finally OreGairu approaches it, but this is the first time where we can hear her emotions up front and open. While Hachiman is struggle with the realization that his self-sacrifice would hurt the ones around him and Yukinon has to stand up and makes the decision on her own, Yui always feels like she’s the outsider out of the trio (her image of peeking through the door is powerful), and the poor girl is desperate to keep the friendship she values much more than her own feeling. We are reaching towards “heart-breaking territory” here, and boy so far I am really on board with it.
ps: Haruno’s whispering words to Hachiman again proves how sharp the writing of OreGairu is. “You can’t get drunk” remark for me hints to the fact that she believes Hachiman can’t fully open himself up (and let loose) towards the ones he loves, which speaks well to his character.
pss: Now, the Elephant in the room: I am aware of all the controversies surrounding the official sub by Sentai and all the hates for mistranslation and whatnot. All I can say is that why I believe it is important to have accurate subtitles, especially for show like this where subtle nuances in conversations and facial expressions and gestures are king, I don’t see the point of attacking the official translator and questioning her translating ability. I wouldn’t want anyone to do it to me in whatever circumstances. I think the “right” attitude for this is that if you find the official subs lacking then you can watch it in different fansubs and move on.
Wow. I didn’t know this was such a personal show for you, Mario. I just watch it for DORAMAAA but it’ll be nice to read about the thoughts of someone who is far more affected by the show. I am excited for that! 😁
I did notice some oddities in the subs, but I think they’re trying to convey the meaning of the Japanese instead of what’s actually being said. Personally, I’d prefer the latter, but oh well.
And I agree – this has definitely started off so much better than S2. I’m also not sure I agree with your assessment of Iroha’s motives ^_^ I think there’s a bit more there – *meaningful pause* (I’m anime only though, so I have no idea).