Yesterday wo Utatte – 02 [A Blind Alley]

Ah, this episode hit the spot. Lots of good character animation, a strong introduction for the fourth member of the love rectangle, a tragic flashback, and plenty of interplay between past and present events. What I appreciated most about this one was the focal shift from Rikuo to Shinako – both episodes have had an ensemble feeling to them, but Rikuo was clearly The Protagonist of the premiere. A second, slightly tweaked version of “convenience store worker waffles between two women” would have felt terribly self-indulgent, but pivoting to Shinako’s point of view made that a non-issue. There’s so much to process regarding her character, from the death of her teenage love, to her regret over Haru’s suspension, to her real feelings for Rikuo. Most crucially of all, though, we must ask ourselves: what’s the deep meaning behind her new haircut?

Before we get into any of that, there’s a new character who demands some discussion. His name is Rou, and as the little brother of Shinako’s former flame, he’s almost certainly got a crush on the cute older girl who used to come by and cook for Yuu (his older brother). You need look no further than his comically aggressive visit to Rikuo’s convenience store job to discern his motive for delivering her backstory (more on that in a bit). I don’t blame Rou for having fallen for Shinako, especially since his mom died when he was young – those meals must have meant a lot to him. Some other elements of his character are less understandable, though, particularly the safety pin he wears in his ear. Yesterday wo Utatte really wants us to identify him as the artsy member of the cast, I guess. The creative arrangement of desks that he was sketching in his scene with Shinako was certainly something to behold, but the setting was far more important; when all his classmates were outside celebrating their graduation, Rou opted to camp out in a vacant classroom and draw.

The loss of his older brother has clearly hurt Rou, and the same goes for Shinako, who lost her would-be lover to a heart condition at an impressionable age. Six years ago, on the night of his death, she stayed up and stared at the cherry tree in his yard until the sun rose. It’s not a coincidence, then, that she met Rikuo at a park packed with the same trees in this episode. Shinako volunteered that she “doesn’t like cherry blossoms that much, but they’re pretty,” which to my ears was a metaphor for her feelings about Rikuo. Even now, she’s consumed by her love for Rou’s older brother, so she can’t see herself with a new guy. Still, there’s something attractive about him in her mind – probably whatever part of him reminds her of Yuu. A link was established between both guys when Rikuo offered to walk her home during the cherry blossom scene; as Shinako watched his departing form, we got a POV flashback of her gazing at Yuu’s back. Put more simply, watching Rikuo walk ahead of her triggered a memory of Yuu doing the same. This isn’t proof of attraction by any means, but it does seem like the show is laying some preliminary groundwork.

Sorting through her romantic feelings wasn’t the only thing Shinako did in this episode, though. There was that classroom conversation with Rou, plus a party with her fellow teachers to celebrate having survived the school year. Then we have her saddened glimpse of her attendance book, where Haru’s name was crossed out due to her suspension. The two exchange plenty of words in this episode, with the younger girl “declaring war” on her former teacher (with Rikuo as the spoils). Hearing that Shinako isn’t interested, though, Haru reverts to genki girl mode and tells her that she doesn’t blame Shinako for what happened. I find it hard to believe that their truce will survive the series, though, or that the circumstances of Haru’s suspension were simple enough to sweep under the rug. Their meeting in episode 1 was defined by that incident, after all. Still, a cordial relationship between two love interests is a welcome development – let’s hope that when it eventually dissolves, the preceding drama will justify the ensuing fireworks.