I’m not the sort of person who chooses #teams while watching love triangle plots, but after this pair of episodes, if you put a gun to my head, I’d pick Haru. She’s received much less screen time than Shinako, but that only makes scenes like her hug with Rikuo on the apartment landing more rewarding. Their contrasting heights and levels of enthusiasm made for a great shot, and their follow-up conversation was one of the best the show has orchestrated in weeks. Even if we still don’t really understand why Haru likes this dude so much, she’s straightforward about her feelings! She keeps stopping by his apartment because, in her words, it’s “more fun than waiting” for him to contact her or reciprocate her crush. She’s clingy, but she’s also way more honest than either Rikuo or Shinako, who keep dancing around each other like teenagers (ironically, Haru is the only teenager among the three of them).
Rikuo has everything handed to him in these episodes: the necklace from his coworker, an invitation to Fukuda’s Christmas party, and a surprise appearance from Shinako at said party – and that’s just episode 9. Fukuda’s wife rewrapping the necklace was a wingman move of the highest caliber, and it led indirectly to Shinako’s proposition that they pay a New Year’s shrine visit together. (Remember that her invitation was motivated by happiness at being the first girl to whom he’d given a present.) My irritation with the guy ends there, however, because his lack of forwardness during the scene in Shinako’s apartment was carefully considered. She’s given him multiple scoldings for his lack of assertiveness, but at this point it’s clear that she’s pushing herself into this relationship. Both her higher brain and her ovaries are saying it’s time to move on from her dead first love, but her heart isn’t in it. After all, she willingly agrees when Rikuo offers to leave for the night, despite a sexually-charged moment passing between them.
I scribbled a note after watching episode 9 that “Shinako needs to get laid,” mostly in response to the way she skittered out of Rou’s apartment after his flirty comment during the portrait scene. Was that a crass way of viewing her situation? Probably, but it’s undeniable that she’s got needs that aren’t being met. She was considering the idea of getting freaky with her former student as he sketched her picture, despite having repaired a platonic relationship with him only days beforehand. She’s invited Rikuo up to her apartment twice now, and failed to pull the trigger on initiating sexual contact both times. It feels a bit strange to be discussing this in such stark terms, since 90% of TV anime is sexless, but what Shinako needs is physical intimacy. That’s not what her character truly wants, though, and the tension between those points is what makes her story interesting. I’m assuming that she’ll eventually sleep with one of the two guys who are currently pining after her, as it’s the logical next step in her arc. That said, the show needs to explore the interplay between her physical and emotional needs in the wake of that event. If it doesn’t, this whole thing will have been a waste of time and talent.
While Shinako has been getting all this traditional ‘will they won’t they’ material, Haru has been dropped into much more subdued scenes. I doubt that her conversations at Milk Hall have lit anyone’s world on fire, but they’ve helped to ground her character quite a bit. She started this pair of episodes by rolling around on her bed, a pillow clutched to her chest, crying about how badly she wanted to see Rikuo. After consulting with her boss about the politics of unrequited love, however, she’s turned the corner onto Openness Avenue. That extends even beyond her romantic life, as we got to see her go home for the new year and chat with her mom’s new boyfriend. Despite her historical family troubles (more details about that, please), she’s making a conscious effort to connect with people she cares about. Contrast this with Shinako, who canceled her plans to visit her family so she could maybe go on a date with a guy she might like.
At this point I guess it’s fair to say I’m #TeamHaru (gun to my head and all that), which is why episode 10’s final scene made me nervous. I saw a piece of speculation about the origins of that thumping sound which I’m pretty sure was a spoiler, so I don’t want to repeat it here. If internet commenter #62904 was correct, though, that thump could be the gateway to a decidedly non-romantic story, which I’d welcome with open arms. There are still eight episodes to go in this show’s run, and I’m hoping it’ll visit a few different arenas before throwing itself into the relationshippy gladiator fight waiting at the end.
I know people will complain about the protaganist’s immaturity or teenager-y-ness despite him being in his 20s, but I think that feels like the point, you think you’re an adult in your early 20s, but you aren’t really until your mid/late 20s.
You’re right, which is why Yesterday wo Utatte views both Rikuo’s successes and failures with fondness. I just wish the consequences of his mistakes were more evident, rather than getting passed over in favor of another scene with one of his two beautiful love interests.
For me Haru has actually been by far the least interesting character so far. All of the other characters have interesting struggles I can relate to: Rikuo’s doubts about what to do with his life, Shinako being held hostage by a romanticized past while desiring to move on from it, and even Rou’s concerns (though they aren’t at the center of his arc) about whether he’s doing art just because he’s relatively good at it and isn’t sure what else he could do – they’re all very relatable. But Haru has so far been a bit too much of a manic pixie dream girl, guiding the MC in a positive direction when he’s struggling but not really having an arc of her own. There is plenty of potential for that, though – from her complicated family situation to why she became so obsessed with Rikuo in the first place – so hopefully the series will remedy that.
By the way, I don’t think you are being entirely fair to Shinako in your review: framing her decision to go on a date with Rikuo instead of going back home as a negative seems rather unfair given how big of a step this is for her in terms of moving on from her past. Yes, her progress is slow, but I personally don’t think just “getting laid” would solve this situation. Sure, she needs intimacy, but it should be intimacy that she’s comfortable with, and that takes time.
I’ve seen the MPDG criticism lobbed at Haru and this show since it started, and while I don’t dispute it, the lack of detail surrounding her character seems intentional. The show is purposely withholding info about her, e.g. what made her drop out of high school. I’ve included a plea to learn more about her in most of the Yesterday posts I’ve written so far, but at this point, I’ll take those details whenever they arrive. (If they never do, their absence will be first on my list of criticisms in the series review.)
The comparison between Haru going home for New Year’s and Shinako hanging out with Rikuo was unfair, yeah. They’re independent beings, so they’re not accurate measuring sticks for each other’s lives. But we’re not on the same page where Shinako’s big dilemma is concerned. I don’t think that sexual contact will “solve her situation” – on the contrary, it will likely exacerbate her feelings of guilt about Yuu. Nevertheless, that’s what’s needed to drive the story forward, since the alternative is half a dozen more episodes of botched attempts at intimacy. And it’s what Shinako needs, as well. She should push herself to move on, and whatever feelings she has about Yuu/Rikuo/herself will be thrown into sharp relief, where she can grapple with them painfully and honestly.
Hmm … maybe the main difference between us is just that I’m less pessimistic about the progress Shinako has made so far: she has dithered and drifted for most of the series, no doubt about that, held back by a tragic but romanticized past that keeps her from moving forward, but in the last few episodes I think she has made significant progress. She has made it clear that she really does want to move forward, and has taken the initiative to do just that several times now: pushing Rikuo to be more assertive, reaching out to him on Christmas, going on a New Year’s Date with him, reflecting on her respective feelings for Yuu and Rikuo, and even inviting the latter to become more intimate with her. So I think she’s doing pretty well, and though her current arc should no doubt lead to her further intimacy, in the short term, I don’t think sex is all that important to her development. Indeed, you could argue that Rikuo is currently the more hesitant of the two, both because he’s afraid of being rejected again and (perhaps) still a bit insecure about his future and general life circumstances, and because of the whole Haru situation.
As for Haru: I guess this is a “glass half full/half empty” situation. I agree she has plenty of potential, and if that potential will be fulfilled I’m sure my opinion of her will improve considerably. I just don’t think she’s particularly interesting now.
My main gripe with Haru is that in her mind, Rikuo’s feelings dont factor into the equation at all.
She has a worldview that centres around herself and only herself, a sign of teenage bullheadedness and selfishness that I myself experienced back in my late teens. I was at a point of time where my actions had adult consequences, but my emotional awareness hadn’t matured enough to see them. To Haru, Rikuo’s happiness and comfort don’t factor in at all. Its all about what makes her happy, and leaving him alone does not – by default she chooses to go out of her way to see him again despite numerous attempts by Rikuo to let her down. The same applies to Rou, he doesn’t know Shinako the way Rikuo does because he views as a rite of passage. Its linked to his trauma from his brother’s death for sure, but it doesn’t excuse him reducing her to a “badge” of succession.
We have 2 depressed adults whose uneventful lives were going to inevitably lead them to a lonely future. Here, they finally have an emotional connection, and an opportunity to move on from their traumas but we have teenagers who refuse to take a hint – consequences be damned.
I feel bad for her (and Rou as well), I really do – but I cant see her and Rikuo working till she learns that Rikuo is a whole person with a life, desires, wants and feelings. Maybe thats the point the author is making. That a few years age difference between the late teens/early twenties is a gulf of a difference when it comes to the impulsiveness of youth.