I’m moving (still Kyoto, but better for commute) in three days. I’m exhausted, and swamped. Posts have to be a bit curtailed. But yeah, there are certain things I have to address after that one.
OK, first of all – yes, I do feel bad for Hina. Sucks to be her in this situation. But it most be said, unequivocally, she brought this on herself. She confessed to Taiki, knowing full well he was in love with someone else. She transparently did it hoping to confuse him (mission accomplished) and scotch his chances of confessing to Chinatsu. And she flat-out admits her that she enjoys messing with him and making him uncomfortable. Well – you make the bed, you lie in it. That’s how it works. None of this makes her a bad person but… that’s just how it is.
Next, Taiki – and I can’t stress this enough – did nothing wrong here. As I noted last week, he should have cut this off with Hina sooner. But – as she again basically admits here – she was doing everything in her power to keep him from doing so. In point of fact, he showed a lot of integrity – a quality Hina notes herself that she admires in him – in finally forcing the issue. It would have been easy to keep being strung along by Hina and left in limbo in the process. But Taiki did some growing up here. He realized how bad that was for both of them in the long run, and Hina is someone he genuinely cares about.
The next point is that there are two (well, three) very obvious reasons why this is really neither of their fault. First, the heart wants what it wants (as Emily Dickinson said). We don’t choose who we fall in love with, and we don’t choose that falling in love makes us do dumb things. Second, both Hina and Taiki are infants – 15 (him for sure). First-years in high school. Context is something they both lack when it comes to romance. She at least tries to mine some from shoujo manga, but I’m not sure if that makes things better or worse. The only thing they have at their disposal is trial and error. And sometimes they do emotionally level up, as Taiki did this week in being the adult in the room (well, gym).
It also must be noted that Ayame is absolutely awful. I’ll fight anyone on this, sorry. Her constant interference reminds me of a certain incredibly annoying mask-wearing character from Bokuyaba, except that Ayame isn’t utilized or written nearly as well. Hina’s pain this week is Ayamer’s fault, make no mistake about that. She just can’t butt the fuck out, and she thinks she knows best for everyone despite her own shambolic romantic life. It’s ironic, certainly, that her sabotage wound up making something positive happen. As brutal as this was for Hina, it’s better than the alternative. And Taiki, at least, no longer has to bear the uncertainty (though now he has to carry the guilt over making Hina cry).
So yeah, this was a brutal thing to watch play out and it was Ayame that caused it. But in the end it’s better that it happened than if it hadn’t. And the reason it’s better is because Taiki stepped up and did the right thing, showing some real maturity in the process. Good for him, and hopefully Hina can at least get some peace out of knowing she doesn’t have to carry on the ruse any longer (which I think she already knew, but didn’t have to admit). I expect the fan reaction to this episode to be a shitshow, but that is what it is. The heart wants what it wants, and today is the first day of the rest of these kids’ lives.
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