I’m officially going back to the office this week. Only one day a week but it’s quickly going to go up to three. I’m not too thrilled about it and it’s going to make working on the blog a bit more difficult but I guess it will be nice to get a change of scenery.
I’m sure that once I get back into the routine of transit, makeup and high heels, it won’t bother me anymore but just for now, I’m going to be a big baby about it and pout. I wanna stay home and work in my PJs…
That is ok, working in PJs sounds so comfy and will, yeah I wouldn’t want to leave just being comfy and working at home for any reason at. That’s become such a social issue in the United States as offices open up again after everything that’s happened considering how effective that shake up was. Just take care of yourself. 🙂
I feel like I am always a bit strict towards myself when it comes to working on just being at home, but commutes are bothersome. Even when I don’t have much planned in the day, where I get up at this time so I can start up just to get in the practice of it and it’s not easy stuff. Being presentable is just hard…
Let’s talk about something more fun, how is Mecha March coming along Scott?
Oh, Mecha March has been doing pretty well. I’ve mostly be relaxing and not writing as many longer posts during this month of slower than usual views (it’s a historical thing), but this year has been pretty decent so far. Been getting some good reception from the posts I’ve written and I hope I have intrigued people a little more into the older world of anime because I think more people should check it out.
This year is also the first time that I’ve down like a March Madness sort of thing and the results of that have been interesting to be sure. I was certain that Evangelion would make it very far because it is Eva after all things, but TTGL has very interestingly and somewhat predictably squashed things more than I thought it would. Even in a bracket of popular mecha shows, it still did. Very fun and unpredictable.
The Sasaki and Miyano manga has been published since 2016 and there are a lot of chapters. I completely forgot how long it took them to get together. But I’ll touch on that a bit later.
First, I want to once again say that a delinquent café is such a great idea for a school festival. I’ve seen a lot of anime and school festivals are a very common staple. And I’ve seen many variations of those, from the traditional maid and butler cafés to every iteration of crossdressing, cosplay and even historical cafés. But I really can’t remember having seen a delinquent café before. Why not? It’s right there! It makes so much sense. Bad boy/girl café! I would totally visit that. In fact, it might be the only one I visit. I went to a maid café once and it was just embarrassing for everyone involved.
Ah I see, well I have been enjoying an even slower romance recently with Takagi San and it took them three seasons to “not date”. I suppose that is a romance thing.
I’m always in awe of your life experiences, Irina. You seem to do a lot of fun things. (it was definitely not fun) I really haven’t gone to any sort of themed cafe at all (unless we are talking about the Rainforest Cafe which is not the same thing) and I’m not sure if I would want too. Probably would go into a Bad person cafe without a hindrance though because that theme really can have anything happened to it.
I also want to spare a word of appreciation for Sasaki’s growth. It was a bit uneven and underplayed in the anime but it’s still there. He went from an unpleasantly jealous guy to someone that is specifically happy that he can support Miyano doing something he’s not thrilled about. He’s proud of himself for it and that’s a great sign. It’s also huge growth, and sadly a lot of characters (and some people) never get there.
I find it rather interesting to present characters with important flaws as long as the story doesn’t celebrate those flaws. Sasaki and Miyano has been pretty good about not villainizing Sasaki while making it clear that he has some work to do on himself in certain parts. And it’s super satisfying when you see progress like this!
I can’t help but be happy for Sasaki’s growth too. Especially since he is letting go of being possessive of Miyano with what you said. I mean, a good couple does form from people who trust each other and I feel like that trust is getting there. There is a lot less controlling in this episode as Sasaki does support Miyano to do his crossdress competition and eventually lose it. Great for him. I’m glad he’s getting somewhere.
What was interesting was seeing the other side of the equation with some of Miyano’s jealousy or wanting to hug or tough Sasaki at inappropriate times. Or getting jealous of seeing Sasaki with a girl he didn’t know was Sasaki’s sister at the time. But that never got anywhere because it was explained and not allowed to be ambiguous at all. I like it. The two are growing into what can be a couple if they want it to be.
But let’s go back to my first point.
Around the middle of the episode, when Miyano once again asks for more time, I thought to myself, well they are teasing us! And they are, the show is totally teasing the audience. That’s part of what romance shows do. The build-up is half the fun, if not more.
I thought about how you mentioned that you felt the show was dragging out the confession period for too long. And that was like 2 episodes ago so you might be really over it by now. And I understand. This entire season is going to be one long will they won’t they, when we all know they will.
BUT, even having said all that, I do think it makes sense thematically that Miyano is taking so much time. Actually, I sort of think it’s a good idea. The show may be teasing us but I don’t think Miyano is teasing Sasaki. What I never really thought about when I was reading the manga, for some reason, is just what Miyano’s answer would mean.
Miyano is straight. He has only ever liked girls before. Even reading BL, he’s never really been curious or questioning his own sexuality. Moreover, he’s just a teenager. These types of questions can be very intimidating at that age. Finally, let’s not be coy about it, he lives in a country where homosexuality is still not accepted.
It’s not outright illegal like in some nearby countries but it’s still seen as abnormal and not recognized in any official way. Japan is by no means the worst place in the world to be gay, but it’s certainly not as great as Canada or even the US.
As such, Miyano admitting he has feelings for Sasaki isn’t just the traditional romantic comedy climax, it means that he has to admit something to himself and those close to him that will change his life forever. It’s a really big deal. It’s a decision that some people take years to make and that’s just fine. So I like that he is taking this so seriously.
Am I reading too much into the show? Probably. But it’s a reading that makes sense to me and that I also like. It’s consistent with the characters and adds some depth to the story. So that’s my take.
Yeah, I’ve left that eh take at the romance taking a while behind a couple episode ago because of some of the slower romance seasons that I am currently watching and just that it felt kind of scummy perhaps. Or maybe it wasn’t and it was teasing, but I don’t mind that as much anymore as long as it fits the characters and that slow drip romance does work here because it is very character written and not just written to ignore the characterization present in all of this. It is slow, but that’s ok.
And Irina, I do think the world the author is writing a book or a mangaka is making their manga in counts a lot into what happens in that story. I keep thinking about how hard it would be for people to tell people their personal choices even in my State which is very liberal compared to most of the United States.
I know that Texas and Florida have passed some horrible bills recently and I am here in Western Washington that people expect to be some sort of liberal paradise because of Seattle culture, but there are a lot of backwards thinking people here who are louder because of that assumption and fact. In that environment, it’s hard enough to reveal one’s thoughts to people and yet Japan, while having an LGBT+ movement, it’s even worse.
So yeah, that tension does lay into the story a lot. I’m kind of surprised that Sasaki and Miyano have had so much support from Hirano and Kuresawa who can read in between the lines of what is going on while others aren’t as attuned or don’t think about the two as a couple because of the culture they are around. I suppose that would weigh a lot into Miyano figuring out that he might like Sasaki maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.
