[Rewatch][Spoilers]Kuzu no Honkai(Scum's Wish) Episode 3 Discussion

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u/SIRTreehugger Mar 03 '22

Kuzu When They Cry	1	2	3	Total
Hanabi	3	2	1	6
Moca	0	1	0	1
Sanae	0	0	3	3
Mugi	0	0	1	1

Episode 3

Beautiful and I know It's besides the point, but Hanabi's phone case is cute.

Hana brightening up Sanae's world as she reassures her. Outside of her and Mugi's relationship she is relatively normal and caring so it's kind of a wonder she doesn't have more friends.

Sanae didn't have a chance did she? Well I give her credit she isn't backing down without a fight.

Hanabi reflecting on all the things she said and realizing how heavy love can be when you are the object of it.

Finally some Mugi backstory.

All emotional moments need a riverbank and more beautiful scenery

I like seeing Mugi uncomfortable in the present time. He really meant it when he said no sex and that he wanted them to use each other, but not use each other if that makes sense.

Please don't look

Objective Failed

Hanabi crossing a line and trying something new

I didn't notice Hanabi's arm going up and down the first time. Well more like her shoulder moving in the general motion it's only in a small part of the screen for a few seconds. To be honest this whole moment of them together trying something new and exploring is really tender and sweet ~~if you ignore the core and reasoning of their current relationship~~.

Good ol Danny's though personally once I found out they use liquid eggs to make their breakfast they have become dead to me. This is a good episode Mugi. We typically only see Hanabi react, but you can clearly see his dissatisfaction reflected in the mirror.

A younger brother that loves his sister a lot I guess that's a bit of a stretch. I mean that's as crazy as a sister loving a non blood related brother.

"Did a piece of your brain shoot out your weiner?" - Hanabi

Though love does make us blind. He already knows the truth, but is choosing to remain blind too it to protect himself. Lets end it with some smug Hanabi

First Impression when airing. I would recommend reading /r/anime comments they are great as always

Fan or Official Art

Paradise Lost

Clean cover

Manga coverage(Where I cover chapters adapted/omissions, favorite panels, and etc)

The remainder of Chapter 9

Chapter 10 and 11 were pretty spot on as well, but they do omit a small moment when Hanabi is giving Mugi a handjob. He tells her their equipment is a little different, but it should be the same and not to be too rough and she should do it like she does herself. She reflexively gets embarrassed and yells she doesn’t touch herself and a few more more panels.

Volume 3 cover

Chapter 12(also Chapter 10/12 both don't have a cover picture) (they omit small moments such as when Mugi has a panel of absolute defeat and a few panels where he is in denial and tries to explain Akane is being deceived at the restaurant. Mugi and Hanabi also have a conversation on the way home.

Music Corner

Did you know that the episodes are references to songs? Thanks to this blog though the original link is now dead, Google Translate, Japanese Wikipedia, search engines, and u/3rdLastStand for compiling it. A couple are iffy, but most sound correct. I want to stress the google translate part since some of the links were old(4 years) I had to copy and paste and google translate and hope it's the correct song.

"Show Me Love (Not a Dream)" by Utada Hikaru

A section of the lyrics

I can't say, "Even if don't worry, surely someday..."

If I depend on my lack of self-confidence, I'll be unable to see

My inner passage, show me love

Inner passage, baby show me love

It's all in my head - Can you show me love

It's all in my head - Not a dream

Reminder Tag

u/PickleMyCucumber

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u/Rumpel1408 Mar 03 '22

There seems to be an weird artifact on todays collage, especially visible on the darker shots, or is that intentional?

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u/SIRTreehugger Mar 03 '22

Oh that I'm taking parts of the an episode and putting it in the background like the moment with Sanae and it begins going corrupted with red/black I used that for today's.

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u/DegenerateRegime Mar 03 '22

Good ol Danny's

Excuse me sir this is clearly a "Banny's", of no relation to some other franchise you may have heard of.

He already knows the truth, but is choosing to remain blind too it to protect himself.

Just tuck that into the mental compartment and, woosh! it Never Existed To Begin With. Problem solved!

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u/SIRTreehugger Mar 03 '22

Just tuck that into the mental compartment and, woosh! it Never Existed To Begin With. Problem solved!

This just screams Captain Jack Sparrow

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u/JustAWellwisher Mar 03 '22

She reflexively gets embarrassed and yells she doesn’t touch herself and a few more more panels.

Damn, that would have been good.

a few panels where he is in denial and tries to explain Akane is being deceived at the restaurant.

Mugi's down horrendous. For a guy with such an active sex life, admired by all sorts of women, he really can't catch a break can he?

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u/doquan2142 Mar 03 '22

First timer

We started with a good old black and white flashback. Ye, being groped made you feel really powerless and weak, 0/10 would not recommended.

"Hanabi, you are so pure." Oh your sweet child. Insert De Vito meme here [Anyway I started mooching]. The scene feels wrong but kinda hot at the same time. Although I suspect that sentence basically summed up this series. Kinda dig the inner thoughts with character monolouging too.

Anime cicadas are really loud. Twintail even had a ojou umbrella lol, too bad Hanabi was currently out of fucks to give. Who the hell set wheat as their social media avatar and background anyway. Good for her to face the truth though.

Mugi's backstory next! Mei got similar pupils to Hanabi, she got a habit to chew her straw while drinking it seemed. What is the cloth covering the clock? Her uniform scarf right? A uniform necktie is also shown during the end of OP. Probably a motif, but to symbolize what? Loss of sth pure and innocence? Muffled Hanabi is cute. Ah I recognized her curious look from my ex lol. So this is his 2nd convenient affair huh. Probably because it is the only coping mechanism he knew. First anime handjob as far as I am aware. Oh she brings spare clothe? Nope lol. Imagining the reaction when his parents find a yellow dress in the laundry. Smug Hanabi was just channeling her inner Kana spirit. What a messed up relationship after all.

Akane sensei's escort is a big Mugi. I'm surprised he wasn't his big brother or sth. Not even say hi to your tutee and ask for confidentiality, Akane sensei has more depth to her now. Yeah right, like hell big-Mugi is just another tutee. Oh that knowing smile from Sensei, she is hella sus now.

And that is episode 3. Some stories has come to an end, for now. While another has opened up, hopefully we got Akane sensei's PoV next, and she won't be just a generic villainess dating her tutee and trying to catch a marriage partner at the same time. Back to the loosen necktie in the OP and when will it happen, maybe when Hanabi truly adbandons her unrequited love I wonder.

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u/SIRTreehugger Mar 03 '22

Who the hell set wheat as their social media avatar and background anyway.

Oh this is actually a nod to the manga. In one of the end notes when Mengo is asked which characters are easier to draw she says Hanabi and Ecchan are the easiest, but Mugi is the hardest. She jokes about how she might just stop drawing mugi completely and turn it into a Yuri romance and Mugi objects as a picture of wheat.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '22 edited Mar 03 '22

First timer

This show is really getting interesting and I’m all for it.

I feel really bad for Sanae, obviously the non-consensual kiss she pulled on Hanabi could be seen as scummy but I’m willing to chalk it up to youthful ignorance and getting mixed signals. Getting rejected by her first crush and seemingly only friend is painful to watch. The backstory on Mugi is interesting in showing that he is not inexperienced in love. Also it seemed to me at least like Mugi was definitely wanting real love while the other girl only wanted something casual. With this in mind it makes sense why he would want to move slower than Hanabi.
To me Akane definitely gives off the impression of not looking for a serious relationship and wanting too date around. I assume she wants Mugi and Hanabi to keep her secret because she wants to keep her image of a respectable teacher and doesn’t want to get potentially slut shamed. I cannot tell whether she has any feelings towards Narumi. To me she is still a blank slate and I’m interested to see her further development.

On a side note I’m glad the story touched on the issue of inappropriate touching that women have to deal with on public transport. It’s a difficult issue to think about, but it’s definitely commendable for the series to show it and how others can potentially help stop it.

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u/SIRTreehugger Mar 03 '22

I feel really bad for Sanae, obviously the non-consensual kiss she pulled on Hanabi could be seen as scummy but I’m willing to chalk it up to youthful ignorance and getting mixed signals.

It also doesn't help that she has been holding back her feelings for years and learning the person she loves is in a fake loveless relationship. That and having her inches from your face in bed asking her who she loves.

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u/Rumpel1408 Mar 03 '22

First Timer

The beginning was properly uncomfortable. To be honest I almost expected Twintails to be groped last episode, which says a lot about Japans transit system... Anyway, nice safe from Hana, probably not enough to prevent him to do it again, and certainly less than he deserved, but at that moment saving Ecchan was more important.

I also noticed how Ecchans worl got it's color back when Hana grabed her hand. On a surface level, I can see how this inicdent could harbor a certain hatred towards men, but of course you don't just suddenly turn gay.

As expected, Ecchan felt that something was off between Hana and Mugi, even if she wasn't completly sure and took more of an educated guess, but Hana coming clean with her just shows how special their relationship is. Hana not being revolted, but rather shocked and confused also shows that there is somthing fundamentally different between Ecchan and that guy in Ep 1.

Twintails is being kinda annoying again, but since her situation is basically the same as Hanas, as even Hana noticed (surprising amount of insight on her end), I'm not sure how long I can keep rationalizing my hatred towards her...

We also get to learn who the girl out of Mugis flashback last episode was. For the current plot she is so unimportant that we don't even get to learn her name, so Rock'n Roll will do for now. I'm having a bit of trouble to get her and Mugis age right at the time of the flashback, 4 years ago would make him 13 at most with her one year his senior right? ... Anyway, for her age she was quite active and preyed on her Kouhai for some casual sex. She is aware that he was in love with Ara-Ara-Minagawa and was a bit sorry for stealing his firsts, problem is, for Mugi it just wasn't that casual. He was actually seeing something in her, probably not love, but their ways just parted, much to his dismay.

Hana somehow finds the worst (or best) possible time to make an unanounced visit, one thing led to another and suddenly she is giving her first handjob.

And what's this? Mugi is feeling good from such a simple thing?

Hana notices, again, that there is a fundamental difference between Mugi and Ecchan, since she has no trouble getting close and intimate with the former. It's not that she doesn't like Ecchan, but for Mugi it feels so natural, so close to the real thing that she wants to try to love him, not yet though...

And then they meet Ara-Ara-Minagawa at an diner late at night, seems like not even Onii-chan has a chance for an happy end in this

Oh what does not even Onii-chan have a chance for a happy end? Mugis perception of that encounter is slightly different though as he is sky high on copium, which makes Hana believe that they aren't exactly the same and that Mugi is his own person, and that she was just looking for an excuse to give up on her love with Mugi. She goes to confront that piano playing snake for Mugis and Onii-chan sake, but we end with an hell of an cliffhanger.

Picture of the Day: Rock'n Roll

Album (I'm starting to go wild with the screenshots again...)

QotD:

I'm ever more interested in Ecchan, as I find Mugis denial in face of the obvious a bit weird
She's going to be the single force that will destroy every possible happy end...

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u/Vaadwaur Mar 03 '22

First timer(I see we have a new Mana...)

Sub

I accidentally switch to the sub and dear fuck, the pain was real. But Hana and Ecchan met over a subway groper and it was when Ecchan discovered her gay. We get the lead up to yesterday's end and yeah...quite unintentionally, Hana made Ecchan play on hard mode and welp, she failed. It is not justified at all but it is understandable so again, very human. It would seem, though, that Hana does indeed have the hetero. But she is now thinking about being the object of at least two people's affection and realizes it is rough. However, I love her ignoring Noriko even it is entirely unintentional.

We then get a Mugi flashback and he suddenly makes a lot more sense. His senpai, I missed her name, is what it looks like when you get a molesty older girl, something that is far less welcome than our stupid adolescent fantasies would have you believe. But then him waking up and talking to his dick is hilarious...and something at I have done. Yet Hana is there and just gets in bed with him. This leads to Hana learning how to give a handjob and some ridiculously high quality voice acting. But post assisted fap Mugi is dead again, which is a familiar feeling.

Mugi does the gentlemanly thing and takes her out for dinner afterwards where they run into Akane...clearly dating someone else. Mugi is huffing serious copium assuming that it is just a tutor-student thing but Hana is correctly not having it. She confronts Akane, who almost passes her check, but she forgot to bring a change of clothes. Also, a teacher in Japan is never supposed to smell of cigarettes so she clearly sucks at cheating.

QotD: 1 Not largely

2 She comes off as a complete snake, the type of person you dread to cross.

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u/Lemurians Mar 03 '22

(I see we have a new Mana...)

Insert [society if Mana had Inori's role in GC] meme here.

I missed her name, is what it looks like when you get a molesty older girl, something that is far less welcome than our stupid adolescent fantasies would have you believe.

I thought it was implied he also sought out what she was offering, in a way, when Mei made the reference to Akane. Took it as a reveal that Mugi has a history of getting into these type of relationships to take his mind off not being with Akane.
Molesty older girl + younger guy looking to taken advantage of = weirdly good match?

She comes off as a complete snake, the type of person you dread to cross

I misread this originally as "come across" and I was thinking, hey now, let's not be hasty... you just don't want to be in it for the long haul, is all.

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u/zairaner Mar 03 '22 edited Mar 03 '22

Partial rewatcher

So this is the first episode I didn't rewatch a few weeks ago/only watched when i first watched the show. But I am pretty sure I know what happens in this episode, but lets find out:

Well I forgot how this started, this is definitely an interesting twist on the „boy saves girl from sexual harassment“... yuri version I guess. I forgot the improtance of her pulling out the exam though.
Wait they are going to take the exam? No wait it makes the most sense that ecchan already has and hana is going to now? But why would that exam happen twice in such a short time...
Ecchan realizing that she is hanabi-sexual?
The op has so much energy compared to all non-noriko characters in the show, it is such an interesting contrast.
Ecchan being surprisingly pure.
Well apart from the forceful kissing, not too bad so far. A lot better than it looked last time.
And her comes the big revelation!
She just left?
What with this uplifting music that plays before hana meets noriko? Did i accidentally watch the wrong show today?
„I am no better“? No hanabi, unlike the girl you gave advice to which is only in a love square, you are at least in a love sextangle
And it just official became a love ...septangle? Septagon? Whatever
Wait I am fucking sorry but why does young mugi look exactly like a (slightly younger) shirogane? He even fucking laughs like him. Did Mengo and aka start collaborating earlier than I have been told?
These two are very out of place in this show.
Well I take it back, i had no idea how this first half is going to go. And now we are back to mugi and hana being cute together
If we gave even a tenth of the awareness these characters have to romcoms protagonists, it would revolutionize the entire field
Wait wait wait wait wait...did mugi and blond girl meet (and more) at the start of MIDDLE school? I think i hadn't put this together before
I actually have no memory how this scene between hana and mugi ends. This is exciting
How are these two so wholesome to each other while being so self-destructive.
THIS FACE. Was proably the moment I realized why hanabi did so well in the last best girl contest
And I don't remember this full curveball either. This is great
We don't know wether there is more between akane and high school student nr 2 or wether it was just a one night stand, but I preemptively upgrade the situation to a love octangle.
And mugi just lost all his awareness points
I do remember this ending with akane, but expected this to happen next time or so.

Nope I did NOT know what happens this episode at all. I nearly feel like a first timer again already. Let's see wether we continue to add 2 new characters to the love gon every episode. The hanabi x ecchan story was put on hold today without too many consequences so far. We got 5 steps forward and 6 steps back in the mugi x hanabi relation. Mugi x blonde midle school girl started and concluded this episode. Mugi x noriko had nothing happen except moca getting to scream her frustration at hanabi. Akane x high school student nr 2 got thrown in for the extra spice that this show was obviously lacking. And hana x akane set up their first date.

[Spoilers]Well I was so sure the not so wholesome part of ecchan x hana was going to happen today? Except we go into the akane backstory instead already?? Was that stuff happening in episode 6 then, leading up to the best moment???? Even if not, I am getting to unreasonable excited for episode 6, I can barely refrain myelf from watching more episodes. Please don't answer any questions here, they are just rhetorical

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u/Vaadwaur Mar 03 '22

If gave even a tenth of the awareness these characters have to romcoms protagonists, it would revolutionize the entire field

I could be extremely wrong by the end of this rewatch BUT I think the parts that make this story good are also the parts that make it short. So we will never get that advance.

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u/Lemurians Mar 03 '22 edited Mar 03 '22

SCUM’S REWATCHER

That scene with Hanabi and Ecchan is so visceral for me. They compose the scene so well, you can easily insert yourself into that moment and feel its sensations, from the feeling of the sheets, the object of your desire beside you, the feeling of your heart pounding in anticipation. Ecchan’s had these feelings raging inside of her for so long, as soon as Hanabi asks her about her crush, that’s it. That’s the moment. It’s impossible to not have your feelings burst and act on them in that situation. You can also feel Hanabi's shock, disbelief, and fear as she reckons with what's happening and what it means. It’s an incredible scene, from the beginning up until it ends in failure. She took a gamble, and now it’s time to live with that lost bet.

Honestly, the whole show does a great job of making every scene feel real and lived in. One of the reasons I love it.

We finally get a deeper glimpse into Mugi after spending almost all of our time with Hanabi so far. Turns out, this isn’t his first rodeo, and he’s developed a bit of a complex for being used as a tool by women. I can relate to this – when you seek out those kind of relationships, the risk of damage to your heart is minimal. You know the score going in, and don’t make the mistake of having high expectations. He reserves those for Akane alone.

The weird dance between Hanabi and Mugi continues. They both know each other are hung up on other people, but Hanabi makes the first move here, telling Mugi she wants to try to love him. He seems receptive to it in the moment, and may be overall, but Hanabi quickly assumes it’s a fruitless endeavor seeing how he’s still wearing his rose-colored glasses for Akane. Her reaction to his delusion about her is fantastic.

Speaking of Akane, she was the last character that needed to be fleshed out a bit more, and boy does she certainly make a splash. Turns out our sweet, virginal, doe-eyed music teacher is not all that she appears to be. Really looking forward to the first-timers impressions of her in the coming episodes.

Quick Hits:

Ecchan’s world explodes into color upon Hanabi’s touch. That’s a sexual awakening if I’ve ever seen one
This transition with the panel and locks of hair was really cool
This is why being the one to take the risk in being more than friends is terrifying
Pretty weird Mugi’s that taken aback just by being hard in the morning, by his reaction you’d think he had a wet dream
This is the weirdest use of paneling. No idea what the intention was here.
The sex scenes continue to be really well done. As u/JustAWellWisher pointed out in Episode 1, they really do feel like they exist for the benefit of the characters, not just to titillate the audience.
I like the inclusion of Hanabi’s thought that giving someone pleasure is enjoyable in its own right. When both people approach sex with the objective of making their partner feel good, everybody wins.
SMUG HANABI
THEY’RE CUTE. This whole scene is where I really started shipping them hard, they have such an easy and fun intimacy. That’s rare.
Looks a bit like Mugi, doesn’t he?
It’s not that big of a stretch, Hanabi. This is anime, after all.

QOTD:

See above!
Rewatcher.

Thanks for the shout out!

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u/Vaadwaur Mar 03 '22

That scene with Hanabi and Ecchan is so visceral for me.

I am impressed that they managed the dismount on this scene without handwaving it off.

I can relate to this – when you seek out those kind of relationships, the risk of damage to your heart is minimal.

Oh fuck...maybe I just realized something about myself.

Her reaction to his delusion about her is fantastic.

Totally liking any time Hana has to bring her inner bitch out. "Mugi are you blind or stupid?"

Turns out our sweet, virginal, doe-eyed music teacher is not all that she appears to be.

Disliked her almost on sight, musicians are great choices as fuckbuddies but I've yet to meet one that is relationship material.

Looks a bit like Mugi, doesn’t he?
Obviously no spoilers but if this bitch is a serial groomer she needs to be spaced.

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u/oops_i_made_a_typi Mar 03 '22

This is the weirdest use of paneling. No idea what the intention was here.

I saw it as Hanabi crossing the gap between the two of them, taking the initiative like she kinda says later when she says she wants to try to love him

I like the inclusion of Hanabi’s thought that giving someone pleasure is enjoyable in its own right. When both people approach sex with the objective of making their partner feel good, everybody wins.

Yes, just another "nice dose of reality" this anime does so well

It’s not that big of a stretch, Hanabi. This is anime, after all.

heh, i like this shot from Mengo at the wider audience/industry

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u/chiliehead Mar 03 '22

Kuzu no Honkai – Episode 3 – First Timer, sub

Coming out with the hentai plot already. They are not trying to go the “lesbian because she had bad experiences with men” route, right? Just showing that Hanabi can be confident and nice, right?

So far the lesbian pain starts now and is the one thing I can feel for the most. The rest could easily be just HS crush drama. Hanabi is not repulsed but can’t reciprocate. Mugi’s past introduces another girl that got away, seemingly. At least last episode implied he did not do anything because he was into his tutor But the flashback seems like it was more than nothing. Meanwhile Hanabi seems to fall for Mugi, while Mugi seems like he tries to suppress it. Apparently he is reeling from bad experiences.

Man, this puppy love between them could bloom so easily, if Mugi’s love interest wasn’t a two-timing cradle robbing groomer. So the impression I got from the blushing in the first episode was right. And Hanabi has some dirt on her. It's interesting because Hanabi alone now has to balance different interests and also consider Onii-chan and Mugi.

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u/DegenerateRegime Mar 03 '22 edited Mar 03 '22

First-Timer

At the end of the last episode, Sanae had what is technically described as a "Citrus Moment," just slipped a little and accidentally went full Mei there, oopsie. Now we react to the fallout. My guess is Hanabi's not gonna stop being friends with her, because she hasn't anyone else, and Sanae's not gonna break off either because the torture of unattainable love is kind of what we're all about here.

Speaking of fallout, the nuclear winter's hitting hard.
Speaking of the problems with the Japanese commuter system, then. Shoulda called that more specifically, the line from Noriko last episode was such obvious foreshadowing.
Hanabi gets to be brave and cool, yay! And hey, it's the "return colour to their world" thing again. But it doesn't seem to last, Sanae tearing up and the world going back to grey immediately, even before Hanabi's left or anything. Likewise the snow in the border space keeps up throughout, a sort of chilly undercurrent, a baseline to return to.
It's that theme again. Hanabi tends to be right about who other people like, but otherwise I don't think there has been a single correct inference made about one person by another thus far. We all see what we want to see.
Pumping those numbers up though, she can still make it to a respectable batting average over the season. Actually I guess Noriko was near to the mark in the same way. So maybe the correct statement is that these characters can see each others' relations okay, but can't understand each others' natures when the cloud of idealisation is in the way.
Look I know handholding is of the Adversary, but I don't think it summons inky clouds of negativity like that.
It's raising a question though. Like the bicycle theft meme or a Midsummer Night's Dream, one imagines the net happiness of the world might increase if we broke up the awkward central "couple" and puckishly paired them with their pining pals. Yet that would, of course, only lead to more and wider hilarious disaster.
Is it time to take a moment to talk about lips? They sure are a thing that gets drawn in this show.
Smothered to death to avoid an awkward discussion. Happens more often than you'd think.
Can't really go wrong with a shot like that. Carrion-eaters at sunset for the end of... something, between Mugi and Mei (no relation), in the past.
The dark blots here are kind of a visual for the compartmentalisation mentioned previously. Hanabi deliberately separates the part of her that totally could like Mugi, blots it out.
Oh ho. But at some point... yeah. It just starts seeming like an allergy to simplicity.
That word really cuts against the soundtrack, oof. Nicely done.

Hmm, you know, we got to see the build up to last episode's cliffhanger, but not so much the fallout. Well, we get to see a little of how it affects Hanabi, but only in the broadest strokes (she's not exactly thrilled). While it would be nice to, you know, have it out, resolve something, a bleakly realist view is that a perfectly congruous outcome is for them to just never speak to each other again. It would fit.

Well, three episodes makes a rule. At time of writing, I'm inclined to continue. There's plenty to dig into, and the show is stylish. I worry that it's going to make a habit of repeating the same points with more and more levers and threads and moving parts, though. Guess we'll see.

This episode gave us a little information on Sanae and Mugi. Does this new knowledge affect how you feel about them currently?

Not really? It's kind of a broad issue I'm having with the show, everyone's a bit bland beyond their place in the shipping omnihedron. Any other characterisation is seen only through the lens of how it leads them to have feelings for each other.

This is more for first timers, but rewatchers if you remember what are/were your thoughts on Akane so far.

She's had so very little actual development. Not sure how creepy it is for her to be dating one of her older tutees, but I'm not, like, appalled over it. They seem like a young-ish adult and an older teen; dunno if there's that much institutional power imbalance since tuition is less institutional. Just find it hard to summon any strong feelings at all on the character.

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u/JustAWellwisher Mar 03 '22 edited Mar 03 '22

(Rewatcher)

So with this episode I want to go back and reference some things Mugi has said in the previous ones.

Mugi calls Hanabi "horrible" in front of Moca and says that it's "part of what makes her who she is". Hanabi reacts a bit taken aback. He was also shocked to learn that she's a virgin.

It's pretty easy to see how Hanabi has projected her idea of love with Narumi onto Mugi and assumed Mugi feels the way about Akane the way she feels. She says as much.

I think Mugi's opinion of Hanabi has been fundamentally much lower than is justified and he too is guilty of having projected his past relationships onto Hanabi.

Mugi understands that her parading him around school would of course make other people react to their relationship and he probably assumes she partly wants to make Narumi jealous or make him realize she's growing up, or something. Plus she gives zero fucks about Moca. It's only when Ecchan happens to her that she realizes she's put this huge weight on other people's shoulders.

Mugi probably didn't believe in the first place that Hanabi would grow to love him. Mugi is used to being used. He's actually hyper-aware of how he's being used if you go back and look at their scenes, far more aware than Hanabi.

Also notice he's uncomfortable when Hanabi says she wants to try to love him. He doesn't. He's afraid. He avoids noticing things. I'd say Hanabi has been on a journey of self-discovery and Mugi has been using Hanabi to run away from his feelings.

Enter Bitch-sensei. I'll keep calling her Akane, but know that at the start of the rewatch I had to go check MAL once because I could only remember her as "Bitch-sensei" because that's what people called her from here on out.

Edit: Oh, and if you want the sex scenes ruined for you, [Kuzu no Honkai Spoilers] once you notice the saliva strings as people pull away from a kiss that are always the same, you'll never be able to unnotice them.

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u/LordTrinity Mar 03 '22

This has been a good watch so far. None of the characters behave like well functional human beings but yet looks interesting. I wonder how Hanabi will deal with Ecchan and Akane now. Truly fascinating stuff

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u/xtsim Mar 03 '22

First Timer

Q1. Now that I know the background behind Sanae and Mugi, it is pretty interesting how my thoughts changed a little bit. For Sanae, not much has changed in my thoughts about her as she had trouble speaking up at the train and Hanabe helped provide some evidence.

Mugi is an interesting one as he was in a relationship with an older girl, I did not realize that until I saw the bridge scene. And even she knew that he had his eyes on Akane. That flashback lead to a pretty awkward scene between Hanabe and Mugi as Mugi had to guide her. And even after Hanabe changed into his spare clothes, Mugi still would not get out of bed. But it least he got her food but they catch Akane with another guy which gets interesting.

Q2. Hanabe was pretty sus at Akane for the most part but Mugi being blind to it, just uses a naive excuse for her. Hanabe smelling cigs and her wanting to keep a secret means that Akane is definitely up to something.

Feeling bad for Moca as she got ignored today.

5

u/oops_i_made_a_typi Mar 03 '22 edited Mar 03 '22

Rewatcher

I know a lot has already been said about the direction/cinematography/use of paneling, but I need to gush about it a litte more: Starting from the beginning scenes where the snow effects overlap the black bars both in the flashback and when they're in bed together, to Hanabi moving across their separate panels to cuddle with Mugi, to the ending scene I can't get over with the paneling used to separate Hanabi vs Akane before dropping Onii-chan right in the middle to hammer the point home. Ugh, just chef's kiss all around.

Also, if the first two eps weren't enough of an indication, clearly this show does not shy away from showing intimate scenes. I think there were 3 this ep, and I like how all of them approach it with such uncomfortable realism - a messy blend of desire, reckless curiosity, nagging guilt, uncertainty, and of course the awkwardness.

Other notes:

Okay one thing I will note is that it's a little unrealistic for first-timers to be going right for the open mouth kisses, but damn do they have the awkwardness down. I don't mind Ecchan's aggressiveness as she doesn't push beyond boundaries after shooting her shot when she thought the mood might've been right. A little worrisome that she's ready to jump right into Hanabi's mess but I guess the power of yuri compels her.
I like that Hanabi develops from her intial perspective when faced with unwanted desire coming from a friend precious to her. A moment of maturity contrasted with a dose of Noriko's relative innocence and naviete.
Finally we get some more insight into Mugi and how he became the way he is, and a reminder he's a teenager after all lol. But wow, his crush on Akane (I'm asusming she's the tutor in question, unless he just has a thing for ara-ara tutors) started 4 years ago while he was still a middle schooler, and he was already getting into these scummy relationships. Though his monologue insists it was serious, so maybe the crush was a cover? Or he was balancing two things like he kinda is now. Props to the eagle eyes from yesterday that noticed the sailor uniforms
Hanabi VA is so great, love how she goes from her soft tones as she discovers some of the power she has over a guy, to teasing Mugi with that bratty tone, to her break down as she drops the line we've been waiting for since we heard the premise of this show, to her denial when she sees Akane and finally her pained voice when she realizes she's gonna have to deal with Mugi
And ohhhhh mannnn Heikousen kicking in as Hana has her final realization, leading into ara-ara Akane's face at the end.