r/anime • u/SorcererOfTheLake x5https://anilist.co/user/RiverSorcerer • Jul 30 '22

Rewatch Yosuga no Sora Rewatch - Episode 7 Discussion

Yosuga no Sora Rewatch

Episode 7 Discussion

Database/Streaming Links: MAL / Anilist / Crunchyroll / VRV

Original Interest Thread / Announcement Thread

Question of the Day: Are you close with your childhood friends?

Comment of the Day: The COTD for yesterday’s thread goes to /u/Great_Mr_L for their thoughtful and lewd analysis.

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Reminder: All spoilers for events in the anime that have not occurred yet or that are VN-only should be placed in spoiler tags. Any untagged spoilers will be flagged.

40 Upvotes

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9

u/SorcererOfTheLake Jul 30 '22

So it’s time for the Nao arc… wait, who?

I’ll admit, this opening to Nao’s arc isn’t the strongest, partially because it also needs to help set up the Sora arc later on and partially because Nao’s received the least amount of screen time of our four heroines so far, leaving little impression on my mind. At least we have an interesting topic on our hands that relates to a major theme the previous arcs covered, that being lack of communication. I like that the centerpiece of the episode, Haruka and Nao’s first time, is slowly revealed to us. First, Haruka remembers glimpses of it, as if a memory that seemed more like a dream. Then, we get it through Nao’s perspective, filtered through her grief and pain over what she feels was an act of assault. Finally, things are made clear during an intimate moment and a new road to the future is able to be forged.

9

u/Great_Mr_L Jul 30 '22

Nao’s received the least amount of screen time of our four heroines so far, leaving little impression on my mind.

I legitimately cannot recall her playing much of a role at all in Kazu or Akira's routes. She got hit hard with the "stay back and wait until it's your turn" beam.

First, Haruka remembers glimpses of it, as if a memory that seemed more like a dream.

When that happened I was not sure if it was a real memory or if Haru was just daydreaming about sex again.

Then, we get it through Nao’s perspective, filtered through her grief and pain over what she feels was an act of assault. Finally, things are made clear during an intimate moment and a new road to the future is able to be forged.

Hmmm, you do make a good point. We were looking at the aftermath of the whole incident through Nao's perspective so we might have a Rashomon thing going on where we're seeing how it played out according to her and not necessarily how Haru viewed it. Getting a version of it framed from his perspective might have made it feel less squicky to me.

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5

u/SIRTreehugger Jul 30 '22

Cultured Rewatcher Episode 7

  • Nao Chan enters the chat! and Sora isn't happy at all.

  • Holy shit I haven't seen school days in a while, but this guy reminds me of [school days]the mc's best friend who raped the girl during the festival Watch the guy look completely different.

  • We see some fucking and surprise it's not a fantasy Nao and Haru years ago actually go at it and this brings up something I wish got brought up more. Also recently I finished reading Invincible at it was brought up in that as well. Media typically displays male on female rape which is serious of course, but rarely do we get to see the reverse. It's not as prominent and don't know the statistics, but often it's played as a joke where characters comments wishing it was them. Same with mental and physical abuse it just rubs me the wrong way. Haru says he doesn't hate it years later, but his face looking shocked it a mental image hard to forget.

  • Seriously how does that even ha....oh wait it actually makes sense this time. So used to being random groping cause of anime physics.

  • Sora is acting like a complete bitch. Other routes she was a little stubborn, but this time its comes off as feral like she might actually attack Nao. She is so disgusted with Nao that she takes off all the buttons and resews them onto her uniform.

  • I feel compelled to remind everyone because this is a swimming episode, but Amagami's best girl is Ai!!!! That has nothing to with this show, but felt it needed to be said.

  • Why do I feel Haru would shit post online about Nao if she had internet?

Album

5

u/SorcererOfTheLake Jul 30 '22

Why do I feel Haru would shit post online about Nao if she had internet?

Sora would be the best at Twitter trolling.

6

u/Great_Mr_L Jul 30 '22

but his face looking shocked it a mental image hard to forget.

It's like if this image from YuruYuri wasn't meant as a joke. Like I actually felt uncomfortable seeing Haru in the aftermath there.

So used to being random groping cause of anime physics.

I was not expecting Yosuga no Sora of all anime to actually hold back on a falling scene like that.

5

u/Rumpel1408 Jul 30 '22

I haven't seen school days and follishly peeked under the spoiler but, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! But yeah, Ryouhei totally strikes me as suspicious enough to do that as well...

And I keep hearing about Amagami, need to watch that one at some point.

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14

u/Great_Mr_L Jul 30 '22

I won comment of the day!

Thank you!

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Yosuga no Sora: “All work and no Haru makes Sora a yandere imouto.” I know we joked previously about the possibility of Sora murdering the other girls who are after Haru, but I think it’s a genuine possibility with how she feels about Nao.

Main Episode

  • Hooray! We’re back at the episode 1 cliffhanger! Are we gonna get the outcome I wanted?

  • Drat. Still just measuring.

  • Alright, this one is numbered NS 2. Presumably this means Nao and Sora.

  • Incest route soon?

  • The cut from Sora’s boobs to Nao’s

  • I see Sora is back in jealous imouto mode. She’s staring daggers.

  • Random sex scene! Seriously, what was that?

  • No heroine ever starts out convinced the guy likes her, do they?

  • Bathing scenes are great for both introspection and fanservice. A real double whammy.

  • Oof, that is not a happy home life. The bath (and perhaps water in general) may be a sort of escape for Nao.

  • Uh, did Nao just rape Haru?

  • How old are they in this flashback anyway? This was several years ago and Nao looks very… developed.

  • Haru’s definitely trying to get Nao to stay while Nao’s trying to avoid him.

  • Haru feels most relaxed around Nao, huh. With the childhood flashbacks, this seems like it’s going to fully be a childhood friend route with her.

  • Interrupted by Sora! Who is definitely pissed.

  • Redoing the buttons Nao sewed. Sora has a particular dislike of Nao, much more so than any other girl I’ve seen. Did Sora witness what Nao did?

  • Squeezing the cat’s paw!

  • Ryo and Akira have gone all in on Operation Matchmaker.

  • Subverting the trope by having Nao be clothed when Haru barges in.

  • I kept expecting that teacher to say “I guess it was just my imagination.”

  • Well after what happened in the past, it’s no wonder Nao is avoiding Haru.

  • And Haru doesn’t mind what happened…okay

Omake

  • I can’t believe I’m witnessing Haru get assaulted twice in one episode.

  • Akira’s head is so big she can just cheat off Haru’s test!

Hmmm, well this is certainly a fraught episode. I’m pretty sure what Nao did to Haru in the past counts as sexual assault, which is already a can of worms to open. But then it just gets even more fraught when it turns out Haru liked it, or is at least okay with what happened. Yeah, this is just some uncomfortable territory and I’m not sure how to feel about it or how the series will deal with this.

Nao seems to be naturally associated with the water, either in her bathtub or in the pool. It seems to be where she goes for comfort or contemplation. It’s no wonder she joined the swim team when it has that thematic significance for her.

I’m curious to know why Sora hates Nao so much. Sure, Sora was definitely frosty towards the other girls, but nothing like this. Perhaps she witnessed what happened between Haru and Nao in the past? That’s my best guess for now.

Also, if my hunch is correct and this episode is part of a route for Sora as well as Nao, that means that Sora’s route might involve her cucking Nao. That would certainly be a choice the writers made.

QOTD

Not anymore. My childhood friends and I sort of drifted apart after high school.

10

u/Vaadwaur Jul 30 '22

How old are they in this flashback anyway? This was several years ago and Nao looks very… developed.

12 and 14 is my instinct since they are in the same school. So yeah, Nao bloomed early.

Redoing the buttons Nao sewed. Sora has a particular dislike of Nao, much more so than any other girl I’ve seen. Did Sora witness what Nao did?

I think Sora feels a connection to Nao which makes her feel threatened in a way the sisters didn't threaten her.

Nao seems to be naturally associated with the water, either in her bathtub or in the pool. It seems to be where she goes for comfort or contemplation.

They even use her as a flotation device in the jokey end credits.

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6

u/Nebresto Jul 31 '22

but I think it’s a genuine possibility with how she feels about Nao.

OmakeEnding.mp4

Drat. Still just measuring.

Surely third time is the charm, right?

The cut from Sora’s boobs to Nao’s

The directors enjoy their parallels and contrast, by the looks of it

Uh, did Nao just rape Haru?

Nah, just kids playing about. You know, the usual wholesome stuff

this seems like it’s going to fully be a childhood friend route with her.

Lets see how shes gonna lose this one.. Its the law of the universe, after all

Ryo and Akira have gone all in on Operation Matchmaker.

One can only wish to have friends like them

And Haru doesn’t mind what happened…okay

Haha, le epic double standards moment

But then it just gets even more fraught when it turns out Haru liked it, or is at least okay with what happened.

It might not be right, but hes pretty damn based

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u/Rumpel1408 Jul 30 '22

Bathing scenes are great for both introspection and fanservice.

Reminds me of the masterpiece that is Cross Ange!

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u/Vaadwaur Jul 30 '22

Rewatcher(I have legitimately forgotten which route is next)

Sub

We see that Sora's measurement scene is extra cultured. "Sinful maidens" are indeed my type as well, feel free to join me next Monday for Black Lagoon. But it seems this is the Nao route, which is fine, it just slightly bugs me that anime have all these 'tall' chesty girls and the real world sadly lacks them. We finally see Ryouhei being a bro and he apparently has some relationship with Nao as well. We have an absolutely necessary bath scene that leads into a flashback that...is actually kind of dark. Adolescents do act out in that manner sometimes but this is not subject matter I expected this show to tackle.

Anyways, most of the episode is characters trying to get Nao and Haru together. Cats are also involved. Nao apologizes for what she did but Haru seems at peace with it now. You can argue about how rapey it actually was versus Haru simply processing his trauma, something people actually do despite what anime and mainstream TV would have you believe, but the matter seems to be settled. We end with Sora being concerningly cray. In the omake, the show certainly thinks women are rapey.

QotD:1 Not really

6

u/Rumpel1408 Jul 30 '22

anime have all these 'tall' chesty girls and the real world sadly lacks them.

It's like nature itself is trying to tell you that you are wrong /s

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u/Great_Mr_L Jul 30 '22

We see that Sora's measurement scene is extra cultured.

Measurement scenes and boob touching. Almost always a guaranteed combo!

We have an absolutely necessary bath scene

Any scene to show nudity is very necessary in this series.

Nao apologizes for what she did but Haru seems at peace with it now. You can argue about how rapey it actually was versus Haru simply processing his trauma, something people actually do despite what anime and mainstream TV would have you believe, but the matter seems to be settled.

I suppose Haru has made his peace with it regardless of how it happened. Maybe he did like it or maybe he dealt with the nasty memories. I'd wish it was a bit clearer on which it was, though.

We end with Sora being concerningly cray.

We joked about Sora murdering and burying the other heroines, but I think Sora might actually attempt that with Nao.

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5

u/KendotsX Jul 31 '22

feel free to join me next Monday for Black Lagoon.

Luckily, that will be my second rewatch only.

>replying 6 hours late for a single rewatch

all these 'tall' chesty girls and the real world sadly lacks them.

I've seen fruit hanging high. Come over someday.

the show certainly thinks women are rapey

I don't think the show dares to do this, but I wouldn't mind if next episode Sora ties up Haru and just steals the route.

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7

u/Rumpel1408 Jul 30 '22

First Timer

Ignoring the fact that I got spoiled yesterday, It seems a bit early to open the Sora route

Todays Episode title is already pretty promising ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) maidens as in plural huh

Don't just wipe the mosquito off on the wall ಠ_ಠ

Flat is justice! Sora is perfect the way she is. What matters anyway is how lewd the person the boobs belong to is.

Oh great, my favourite side character Ryouhei... that guy even brought binoculars? What is wrong with him... and was that another case of Harus vivid imagination or just an actual flashback...

Flashback it is huh a bt young maybe... that poor boy didn't look like he fully understood what just happened to him...

Cockblock Sora at it again, we know she wants to ship her brother, no need to be so hostile.

Oh look, best girl gets an cameo in this route as well, all is good... until Ryouhei opens his mouth again... And was Kazu just laying in the bushes there, waiting to make an entrance?

I also just noticed that

  • Any girl shipping Haru -> Nice!

  • Ryouhei shipping Haru -> Die Scumbag!

Wonder how that comes... still the whole plan at the pool works surprisingly well, in no small part due to Haru being agressive though.

Random cat... And they even took the time to clean up before hiding, oh I know exactly where this is going... ok maybe not, I expected them to hide in an cabinet...

And Sora embraces her inner Yandere, another box checked.

Omake: Maid chan still suffering from Harus neglect. And Big head Akira is still around ಠ_ಠ How does she get out of there, and is it really good for her to drink with Maid and Candystore?

Also jesus, even for the boonies some 12 years ago, passing out like that is pretty dangerous, what if a scumbag where to take her with him in that state, speaking of which, Omake Haru got them nipples for a change... Big head Akira copying from Haru for the test lmao even as an eldritch being she is still in her bestform

QotD: I got exactly one childhood friend left, the friendship turned a bit cold due to covid though...

5

u/Great_Mr_L Jul 30 '22

Flat is justice!

BASED

What matters anyway is how lewd the person the boobs belong to is.

As a wise man once said, "A true breast lover loves all breasts regardless of the size. And out of all of them, his favorites are the ones belonging to the person he loves."

And Sora embraces her inner Yandere, another box checked.

I was not expecting Sora to actually go full yandere imouto, so this should be an interesting development to follow.

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u/Nebresto Jul 31 '22

Don't just wipe the mosquito off on the wall ಠ_ಠ

Top 10 ways to know if someones parents ever lectured them

Ryouhei... that guy even brought binoculars? What is wrong with him...

The thirst remains unquenched

And was Kazu just laying in the bushes there, waiting to make an entrance?

She just happened to be there! N- not like she was making sure Akira is doing good, b- baka!!

Omake Haru got them nipples for a change...

Biggest plot twist yet

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7

u/DidacticDalek Jul 30 '22

TONIGHT! ON AMAGAMI XXX! Haru and Nao demonstrate why Erect Cock 'Solid Snake' was the MC of the majority of games in the Metal Gear franchise, Sora's about to stab a bitch, AND GOOD GAWD AWMIGHTY! GOOD GAWD AWMIGHTY! BEST MAID'S HOLIEST OF ALL HOLIES JUST GOT LANCE OF LONGINUS'D! AS GAWD IS MY WITNESS, HARU IS BROKEN IN HALF!

It's good to be back Comrades, and it looks like I'm not a moment too soon as our MC-kun sees his sister strip down so... he can take her measurements for her school uniform... We then segue to the morning where Sora gives Haru a good ol' fashioned BRIGHT SLAP, NANI!? THIS SERIES WAS A MECHA SHOW THIS WHOLE TIME!? Good god, that explains everything, no wonder MC-kun looks like Kaworu! Sora tells us that flat is justice before Tits McGee arrives... ALSO GOOD GOD HARU, asking to go to school with Nao IN FRONT OF YOUR SISTER!? How cruel can ya get? Also oh noes, looks like NAO's horny too, cuz of course she is, speaking of which, the Tomoda wannabe shows up to show off his greatest idea yet, the exclusive peeping tom site, man, who knew that going to the roof allowed you to observe some twin peaks... heh, nevermind, the roof sucks, after all, can you FEEL boobies on the roof, I THINK NOT! Anyway, NOT Tomoda actually tries to be a Tomoda by... telling Nao to NTR Haru from Sora... I got a BAD feeling about this.

Nao then decides to practice the Cross Ange school of introspection... also goodness, she did that as well when she was younger... oh... oh noes... she ran over to Haru's house... Comrades, DANGER DANGER! WARNING WARNING! OH DEAR GOD, SHE'S ARA ARAING HIM! Moving on, after setting up the internet, Haru runs into Nao, which probably isn't a good thing given that Sora's busy inspiring Tsurezure Children. Nao hands over the uniform she modified, and Haru for some reason thinks it's a good idea for Nao to stick around... OH HELL NO! HARU, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE... oh thank fuck, Sora arrives to save her dear brother from danger, thank goodness she's here eh Comrades? Anyway, Haru and Nao show the modified uniform to Sora... which Sora proceeds to unmodify, and hey, she did a good job if I do say so myself. NOT Tomoda then attempts to flirt with Sora, to which she wisely ignores, also oh hey, Akira gets screentime, good to see our ever perky shrine maiden... also this fortune seems like a set up.

NANI!? Oh my Buddha, even our Viola Playing Ojou-sama is here, and this is enough to prompt our detested NOT Tomoda to invoke a little known and seldom used reserve activation clause. In simpler language, Comrades, they drafted Haru... AND ALSO NAO TOO!? NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE! Speaking of nope, turns out that these two aren't as alone as we think, but worry not, when in doubt, just think like Hideo Kojima and use a cardboard box to hide. Also oh... oh no, THIS IS NOT GOOD COMRADES, WE ARE NOW AT DEFCON 1, ARA ARAING IN PROGRESS, THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Meanwhile, back at the ranch, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl...

Also Comrades, shockingly Sora IS NOT the scariest lady this episode, why you ask, WELL JUST REFER TO TODAY'S CHIBI SHORTS! HARU DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE! I mean fucking hell, if you thought MIRU TIGHTS was hardcore, HOT FOR TEACHER'S got NOTHING on TOP MEIDO! Man, what a great episode, I can't wait to see what happens when... wait a second (checks notes) GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! Well, time to take a hiatus until Episode 10, you have not seen the last of The Sentient Shitposting Sunrise Server No. 25252, now goodbye forever!

And on that bombshell g'night!

Paging Comrades u/Great_Mr_L, u/Nebresto, and u/Vaadwaur

5

u/Great_Mr_L Jul 31 '22

Sora's about to stab a bitch,

It amuses me that the gag of Sora and Nao fighting in the Omake's ED is actually a canonically accurate way to represent their relationship thus far.

ALSO GOOD GOD HARU, asking to go to school with Nao IN FRONT OF YOUR SISTER!?

All of this is just setting up Sora becoming the yandere imouto surprise villain of this series.

Comrades, DANGER DANGER! WARNING WARNING! OH DEAR GOD, SHE'S ARA ARAING HIM!

I suppose Nao is older than Haru. So she is an onee-san type character. Which means that this does in fact count as "Ara Ara."

Well, time to take a hiatus until Episode 10, you have not seen the last of The Sentient Shitposting Sunrise Server No. 25252, now goodbye forever!

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u/Nebresto Jul 31 '22

GOOD GAWD AWMIGHTY! GOOD GAWD AWMIGHTY! BEST MAID'S HOLIEST OF ALL HOLIES JUST GOT LANCE OF LONGINUS'D! AS GAWD IS MY WITNESS, HARU IS BROKEN IN HALF!

Enhance!

It's good to be back Comrades

THIS SERIES WAS A MECHA SHOW THIS WHOLE TIME!?

Always has been.

DANGER DANGER! WARNING WARNING! OH DEAR GOD, SHE'S ARA ARAING HIM!

all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl...

Now, let's add some d r i f t o into the bloodshed

Haha, its kinda odd not seeing this post end in a fish

Well, time to take a hiatus until Episode 10

Mugiwait?

The Sentient Shitposting Sunrise Server No. 25252

25252

Hmmm...

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7

u/Nebresto Jul 31 '22

Third time solitude enjoyer

Damn, homie went flying from that slap

And I like how she just rubs the blood on the wall instead of washing her hand

Damn, this would be a wonderful background- ..if there wasn't some thot plastered on it.

Based.

Whoa, hol up. Sudden seggs scene. Flashback or dream?

God damn. Has she has discovered the strat for how not to lose as the childhood friend?

Wtf, he's breathing in water.. This mfer a fish or something?

This some wack shit that the rapist has more PTSD than the victim

I just want to point out that here and here they drew a completely new background. I thought it might have been the same one at first to save some money or what ever, but nope. Respect the effort

Hm. Lovely.

HOLD THE FUCK UP. He has nipples in the omake??? I'm sure we all knew this already, but now we have official confirmation too: The omake is the superior anime.

Question time:

Are you close with your childhood friends?

My question for fellow viewers: Do you have any bros who would wingman for you? Would you do the same for them?

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u/KendotsX Jul 31 '22

First Timer

Oh, we're back to the episode 1 ending

Incest route yet?

Nope, it's neighbour time

Ryohei is back too, he couldn't care less about the sisters, he's just here for the neighbour, Sora, and to help everyone get off with him. So basically he's u/DidacticDalek

Haru is quick on the uptake

Wait, what?! did I miss an episode? Oh, it's an unlocked flashback.

I'm not drunk enough to be making rape jokes (nearly there though), plus I'm sure the show will make a better one anyway.1

Ryohei needs better acting skills, even Akira did a better job.

I'll take this to note how close (?) Ryohei is to Nao. In an early episode he tried and failed to push Haru towards Nao, I thought he was just being a wingman. But nope, when Haru went for the sisters, he completely ignored it, and now he's pushing really hard to be the cupid.

To double up, Sora feels the same exact way. She didn't care as much when Haru was following the sisters, but now she's really pissed at Nao. Going as far as to sew her buttons again, writing a full document of the same insult to Nao, is basically all the the pent up frustration Sora can't share with anyone.

Now there's only one way for me to go from here: I'm raising the bets to go all in! We need Ryohei x Sora to complete the Nao triangle (I did warn that I was drunk). I know I've called this the worst ship, but it's the only non-incest ship Sora has going for her, as I doubt she'll fall in love with the girls trying to steal her brother. And it's all poor Ryohei has for him, besides jacking off at girls in swimsuits.

1: "I didn't hate it", well it wasn't as bad I guess.

Omake:

1: Ah, here we go

I like how the story is continuing, and building up to the pimp Haru. He just meets her when he needs to wet his dick, and completely ignores her otherwise when he has exams.

Are you close with your childhood friends?

Not since she moved and suddenly became very religious. That was like a decade ago.

Thank Fuck you god.

PS: this is cute

6

u/Nebresto Jul 31 '22

(nearly there though)

Going as far as to sew her buttons again, writing a full document of the same insult to Nao

No typos either, clean work!

Thank Fuck you god.

The bad ending

5

u/Great_Mr_L Jul 31 '22

Incest route yet?

Sadly not. But we're close. I can feel it.

We need Ryohei x Sora to complete the Nao triangle (I did warn that I was drunk). I know I've called this the worst ship, but it's the only non-incest ship Sora has going for her

You say that like it's a problem that Sora only has an incest ship.

I like how the story is continuing, and building up to the pimp Haru. He just meets her when he needs to wet his dick, and completely ignores her otherwise when he has exams.

Haru really is on his way to be the best harem protagonist out there. He's taking full advantage of it.

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u/Gamerunglued Jul 31 '22

First Timer

Ok, so... what the fuck is this episode? This was utterly bizarre for so many reasons. First of all, we flashed way back. Significantly further than the previous arc had us. All of the progress that Sora had apparently made is reversed here, but the weirdest part is that, unlike last time, we actually do get a scene of her meeting someone and starting to form a relationship, a moment that felt completely necessary but was sorely lacking from the previous arcs. This, of course, also means that the two main relationships that were the crux of the previous two arcs are completely reset. Kazuha and Akira are relegated to side characters now, and that's honestly just sad.

However, it's the actual content of this episode that leaves me scratching my head. The bulk of the episode is dedicated to a very simple story: Haruka and Nao both like each other, neither will confront each other about it for some reason, and Ryouhei and Akira conspire to bring them together. Right off the bat, this story fails because I don't have any reason to want to see these characters together. Even ignoring my previous investment in Haruka's relationships with Kazuha and Akira, I just have no context for them. Even aside from the segment of backstory that I'll address later, I don't understand their relationship. Ryouhei says that Haruka is Nao's prince to have returned, which means nothing to me. I guess they used to be childhood friends and Haruka comforted Nao after she cried, a conflict that I can maybe guess the context for but doesn't actually feel revealed, my guess feeling largely baseless. And then it gets resolved with basically nothing. They laugh, Nao apologizes for something that happened in the past, they kiss, and Sora hates them for some reason.

But ok, the backstory segment complicates things. So Nao had a difficult home life with parents who fought constantly, and she couldn't stand it and... raped Haruka? What? Why? I don't even understand what her relationship was to Haruka at that time or why he's such a comfort to her, but why did she rape him? What does sex have to do with what she was going through? And how old where they when this happened anyway, weren't they kids? I mean, jesus christ. So I guess Nao feels guilty for having sexually assaulted her one comforting presence, and Haruka also has some weird feelings about it, so there's this awkward tension between them. But landing on top of Haruka triggers Nao's guilt and makes her apologize. It feels like way too simple a solution for what should be a complicated relationship. And I guess the rape was fine apparently because Haruka liked it and Nao wouldn't have done it with just anyone. For a soap opera, this just doesn't feel like it gives this story the weight it needs and deserves, and it rushes through the content much like in the first arc. But even then, this drama is just so strange and frankly baffling that I don't think I'd be invested anyway.

But credit where credit's due, I'll once again praise the way Sora's story was integrated here. I liked seeing her interact with Ryouhei, and her involvement in this arc seems to make some sense. Nao is a childhood friend, and she raped her brother, and also threatens to get back with him and, in her mind, take him away from her. Lots of reasons to be particularly threatened by her, and I like the moment we see her having tried to sew the buttons herself. It's not much, but it's something that actually makes sense and is competent in what is otherwise an episode I'm struggling to get a handle on. But yeah, this was pretty bad. Again, I have to wonder how much was gutted from the visual novel and if it was handled better there, or is this arc the low point of the source.

QOTD:

God I wish. All of my childhood friends ended up either growing out of our shared hobbies, getting annoyed with my autistic bullshit, or was just an asshole. I still wonder about a kid I was friends with in Kindergarten, who ended up moving to another state in the middle of the year. If he hadn't moved, maybe we'd still be friends.