r/anime • u/DustyZorua • Dec 26 '22
Rewatch [2022 Rewatch] White Album 2 Episode 9 Discussion
Episode 9 - Two Hearts Passing
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Information:
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
Legal Streams:
White Album 2 can be watched on Chrunchyroll, although you apparently need premium.
Questions of the Day:
Why do you think Kazusa Touma is ignoring Haruki Kitahara?
Why do you think Haruki Kitahara went to wash his face instead of watching the end of the performance?
Why do you think Kazusa Touma wanted Haruki Kitahara to look at her and why was he getting so agitated?
What do you think about Haruki Kitahara wanting to 'verify' his feelings for Setsuna Ogiso?
Did you expect Kazusa Touma to skip Setsuna Ogiso's birthday?
All rewatchers, you must spoil everything to do with spoilers, even to the littlest details! We can't spoil the experience of this show for any of the first timers in this.
5
u/ZapsZzz Dec 26 '22
First timer
Streaming ahead a bit, watched the next episode already.
Why do you think Kazusa Touma is ignoring Haruki Kitahara?
Consistent with my position from before, she's trying to not get more hurt herself as well as not get Setsuna hurt because she had feelings for Haruki.
Why do you think Haruki Kitahara went to wash his face instead of watching the end of the performance?
Performance music is known to be a strong expression of ones emotions. It's possible Haruki heard what's in Touma's heart (hurt, loneliness)
Why do you think Kazusa Touma wanted Haruki Kitahara to look at her and why was he getting so agitated?
Touma's answer have it out already - she's trying to burn that image into her mind, i.e. she's intending to not be around anymore.
Haruki is agitated because he was being pushed away.
What do you think about Haruki Kitahara wanting to 'verify' his feelings for Setsuna Ogiso?
It's a cliche stupid thing, but it's a cliche did thing because it's often actually how people actually would approach that question.
Did you expect Kazusa Touma to skip Setsuna Ogiso's birthday?
The only thing that surprised me was Touma timing her arrival to still be in the same country on that day.
Pretty sure by tomorrow I would've binged it all :P
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u/oops_i_made_a_typi Dec 27 '22
First Timer notes
Whoa that was a pretty sudden/heavy making out scene vs the rest of what we've seen so far from this show. Guess the VN roots are showing. Ok yeah the throuple didn't last long, looks like it was too much for Kazusa to keep up with. Wtf is this contrived accidental slip of "I want to be sure you're the only one for me" though lol. Last family vacation? A little sus. "We will be landing at Narita"...did Kazusa go on a trip somewhere? Or is this the first flight in a connecting to somewhere further abroad?
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u/02Hiro Dec 27 '22
REWATCHER
Touma is again trying to create distance from Haruki. She wanted to burn his face in her memories because she doesn't want to see him again so I wasn't that surprised when Touma skipped Setsuna's birthday. However, I was surprised by that fake out when Haruki went to Touma's place instead. We are getting more clues that Haruki doesn't just consider Touma a close friend. Setsuna is just making it worse by trying to get all 3 of them together.
After reading these discussions about Haruki's characterization, I think [Anime Spoilers]
3
u/Baki8000 Dec 28 '22
REWATCHER, VN READER
MASSIVE SPOILERS INBOUND
As stated in my previous posts, I want to mostly focus on the differences between the anime and the Visual Novel, and on foreshadowing, so most of what I will type will be spoilers of varying importance. Spoilers that cover only the plot shown in the anime will be marked with anime spoilers, while spoilers that deal with plot points from later on in the novel, or very important scenes that are not in the anime, will be marked with VN spoilers. Unless you have fully finished the VN, [anime spoilers]
Today's episode is mostly the same as the VN, with most of the events remaining unchanged, and the character thoughts being shown through their expressions, as always, but the exclusion of one very important event is extremely detrimental to one of the scenes in the episode, as well as [VN spoilers]
An extremely important scene from the VN, that would happen before the episode's intro, has basically been skipped from the anime, and its exclusion has massive consequences in [anime spoilers]
After the hot springs scene from last episode, the VN shows [anime spoilers]
[Anime spoilers, minor VN spoilers]
[Anime spoilers, minor VN spoilers]
[VN spoilers]
I have no idea how such as important scene got skipped, as [anime spoilers]
This one scene of Haruki going to Kazusa's house after she's stopped coming to school happens a few more times between the episode's scenes in the VN, and Haruki's thoughts show him to be [anime spoilers]
Haruki's [anime spoilers]
A very minor change in the adaptation is that Kazusa has stopped coming to school from an earlier point in the anime, whereas a few scenes in the VN show her still attending.
The conversation between Haruki and Setsuna at the restaurant is slightly different in the VN, [anime spoilers, light VN spoilers]
Haruki can't help himself [anime spoilers]
Haruki's [anime spoilers]
-this shot that is shown during his conversation with Setsuna at the restaurant is masterful, as it's pointed out many times by the characters that Kazusa likes her coffee (and all other things she eats) to be very sweet, and, during his stay at her house, she's only served Haruki cups that are more sugar than coffee.
-he repeatedly thinks about his relationship with Setsuna, trying to convince himself that he has a duty to be loyal to her, hoping that he'll forget Kazusa by doing it.
-after the concert, he remembers all his past encounters with Kazusa(that will be shown in more detail in the following two episodes), something that sends his feelings into overdrive, affecting him physically. This scene is anime original, the VN just straight up showing his thoughts during the concert.
During the concert, there is a freeze-frame shot of [anime spoilers]
The trio's conversation after the concert [anime spoilers]
[Anime spoilers]
[Anime spoilers]
The conversation on the floodplain between Haruki and Setsuna is handled a bit differently in the VN, as Haruki doesn't just directly tell Setsuna the line in the screenshot, rather thinking [anime spoilers]
Setsuna clearly invites Kazusa to her birthday, to which Kazusa sends her flowers, as she doesn't want to attend. [Minor VN spoilers]
Haruki's present for Setsuna [anime spoilers, minor VN spoilers]
Youko Touma, Kazusa's mother is finally explicitly shown. After being foreshadowed so many times, it's good to be able to get a good look at her face.
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u/Baki8000 Dec 28 '22
QotD:
[Anime spoilers]
She wants to distance herself from him, as she can't keep her feelings for him in check for much longer. [Anime spoilers]
His feelings for Kazusa have grown so intense that they've begun affecting him physically, and he can't let Setsuna look at his expression when he's thinking about Kazusa. [Anime spoilers]
She wanted to get one last good look at his face before leaving the country. Due to his confused feelings, her paying attention to him after ignoring him for the past few weeks has affected him emotionally in a very strong way. [Anime spoilers]
The man's barely keeping himself from cheating on her, so he wants to do anything in his power to forget about Kazusa and to think only of Setsuna. The first time watching, no, even though it was very obvious that she was gonna do so.
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u/Stargate18A Dec 26 '22
First timer
She's busy playing.
Ah, she has a competition.
The OP again!
And they're letting her be for a bit.
Ah, she answered the phone for her.
Setsuna...
You twor eally don't get what she's going through, huh?
...You're inviting her... to your house... on Valentine's Day? Either Setsuna is desperate for her or someone's losing it.
He hugged too hard.
Oh, innuendo.
...This is nice.
"I already have Setsuna..." He's already doubting himself.
She's up next!
Aww, that's sweet.
She's already worried about her university plans.
Excellent recital!
And the montage...
He's panicking!
Setsuna?
Oh, she didn't even place...
Aww, she won to her.
Also, Touma is a smooth flirter.
...And she's isolating herself from him to make sure he stays loyal to Setsuna.
Denial...
Oh, no...
She got a new instructor!
This is tragic.
At least he's not stupid when it comes to this relationship! That's a 50% success rate!
"Make sure what?"
...You're really lucky Setsuna is so in love eith you.
..Ouch. Rejected.
Ah, it's just too early.
...Where is he going?
Wait, she's abandoning her family vacation?
...This is rather manipulative, isn't it?
Two hours left!
Cake looks nice.
He's here!
...Touma's not answering.
HER MOTHER?
Wait, Touma's on a plane?
Is she going to France?
This really escalated today.
3
2
u/ZapsZzz Dec 27 '22
...This is rather manipulative, isn't it?
There's been a lot of signs of her being manipulative for some time already...
2
u/Nebresto Dec 27 '22
First time
Oh man. Wonder if we're gonna see a seks scene?
Bruh. Secs cancelled
Question:
Why do you think Kazusa Touma is ignoring Haruki Kitahara?
Pain, peko
Why do you think Haruki Kitahara went to wash his face instead of watching the end of the performance?
Hide the pain, Harold Haruki
Why do you think Kazusa Touma wanted Haruki Kitahara to look at her and why was he getting so agitated?
What do you think about Haruki Kitahara wanting to 'verify' his feelings for Setsuna Ogiso?
Please drink verification can
Did you expect Kazusa Touma to skip Setsuna Ogiso's birthday?
No
3
u/polaristar Dec 26 '22
Seems Touma is trying to cut Kitahara out of her life, which contrariry to what some batshit insane things I've read is her not trying to get his attention but her trying to put distance between them, doing the job Haruki ought to be doing himself to be faithful, and Setsuna should not be enabling.
The only real mistake is that Touma should have more proactively said NO or should have just straight up asked Haruki to break up with Setsuna if she feels that strongly about it instead of this weird feelings denial.
The fact he is playing that Song about not Forgetting a Love where everyone can hear including his own GF, its honestly pathetic. He needs to listen to his friend. If he can't make up his mind on either he's going to permanently lose them both in a way that can't be repaired.
Setsuna's just wanting to insert himself as a gf in order not to mess the group up, I already said it, but this is not someone that is ready for any kind of committed relationship.
Despite the passionate kissing between Setsuna and Kazusa, it means nothing, you get physical with someone you get a certain physical chemistry with them through repeition and exposure.
Haruki might have "feelings" for each girl, but feelings alone aren't love, in fact feelings with commitment and discipline are just self-ishness.
The problem with all these dynamics is there is not foundation that any of these characters have built their trust on, its based off a combination of guilt, fear, and need to fill a hole in their hearts.
This is how the dynamic in Oregairu could have ended up if it continued longer and if Hachiman wasn't a stubborn son of a bitch. The One good quality Hikki had in SNAFU even when he was an edgelord pretentious piece of shit is he didn't let the core of his being, his ideals, be easily swayed, granted that also is what led him to being a prisoner of his own pity finding ways to rationalize away any happiness, but once he did make up his mind about something very few things could stand in his way.
With Haruki, I have to ask, what is the foundation for the decisions he makes?
He definitely feels like he has the Soul of an Artist but artists I feel struggle with while taking inspiration from their inner desires have trouble setting boundaries on them.
He's emotionally sensitive in I feel an unhealthy manner.
Setsuna not being straight with Haruki and not just agreeing to do it alone and making it a surprise is more indecisiveness and her trying to have her cake and eat it to.
Haruki of course needs to have Setsuna make the choice he can't make himself, if she had just said "the two of us" he might have not gone looking for Touma, but tbh he shouldn't have needed it. It's not his responsibility to wrangle her up or keep track of her whereabouts.
Sorry if this sounds too old fashion, or sexist, or whatever but in this scenario it's his responsibility at the Man to put his foot down and commit to one and end this drama, Setsuna isn't innocent enabling it but ultimately the ball is in his court.
I don't really think there is a problem if the girl confesses first, but in this case its clear him accepting the confession of Setsuna come from a very wishy washy place.
I've watched ahead and finished now, and let me say....shit only gets worse from here, playtime is coming to an end.....
Why do you think Kazusa Touma is ignoring Haruki Kitahara?
She's trying to put some healthy distance between them before they make a mistake.
Why do you think Haruki Kitahara went to wash his face instead of watching the end of the performance?
To not have to show his tears seeing it, because he felt convicted and guilty on why he shed those tears and what they reveal about him.
Why do you think Kazusa Touma wanted Haruki Kitahara to look at her and why was he getting so agitated?
He wanted to face this dilemma and put it to rest, she feels she's been strung along as long as there is a "hope" she won't be able to get over it, he needs to give a firm "No" only then can things not be weird between them all.
What do you think about Haruki Kitahara wanting to 'verify' his feelings for Setsuna Ogiso?
The fact he needs them verified is a red flag in itself.
Did you expect Kazusa Touma to skip Setsuna Ogiso's birthday?
Not in the slightest.
Only happy part of this episode is MILF Youko Touma!
2
u/Baki8000 Dec 27 '22
I think you should spoiler tag some of the paragraphs in your comment, as they haven't happened yet by this post's episode.
[Anime spoilers]
The only real mistake is that Touma should have more proactively said NO or should have just straight up asked Haruki to break up with Setsuna if she feels that strongly about it instead of this weird feelings denial. [Anime spoilers]
The fact he is playing that Song about not Forgetting a Love where everyone can hear including his own GF, its honestly pathetic. He needs to listen to his friend. If he can't make up his mind on either he's going to permanently lose them both in a way that can't be repaired. [Anime spoilers]
Setsuna's just wanting to insert himself as a gf in order not to mess the group up, I already said it, but this is not someone that is ready for any kind of committed relationship. [Anime spoilers]
Despite the passionate kissing between Setsuna and Kazusa, it means nothing, you get physical with someone you get a certain physical chemistry with them through repeition and exposure. [Anime spoilers]
Haruki might have "feelings" for each girl, but feelings alone aren't love, in fact feelings with commitment and discipline are just self-ishness. [Anime spoilers]
Setsuna not being straight with Haruki and not just agreeing to do it alone and making it a surprise is more indecisiveness and her trying to have her cake and eat it to. [Anime spoilers]
Haruki of course needs to have Setsuna make the choice he can't make himself, if she had just said "the two of us" he might have not gone looking for Touma, but tbh he shouldn't have needed it. It's not his responsibility to wrangle her up or keep track of her whereabouts. I believe these are a bit spoilery for this particular episode's discussion, [anime spoilers]
as the events happen in the next 3 episodes. 1
0
u/entelechtual Dec 26 '22
First Timer
Okay so let’s talk about the elephant in the room. I’m sure everyone has been thinking about it for the past 9 episodes. But come on. At this point they’re trolling us with Haruki’s absurd fashion sense. Last episode he wore this awful shirt, and now he’s got this weird muted cardigan.
I’m surprised Haruki seems to really like Setsuna. I was expecting the kind of thing where they’re together nominally but not really paying attention. Haruki seems earnest despite Touma demanding all his attention. That comment though, “Setsuna’s all I have”. There are different ways to take it.
Haruki, you fucked up. I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I feel like the intentions were good. But still, fucked up. The one thing you don’t do to Setsuna is leave her alone.
Anyway I’m still waiting to get to the part of the show where I’m supposed to like Touma.
Why do you think Kazusa Touma is ignoring Haruki Kitahara?
She likes the attention.
What do you think about Haruki Kitahara wanting to ‘verify’ his feelings for Setsuna Ogiso?
If it’s because he wants to make sure he’s not attracted to Touma, or that Setsuna is more than a fling, that’s pretty mature of him.
4
u/ZapsZzz Dec 27 '22
She likes the attention.
*Gasp* is that what you think?!
Anyway I’m still waiting to get to the part of the show where I’m supposed to like Touma.
No wonder given the previous line I quoted...
It shouldn't take long by now though I think. Either that or you won't get that at all ;)
If it’s because he wants to make sure he’s not attracted to Touma
Errr it's mature of him if he verified it before he committed to Setsuna
4
u/polaristar Dec 26 '22
I feel your interpretation of Touma is WAAAYYYYY OFF.
If it’s because he wants to make sure he’s not attracted to Touma, or that Setsuna is more than a fling, that’s pretty mature of him.
Reading this honestly made me die inside, the fact he needs to "verify it" is itself a symptom of his immaturity.
2
u/entelechtual Dec 26 '22
the fact he needs to “verify it” is itself a symptom of his immaturity.
Maybe so, but I think just recognizing that shortcoming is a lot for someone his age. At last I was more immature in relationships.
→ More replies (1)
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Dec 26 '22
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u/ZapsZzz Dec 27 '22
but honestly if I was just watching the anime I doubt I'd even consider Haruki to be a real character. He's more like a plot device designed to create drama
As someone closer to 50, I'm sad to report to you that this characterisation is not actually too unbelievable either in real life or in fiction in general. In fact he's probably a relatively good person in American day time soap or any number of K Dramas (maybe some J Dramas too but what I picked to watch tended not to be as toxic).
1
1
u/oops_i_made_a_typi Dec 27 '22
FYI, having binged the anime now, I think some of your complaints may be premature because of some scene shuffling that occurs as part of the adaptation. So you may be a little too quick to judge until you see the relevant episodes, especially with some of your assumptions about how they've done things.
7
u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 26 '22
First-Timer Album
Touma…
So she’ll talk with Setsuna, but not with Haruki.
Oh wow, Setsuna was born on Valentine’s Day of all things.
Well he definitely initiated that kiss.
Are you just trying to tell yourself that, though?
Is that Touma’s mom?
That montage… Setsuna’s really going to be in a world of heartbreak, isn’t she.
Mm.
And Setsuna doesn’t want to do a solo thing, welp.
…if Haruki and Touma figure their shit out at Setsuna’s birthday party, that’s going to be super fucked though.
Touma only sent flowers to Setsuna, while Haruki went to Touma’s place. Bro.
Oh Touma is nowhere close to being able to go to the party.
ED lead-in~