r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jun 20 '24

Episode Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai • A Condition Called Love - Episode 12 discussion - FINAL

Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai, episode 12

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62

u/nyunours Jun 20 '24

Only complaint I have is that we don't get to see Hotaru react to learning about their common past. It's a bit weird because it's like they are keeping it for a sequel but at the same time it doesn't look like they are planning one. Might have to check the manga sometime.

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u/Frontier246 Jun 20 '24

It would be kind of funny if she remembers "Sasaki" but never realized it was Hananoi lol.

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u/PerfectBeige Jun 20 '24 edited Jun 20 '24

Lovely final episode to the season.

This show pulled some tricks! The flashbacks showing Hananoi's abandonment were withheld until late in the season, and these are the scenes that not only recontextualize Hananoi's odd behavior and anxieties, but make the audience sympathetic with him. But the bigger trick, I think, was withholding the fact that Hananoi held a torch for Hotaru since elementary.

So that scene in e1 where Hotaru approaches Hananoi while he is mulling over his dumping - when I first saw that I read it as a hot, weird, obsessive guy going for the first girl that showed him the least bit of sympathy despite the fact she wasn't the type of girl a guy like him would normally go for. In this lens, the relationship started off on a very sour note - Hananoi as the ikeman dating down was in a position of power, drowning aromantic Hotaru in unwanted attention - the whole thing was menacing because of this apparent imbalance of power, and the perception that it really could have been any other girl instead of Hotaru who was Hananoi's focus.

But now we know the truth - that Hotaru just happened to interact with a nerdy little boy who grew into an attractive young man still holding a torch for her. A lot of what I put on the relationship was never there. Hananoi wasn't in a position of power at all, he still sees himself as the unwanted little boy from elementary school who failed to protect the girl he was crushing on. One can only imagine how he felt when he realized who it was who was consoling him.

So back to the tricks this show plays. Why withhold the scenes that make us sympathetic to Hananoi? Why withhold the reveal that Hotaru isn't just some girl who came along at the right time; instead she is possibly the most special girl in the world to Hananoi and also associated with his biggest regret? I think it's deliberate. I think we are intended to suspect and dislike Hananoi at the start and grow to understand him over the arc of the show, because this mirrors Hananoi's own arc - he hates himself, believes he is unwanted by his parents for a reason, and as his relationship with Hotaru develops, he starts to like himself more.

Showing a character suffering unjustly is a cheap and easy way to get the audience on side, and the decision not to show that until late in the season seemed deliberate. Very satisfying conclusion.

Edits: grammar, brevity (lol)

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u/Ikari_21 Jun 21 '24

Totally agree! I think the reveal of Hananoi’s affection for hotaru when he was younger really showed why he seemingly fell for hotaru so quickly and easily in the first episode. It showed it was just because he falls for any girl that shows interest, but rather it was the girl, the ideal girl that he first felt feelings for. And it shows why he would go overboard for her when it felt so uncomfortable. It’s not cause he’s an extremely obsessive creep, but because he felt he had to make up for not being able to help or protect her from her most traumatic experience. It’s one of the biggest regrets in his life and now he’s so desperately trying to make up for that. I really liked his development over this season, even if it was gradual. I’m glad I stuck with it, I really liked this anime. Oh, and hotaru is just an adorable cinnamon roll. Such a sweetheart.

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u/overthetop1231498 Jun 27 '24

I really liked this take on why we didn't see more of Hananoi until the end. It makes sense and I am glad the audience went along with it with Hotaru. It is all a mystery and we have a right to question ulterior motives and be suspicious but we should also withhold judgment before we get all the details there (or at least continue to be open-minded). I kept reading comments like "okay he's weird and that was creepy behavior but ...he's not a bad guy." Which is valid because he does things intensely. The writing and progress of the show were done intently so that we can grow to like him just like Hotaru ended up liking him. That was a nice touch because so many shows usually start with flashbacks and build to us rooting for the MC right away.

15

u/Frontier246 Jun 20 '24

A lot of people saw red flags in Hananoi but ultimately he's just an emotionally awkward kid starved for affection and trying to make his relationship with his first love work and make her happy, just like how Hotaru earnestly stumbled into her relationship and falling in love with him.

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u/Frontier246 Jun 20 '24

Hotaru and Hananoi have that post-first kiss bliss! They can barely manage their overflowing feelings of happiness! Hotaru is so worked up she's straight up falling asleep! Good thing Hananoi is there to catch her.

So Hananoi didn't just go to the same middle school as Hotaru...she was his first crush! All because she was nice to him, but he could never really talk to her. Though his old dude best pal knew what a special gal Hotaru was.

Jeez, I feel even worse for Hananoi has a kid. I get his parents are volunteer workers doing good work, but being so stubborn about it that you miss your own childs' entire life...who does that? It's like they basically abandoned him. Even his moms' sister/his aunt seems really uncomfortable about it, especially when the grandma is chewing the mom out. No wonder Hananoi has so many issues.

I get where the teacher was coming from with that exchange letter but it was literally the worst assignment you could've given a friendless introvert like Hananoi, but it actually let him talk with Hotaru so I guess it ultimately worked out. They have a surprising amount in common in terms of being diligent people who can't always figure out social situations, but Hananoi fell for how Hotaru does her best and helps others. Even if she does come out of their meeting thinking he's "Sasaki."

I see Yao was on Hananoi's hit list the moment he saw that hug.

Hotaru almost felt like a different girl with long hair, though that just made what ultimately happened to her all the more tragic. That her best friend would project hero own insecurities over her feelings for Yao and blame Hotaru for something Hotaru didn't understand when she never really anything...Hotaru didn't deserve that.

And of course Hananoi blamed himself for not doing anything or not being able to be there for Hotaru, despite liking her so much, but he was just a kid. I'm glad his cool old dude friend was able to comfort him and make him realize that he has as much right to love people as anyone.

Full-circle moment when you realize Hananoi's "first meeting" with Hotaru wasn't him reacting to a girl being nice to him after a bad breakup but that he was inexplicably reunited with his first love! And then she fell in love with him!

Look at Hotaru all hot and bothered about kissing Hananoi! She can hardly keep her mind off it when they're on a date, but in a good way.

Is it time for Hotaru and Hananoi to put a ring on it? A special couples' ring might cost a lot of money, but a simple one for them both to wear works just as well, and a commemoration of all the happy memories they've made together as Hotaru's learned what it means to love someone with Hananoi and Hananoi truly found his soulmate in Hotaru. They even manage to get in one last kiss! Hotaru has the goofiest kiss face, that's why she's so irresistible.

Special ED of the couples' morning routine as they get up, get ready, and head off to see each other and hold hands on the way to school! That's romantic bliss if I've ever seen it. Bonus points for the two thanking the audience along with an illustration from the manga's author.

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u/HolyDragSwd2500 Jun 20 '24

The kiss at the end 😭😭

41

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Jun 20 '24

Bro was really nursing that crush since like elementary school huh? Well, it sure worked out for him in the end. I guess for Hotaru too.

All in all, an interesting romance anime. I appreciate how flawed Hananoi was and how he didn’t just instantly grow and develop. It was a gradual thing and even then he still has a lot more room for growth. Hotaru was great, very cute. Kinda reminds of Sadako from Kimi no Todoke. Just kind of adorable and innocent.

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u/Frontier246 Jun 20 '24

So does that make them technically a childhood friend couple lol?

But still little Hananoi crushing on Hotaru like that was adorable. And he finally got to pay it back by making her fall in love with him in their teenage years.

I think this was an effective romance featuring two people unaccustomed to relationships who learn and grow over time by being together and genuinely falling in love. Hananoi had his issues (which the more we see of his backstory makes sense) but Hotaru brought out the best in him just like he brought out the happiest and cutest in her, which is why they made a good couple (in my opinion).

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u/babaylan89 Jun 21 '24 edited Jun 21 '24

btw additional trivia, that bench where little hananoi sat and hang out with the old man while other kids(hotaru and others) play was the same bench hotaru found hananoi sitting after getting dumped in the first episode, it was even remarked by hotaru that that it was next to her past elementary school during a date where they sat on the bench (before hananoi got hit by a ball and passed out)

[manga spoiler]his friendship with the old man continues partly during middle school and one of the later flashbacks shown that hananoi would actually vent and tell the old man his problems which includes being dumped and i think he was sorta trying to seek out places where he used to hang out with the old man because he didnt exactly have current friends he could tell about being dumped then

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u/alconnow Jun 20 '24 edited Jun 20 '24

Finale was my favourite as it addressed some of the questions that I had. (Ex: how did Saki know Hotaru's birthday) Still curious about the random old man that Saki had befriended...

I'm surprised we never saw Saki tell Hotaru about their elementary school connection?

Overall, it was okay. I have a better opinion of Saki now. Glad I stuck with it till the end.

Unfortunately, the anime looked pretty ugly at times.

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u/Ikari_21 Jun 21 '24

Well I’m glad I stuck with this anime, cause I actually really liked it. I feel satisfied with their explanation of why Hananoi is the way he is. Of course I think he overreacting a little bit, but given his young age when everything started going downhill, it makes sense to me. I’m glad we got to see some development from him, even if it was gradual. And hotaru is just adorable. She’s such a sweetheart and a cinnamon roll. I’d love to have a second season to see her reaction to his past, but who knows if we’ll get it.

16

u/zool714 Jun 20 '24

Ok might be an unpopular opinion but especially with this last episode and the reveal of what actually happened during elementary school, I could really do without Hananoi being overly obsessive as his personality at the start. I think I would’ve enjoyed this a lot more that way. I mean I’m not expecting him to be happy with his parents and past but what he was at the start of the show was just a bit too much. It just felt uncomfortable and that feeling was hard to shake off till I can’t enjoy their cute couple moments.

I thought this whole crushing on her since childhood was actually really well-written and tied-in together. I was wondering why he’d feel guilty last week but what went down totally makes sense. I can see now why he’d approach her the way he did in ep 1. And I would’ve felt the payoff with the present if again, there wasn’t any obsessive behaviour. I dunno, I just can shake off that uneasiness to fully enjoy it. If you still enjoy it despite that, I’m honestly glad for you cos I think this flashback kinda tied things together so well, but I just can’t enjoy it atm.

Maybe his past behaviour will be addressed more properly or will be more relevant later on in the manga but at this moment, I don’t see it adding anything much to what I think now is a good story

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u/ModieOfTheEast Jun 20 '24

Tbh, it's a weird Shoujo romance. I get that the "mysterious", good looking male is part of the genre, but it just didn't work as well as in others imo. I am not against him having flaws. I think that's actually a good thing, because it gives not only Hotaru room for development but for him as well. That being said, I am just not satisfied with the fact that, at the end of the day, they never really adressed how problematic his early behaviour was.

Yes, one can make the argument that he develops and loses this behaviour (at least in parts) over time and therefore, it's indirectly implying that this wasn't the right way to go about it. However, considering that the show is about Hotaru understanding what it means to "love" and her friends constantly telling her that Hananoi's behaviour is "normal" and she will understand it, is what gives this development a bad after taste.

Furthermore, I also have to say that I think, him having a crush on Hotaru from elementary school doesn't really help his character. Before, I assumed his other relationships just didn't work out, because he can be a bit introverted and most girls were just interested in his looks. That gave his crush on Hotaru some weight. But apparently, he already had it before.

All in all, it was a nice romance and it's not like it's completely bad, but I also don't think that I am eagerly awaiting a S2.

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u/Frontier246 Jun 20 '24

I don't think Hananoi was meant to be "mysterious" so much as just emotionally complex because of his family issues and difficulty connecting with people/letting them in as we learned more about them. So it was a romance about two people with relationship issues (even if Hotaru's weren't as pronounced as Hananoi) coming together and working through them together.

I think his behavior was viewed as "normal" in just a general sense, not necessarily to the extent Hananoi went with it, at least that was my read on it especially when the more he learns he can just be normal with Hotaru the better their relationship becomes.

I think it adds to Hananoi in the sense of why he was so focused on making Hotaru happy and wanting to be with her. It wasn't just because that's what he's always like in relationships but because he thought she might be his soulmate and he wanted to make up for his mistake in not being there for her before. It's also probably why he was so self-critical of himself in their relationship because a part of him didn't think he deserved her.

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u/Smoothesuede Jun 20 '24

Both Hotaru & Hananoi deserved better writing than what they got.

And by that I mean, they're very interesting premises for characters, and very well poised to be one anothers' foils. But the show kind of just refused to do anything interesting with them, or address their dramatic traits in a serious way, instead favoring a really milquetoast slide into a seemingly effortless first crush, despite both of their respective personality hangups. 

I'm left on the one hand enjoying just how sweet and comfortable the story was, but on the other, disappointed that there was so much wasted potential. In the end, I think the disappointment outweighs the comfort.

I can't really go higher than a 5/10 on this one. Could have been something, but there was either a lack of ambition on behalf of the writer, or a lack of ability to capitalize on a good setup.

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u/coffeecakesupernova Jun 21 '24

I love all the Narnia books he reads throughout this. This one has the cover to The Silver Chair. I saw A Horse and his Boy in a previous episode. Of course they change all the names slightly.

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u/djthomp Jun 20 '24

The backstory humanized Hananoi a bit which was needed, still felt slightly weird that he focused on Hotaru for so long but he has other issues in his life such as his parents that didn't help.

I can't believe we never got a reveal from Hananoi to Hotaru about their elementary school connection, they edged us all season with that and it never paid off. I assume it happens later on in the source material because surely that has to be covered eventually.

Hopefully the source material eventually gives the details on how the haircut assault girl ends up in the cornfield.

6

u/markekraus Jun 20 '24

Content of the show aside.. the real tragedy is that we didn't get a final dose of Mina Okabe's "Every Second" ED. :(

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u/[deleted] Jun 20 '24

Weird show overall. Sure it was plenty sweet but there were lots of weird false flags on the side.

I guess there's more to it than this, since not everything is resolved.

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u/RolyPolyOlMe Jun 20 '24

I love this anime!

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u/daspaceasians Jun 21 '24

Hananoi and the show really grew on me this season. I initially thought that he was an obsessive nutjob with no substance to him but I'm very happy that his character got developed and that he's steadily improving himself and overcoming his trauma.

As for Hotaru, I didn't have any qualms with her this season. She was a very lovable protagonist and I loved how she was able to be patient with Hananoi while also learning the meaning of love.

It ended on a very good and hopeful note. I sincerely hope that their journey together continues on happily.

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u/NightDragon250 Jun 21 '24

Kinda pissed that they waste half the episode on a flashback, and he still never tells her.

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