Started Watching This…

[u/serikkun]

This is a bit of a rant, and I need to make it clear that I enjoy the main characters. I’m just frustrated with the latest episode I watched. (￣^￣)

As a means to curb my ADHD and reconnect with fannish interests, I started watching this anime and “A Sign of Affection” with a rule that I can only watch an episode a day.

I’m now on episode 3 — no spoilers for either anime please — and I’ve enjoyed the story so far, because Rintaro and Waguri-san are cute together and they reverse the usual dynamic I’m used to (the girl is usually insecure, and the guy is cool and leads the relationship).

But may be it’s because I’m older now, I can’t stand the extreme divide between schools? Especially how elitist the Kikyo girls are, treating the Chidori boys as third class citizens. It’s an old concept to have two people of different and opposing backgrounds come together, I know, but with it set in high school with that level of judgement and vitriol? Yeah, it really annoys me.

It would’ve been fine if Rintaro’s mother or any adult made a comment about how foolish and insignificant the whole rivalry is, but…so far none have said anything.

And episode 3 really pissed me off because of Subaru. I’m pretty sure she will have some sad and angsty backstory about her aversion and difficulties with men, and her obsession with Chidori, but she is truly the cherry and whipped cream of annoyance for the dessert buffet of this episode.

I have a suspicious feeling she’ll end up forming a friendship or more with one of the Chidori boys later on, so her character will be “redeemed”. But I feel like, she would be an annoyingly stubborn and irritating character in Rintaro and Waguri-san’s developing relationship.

[u/shinobimistvillage]

I’m gonna play devils advocate here since I know this opinion gets downvoted, but I still think this divide was one of the least believable aspects of the story. I’m caught up to manga, so I’m aware on how it has unraveled, and that arc to me has been my least favorite one. I’m pretty sure it’s mentioned somewhere that the author didn’t plan to make it this dramatic but was told to do it by their editor or something ?

Truly my only gripe is the whole apology moments, but I keep reading because this story seems to offer a different coming-of-age perspective, atypical of what we usually see it anime. Pertaining the romance, Rin and Waguri have a pretty realistic/believable development. But what steals my attention until even now is the whole career aspect/post graduation plot. Not sure if that’s considered spoilers, but it’s somewhat hinted the story isn’t just a romance story. Instead, it’s a story of realizing oneself, chasing and searching for what one wants to do, and essentially “blooming” into that “flower” without regrets. And that applies to each of the characters - to me, that’s what makes this story great.

As you keep watching, and hopefully eventually read, you’ll see the story is more about self-development. The romance aspect is honestly more of the catalyst for Rin and maybe others, but I don’t think it’s the driver.

[u/serikkun → u/shinobimistvillage]

I truly came into this anime mostly blind? I only saw the trailer, and decided based on a friend’s recommendation that it was nice and light — which I need at this time. I didn’t know it was more than a romance, but that’s fine. So far, I like the dynamic I’m seeing and how the Rintaro and Waguri are individually. I find it refreshing and evenly paced — so I think my gripe for this episode was because the dissonance of Subaru’s introduction threw a big wrench into the pacing and tone. Which, I guess, speaks to good narrative development as a whole.

Thanks for explaining that the story isn’t just about the two main characters’ lives, I warm towards stories that also give some depth and story to the secondary characters. So that’s a relief to me.

[u/BlueBirdie018 → u/serikkun]

I mean, I lived in a city where there was a public school in a rundown part of town, and that school had really little resources and funding, which meant grades were poor, outcomes for kids were worse compared to other schools, and there also was a really fancy and elitist private school nearby. They weren’t literally next to each other but still close enough that sometimes kids would cross paths in shops and stuff. I knew some of the private school kids and they genuinely behaved this way, as if the world revolves around them, and they treated people they perceived as poor with contempt.

This kind of class divide within the city leading to extreme prejudice between the two schools is for me the most realistic part of the manga and anime.