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Perhaps no anime episode of recent vintage has less required a blog post to be written about it.
I enjoyed this episode of Ore Monogatari!! of course – I’m not a cold-blooded terrorist or anything. But if I’m honest, I think it was the very definition of “one-note”. It’s a good note, don’t get me wrong, but I do tend to prefer this series when it has a little more variety in its arsenal. To again use the cooking analogy: while I love sweet things, their appeal tends to wane pretty quickly if the sweetness isn’t balanced out by some other flavors.
Coming off last week’s ep, which was the best of the series for me, this one didn’t have as much traction. The Ai plotline itself was certainly more interesting than the Judo Club one, but there was also a good deal of snap to the humor, even a bit of a dark edge. This storyline was straight-up Takeo being GAR and Rinko being cute. I like Takeo’s GAR side and Yamato is cute, but I think those things are pretty well established at this point (and you have to be seriously GAR in Japan to have sempai bow down to you like Takeo’s judo teammates did). I don’t think we learned anything new about anybody here – Takeo is a bro and a boss, Yamato is adorable, and they’re nuts for each other as only teens in the full blush of first love can be.
Perhaps the reason why Suna is seemingly always the most interesting character to me isn’t so much that he’s a great character (though he is) but the fact that there’s so littlemystery to the two romantic leads. You could pretty much predict everything that was going to happen this week, but Suna hovering in the background with his tiny inscrutable smiles and impassive facades always brings that “just what drives this guy?” element. Is he truly content to be the boy on the periphery – to cheerlead for Rinko when she goes off full-bore on her soliloquies about how great Takeo is? Or does he harbor thoughts about being the main character in his own “Ore Monogatari”?
I can’t help but think that as good as Ore Monogatari is, that would actually be an even better show. Or perhaps if Suna were to develop feelings for Rinko – or heck, for Takeo – himself (sometimes the wingman does want to fly the plane, you know). I certainly don’t wish any serious misfortune on Takeo and Yamato’s relationship but that would be a nice dose of habanero to really cut through the sweetness and spice things up. I will say, though, that the flat-out bombast of Yamato’s infatuation with Takeo was pretty hilarious at times this week. It almost makes me wonder if Kawahra-sensei is slipping some flat-out shoujo parody into this relationship – heck, I’m pretty damn sure she is.
With the series slated to run for 24 episodes (and the manga ongoing) the key question for me is this – where does Ore Monogtari get its variety going forward, its impetus and momentum? It can’t be comprised solely (or even mostly) of eps like this one, yet it seems disinclined to go really dark. Will we indeed see Suna’s feelings muddy the waters of the main relationship somehow, or perhaps a shift in focus to Suna’s own romantic developments? Or will storm clouds brew between Takeo and Rinko once the flush of infatuation meets reality head-on? I almost feel guilty for wishing angst onto characters as likeable and decent as Takeo and Yamato, but the truth is I think Ore Monogatari pretty much needs to subject them to some if it’s going to continue to evolve.
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darkkodiak
May 21, 2015 at 8:30 pmYou know what, this thought kept running in the back of my mind, what if the two main protagonist are a red herring? What if the love story we are suppose to be told is not Takeo's story but Suna's? Maybe I'm looking too hard at it and this is just a sweet show about two high school kids but every time I watch a new episode and Suna shows up, that thought pops up. Otherwise, I'm enjoying this show for what it is on the surface. I don't remember the last time we had a romance show where it was just fun watching main couple doing their thing without all the typical drama that follows it.
Stöt
May 21, 2015 at 8:57 pmI usually detest characters that are too cute (except maybe if its a squirrel named Ao or something), so Yamato should really be one of the worst. But she's not. Her reactions are too honest and too believable. I love it, but it's time for something else now. Can we really have the rest of the show be about one or two minor problem that they overcome in less than half an episode? That'd be a waste.
Tbh, I don't think the triangle drama option is open here. They're too good together. However, the poor communication skills of Takeo is a recurring theme. So I'm guessing something actually bad will happen to Takeo, and he opts not to tell Yamato about it. Maybe Yamato gets to save the day once, that'd be awesome.
ichigo-daisuki
May 22, 2015 at 12:05 am"You could pretty much predict everything that was going to happen this week, but Suna hovering in the background with his tiny inscrutable smiles and impassive facades always brings that "just what drives this guy?" element…"
We may get an answer next week as the title is "My Friend". This could refer to a shift in focus to Suna.
Simone
May 22, 2015 at 9:04 amApparently it's going to be a two-episode arc centred about Suna, yeah. Looking forward to it.
Truman
May 22, 2015 at 5:33 amWas quite disappointed in this episode, Maybe I'm just heartless but I can't stand it when people I know are bragging about how amazing their partner is, so really don't want to watch tv characters doing it. Sincerely hope the plot switches to Suna's story or even his sister, easily the two most engaging characters thus far.
brent
May 22, 2015 at 9:53 amAgreed.
I get it ,they love each other, now bring something else to the table.
It reminds me of people on Facebook who feel the need to publicly declare they love each other every week, I just don't care.
The anime is called "my story" ,but I'm not seeing much of a story at all, its just static
Roger
May 23, 2015 at 3:22 amI'm okay with the first half of the episode (that training montage with that Rocky-esque BGM was actually amusing). But the second hyalf was kinda lacking. The whole deal with "Takeo proving to that opponent captain that he is strong even with a girlfriend" really felt unnecessary, mostly because it just appears and disappears out of nowhere.
Will we indeed see Suna's feelings muddy the waters of the main relationship somehow, or perhaps a shift in focus to Suna's own romantic developments?
Wait, I thought the "Suna is gay" theory was already debunked last episode?
gilraen_tinuviel
May 23, 2015 at 12:49 pmWait! If the theory is debunked and Suna is straight like a tight string, why the first thing you thought, while reading this sentence, was "GAY!". There could be a situation where a new girl appear, who will be worthy in his eyes. And maybe feeling a pang of envy, while watching our main couple, will push him to develop his own romantic relationship.