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This is one series where the title is kind of deceptive.
It’s happening again. I can’t help but find the supporting cast in Ore Monogatari more interesting than the main couple. It’s not their fault, either – I like Takeo and Rinko just fine. But there’s just not much drama there. No surprises. We know how they feel (because let’s face it, they say it out loud in un-Japanese fashion more than any couple in anime), and no matter what obstacles are tossed in their path, there’s just not much sense that any of them might actually take.
As a warm-hearted, fuzzy study of first love, then, this is a perfectly good show, and even refreshing in that it focuses on the relationship itself rather than the build-up, and on the bonding rather than the drama. But while that’s true, let’s face it – without some drama, things can get pretty same-y sometimes. And that’s where first Suna, then Ai, then Oda, and now Saijou come in. What I’m wondering is whether the series itself understands that they’re where the real compelling stuff is, of whether it thinks they’re just supporting characters.
Saijou is the latest in this line of succession, and another successful entry. She’s cast in what would normally be a villain role in a shoujo romance – she’s obviously lying when she says she only likes Takeo “as a person”. In effect, she’s knowingly making a play for a guy she knows has a girlfriend he’s in love with. But she’s hard to dislike even so, thanks in no small part to Maeda Rena’s stellar performance. Part of it is her situation – we can see the heartbreak coming, which makes it inherently more tense and dramatic than the main pairing. But it’s also because Saijou is very relatable – cute but a little plain-looking, not exceptionally brilliant or talented, a bit socially awkward. She’s just a regular girl doing something she knows she shouldn’t, because she’s in love.
Suna being Suna, he sees all and knows all – and being the ultimate bro he is, he can’t just step aside and watch others suffer. Of course it’s nice that he’d try and prevent a potential crisis between his two friends, but it soon becomes clear that he’s also stepping in because he sees how badly Saijou is being hurt by all this. Despite Saijou lashing out at him with idle threats if he spills her secret, Suna is the sort of a guy who’ll stand by with not one but two boxes of tissues for a girl who not only isn’t his girlfriend, but truthfully isn’t even really his friend.
Ah, Suna… Why are you such a fascinating enigma? It’s tempting now to try and pair him off with Saijou now, of course, and there is a bit of a vibe at the end when Takeo talks about how he wants to help her find someone. But while I like them both, that would just be too easy. I know the manga is ongoing, and my great fear is that we’re going to see the anime come to an end without Suna ever emerging beyond his role as the wingman and facilitator, and revealing just what makes him tick. That would be brutally unfair to the viewers, but so far there’s no firm reason to suspect we’ll get a look at the man behind the curtain – and wondering just who he is makes the most interesting element of Ore Monogatari.
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Epilogue:
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Simone
July 23, 2015 at 7:29 amYep, SunaXSaijou at this point is the obvious thought, but it couldn't be fast, necessarily, given how Saijou feels. But yeah, this episode was a peak for the series, one of the best of its run imho. Part of it is that just like Suna provides more interesting moments than Takeo, Saijou is definitely more interesting to watch than Rinko. I guess that supporting that ship is also a way to hope she'll just hang around – she was a joy to watch these two episodes (as opposite to the rather vile Oda who'd best disappear to never return).
admin
July 23, 2015 at 4:33 pmPoor Oda – so misunderstood…
Jay Psi
July 23, 2015 at 10:03 pmEven an enthusiastic and heartfelt "Tsuki da" can only be endearing so many times, and I passed that point two episodes ago…
More interesting than this (very neatly wrapped up) drama is whether Takeo will now wise up just a little bit and realize that Ai had feelings for him. I don't want to go right back to it, but hopefully we'll get back to it before the series ends.
elianthos80
July 27, 2015 at 1:45 pmComment got lost as the page reloaded… In short:
– I agree on the stellar voicework for Saijou. Especially during the true confession. Oh the heartbreak. I FEEL IT.
– She still managed to care about refunding Suna his tissues money even while deep in pain. A(nother) good person in that scene.
– Megu's soft breathy voice while blowing the (yummy) soup sounded borderline erotic to my maidenly ears :,)
– 'My master is Nature!' :;DD
– A very welcome improvement of Takeo's budding insight skills. The coda with Rinko was a meaningful key moment for both… he spoke the only right words that needed to be said to relieve her simmering anxiety.
– Bonus duck couples! Why must those rapey avian specimens look so darling oh why.
P.S.: Suna speculah: I admit I peeked ahead specifically about him. Whatever I think I've understood I'd love to see on screen. Fingers crossed.
Zeroyuki92
August 4, 2015 at 2:49 pmLate response: While probably support characters in Ore Monogatari! is indeed overshining the main couple, I think that's intended. It's built that way.
Takeo and Rinko are the pillar of the series. Not by providing a superbly stellar performance by themselves, but by acting as a multiplier for the supports to shine. Without them, Suna would only become a "cool, popular and yet actually kind" character, and so do the other characters. They are shining because of their interaction with the main couple, because Takeo and Rinko are very "pure" and "grounded", and those qualities are the one who bring out the best of the other characters.
In a way, I think you could see that Rinko and Takeo are actually the support characters and the rest are the actual main characters. Either way is fine.