Maybe it’s time to just stop worrying about the underlying skeeviness of Koi wa Ameagari no You ni’s premise, because this is some outstanding storytelling. I mean, both Masami and Akira are wonderful characters in a vacuum, and in a different scenario one wouldn’t think twice about calling them outstanding subjects for a romantic comedy. Maybe sticking two wonderful characters in the same romantic comedy, even if they’re mismatched, isn’t necessarily a recipe for disaster.
This week’s episode was a full-on charm offensive, there’s no doubt about that. Episode 4 took what was for me a surprising amount of criticism, because I thought it was exactly what it intended to be – a hugely uncomfortable experience that highlighted the differences between two men that transcend age in importance. It was a crucial episode for Koi wa Ameagari, even if it wasn’t as enjoyable as the others. But this one returned the series to happier ground, and doubled-down on the show’s appeal in a big way.
Part of that comes down to the return of Yuuto for the first time since the premiere (it’s a big statement, but Takeuchi Junko may be the single best female seiyuu around when it comes to playing boys). Yuuto is a very likeable little fellow in his own right, but I love what he brings out in both his dad and Akira – and in the two of them together. This ep finds Yuuto showing up at Garden with a hamster (“Tsubu!”) his friend has given him, hoping to guilt Kondou-san into taking care of it for him. But it’s Otou-san’s day off, so Akira (and I’m not totally dismissing selfish reasons for it) offers to walk the boy over to his father’s apartment with Tsubu.
Pretty much every scene in this ep works a treat, starting with Akira slipping quite easily into a maternal role with Yuuto when Masaomi winds up being out of the house (I loved the bit where she straightened the shoes). She does a little snooping, being only human (his book collection interests her especially) but when Yuuto declares that he’s hungry Akira immediately whips up a delicious-looking omurice with the meagre provisions in the bachelor’s fridge. This is all going swimmingly until Yuuto hears his father walking up the stairs and decides to surprise him – by having Akira (and her shoes) hide in the closet.
I couldn’t help but notice the date on the box in there with her – “1990” – which my math tells me would be Masaomi’s 17th year. Was it a coincidence that it was on the top of the stack? Be that as it may, Akira can see through Masaomi’s interaction with Yuuto that he’s very much the same as he is with everyone else – kind and unassuming. Everything in this scene is about revealing who Kondou-san is, both to Akira and to us – an insecure fellow, relying on books about management and magic tricks to get his team to like him, but good-hearted to a fault. It’s only when the heat in that closet gets to be too much for Akira that things take a turn for the worse.
After a barley tea accident, Kondou – too embarrassed to wash Akira’s shirt with his own unmentionables – takes it to the laundromat. Eventually Yuuto and Akira come to rescue him when it starts raining, and on the way home they look very much like a family – though the hard truth is, Akira looks like Yuuto’s big sister. Back at the restaurant, Kondou-san finds that having a hamster around gives him newfound popularity (with everyone apart from Kase, who’s saltier than Akira’s omurice). But Akira eventually (after shaming everyone back to work) scolds him that if he has any hamster questions, it’s her he’s to come to – and no one else.
We’re pretty deep into head-heart warfare territory here, because both these people (and Yuuto) are so endearing that it’s hard not to want this all to somehow work out. Koi wa Ameagari is such a beautiful production top-to-bottom – the stellar cast, Watanabe Ayumu’s masterful direction, the gorgeous and subtle animation and background art. What I haven’t quite figured out yet is just what the series wants us to think – and feel – about Masaomi and Akira. Time will tell (presumably), but in the meantime, it’s such an engaging story that for the nonce, it almost doesn’t seem to matter.
DauntingOverlord
February 8, 2018 at 10:55 pmI don’t know what the story has in mind for these two, but I can’t shake the thought that (even ignoring the age gap) they aren’t a good fit for each other. It’s been made clear that she’s using her crush on Masaomi to replace her love for running, and I believe the story knows it isn’t a healthy relationship for both of them. Masaomi’s kindness towards everyone is what makes him loveable, but I feel Akira only likes him for his sole kindness towards herself.
Masaomi also has his pessimistic side when it comes to himself and I glean from what we’ve seen of his office, he’s given up on certain dreams and, as many of his employees have said, has settled for less and will never (in his mind) be more than a cafe manager. So for a girl who no longer has a dream and a man who’s given up on his, the two don’t really complete each other.
Weirdly enough, I think Masaomi has the most to gain from this relationship, as he desperately needs to rekindle his own youthful dreams and strive for more. Inversely, I believe Akira has the most to gain from this relationship by actually leaving it. She’s using Masaomi for a selfish reason, and because of this crush, at least I feel, she has the most to lose. As long as she continues this relationship, she will remain at the cafe, the place she’s using to shelter herself from the rain, the sign of her depression.
Weirdly I think the character I’m looking out for the most is the boy from Akira’s class who’s trying to get together with her. He has a dream and won’t stay at the cafe forever. He is an honest soul and will do what it takes to know more about the girl he has a crush on. His youthful dreams and desires are what motivates him into the cafe, and these same desires will lead him onwards, with or without Akira.
But then again, that’s just how I see things currently. Something might change, or I’m seeing things totally wrong. The story might have something else planned out, but I’m giving the story some amount of trust that whatever outcome happens, I’ll be satisfied to some extent.
Stöt
February 9, 2018 at 12:15 pm@Daunting Overlord
Ugh, you and I don’t agree about much. But surprisingly it’s mostly when you don’t write opinions but seemingly factual statements. I really don’t think you understand the character Akira at all.
And I don’t like the classmate character at all. I detest the pushy and tone-deaf puppy-eye style of romancing, where you don’t take any hint of rejection ever, but inch as situationally close as possible, until the prey lets their guard down. This is the territory I feel he’s going for when he’s going to confess/act on his affection, and I am not interested in it. And Akira for sure isn’t. Also, IRL, these are the guys who without fault complain about friendzones a couple of months/years down the road.
Anyhow, it might surprise you, but what I do agree with you is that I don’t think the two characters are a good romantic fit for each other, at least at the moment. However I think them getting to know each other (and themselves through that) is going to be good for them both. And who’s to say that every relationship has to last forever? I think they should enjoy it while it lasts.
DauntingOverlord
February 9, 2018 at 1:03 pmEh, at least he’s not being like Kase. The classmate does have a lot of room to grow as well, but in the end I don’t think any one has to get together with anyone. My focus is on Akira, and how she gets over her depression. I was just spitballing ideas, and I have no idea what the plan is with the classmate. He’s either a representation of the immature love that Akira has seemingly matured out of, or a character who will eventually leave the cafe with or without Akira (probably due to her openly going with Masaomi). While his introduction was him wanting to go out with her, he hasn’t pushed it in the last 3 episodes, so I’ve been bearing that in mind. He’s not constantly hounding her, forcing her to go on dates or anything like that. If anything, at least he’s one of the few characters that acts on his own desires/whims, which may or may not be the point of the show. So I dunno, no idea. If he was just a one off character that’s meant to show how indifferent Akira is to people her same age, then his job was done in episode 1 and his existence is meaningless. I’m not really the type to ship people, I just wait to see how it pans outs hoping the situation somehow sorts itself out, thinking about why certain characters are there/needed.
Guardian Enzo
February 9, 2018 at 1:44 pmDefinitely not going to get in the middle of this, but I don’t see anything nefarious or even calculating in Yoshizawa’s behavior. He’s just a kid head over heels in love trying to be close to the object of his affection however he can.
T K
March 4, 2018 at 11:25 amUsually I don’t think like this but female POV is truly what makes all the difference here. The male POV age difference stories are usually just creepy but from female POV it’s often genuine and this story definitely is genuine and thoughtful. Painful, frustrating, longing, at a gap (with some reflexive generational distrust) that can’t be closed, and feelings that are more than lustful.