I always consider it a good sign when you find yourself grinding for a long time over something that’s happening – or just as often, not happening – in a series, only to have to the series confront it head-on.  I think Wotakoi was always going to confront the issues it confronted this week – the writing is just too smart for that not to have happened eventually.  Still, I’m glad the elephant in the room has been acknowledged, because now we can get on with figuring out what it’s doing there and what to do about it.

In fact, the A-part this time is something of a one-off.  It’s a story about why Hirotaka is scared of thunder (it’s because he lost a saved game once when the power went out), brought on by the appearance of a typhoon in Tokyo.  This is amusing without having a whole lot of import for the larger plot, though I do think the main point here was to show off that Hiro does in fact have a vulnerable side.  One may argue that the reason behind his phobia is silly, but it’s still a phobia as Narumi points out.  And she scores a few points for being sensitive about it.

There is another relevant takeaway from that aside, too, which is that there was a thunder-related incident during childhood that Hirotaka remembered in detail, and Narumi seemingly forgot.  And this, certainly, is indicative of a larger issue with their relationship. One could make a case that Narumi was a false main character for Wotakoi based on the first 8 episodes, because as it’s evolved this story has taken Hiro’s point of view much more often than Narumi’s.  Hirotaka is the really complicated and frankly more interesting among the main pairing – in fact for me, Narumi being relatively boring is as close as Wotakoi has to a real weakness as a series.  But the fact is, that which makes her kind of dull is an important element in driving the plot.

There’s a lot of irony in this premise.  It seemed so refreshing to have the main pairing established after the first episode, because that way the whole series could be about the far more interesting element of seeing them evolve as a couple.  But really, there’s been no evolution – and that, in its way, is the whole point.  Hana and Tarou are a ton of fun to watch, but in fact they’re really the only couple in Wotakoi so far.  And the contrast between these two pairings, which has always been obvious to the viewer, was what really drove the B-part his week.  Hirotaka certainly notices it, and he’s certainly bothered by it.  As, frankly, he should be.

I loved the way the writing used the whole bit with Hanako flirting with Narumi.  It started out as a comic bit, and a very funny one – especially when Hana turned the tables on Tarou.  Then it evolved into a commentary on Hana and Tarou’s relationship, as Narumi mused on the fact that Tarou might have been upset because he doesn’t like Hanako flirting with anyone else (even a girl).  But finally, we got to the real point – Hiro takes the whole thing as a reminder of what’s missing in his own relationship with Narumi.  When he finally flat-out asks her what she’d feel if she saw him flirting with other girls, her answer is classic Narumi avoidance – “Nah, you’d never do that”.

Ay, there’s the rub indeed – the theme that’s truly at the heart of Wotakoi.  Hirotaka is much more aware of being in a relationship than Narumi seems to be.  And what’s more, he seems to love her romantically much more than she does him – though she’s so neurotic that it’s possible that could be a mirage.  Now that Hirotaka has finally decided enough is enough, it looks like the real story can actually begin, because Narumi – the queen of avoidance – can no longer avoid this issue.  She started “dating” Hirotaka because it was safe and fun and convenient, and she trusts him.  Except she never really started dating him at all, and didn’t seem to want to.  That’s no longer enough for Hirotaka, so Narumi is the one that now has to face the real decision – just what does Hirotaka mean to her, and how much is she willing to change in order to keep him with her?