That was a pretty darn spectacular episode any way you slice it. Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!! has been a very snappy production from the beginning – what it’s doing with the EDs is evidence of that. But this ep took everything to another level. It was beautiful in every sense of the word, and absolutely heartbreaking. A really powerful expression of what it’s like to be unreservedly and passionately in love with someone.
Anime sure has been spending a lot of time in Yokohama this year. Especially romcom. Seihantai went there a few days after I did, and now Nakamura-kun follows suit. It’s a field trip, starting out in Chinatown. Once more a lot of the places I visited are returned to, though I have to say I never knew there was an aquarium there. When I looked it up on Google Maps after watching this episode, someone had left a review saying simply “Bro Nakamura, just tell him Bro”. Word.
The first thing one has to say about this ep was that it was gorgeous, simply in the way it presented Yokohama and framed the characters in the various locations. Director Umeki Aoi’s only prior direction was on Poputepipikku, a series I’m not a fan of, but they certainly have my attention. It’s also worth noting just how beautifully the episode reminded us that everything was being seen from Nakamura-kun’s perspective. The camera that douchebag made him use was a nice device for this, but it went way beyond that.
In short, it’s easy to see why Nakamura loves Hirose. Hirose is the essence of kindness and good nature — part of that is Nakamura romanticizing (even objectifying) him. But part of it is just Nakamura having good taste. It absolutely guts Nakamura to see Hirose throw himself at Otogiri-sensei but in the end I don’t think there’s any substance to that thread. Otogiri was creepy as hell last week but he came off much better here, even treating the boys to lunch in Chinatown. Part of it is that I think he likes looking cool, and Hirose’s adoration is certainly flattering. But maybe he’s a genuinely nice guy under all that.
The whole sequence with Nakamura, Hirose, and Oomori-kun was really heartwarming. Hirose ditches his shallow friends (especially Takeuchi) to hang with the loner kids. And when Nakamura decides to hit the aquarium despite it costing ¥1500, Hirose eventually ditches Oomori to join him. Does Hirose genuinely like aquariums? I have no doubt. But he obviously also sensed how important this was to Nakamura. All the while Nakamura agonizes over telling him how he really feels, and his terror is really palpable.
All the while this was playing out I kept thinking “you know he already is your friend, you doof.” And of course that’s what Hirose tells Nakamura when the latter finally “confesses” after urging Hirose to be true to himself and not join Takeuchi and the others when he doesn’t really want to. I think the idea that anybody would want to be his friend is still hard for Nakamura to accept, but Hirose is less judgmental than anyone in the universe.
I don’t know where this is going – I don’t know if what Hirose wants is what Nakamura wants, or if Nakamura will ever have the courage to be honest with him even if it is. But in the end it almost doesn’t matter, because not only is Nakamura’s love for Hirose pure as the driven snow (dirty thoughts notwithstanding), but so is the friendship that’s grown between them. Even if it only comes down to Hirose teaching him to let someone inside his protective shield, that would still be a hugely rewarding thing to watch.
