That’s what the bubble is for, I suppose, but I gotta admit – I still like this show quite a lot. It’s on the Patron Pick ballot but isn’t going to win, and almost never draws any comments here though it does get decent aggregator scores. So if I cover it, it will be strictly my own preference. Which is of course totally fine, that’s the main reason why I should cover any series. At some point I have to let the light novel thing go and either trust that there’s enough there to sustain me, or there isn’t. But either way I’m going to be watching at the very least, for now anyway.

There are some lovely backgrounds here and there (more on those shortly). But basically this show rests entirely on Irino Miyu and Hayami Saori – who do have some experience with this sort of premise. It’s two people talking to each other, and one of them staring at the other. That wouldn’t work unless the seiyuu were good, and the two people were likable as characters. It needs more but that’s the first hurdle, and it’s cleared comfortably. Hayami is very good but Irino and Kakeru are the lynchpin there – it’s his internal discomfort that drives everything.

I feel like the writing here is pretty open about this experience. Let’s be brutally honest – anyone who’s never dated someone with a disability is going to be asking themselves the same questions and having the same doubts as Kakeru. What can I say, and what can’t I? What’s rude and inconsiderate? How much do I have to help them and if I help too much, will they be offended? And of course, “this just seems like it would be a lot of work”. Koharu has been dealing with this since she lost her sight, of course, and I’m sure she’s sick of it. He’s learning, but it’s a slow process – just like the process of his ramparts of ice gradually being thawed by the relationship.

Koharu is pretty easy to read, actually. She was the one who called this a date. And a girl doesn’t randomly start skipping (that surprises Kakeru way more than it should) for no reason. We get a taste of what her daily life is like when (and this very much matches my experience) no one on the subway will give up their seat (in the priority area, mind you). And when a guy is walking on the “Tenji Blocks” – which are there for blind people – is looking at his phone, and has the unmitigated gall to be irritated when he bumps into her. Kakeru is angry on her behalf, but Koharu just wants to move on – giving you the idea that she’s used to this.

Another inconvenience – reading menus. I never thought about this much but I’ve never seen a restaurant in Japan with a braille menu. It’s nice if you’re with a friend or know the waitress (big coincidence there) but if she were on her own, Koharu would have had to wing it or ask for help (which I imagine she would be reluctant to do). This outing to Asakusa to buy fireworks is quite an eye-opener for Kakeru then, both in terms of understanding Koharu’s seikatsu and his own feelings. The shop is a real place – Matsui Fireworks, a beloved local institution.

You know Kakeru is loosening up because he says “what should be do now?” after the shopping. Koharu pitches quitting while they’re ahead, but suggests the water bus home. I’ve taken this before – it’s quite a nice way to travel, and there are even a couple of boats designed by Matsumoto Leiji. Where are they headed? Back to Tsukishima, where their college is, and it’s also based on a real place – Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology Etchūjima Campus (the only such university in Tokyo). The boat poses its own set of challenges for Koharu – or at least Kakeru imagines it does – but the experience looks like a rather profound one in the end.

We only ever see Kakeru’s perspective of all this – everything about what Koharu is thinking we have to infer from her words and her face. That in itself is interesting – how does she feel about Kakeru being so protective of her? “Level two kindness license” indeed – but is she also a little bothered and covering it up because she likes him? This isn’t easy – not that first (or nearly) romances ever are. Kakaeru is emotionally guarded to the point of obsession and the specifics of Koharu’s situation just add one more layer of complexity for him. But it’s quite an engaging process to watch playing itself out.