Part of it may be the state I was in when I watched the first episode, but I found Toumei Otoko to Ningen Onna: Sonouchi Fuufu ni Naru Futari to be more engaging this time. Things diversified tonally and we got to know the rest of the cast a little bit more. There’s a huge fluff factor here, to the point where it normally starts to be an annoyance. But especially in the B-part we saw signs that there are some deeper reflections happening as well, which is a hopeful sign.
Tounome-san inviting Yakou-san for a tea tasting experience (I’ve led a few of those in my time) was an excuse to introduce two more of that cast. The tea shop is run by Light and Karma, a light and dark elf respectively. They have a fun banter thing going on, and Karma (the husband) is more than interested in what’s happening between Tounome and Yakou. He spills the beans that Tounome asked for a blend specially created for her, which is certainly a boyfriend thing to do.
This pair will be important in the first chapter because they hire the agency to check out some strange happenings at the shop. That turns out to be her dad and the light elf clan, who apparently don’t approve of the marriage to a dark elf. Papa and Karma are arch-enemies but that’s their problem, not that of a detective agency (unless someone does something crazy, of course). At the agency after-party Kikira-san reveals that he has a partner, which shocks everyone else in the room. He’s a bit of a mystery figure and as such kind of interesting – no one in this show seems to be “normal”, so what’s his hook (apart from being a curmudgeon)?
The B-part is the best chapter of the adaptation so far, finding Tounome inviting Yakou to go to a “dark” restaurant. This is a real thing by the way – dark dining has gotten popular with hipsters lately (it may even have started in Tokyo if I remember right). Tounome says he wants to understand what Yaou’s world is like, and she relishes the idea of being the one in her element for a change. The restaurant is (fittingly) run by an owl and the food seems good, but Tounome has a panic attack once the candles are blown out and the pair of them have to leave (with a doggie bag).
Seeing the normally unflappable Tounome like this is a good development in itself. But the whole notion of trying to explore what the world is like for those with different perspectives than you is a worthwhile theme. Does any sighted person ever truly get what life is like for an unsighted one? And while invisibility isn’t a real thing, this does muse on what that might be like for Tounome. The reason for his anxiety is a bad experience at camp – not so much being left alone in the woods at night, but the fact that no one missed him when he was gone. If you were invisible, I imagine that would be a major neurosis.
Empathy is never a bad thing, either in a person or as a narrative theme. How Yakou is treated by the writing is a delicate matter and easy to trip up on – yes she has challenges, but she can’t be presented as too helpless and dependent. Staying sober for practical reasons is something a blind person does have to consider, and promises from someone like Jarashi-san can’t always be trusted. In this case she was fine thanks to having other friends present, but Yakou has to try and avoid being dependent on the kindness of strangers. Exploring how she and Tounome see the world is a good use of the magical reality element in Toumei Otoko to Ningen Onna, and gives me hope that something genuinely thoughtful is playing out here.
