Almost there…

Koori no Jouheki is definitely the most frustrating series of the season for me. I so badly want to embrace it but it just keeps pushing me away (which is sort of fitting, in its way) right when I’m this close to committing. Yet, because of who writes it, it’s clear that there’s real depth and perceptiveness here. This episode alone was quite the emotional boomerang. The A-part had me almost feeling like tapping out – I was really getting annoyed. Then the B-part was maybe the best ten minutes of the show to date – tense and compelling. I guess you have to take that as a hopeful sign.

I can’t deny it – Minato is part of the problem. Maybe a big part. I can’t help it, he’s just annoying as hell. I was very happy to see Miki calling him out on it – though the jury is out on whether she had ulterior motives. But the thing is, he’s still annoying. I’ve known people like him, and honestly, you almost prefer the ones who are just outright jerks. There’s nothing that pisses introverts off more than a chatty Cathy like Minato who thinks he’s better than you are because he can small talk his ass off. And that he was to extend his largesse to you – you know, out of the goodness of his heart.

This is what people like him have to understand and never do. When someone wants to be left alone, just leave them the fuck alone. I don’t know why this fact is so hard for some folks to grasp, but sometimes people just want to be left to their own devices. it seems clear from Miki’s “pity” speech and the bit at the very end that Koucha gets that Minato is in the wrong here, but somehow in series like this that tends to get flipped on its head. We’ll see – I hope not.

There are complicated things going on in this little group, no question about it. Miki was definitely trying to have Youta and Koyun meet up with her for lunch without him knowing, but Minato is an irresistible force of obtrusiveness. Once at the restaurant (that was definitely not Saizeriya, no way) he keeps chipping away at Koyun’s personal space, showing no indication whatsoever that Miki’s scolding made any impact whatsoever. He even says flat-out that it’s a “pity” that Koyun doesn’t go out on her days off. Sure, she would probably like to on occasion. But what business is it of his?

This is all coming to a head with the arrival of Igarashi-kun, Miki and Koyun’s former middle school classmate. Koyun knew this was coming, but in the heat of test prep she forgot until it was too late. She wakes up from her power nap (yes, three cups of joe on an empty stomach will do that) to find Igarashi outside talking with Minato. She eavesdrops for a while, knows they’re talking about Miki. Then she sneaks out, seething about the fact that they might start talking about her. And her irritation that people might be interested in her really rang true.

In Minato’s defense, with Koyun never having told him not to bring her name up with Igarashi he wouldn’t have known not to. He might have intuited it, but realistically? No. And of course he blabs constantly so you know that’s exactly what he’ll do. It’s not 100% clear yet what happened in junior high, but it’s obvious Koyun has a crapton of scar tissue because of it. And that her current “ramparts of ice” were erected partly in direct response. It seems like she and Igarashi may have been dating, and for whatever reason tongues started to wag that things had gotten physical between them. But there could be something else going on here – you also kind of vibe that Igarashi may have been bullying her.

All I can say is, whatever happened, I’m on Koyun’s side here. Just stop fucking talking about her, stop poking and prodding and invading her space. Minato isn’t the same as those goons in junior high gossiping and bad-mouthing her – but he’s still disrespecting her. As for Igarashi, whatever happened, all I can say is he comes off as a complete jerk – both in the present and in Koyun’s flashbacks. If there’s a sign of progress here it’s that she stood up to Minato and told him what he thinks, but given the demographic I’m more or less assuming this is all a prelude to the two of them being coupled off. And it made me a little nauseous just writing that…