A familiar face reenters Rikuo’s world, and with their presence comes renewed questions in Shinako’s mind.
Directed By | Fujiwara Yoshiyuki | |
Written By | Fujiwara Yoshiyuki, Tanaka Jin | |
Aired (Crunchyroll) | 5/9/2020 | |
Introduced This Episode | ||
Yuzuhara | Kitamura Eri |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
A Familiar Face – Yuzuhara, Rikuo, Kinoshita
Yuzuhara, Rikuo’s high school girlfriend, comes breezing into town thanks to a lack of friends, the rest of her exes having girlfriends, and no job. But, with her stalking of Rikuo implying he didn’t have anyone, she knew she’d have a place to stay with him – and she was right.
However, what has happened since 2nd year in high school? Well, the diligent student and trained piano player has been a bit of a heartbreaker. In fact, as a musician, she is known as “The Great Destroyer.” A name Kinoshita tells Rikuo is what she is called due to her breaking up every band she was ever in due to relationship drama.
Rikuo, Who Is This Woman? – Yuzuhara, Rikuo, Shinako, Haru
But, is Yuzuhara really all that bad? No. Granted, she did break up with Rikuo after four months because she found someone new, and used him, but she does cook and clean. Also, when Rikuo gets sick, she takes care of him. Hell, in a misunderstood moment, when Rikuo pins her down, she even seems willing to have sex with him. Which really tells you a lot about her desperation. Luckily, what appeared to be a drunk Rikuo was him with a fever.
Though, with him not working for days, this leads to both Haru and Shinako visiting and being shocked to see a woman in Rikuo’s apartment. And as you can imagine, Rikuo, upon returning to work, gives Haru a callous answer about who Yuzuhara is and Shinako? Well, despite what he says, he gets a look that scares him to his core.
The Way Forward – Yuzuhara, Rikuo, Shinako
Now, as for whether Yuzuhara could or would stay? The answer is no. While kind, she still recognizes Rikuo and her aren’t a match, and she tries to convey that to Shinako, who still finds herself lingering towards where Rikuo is.
Also, with her finally getting over her last crush, not ex but crush, she finds herself forced to realize she didn’t date anyone because of him. Yet, here is Rikuo, who finally seems like he is getting his life together, who is always available and seems like a good guy. But can she bring herself to like him? Heck, after rejecting him, does he even still like her?
Highlights
Rikuo’s Desirability
What “Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me” pushes that other anime with such an everyday guy don’t, is a reminder of the value of that basic, nice guy. For other shows, how that person ends up in a harem, with the most interesting person you can imagine, and so much more is often a mystery even when the season ends. With Rikuo, you get it is because he is a nice guy. Yes, nice in a boring way, that may lack a “Wow!” factor, but he can be dependable.
So for Haru and Yuzuhara, that dependability is attractive. Yuzuhara since it meant a place to stay and for Haru, someone who speaks as if consistency isn’t necessarily a thing in her life, Rikuo’s ability to give that is attractive. Heck, I’d submit the reason she gets so mad at him is his inability to give her that when he does so for everyone else freely. Yet, with her being young, maybe she romanticizes the idea of having to work for his love? Who knows.
Then, when it comes to Shinako, I think after being passively rejected, she is still dealing with the idea of being desirable, and with Rikuo showing his desires for her are beyond the superficial, it is confusing. I mean, take note, the way she talks about her former crush, you’d think he was the love of her life. Someone she was married to, or at least engaged, and not some guy who passively tolerated her and wasn’t that kind as she tried to act as his nurse. Making Rikuo coming over to fix some audio equipment and who knows what else, it is just foreign. It’s like Shinako has to learn how to date from the beginning and what it means for someone to show interest in you.
On The Fence
Wanting To See More Of Yuzuhara
With Yuzuhara having knowledge of Rikuo as a teen, and him seemingly not changing much since then, her absence feels unfortunate. Primarily because, it would be nice to know if maybe she is the reason he always seems down, maybe something happened before her and, just for kicks, how was he as a boyfriend? Because the likelihood of Haru breaking through is slim and with Shinako likely having to make a move, that will take forever. So Yuzuhara seemed like the only means to really get to know Rikuo, and yet she left as soon as she felt she could threaten something real for Rikuo. Leaving us with this man who has potential, yet hasn’t really shown much of it beyond an open door policy of sorts.
Sing "Yesterday" For Me Directory
Character Guide |
Created |
Collected Quotes |
Not Created |
Season Reviews |
Unavailable |
Affiliate Links |
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Check Out The TV Series & Specials Page |
Title | Excerpt |
---|---|
Sing 'Yesterday' For Me: Season 1 - Review, Summary with Spoilers | "Sing 'Yesterday' For Me" does well in the beginning, but as time goes on, its pacing starts to dismantle its highlights. |
Sing "Yesterday" For Me: Season 1 Episode 12 "The Long Way" (Season Finale) – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | It's a bit of an odd end for "Sing 'Yesterday' For Me," as a few snap decisions happen that may not make the most sense. |
Sing "Yesterday" For Me: Season 1 Episode 11 "A Spring Storm" – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | With Rikuo and Shinako coming to terms with their feelings for one another, now it is time for those with unrequited crushes to find out. |
Sing "Yesterday" For Me: Season 1 Episode 10 "A New Year of Beginnings" – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | Baby steps are taken as people verbalize what they feel, and while things are still painfully slow, at least they are finally moving. |
Sing "Yesterday" For Me: Season 1 Episode 9 "Christmas Carol" – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | As Shinako reconciles with Rou, so comes more pressure on Rikuo to make another move and the question of whether Haru should just give up. |
Sing "Yesterday" For Me: Season 1 Episode 8 "Innocent Blue" – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | In a possibly triggering episode, at least we were triggered, the regrets and indecision of the characters reach new levels as it no longer can be seen as passive choices. |
Sing “Yesterday” For Me: Season 1 Episode 7 “Premonition of a Couple” – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | As one of their friends hit a milestone, Shinako and Rikuo find themselves triggered and looking at their young admirers in a different light. |
Sing "Yesterday" For Me: Season 1 Episode 6 “Scene 6: The Woman Named Yuzuhara” – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | A familiar face reenters Rikuo’s world, and with their presence comes renewed questions in Shinako’s mind. |
Sing “Yesterday” For Me: Season 1 Episode 5 “Scenes 5: The Man Named Minato” – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | A challenger for Haru’s heart enters the fray, and you’re led to wonder, will he break Rikuo’s spell on Haru? |
Sing “Yesterday” For Me: Season 1 Episode 4 “Scene 4: As the River Flows, Shinako Returns Home” – Recap/ Review with Spoilers | In a Rou focused episode, we learn about his life in his older brother’s shadow and watch Shinako’s grieving process. |
Sing “Yesterday” For Me: Season 1 Episode 3 “Scene 3: What Is Love?” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers) | Haru reveals a lot of herself to Rikuo and the audience in an episode that may feel like a gut punch. |
Sing “Yesterday” For Me: Season 1 Episode 2 “Scene 02” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers) | Unrequited love is a big theme in the latest episode as someone from Shinako’s past is introduced, and they flesh out what happened in Kanazawa. |
Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me: Season 1 Episode 1 “Scene 01” [Series Premiere] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers) | “Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me,” as it addresses the regrets that come with early adulthood, makes you hyper-aware of what is and isn’t going right in your life. |
Wanting To See More Of Yuzuhara - 78%
Rikuo’s Desirability - 84%
81%
A familiar face reenters Rikuo’s world, and with their presence comes renewed questions in Shinako’s mind.
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