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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqpUG2gcmAc
Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
This tale of unrequited love expands as we meet the two who are in love with Mugi and Hanabi, respectively.
Topic 1: The Crush On Mugi (Mugi, Hanabi, and Noriko)
In episode 1, Hanabi mentions an obnoxious girl who made fun of her trainers and so she noted how hers weren’t supposed to be allowed. Said girl ends up back in her life and is reintroduced as Mugi’s childhood friend. One who sees herself as a princess and Mugi her prince. However, with him having an understanding with Hanabi, he pays her no mind.
Commentary
With how horrible Noriko was to Hanabi in the past, paired with how obnoxious she is in the present, you don’t and likely won’t, feel bad for her at all. Though what you will enjoy is watching Hanabi act possessive of Mugi and how Mugi and she interact when it comes to Noriko trying to stake her claim. It makes their relationship seem so solid as they make jokes at Noriko’s expense.
However, perhaps the real interesting thing here is that it is starting to become clear that Hanabi is catching feelings for Mugi. For, from what it seems, through spending so much time together, she is starting to fall for him. Almost to the point, she doesn’t need to imagine Kanai in his place when they get intimate for she is just fine with him being there.
Topic 2: You Need More Friends (Hanabi)
Two girls decide to ask Hanabi for advice when it comes to this love triangle one of them are in. During this conversation, Hanabi comes to realize that love isn’t just about specs. You know, how someone looks, what skills they have, and things that would go on a dating profile. It is more about feeling and liking the total person. Thus pushing the idea, and maybe foreshadowing, Hanabi maybe coming to a point between choosing between Kanai, Mugi, and maybe even a 3rd option.
Commentary
I can’t imagine the scene in which Hanabi was expected to give advice to these two young girls being anything more than foreshadowing. For it seems pretty clear she is falling for Mugi and while Mugi isn’t showing the same emotions towards her, he is learning to really play the boyfriend well. He not only claims her publicly, in front of his childhood friend but arguably is starting to divulge from his fantasy and maybe is accepting reality.
What I mean by this is, for Mugi, it seems Akane is presented mostly in a sexual way. In this episode, he only replaces Hanabi when he decides to feel her up and makeout with her. Which, I assume, will be in each episode. Yet with Hanabi, it seems like she has evolved to the point where it is either the real thing, meaning Kanai, or else it is Mugi. She doesn’t swap out Mugi like she did in the last episode and I think Mugi may come to that point where he may not give up on Akane, he may always love her, as I’m sure Hanabi will love Kanai, but rather than vicariously live in some fantasy with each other, they may actually pursue a full fledge relationship. Where they aren’t each other’s substitute but the one they envision when it comes to both sexual and non-sexual intimacy.
Topic 3: The Crush on Hanabi (Hanabi and Ecchan)
Needless to say, Hanabi doesn’t find herself become friends with those two girls from Topic 2. She’d rather just stick to Ecchan who, we learn, has a crush on Hanabi. In fact, during their sleepover, to re-bond after Hanabi has been spending so much time with Mugi, Ecchan kisses her. Now, it isn’t made clear if this is a fantasy or reality but, considering Hanabi’s face afterwards, and what Ecchan says, it seems it really happened.
Commentary
You know, I always wondered why there haven’t been more storylines about queer people falling in love with their best friend, and seeing if said feelings could be reciprocated. For while I’m not necessarily a connoisseur of queer media, it has always seemed weird that many of the ones I’ve seen have had their first love usually be a stranger.
With that said, I feel like we have too many love triangles going on. Not to the point I can’t keep up, but to the point that it seems like these new unrequited romances aren’t going to add to the story but more so take away from it. For while Ecchan presents an interesting story with a girl who has fallen for her best friend, I can’t say I feel secure in the idea this will be handled with the same vibe that we got from episode one. Then with Noriko, her whole situation is purely comical and while it leads to us witnessing cute moments between Mugi and Hanabi, she doesn’t seem like she maybe much more than comic relief for a dreary tale.
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