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It seems my theory may not have been too far off as we see Hotaru with a patch over her eye and Fujiwara seems to be ready to move on.
… Awkward: Yuma, Hotaru, Fujiwara, Takeda
Fujiwara finally gets what he wants out of Hotaru and this sets up Takeda and Yuma getting the chance to have sex. Thing is, a glimpse of Hotaru’s nude body is all Yuma can think about and with Takeda trying to be aggressive, she gets uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that, despite her being the one saying she was going to sleep with Takeda, he feels like she isn’t ready. So, with that, he backs off.
Commentary
Precedents man. I think that was the main thing which was messing with Yuma’s mind. She may have been used to how aggressive Hotaru was, but being that Hotaru doesn’t have the strength Takeda does, it is different. Like, Hotaru’s touch, grope, and grabbing is naughty but flirty. Plus, having her weight on top of Yuma is different than Takeda. He isn’t a big guy but after dealing with Hotaru just imagine that difference. The softness of a girl exchanged with the hardness of a boy. The way Hotaru looks at Yuma in a slightly devious way vs. Takeda who has this weird coldness as he is analyzing Yuma.
I mean, wouldn’t you be uncomfortable too? Though, at the very least, it seems Takeda isn’t like Fujiwara and would worry just about himself in the situation. He is a gentleman. Even to the point that, with thinking that Yuma wasn’t into him or ready, he sleeps outside. He doesn’t try to snuggle, sleep in the sleeping bag next to her, or anything like that, he gives her the space she needs.
Making me wonder, how in the hell are these two boys friends? They seem completely different in damn near every way possible. But, with this show being 9 minutes, and around 1 to 1 ½ lost to the opening and closing themes, some things just won’t be gone into.
We All Have Our Secrets: Yuma, Hotaru, Fujiwara, Takeda
After the last episode, it became clear that Fujiwara wasn’t just some quiet guy Hotaru liked. He is the type who seemingly wanted to really get his hands, mouth, and you know what, in or on Hotaru. After that, he is done. But, what makes things worse is, on top of being callous, he may have given her a black eye. Something which leads her to skip school because she doesn’t want people to ask questions. Though, add on that Fujiwara seemingly is messing around, though supposedly dating, another girl, and you can tell that Hotaru and he are done.
But as for Yuma and Takeda? Well, that is up in the air. With him feeling like she isn’t into him sexually, he isn’t sure where to go from that point. So they don’t really talk until the end of the episode. Which, with Hotaru doing as she usually does with Yuma, tease her, feel on her, and make it seem like she gets turned on by the idea of being discovered, it makes it hard for Yuma to focus.
Commentary
I wonder if Hotaru would ever seriously date Yuma. I’m talking, going on dates, making it official, and what have you. For while I still am rooted in the idea their relationship is all about power dynamics, the romantic in me kind of wants it to be more. Yet, I do fear that Hotaru may not understand or know how to love since she is used to guys like Fujiwara. She may be well versed in sex, or at least the type of sex she has been exposed to, but true intimacy, of the romantic sense, it may be foreign.
But, for any of that to come to past, it would require Yuma understanding her feelings. For, like Kat in The Bold Type, to a certain degree, it seems Yuma is unsure what her sexuality is. Could it just be that she has a thing solely for Hotaru or is it girls in general? May it just be that Hotaru was her, sort of, first so that is why she has become a sticking point?
It seems like every time we could hit an answer the episode abruptly ends. Which, strangely isn’t frustrating but only because as soon as you begin to get invested you get cut off. Making me wonder if this the general feeling people get from shorts like this? I ask since this is the first anime short I really invested in.
TV Shows We’re Covering This Season
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I struggle to get interested in anime shorts. I find them frustrating as I’m only really engaging with the story when it ends and then there’s the week wait for the next dribble of story. Generally, I only get into these stories after they are finished and I binge them from start to finish and even then I’m usually left wondering if they actually got anywhere in their run time.