This show. Gah, fuck, ah! This show is just too good. I don’t even think people get how good it is. How many layers it’s functioning on. How much isn’t said, but actually happens. This show is really fucking good. If you watched the first season, which really I’m going to have to assume you have, but if you didn’t then do that. If you watched the first season then think of just how heavy the last three or four episodes were. That pain in your gut as you watched Hachiman play the heel, play the bad guy and basically not do anything for himself. Take that feeling that you felt for those combined four episodes and you’ll get a fraction of what happens in this episode.
As we saw in the first episode of the season (review here), the service club has been asked two things: The first is to help Tobe ask out Hina. The second is from Hina and it’s to maintain the status quo of the classroom and the social standings. Now it may not have been very apparent, but in making this request she was expecting Hachiman to do what he does best and be the worst possible person.
I’m going to spoil something for you so if you want to watch the episode just bail out here.
Now then, Hachiman delivers. He figures out what’s wrong with Hayato, the popular kid that hates the way he does things and it’s that he’s conflicted. He wants to help both friends and he’s afraid to lose that. Even though Tobe says he won’t stop trying, he’s too dumb to see what his rejection would do to the group and so Hachiman plays the heel. He plays it really well too. He rushes in and asks Hina before Tobe can and gets rejected in his place. Tobe hears her answer and even though he doesn’t get that it’s “his” answer, it doesn’t change the group because appearances have been maintained. Hachiman has been rejected rather than Tobe.
The truly sad part is that everyone else is smart enough to figure out what has happened. Everyone but Tobe… but they all just let it go down. And that’s the truly sad part of Hachiman’s existence, everyone has the power to change his standing in the classroom, his lack of romantic encounters and his lack of friends, but they don’t. Because they’re too afraid to loose what they have, but also because Hachiman proves time and time again that he’ll fall on his sword for everyone else because it’s all he knows how to do anymore.
This pisses off Yukino who says something that echoes what Hayato tells Hachiman in the eleventh episode of the first season and that’s, “I hate the way you do things.” Even Yui echoes this telling him not to do something like that again and that he should consider other people’s feelings.
But again… they could all change that for him. I don’t know if its fear or just that they don’t know what he’ll do if they try, but it’s the saddest part of his existence. Playing the heel for the entire class and sometimes… the school.
There’s more to spoil because something happens in this episode that is so fucking good and breaks the mold of the other episodes. Hina thanks Hachiman. Because he knew what her actual request was and she put him in a position to act on it. But then something incredible happens, after publicly rejecting him… in her own way she asks him out.
You can argue that with me, but let me point out that when he gives his response you can see her heart be crushed. Because with Hachiman she could be the person she is outside of the group. She could be honest like he is and it’s honestly a freedom she clearly wants, but sees firsthand what it does to you. And so he saves her again as he tells her “no” in his way and leaves him standing on the roof waiting for the train by himself.
Watch this scene twice. If you don’t pick up on how subtle this is, then you’re missing what’s truly great about this show.
And then the episode ends on his narration in which he admits that he’s the biggest liar of them all. Basically admitting that he’s been lying this entire time and especially to himself. What a lonely fucking existence to live like that. And yet I’m sure more people can relate then they’d actually like to admit.
This fucking show… it’s too damn good and more than likely you’re missing it… or not seeing just how deep it truly is. It’s going to be a long wait until next week.
Score: 5/5
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