©若木 民喜・小学館／ アニメ 「結婚するって、本当ですか」製作委員会 ©若木民喜／小学館
This episode took an unexpected turn. Rika always tries to suppress her emotions to avoid pain and disappointment. Last week, we traced this behavior back to her parents' divorce, and the theme recurs in this episode. Sometimes it's better to pretend like nothing bothers you or not develop an attachment to anything because you might wake up the next morning and find it suddenly gone. In Rika's case, she woke up one day and realized that her happy family life would be completely different. While she did her best with her mother, we increasingly get the feeling that she never really got over that loss. Combined with the fact that she has a vague hobby, it's no wonder that Rika has never developed emotional attachments to others, let alone romantic feelings.
However, now she is close to someone who could be. on a similar wavelength, or at least someone she feels distinctly attracted to. There are a lot of scenes that take place with Rika in this episode. She's trying not to raise her expectations, but also not convey that she has any in the first place. I feel a bit sorry for Takuya, as he is being thrown under the bus by Rika, who wants him to come clean about his feelings and the nature of their relationship when her plans are the reason why they been together from the beginning. She was the one who set the initial dynamic and didn't make it clear that she wanted the dynamic to change, but it was easier to blame him. She's not sure what she wants because she immediately stiffens when he makes it clear that he wants to pursue things romantically.
My favorite part of the episode was the implication that Rika legitimately didn't move or say anything for ten minutes after Takuya confessed to her. Her brain just went into full self-preservation mode when she was faced with the number one reality she will never be able to accept, and I love it. I prefer Takuya's perspective leading up to the confession, as there would have been more to justify that particular reaction. Even though he was a bit surprised by what he said, the silent build-up to the confession was handled well. We're halfway through the series and we're introduced to an irreversible change. Rika got what she wanted and had to figure out what to do next.
Rating:
AJ also streams regularly on Twitch as indie Vtuber Bolts The Mechanic where they chat and play retro media!
365 Days to the Wedding is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
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It's clever and brings things back so strongly at the beginning of this episode that I was able to quickly get over a cheater and enjoy everything else it was doing.
