© 森下suu・講談社/ゆびさきと恋々a作委員会
Sorry dear readers, if it took you some time to read this review. I’m still reeling from the surreal shock of this movie setting our main couple’s first date (of sorts) at a goddamn Costco. I have been watching romantic anime for many years and I have seen couples go to the movies, karaoke, malls, tourist attractions, zoos, amusement parks, arcades, millions aquarium and a surprising number of non-Denny’s-branded restaurants, but I’ve never before seen two anime characters have a romantic outing with a $1.50 hot dog and Opportunity to buy a quantity of industrial toilet paper. It will take me some time to adjust to this new reality.
Jokes aside, the choice to set the second half of this episode in a wholesale store is at least novel and it makes sense as a way to have a date but not really between Yuki and Itsuomi as they navigate the ambiguous gray area that constitutes their relationship status. A big question raised in this episode is what purpose Itsuomi’s feelings for our heroine serve. Considering how easily he senses all the other relationships going on around him, it’s hard to believe that he’s oblivious to Yuki’s interest in him, but feelings His is a bit of a mystery. Even Kyouya wasn’t sure if he was interested in romance or just wanted to find something new to learn sign language. It’s an intriguing source of drama for the audience, where we wonder if Yuki is in for a heartbreak. Is her lover leading her on? If it was him, was it intentional? Hell, otherwise there’s still some bad parts about him. Even ignoring the casual, arguably cocky exterior he displays around Yuki, it’s clear that Itsuomi is a stirrer, actively working against Oushi and intentionally excluding Yuki from the measuring contest. Their short dick. At least it’s a yellow flag bordering on orange.
I don’t mean to criticize the story. I think there’s a lot to be mined from flawed people trying to navigate relationships while dragging along all their baggage and bad instincts, and the dichotomy between Yuki’s two love interests is an interesting one, especially with how she reacts to each of them. She has no patience left with Oushi’s overprotective Tsundere, probably because she’s seen it a million times and never even remotely considered him a romantic. That’s interesting, because it means she’s going to get sassy with someone when she repels him. Meanwhile, Itsuomi is much smoother with her prickier personality traits, and Yuki is more than happy to cover them up. While Oushi’s antagonism is familiar and ineffective, Itsuomi’s dynamic is fresh and interesting making even his moments of mischief feel like quirky eccentricities. In short, Yuki is unhappy with this guy, in a way that a lot of people in their 20s often feel, and that’s just as understandable and endearing as her more poetic monologues about the thrill of love.
This is also basically an ongoing theme for the entire cast. Itsuomi is just one fulcrum in a series of messy relationships and emotions that are waiting to explode into disaster. Emma remains attached to him despite his direct rejections, while her friend Shin is clearly harboring feelings for her, but has sublimated that into drinking buddies and her confidant when she vents about pursuing someone else. If that isn’t a quintessential 20-something experience then I don’t know what is. Even poor Rin might be barking up the wrong tree, depending on how deep we want to dig into Kyouya’s insistence that nothing happened between him and her. It was a complete mess, which was exactly the type of love story I was hoping for. Whether things work out for any of these characters or not, watching them navigate the hardships of love yourself will be fascinating and satisfying.
Plus, if things don’t end well, we already know a place where they can get enough desserts to drown their sorrows for months.
Rating:
A Sign of Affection is now streaming on Crunchyroll.