Hmm … Well. That’s what I get for giving this bizarre pairing the benefit of the doubt, I guess! Something is very very off with Hananoi Saki, and someone as inexperienced and oblivious as Hotaru does not possess the tools to see it. That’s a formula for potential disaster, but like a train wreck, I can’t look away … if only because I’m so worried about Hotaru’s well-being!
Hotaru has caring friends who are happy if she’s happy, and have her side no matter what. But to them, and one of Hananoi’s male classmates who is dating one of her friends, Hananoi is a complete mystery man. All they can say is he must have good taste if he chose Hotaru, but what if it’s not a matter of taste, but timing?
Hananoi only became fixated on Hotaru after she showed him a gesture of kindness after his last breakup. Back then, it looked from the outside like the other girl was being too harsh, but now her exasperation makes a lot more sense. Hotaru is indeed experiencing new things like the thrill of waiting for someone in the cold before dawn and holding hands with a boy. But the cost of experiencing those things may be too much to bear.
Not only is Hananoi clear this week he has no intention of being just friends with Hotaru if this dating trial doesn’t work out, but it’s clear he’s hiding from her just how much he wants to do with (or possibly to) her, and also seems miffed that there are parts of her life that don’t involve him. Just look at that shot of him watching her talking to friends—he’s framed and lit like a villain plotting something awful!
Now, to his credit, the weeks go by with Hananoi otherwise acting like a perfect gentleman—Hotaru observes that his requests in their shared notebook of things to do together are always “gentle.” But the mere fact he’s holding back is extremely problematic. So is the fact he essentially lives alone in a huge apartment with photos of his parents with him apparently cut out (are they actually dead), and, most distressingly, a fucking shrine to Hotaru hidden behind a curtain in his room.
Despite all these red flags furiously flapping in her face, Hotaru remains in a firm see-where-this-goes approach, along with constantly assessing her worth as a partner and whether she’s doing enough to be a proper girlfriend. This means she thinks almost nothing of going home with Hananoi, going into his room, and then asking if he’ll kiss her, to test if she’ll feel anything.
By the end of the episode, he’s pushed her down onto the ground and is looming on top of her, telling her that while trying out a kiss may mean little to her, simply touching her makes his whole body ache. Ack! Forget “odd duck.” I fear Hananoi requires medication and therapy, and is getting neither. He’s a loose cannon, and even he knows that Hotaru is being too trusting.
While this looks and sounds like a shoujo romance, it’s quickly feeling much more like psychological horror. My natural protective instinct compels me to keep watching, out of fear of what might happen to Hotaru, or just so that someone is keeping an eye on this dude. Is this the kind of vibes the writers/creators intended?
RABUJOI - An Anime Blog 