A Sign of Affection – 12 (Fin) – Their Time in the Sun

Itsuomi leaves their first official date out together to Yuki, and she picks the most beautiful spot for it: a park absolutely bursting with blooming flowers. She loves photographing flowers, and has always found it cute how each type of flower waits its turn to have its spotlight in the sun. The parallel here is that Yuki gets to have her spotlight here, with Itsuomi having fun soaking in how much fun she’s having.

During lunch, Yuki makes a sign about taking Itsuomi to Oushi’s house as “impossible”, but he almost mistakes it for the okay to kiss her. Turns out she’s not as comfortable smooching in public, but is fine with some cuddling if he’s okay with it. Itsuomi repeats the words she told him: if it’s her, he’s okay with everything.

Itsuomi saying that makes Yuki so happy she can feel her emotions getting out of control, which isn’t helped by how shaky much their swan boat ride is. But on the packed subway home, when he’s shielding her from a bump and some girls accidentally bump him and swoon at the sight of him, she totally gets it: her guy is supes dreamy, after all. It’s just that she knows the parts about him that aren’t related to looks are just as dreamy.

Earlier in their relationship Yuki asked him why he travels so much, and he told her he’d tell her when they’re closer. Now that they’re closer, she asks him again at the park, and he writes a long form text explaining it. He’d always loved planes as a little kid, but when his fam moved to Germany, he had trouble communicating.

It wasn’t until a soccer ball rolled his way that he was able to reach out and make a connection to a German kid and made a friend. Traveling for him is not just about studying languages and cultures, but living them, and teaching the next generation the value of that. Itsuomi follows this with a string of sweet nothings to Yuki that make her cry tears of joy.

As we close the book on Sign of Affection, we learn that Oushi is going to keep up with his signing to get certified, which makes his friend Izumi happy to see him motivated and not down in the dumps. Will it mean he’ll look her way? Who can say.

As for Shin and Emma, she decides to give it a go and ask him out. I’m sure it’s new and strange, but it looks like they’re going to be just fine. Same with Kyouya and Rin, who gets a ring from Kyouya to make it official that they are, indeed, dating, and that she doesn’t have to pinch herself.

Yuki works hard, saves up, and acquires a passport, which means she can finally travel with Itsuomi and see and experience the things he does in person. You can tell they’re looking forward to sharing a world together: Yuki because she’s never been abroad, and Itsuomi because he’s never been abroad with the girl he loves.

It’s a bright, colorful, cheery, and extremely positive finale for Sign of Affection, a show I’m exceedingly grateful to for making my heart soar every week, as it highlighted the beauty and magic of making connections, forming bonds, building trust, and finding love with others.

A Sign of Affection – 09 – Laid-Back Mini-Glamp

While still primarily a shoujo romance, this week’s Sign offered up a heaping helping of iyashikei goodness, and not just because most of it took place during a camping trip. From Rin and Yuki trying on outfits to the gang playing a word chain wishing game on the car ride, the warm, cozy vibes are infectious, and a salve for what is currently a gray, rainy Saturday (perfect weather to go see Dune: Part 2, which is definitely not iyashikei!)

Once their glamping tent is set up, Kyouya demonstrates his house husband bonafides by whipping up a delicious feast for everyone while Yuki leads the sign training. The only clouds on this otherwise bright sunny day are the fact that Rin keeps getting asked out by a guy at work she’s not interested in that way, while Yuki keeps checking her phone for word from Madoka about a job, which she sees as crucial in order to travel with Itsuomi.

The signing training doesn’t go on long, as the true goal of this trip is for these four to have fun together, but also for these two couples—one official, one potential—to split of and get some alone time together. Yuki wades into the river with Itsuomi, but her feet get cold fast, so he lifts her up and carries her back to shore. He asks if something’s troubling her, and when he learns it’s about a job, he apologizes if he only added to the pressure. Then he uses the signal they talked about to apply pressure from his lips to her cheek.

They seem poised to smooch a bit more, but are interrupted by Kyouya and Rin, who twisted her ankle. In their time together, she gets a call from the guy, and decides to be clear and direct to him she’s not interested, because she has feelings for someone else. Kyouya overhears some of the call, and admits to her the “childishly stupid” side of him didn’t like it. He decides to be clear too when asked, admitting that while he considers the whole dating game in general is a hassle, if it’s Rin, he’d make an exception.

It sucks for that confession to be followed up by Rin taking a bad step on a rock, twisting her ankle, but it’s okay if the trip is cut short, because it’s mission accomplished: Rin and Kyouya are now seeing eye-to-eye on what’s happening with them. They drop Yuki and Itsuomi off, and after having dinner at an izekaya, they head to his place, where he showers, she dons the girlfriend hoodie, and is brought to tears when she sees his thorough notes in the signing guide she made for him.

Yuki texts home that she’ll be staying at Rin’s, but it looks more like she’ll be spending the night at Itsuomi’s. That said, he tells her not to get nervous, as they’re simply spending time together. However further they get that night, or in general, is reliant on her comfort level. It’s thoughtful, respectful BF behavior, and I’m here for it.

Meanwhile, Oushi’s friend Izumi, who is clearly down bad for him, reports that she saw Yuki go into an Izakaya with a silver-haired guy who looked like her boyfriend. Not only that, the other guy was signing. Oushi looks up from his game like “But that’s MY thing!” He tries not to react, but Izumi can see right through him, telling him he should be more upfront with his feelings, because the way he is now is “painful for [her] to watch”.

Oushi at least seems to be quite aware of how pathetic and petulant he’s being. This week was a win for Rin and Kyouya, while Yuki Itsuomi are humming along nicely. It was inevitable we’d dive into Oushi’s history with Yuki, and it looks like that’s happening next week, along with Oushi-Itsuomi interaction in the present. Hopefully he’ll accept that he missed his chance with Yuki, that missing it was his fault, and he can start moving on with his life.

A Sign of Affection – 08 – Waiting for Right Now to Pass

When Itsuomi introduces Yuki as his girlfriend, he’s shocked. Not because Yuki can’t hear, or isn’t a foreigner from Itsuomi’s frequent travels, but because it means Emma has to be told Itsuomi is officially off the market. It also means that Shin can pursue her without worrying about hurting Itsuomi. The only problem is, after all these years, Shin finds himself firmly embedded in the Friendzone where Emma is concerned.

It gives Shin no pleasure to be the one to break the news to Emma, he just thinks she’ll take it slightly better coming from him. And yet, when he meets her at his salon after hours, he can’t do it. He should have known he couldn’t, because he loves her to much to hurt her like that. Emma, meanwhile, is totally oblivious, because Shin won’t tell her what needs to be said.

While sitting in the styling chair, Emma asks if Shin remembers him putting up her hair back in high school. It’s a silly question; he’ll never forget that moment, or the day he first saw Emma’s beautiful hair flowing in the hall. Unfortunately, even then, it was flowing because she was running to tell a friend about the new hot guy, Nagi Itsuomi.

Itsuomi and Shin kind of organically became friends, while Shin and Emma started to interact in part because Emma was looking for Itsuomi in places where Shin happened to be. Especially in high school, that can often be how friendships are forged. Shin and Emma sharing headphones, and her giving him a CD of lovely piano music, are memories Shin cherishes to this day.

Touyama Nao is so perfectly cast as Emma’s seiyu. Her voice is so often a ray of sunshine, but as seen with her work as Honami in Classroom of the Elite she can do dark clouds too. Here, Emma is Shin’s sun. He can’t keep his eyes off her, and she might be the first person he tells about his dream of styling hair, not to mention putting her hair up in a classy braid.

Whether due to her own good looks or her ongoing crush on Itsuomi, Emma is ostracized by her girl friends, and she and Shin and Itsuomi become a tight-knit triad and a classic love triangle. Emma declares, without hesitation, she loves Itsuomi “lots”. Yet Itsuomi rejects her again and again, as he isn’t interested in romance “right now.”

Shin tries to find love in one of the girls who asks him out (lest we forget, he’s hot too) but it goes about as well as you’d expect: she starts to pick up on his unrequited love for Emma, and calls him out on it on the rooftop with Emma present. That’s when Shin loudly proclaims “he’ll never fall for Emma as long as he lives.”

Of course, that’s a complete lie, as he was in love with her as he said those words, and has been ever since. Back in the present, Emma’s hair is done, and she praises Shin for being “the one who makes her pretty”. But it’s not Shin’s hairstyling, it’s her love for Itsuomi that makes her more beautiful. Recall how Rin could tell Yuki was in love the same way.

If Shin tells her Itsuomi has a girlfriend, it will break her heart, and the sunshine in her eyes will be clouded. So he doesn’t. Instead, he asks if she loves Itsuomi. the reply is still the same as it was in high school, and just as instant: “Yup, I love him lots!” The thing is, Emma is going to find out sooner or later.

As Kyouya assures him, there’s still hope for Shin and Emma, but the first miles of that road will be arduous. I came away from this episode empathizing a lot more with Emma, who has suffered with loving someone who doesn’t love her that way back for so long, as well as with Shin, who is in the same boat. I’m rooting for these two attractive losers to get together!

It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting into that next week, as Itsuomi proposes a sign language boot camp with Yuki, Rin, and Kyouya. It’s geared toward helping Rin learn more signing so she can better communicate with her dear friend. It’s also another double date opportunity for Rin to ask Kyouya out, or vice versa. Me, I’m looking forward to some warm and cozy Laid-Back Sign Camp!

A Sign of Affection – 07 – Her Sky Keeps Expanding

Itsuomi is off on his Spring Break excursion to southeast Asia, but while he and Yuki are far apart, the fact of the matter is they are now boyfriend and girlfriend. As Rin tells her, what else could he be? Rin offers her a delicious strawberry of love, and between missing Itsuomi and having absolutely no luck finding a job, Yuki could use the sweetness.

Oushi ends up messaging Yuki with the number he got from her mom, and thankfully it’s not so he can chew her out via sign about messing with weird guys. Instead, his big sis Mio is in town. Mio used to sign with her all the time, but unlike Oushi, she hasn’t kept at it, and admits to forgetting most of it (like any language if not used regularly). Mio can tell Yuki is in love—it’s all over her face—and wishes Oushi luck.

Oushi, meanwhile, prys perhaps a bit further than he should by asking if Yuki is staying over at Itsuomi’s house and stuff. She’s not, and in fact Yuki continues to believe Oushi is simply looking out for her as a childhood friend and not someone harboring unrequited love.

But she doesn’t need to think about that, not when she’s getting regular updates from Itsuomi’s travels, along with texts that he’ll make time for them and she can be clingy if she wants when he returns. I love how poetic she gets in scenes like this, and how big and gorgeous her expanding sky looks.

Just when all the rejections from employers are piling up and Yuki is missing Itsuomi the most, she gets a surprise text from him saying he’s back and wants to meet up for lunch. They meet halfway and are briefly delayed by a passing train, before which he signs “can I hug you?” and she signs “okay”, only she read his sign wrong. He meant kiss, not hug, and when they finally come together, he gives her a big ol’ surprise bazooka of a smooch.

Izumi is at a café by herself when she spots Yuki walking with a tall, hot dude with silver hair. I’d think this sight would be a welcome one for her, if she’s as into Oushi as I think. Earlier there was also a scene of Emma sighing because Itsuomi wasn’t answering her texts about hanging out. Sorry Emma, he’s taken! He and Yuki are a picture of pure bliss as they enjoy soba together and he shows off his new fingerspelling skills.

Yuki notes how crazy it feels that someone who was out there in the wide, wide world is now in this little restaurant with her, and she has him all to herself. But it’s not crazy, it’s reality, and I hope she gets used to it because there’s more where that comes from! Itsuomi wants to introduce her to Shin, one of his best friends.

She’s scared at first because he was such a loud and hyper drunk, but decides to be brave and go for it. She’s rewarded with the discovery that sober Shin is a lot more laid back. Then again, we’ll find out next week the extent of his reaction after Itsuomi’s told him Yuki is his honest-to-God-girlfriend.

A Sign of Affection – 06 – Sunlight Through Crystal

As soon as Itsuomi kisses Yuki’s hands, she tries to analyze the meaning of such a kiss and briefly overheats. She separates from him, and he texts her if she’s okay, and if she’s okay, to look his way. He texts how Rin seemed to be coming to the bar to see Kyouya. Itsuomi asks Yuki if she was coming to see him. She nods her head, but doubts he knows how intense her feelings have become, or how much she still has to learn about them.

Even so, she signs “I love you”—exactly when he’s suddenly looking away on a phone call. Not only that, the call is from Kyouya; they have a private party and he has to go in early, so he’s headed home Also, he’ll be abroad for a month and change that Monday. He asks her (out loud) if he can fall for her, but doesn’t really get an answer. All of a sudden, things seem to be conspiring to delay the inevitable. Damn!

Hell, we even get a scene of Oushi managing to finagle Yuki’s phone number from her mom, who thinks things are all hunky-dory between them. Yuki’s mom: They’re not! Ugh. But then, things start to look up. after the wedding afterparty where Itsuomi nabs all of the ladies’ attention, Kyouya reminds him that he said he didn’t want a girlfriend, in part due to all the traveling.

If that’s still the case, then Kyouya asks him point blank, what is the deal with Yuki. Yes, part of this is that like Rin Kyouya is a ravenous romance gossip gremlin. But he’s also worried about Yuki. That’s when Itsuomi tells Kyouya what he needs to know, and in the same flowery poetic language as Yuki’s inner monologue.

Yuki is crystal clear, having never heard an ill word uttered about her, or anyone. Likening all people to empty glasses at first which eventually get fogged or scratched up. Yuki’s beautiful eyes, hands, and expressions were clear crystal he wanted to gaze at forever. But now he admits he’s not just watching anymore. Like she is with him, he’s become captivated by her.

Kyouya worries that Itsuomi doesn’t realize how “down bad” he is, but he worries needlessly. When Yuki and Rin come by late (Yuki is staying overnight with Rin, so no curfew), Kyouya immediately borrows Yuki. She asks him via whiteboard if they’re intruding, and when he sneezes, she offers her scarf. Instead, he puts his arm around her.

As he holds her, he writes how he didn’t think he’d see her again before her next trip. He was going to tell her something when he got back, but he’s decided to tell her now. When she looks up at him, he signs something, and Yuki’s first thought is whether he understands what he’s signing. He does. Turning to face her, he asks her if she wants to become a couple.

She asks why, and he responds because he wants to go out with her. She asks why, and he responds that no matter where he goes and who he’ll meet, none of those places have her. Her vision gets blurry she can’t see everything he’s signing, but gets the just. When he asks for her answer, she nods very clearly and directly.

That, my dear readers, is how you orchestrate a romantic confession scene. It’s the shoujo romance version of a climactic mech battle or sword duel. Every gesture and shimmer of the eye made the moment feel momentous as it was.

And when the two return to the earth and re-enter the bar with Itsuomi’s arm around a blushing Yuki, our gossip gremlins perk up. Itsuomi’s “Yeah, so we’re going out now” almost breaks them. That shit’s just so pure and uncut, y’know?!

After quickly downing a beer to celebrate (I gotta admit, I cracked one open too – a Heinekin 0.0), Itsuomi offers to walk Yuki to Rin’s place, which lets them be alone together a little longer, and also allows Rin and Kyouya some time alone to process what they just witnessed.

Rin thought Itsuomi was carrying himself the same ultra-cool way as always even after asking Yuki out, but Kyouya, who has known him longer, could tell he was unusually happy; giddy even. Then these two get a chance to blush when Shin pops in asking for Itsuomi, then leaves so as not to be a third wheel.

On their walk to Rin’s Itsuomi makes clear to Yuki that he just let Emma borrow his apartment for a night, something he won’t allow again. It’s a nice gesture, and probably what you’d expect of a boyfriend (i.e. don’t let other beautiful girls who are in love with you crash at your place), but Yuki isn’t in this to control his friendships or “make his world smaller”.

Itsuomi asks if Yuki has a passport. She doesn’t, but she’ll work to get one and save up so they can go abroad together. That’s really the best of both worlds, for both of them. The show could’ve made Itsuomi’s incessant wanderlust and time away more of an obstacle in their budding relationship.

Hell, it might yet, but I’m fine with it instead being an opportunity for Yuki to spread her wings and for their worlds to come together in lovely harmony. What an absolute romantic banger to herald in Valentine’s Day next Wednesday. And this is just the midpoint of the series!

RABUJOI WORLD HERITAGE LIST

A Sign of Affection – 05 – On the Same Page

When Itsuomi brings Yuki to his place, he isn’t shy about getting closer with Yuki. He slides off the couch and side-hugs her, and the two communicate with a mixture of lip-reading, the signs he’s learned, and texting together on the same phone. He notes how comfy it feels being near her. Yuki is too nervous to be comfy, but she has to admit this attention is bringing out her “clingy side”, in the way snow clings to everything it falls upon.

Itsuomi takes out the signing guide she made him, which has been well-used and full of tabs, and the two start writing on the empty pizza box together. She wants to learn more about him, but the feeling is mutual. We learn her family doesn’t sign, his parents are in Germany, and she very rarely speaks out loud because people used to say she had a weird voice.

Itsuomi shows her more money and souvenirs from the places he’s visited, surprising her with an African carved wooden mask. But after her initial shock, she starts to laugh out loud, which to Itsuomi—who won’t come right out and say he wants to hear her voice—must sound like the most beautiful music. When he asks more about her, he prefaces it by making sure she’s comfortable with the questions. She says sure, thinking “if it’s him, it’s fine.”

Kyouya calls Itsuomi to make sure he got Yuki home, only to be shocked he took her home, even though he knows he’s not the kind of guy who’ll do anything weird. He worries that Itsuomi isn’t who he think he is, but Rin assures him that from what she’s seen, Yuki will be fine. Kyouya admits that sometimes guys want to keep cute girls like Yuki to themselves, Rin asks if there’s anyone like that for him.

It’s a bold question that she backs down from, but thanks to the talk about Itsuomi and Yuki, they’re chatting again, and he invites her out for dinner, so things continue to go well. Unfortunately, Yuki is about to trace the word “everything” in Itsuomi’s hand (in terms of how far “if it’s him” extends) when Emma shows up to give him back his key. The way Itsuomi tells Yuki to go ahead, and the fact she can’t hear him or Emma talk, confuses Yuki and has her feeling confused and lonely.

It’s an understandable mistake for Itsuomi, who is probably overwhelmed by having to deal with Emma and treated Yuki like someone who could hear. He quickly realizes the potential misunderstanding that unfolded and chases after Yuki, but can’t find her. The next day she tells Rin what happened and Rin sympathizes.

But Rin also assures Yuki that Itsuomi also talks to and about her with the utmost affection. Not only that, Itsuomi called Rin to ask if he could come by that day. When he shows up Rin makes an excuse and leaves them alone so Itsuomi can clarify his feelings. When Yuki asks why he wants to learn to sign, he doesn’t say “it’s to expand my repertoire of languages to better interact with the larger world,” as she surely feared.

No, its so that he can talk with her. Not Emma, not that skunk Oushi, but her: Itose Yuki. She finishes tracing “everything in one of the hands that is slowly but surely learning to speak to her, then it takes her hand, raises it to his lips so he can kiss it. Even if Itsuomi’s not coming right out and saying how he feels about Yuki with handwriting, texting, or signing, this kiss should brook no doubt or confusion.

A Sign of Affection – 04 – A Magical Journey to Costco

Yuki immediately treasures the foreign coin Itsuomi gave her. It may be only a small token, but connects her to the bigger outside world. She feels like it could take her anywhere. Itsuomi also seems serious about Yuki and no one else, because he spends the night at Kyouya’s rather than deal with Emma.

He should probably be more direct, rejecting her and sending her home, but he chooses the more passive move. As Itsuomi changes the audio on the TV to English and “shadows” the dialogue for practice, Kyouka ponders whether he’s only into Yuki for the signing as part of his larger “dream,” or another girl whose heart, like Emma’s he’ll eventually break.

Fuck *OFF*, Oushi

Rin asks Yuki if she and Itsuomi will accompany her and Kyouya on a shopping run, and Yuki asks Kyouya about it, then “huhs” to suggest it’s very interesting Kyouya is hanging with Rin outside the café. The next morning Yuki takes the train out a bit to be picked up in hopes of avoiding Oushi, but there he is on the train.

Oushi, as usual, thinks he’s Yuki’s keeper and believes his deaf childhood friend’s whole business is his business. He’s such a fucking whiny bore, twirling her hair and leaning against her. He tries to be valiant when Yuki gets caught in the crush of people, but when Itsuomi saves her instead, he tries to tell him he saved her wrong.

Itsuomi indulges Oushi in a little stare-off, but otherwise that’s the most fucks he gives about the little shit. For the love of God, Oushi, please grow the fuck up … or try going out with Emma. I hear she’s single and miserable too! Fortunately, that’s the last we see of Mister Mopey this week.

As Rin predicted, she’s a nervous wreck being alone with Kyouya, who last night insisted to Itsuomi that “it’s not like that” even though Rin very much wants it to be like that. But she’s able to relax when she Yuki and Itsuomi arrive—that is, after the shock of seeing them holding hands like it’s nothing. When she looks in the back seat to see Yuki teaching, all of Rin’s nervousness melted away.

Tiny Itose, or Titanic Tiramisu? Yes!

As for the big shopping trip, when I saw the Costco sign (it read Costaco, but I see you, Studio Ajia-Do) I laughed out loud. Not only because it’s the last place I expected them to go, but because I remember when I was young feeling exactly as excited as Yuki and Rin do. “Loogit how BIG the packaging is!”

It truly is some Alice in Wonderland vibes, and Itsuomi takes full advantage by handing the petite Yuki a Tiramisu the size of a lasagna, with predictably adorable results. Rin and Kyouya also notice something Yuki can’t, but tell her about after it happens: Itsuomi calls Yuki’s name in a very affectionate tone. That gets Yuki thinking about how his voice has sounded all the times she’s spoken to her.

Not that tone matters, because be they via text, sign, or lips, everything Itsuomi says to her shoots straight through her heart. She’s down bad! When Itsuomi, who’s also been watching Rin, asks if she wants some alone time with Kyouya, he tells her to ask Kyouya to take her on a drive after the shopping trip. Rin, who is happy for his help, asks, and Kyouya is cool with it.

That, of course, means Yuki and Itsuomi get to be alone together as they take the train back home. Yuki grabs his attention, then signs “do you want to go out for dinner?” Itsuomi says he’s going home. Yuki is momentarily crushed, but he wasn’t turning her down, because he asks if she wants to just grab a bite at his place? That’s right: he invited her to his place. She didn’t just show up there unannounced with booze and … designs. Emma, take notice!

A Sign of Affection – 03 – Off to the (Heart) Races

The next time she come to the café with Rin, Itsuomi asks her all kinds of questions, and it’s confirmed Yuki is completely deaf and has been since birth. Since he’s either curious or interested (both really), Yuki deems it the right moment to give Itsuomi a lovingly hand-illustrated sign language guide. He accepts it, but notes he may not use it much, as he’d much rather practice signing in person, with her.

The bliss is interrupted by the arrival to two of Itsuomi’s old friends, Shin and Emma. Because they’re drunk and slurring their words, even when they’re facing her Yuki can’t make out what they’re saying. But more concerning to her is that the gorgeous Emma is clinging to Itsuomi; Yuki doesn’t need words to read how she feels about him.

Four days pass without Yuki and Itsuomi interacting, but when she works up the nerve to ask via text if he’s in Japan, he says he is, and invites her to hang out with him at the laundromat if she wants. It’s the latest Yuki has ever gone out on her own, let alone to meet a guy, and on her way she encounters the overbearing Oushi, who warns her not to get too close to Itsuomi, assuming he’s just messing with her.

Oushi should really mind his business. If he likes Yuki, he should tell her, and be nicer to her, but for all his signing fluency he keeps their relationship at odds. Itsuomi may only be starting to learn signs one by one, but because its out of a genuine desire to get closer to Yuki and her world.

When he verbalizes that he’s always looked at far-off goals, but now finds a special one much closer to him, Yuki unfortunately isn’t watching his lips. But she does manage to make it clear that she wants to become much closer to him too, using the sign for more by “climbing the ladder” with her hands as high as she can reach. When he takes her hands in his, she feels excited and her heart races, but she also feels safe, and never wants her curfew to come. He draws her into a hug, he says “you’re sweet” in German.

He walks her home in the gently falling snow, and Morohoshi Sumire’s inner monologue, as ever, feels just as beautiful and delicate. They pinky promise to see each other again soon, but when Itsuomi comes home he finds Emma waiting for him with drinks. She makes clear why she’s there, so he makes it just as clear he’s not interested.

This is not apparently not the first time Emma has “pulled this crap;” suffice it to say Itsuomi is fine with their status as “just friends” while she wants to take the next step. Instead, he leaves her in his place to drink alone, which is when she discovers the signing guide.

When it’s just Yuki and Itsuomi, it truly feels like time stops. But her heart isn’t the only thing racing; she’s one vertex in a love polygon with him, Emma, and Oushi. There may be drama afoot, so we’ll see how Yuki weathers it.

A Sign of Affection – 02 – Deciding On Love

Rin congratulates Yuki for securing Itsuomi’s deets, and picked a spot where she knows Itsuimi’s club meets. When Yuki can’t get his attention, Rin calls out to him, and he and Yuki have another cozy text exchange, where she learns he’s traveling to Laos. Rin notices how much Yuki is glowing, and that when it comes to knowing the difference between a crush an being in love, it’s ultimately Yuki’s choice.

Observing from on high is Oushi, Yuki’s childhood friend who signs fluently, but as Yuki says, “only to be mean to her.” That he learned to sign for her sake speaks to his protectiveness, but while they’re in college now he acts more like a little kid would towards someone he liked. I got vibes from his friend Izumi that she liked him, but can also tell how much he cares for Yuki.

Oushi would have preferred if Yuki stayed “somewhere safe”, but it’s not his life, and not his call. Having gone from nursery through high school in a special school for the deaf with just three classmates her own age, Yuki yearned to explore a larger, less isolated world. The first step to doing that was attending this college, and now through Itsuomi’s texts and photos she’s learning a lot more about the vast outside world.

It would be one thing if, say, Rin were the one providing her with this exposure to far off lands. That a super-hot guy is doing it intensifies her excitement. She’s never felt this way about anyone before, and that intensity makes her feel like it isn’t just some silly crush. That he took the time to learn how to sign “good morning” to her when he returned home speaks to his equal desire to explore her world. That said, I wish he’d ask before touching her head!

Yuki is excited to talk to Rin more, but finds she’s already conversing with two other women. While she waits for an opening, Oushi has a conversation with her in signing. I love how this is depicted, with detailed hand gestures, facial expressions, and subtle use of hand and mouth sounds made during signing.

That said, it’s kind of a fraught conversation. Yuki can tell Oushi cares about her by the fact that however blunt he is with his sign language, his hands still look gentle, even frail to her. But still, this dude is being a big ol’ stupid jerk. If he has a problem with her expanding horizons, he can sit and spin! At the very least, he should be upfront about how he feels.

Yuki, for her part, has taken Rin’s advice and determined for herself what it is she’s feeling towards Itsuomi: she believes it’s legit love. I loved Rin’s little hug of congratulations, and Rin signing “hang in there” to Itsuomi. I just hope Yuki doesn’t linger on the worry that he’s only interested in “cultural exchange.”

A Sign of Affection – 01 (First Impressions) – Love Breaks the Sound Barrier

Itose Yuki is a first-year college student who happens to be hearing-impaired. When approached on the train by someone who appears to be a foreigner, she’s not sure how to talk to him, but she’s bailed out by a silver-haired fellow who seems to speak his language. She recognizes him as being in the same club as her friend Rin.

Yuki later learns from this fellow that the first guy spoke Japanese just fine. She pulls back her hair to reveal her hearing aid and silently thanks him. He asks if she can read lips; she signs a “little,” so he looks directly at her as he tells her he’s getting off at the next stop. She gets off a stop later, so he pats her on the head and says “see you later.”

The interaction moves Yuki in a way she’s never been before. Unlike most people, this guy didn’t let their “sound barrier” get in the way of having a meaningful interaction, nor did it feel like it would be their last. Yuki also notes that the interaction caused the vibrations of her heart to grow in intensity.

The next day Yuki commutes to school with a smile on her face and a pep in her step, feeling as light as her namesake snow. Rin notes she’s looking cuter, and suggest that she has a crush on someone. Yuki tells her whom she met, and Rin puts a name to the face: Itsuomi. He and his cousin (who Rin happens to be crushing on) run a café and bar together.

Rin proposes that they undertake a quest together: paying a visit to the café so they can secure the contact info of the cousins. Yuki looks forward to the night with great anticipation, marking it on her calendar and taking care to pick out her cutest outfit.

Seeing him in this new setting pleases Yuki, as he’s clearly the “cool, handsome type.” When his cousin greets her, she’s looking down at her menu and doesn’t notice, Itsuomi pats her on the head again. He’s in her space, but for whatever reason she doesn’t really mind.

She and Rin applaud as Itsuomi lists the languages he speaks (German and English) and is working on (Chinese and Spanish). Then some of Itsuomi’s foreign friends come in, among them a woman who kisses him on the cheek. As she watches them interact without sound for context, Rin gets the cousin’s contact info.

Yuki feels simply asking Itsuomi in writing would be too forward, so she fails the quest. But thankfully Itsuomi offers to walk the ladies home, and Rin asks him to walk Yuki. They walk in silence for a bit, but when a moped approaches, he draws her close, and from then on hold her hand in his.

Yuki notes how big and rough his hand is, and how her hand was freezing in the winter chill but is now suddenly burning up. Even though no words are being exchanged, Itsuomi’s aura and touch are still saying plenty. She squeezes his hand, then goes for broke and asks him in writing for his contact info after all.

He offers it to her without hesitation, then asks where her place is. She says she’s good at the station they’re near, and thanks him for walking her. He asks how to sign thank you, and when she gives the sign, he mimics her. As they part ways, Yuki sends one more text Itsuomi’s way: “Do you think the world is big?” He responds “Yeah, it’s huge”, and then, after a beat, asks her to “let me in yours, Yuki.”

In response to that, Yuki drops her umbrella and hops up and down with glee, waving goodbye emphatically while beaming from ear to ear. The sight of her suddenly coming out of her shell puts a huge smile on Itsuomi’s face. All these feelings are suddenly bursting into Yuki’s world. They arrived silently as the snow, but with surprising impact.

That night, you could say Yuki and Itsuomi broke through the “sound barrier” that keeps her isolated within her own world most of the time. Now that they’ve met and befriended one another, their worlds will continue to merge, for the language of love knows no barriers. What a bright, gentle, heartwarming start!