Yesterday wo Utatte

Man does this anime lean so hard into the drama of the anime. Something I didn’t mention in my last post is that there are three main characters, Shinako Morinome, Haru Nonaka, and Rikuo Uozumi. I’ll explain them in more detail as the blogs continue on, as this is only episode two. The first two episodes only primarily focused on Shinako and Rikuo, so I’ll be talking about these two individuals today.

Just to give a little backstory from what is given to us from the first two episodes, these two have been close friends since college. Rikuo has had feeling for Shinako since then, so this episode he finally finds the courage to confess his feelings for her only to be shot down by her. That in essents is the whole story presented to us today (spoiler alert) sorry. I do leave out a lot of other stuff though, so if you didn’t watch the episode then I suggest you do.

Anyway, what are my thoughts on this episode. Like I said previously it leans very heavily on the drama and the feelings felt by Shinako and Rikuo towards each other, their relationship and past lives they cannot let go of. What really played into it as well was the OST played during the more serious parts of the anime. Along with the tone of which the characters were speaking with and the atmosphere that were surrounding them. Oddly enough, whenever they were speaking about something the anime deemed serious, you would hear what I consider to be a very “emotional” OST start playing softly in the background, you can feel the emotion of the characters through their voice and how they look; and to tie it all together, whenever it all happened the setting would either be a night or late evening with the sun setting in the background, just the two of them alone with their thoughts.

It was an experience which I thought was very intense. Like, I felt a weight on my chest throughout the whole episode. The feelings expressed by Shinako and Rikuo towards each other felt like something real, you the viewer could feel every bit of emotion through the animation. When Rikuo confess his feelings for Shinako but got rejected by her, I felt that. While the two went through the phase of trying to figure out what they should do, whether to remain friends or not, I felt that. And finally, when they decided in the end it was best for them to not be friends anymore because if they had stayed friends would have have strained their friendship, I also felt that. That scene in particular, really hit home, because you felt every bit of emotion; and when they decided to not be friends anymore you could feel that deep down. Cutting off a close friendship you’ve had for a longtime or simply because you grew apart or because of external factors like the one presented in the episode, is something I think anyone can relate to.

Quite the emotional episode, looking forward to another!