Higehiro | Episode 9 Review

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Episode Nine Thoughts

Okay, so after watching the episode, I am a little happier. Sayu’s brother seems to be very supportive of her sister and, like Yoshida, is very caring and worried for her when it comes to it. This is all something I like seeing because I’ve seen too many anime where family figures are not supportive of each other, and it drives me crazy—especially those with a wealthy upbringing like Sayu. More often than not, characters that come from wealthy families do not have the support of their family members, and those characters are the ones who experience life crises or are the rebels in anime. I don’t know why that’s the case most of the time. It’s probably one of the stereotypes that really stick.

Anyway, my thoughts on the episode. I really hate to be that person, whoever, having recently finished Hina’s arc in 3-Gatsu no Lion 2nd Season and Wonder Egg Priority. Sayu’s backstory wasn’t all that great. If I were to compare episode eight to the two anime I’ve mentioned, all these seem very weak. But that is because the bar was already set so high, especially regarding Wonder Egg Priority. Where have a constant build-up, with little bits of information is fed to you over each episode. The same can be said about Hina’s arc in 3-Gatsu no Lion 2nd Season. Now we only have four episodes where I’m sure it’ll be catered towards confronting the final boss, which I assume to be Sayu’s mother.

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While I did find episode eight to be a little below average regarding the general storytelling. It does provide this whole new level for Sayu and Yoshida. We understand Sayu more now. She felt that the death of her friend was because of her, and living with that guilt and witnessing that experience firsthand, especially at a young age, must have been highly damaging. Not to mention, you have a scummy mother who is portrayed as someone who only thinks about herself, blaming everything, including the suicide, as Sayu’s fault, which is fucking shit of her, by the way. No wonder Sayu fell deep into this dangerous cycle. When you’re down in the dumps, you feel like the scum of the earth, and so why not be with other scum too. Which probably explains her sleeping around.

For my own sanity, I really do hope that Sayu’s support base can help her through the final boss and be there when they are needed most. Sayu has endured a lot of shit, but she’s much stronger now and has been able to overcome a bunch of hurdles. More importantly, I want Yoshida to protect this girl and not chicken out because “he doesn’t want to get involved.” I will not accept that.