Glasslip – 09
“Just you and me and the moon. Don’t worry about this other guy.”
I have to say that this love polygon has developed pretty well, but it’s probably going to be a rough ride for some people from here on out.
A Separation and a Rekindling
Great shot composition to show both of them and the barrier between them
Touko and Kakeru have definitely hit a roadblock, I think because Touko’s visions have kind of spiraled out of control. I think that she’s finally understanding that these are not ‘the future’, but that leaves her in a place where she has no idea what they are. Meanwhile, the fact that Kakeru no longer hears them is something worrying to him. Has his ‘ability’ solely transferred to Touko? Or has the ability to ‘hear’ them left both of them. Either way, it’s put a space between the two of them that I don’t know if Touko’s willing to breach right now, as afraid as she is of what she’s been seeing.
Yana looks happier than she has in a while
But there’s an interesting shift in Yana and Yuki’s relationship, I think. Yana’s claiming that she’s trying to become a new person, and maybe that new person is someone who’s less infatuated with Yuki and more treating him as an equal. I don’t think she’s trying it to become more attractive to him, but that may end up being the effect, since her more friendly attitude has seemed to break some of the worry that he’s had about her. And maybe that more random communication helps to see her differently as well, since when he finally brings himself to look at it, it seems to break something loose inside him. Yana’s been treating him pretty much the same as she was, but this was the first time that he stopped being weirded out about her confession, I think.
Giraffe Place
Hiro needs some help from Momo
Not that it particularly means anything, just that’s what Kirinkan means. I had been thinking that Sachi’s “special place” was not going to be somewhere like that, maybe somewhere like Kakeru’s place in the woods. But it turns out to not just be a place, but a place in time: on the observation deck after closing time. It’s totally TV to not think about what they’re going to do to get out, since the building is probably locked up and the stairs are on the inside (not to mention alarms or anything like that). But that’s the place that Sachi wanted to bring Touko, specifically to look at the moon. Did she really get so lucky as to use that kind of cheesy line to get Touko to confess for her?
This is that “wait, whuuut?” look.
And how rough for Hiro. Used again to be setup / exposition boy, and this time finding out that the only person Sachi really has eyes for is Touko. The changing look that they gave him as he swung his face around to look at Sachi was executed to perfection, the realization of what’s just been said, the realization of whom Sachi’s eyes are on, the realization of where he stands, whether he likes it or not. I really feel bad for him, because he didn’t do anything to deserve this kind of impending heartbreak. I don’t know if Sachi will try to break his fall or anything, but I can’t really see what she could say at this point to let him down easier.
Sachi’s perfect, hopeful smile
I don’t need to say “I told you so.” I’m glad to see Sachi confess to Touko, but I really feel bad for Hiro being put in that situation. I think that was kind of unnecessary, even cruel, to essentially dump him by confessing to Touko in front of him. There wasn’t any reason for that. Sachi could have told him by himself, they were fine spending time together, and there’s no reason to think that Hiro wouldn’t have taken it just as said, with heartbreak and sadness, but nothing more untoward. This was almost like walking in on someone cheating, especially since he had to think that something was happening that would bring him and Sachi closer together.
Another quick thing: It’s interesting that Natsume Souseki’s Ten Nights’ Dreams is brought up, since they’re apparently a very surrealistic retelling of stories that may be dreams. That seems more and more what Touko’s visions are becoming. It’s also kind of surreal that Sachi repeats the same things Kakeru said about Touko’s living in Hinode-hama all her life.
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: 400-499 with 445 comments
For the past couple eps ive had a theory reagrding the purpose of the visions; this is a comment a made elsewhere:
Touka and Kakeru were two troubled individuals (the hints are subtle and sprinkled throughout the series, which is one of glasslips many strengths). Touka wants to be an artist, but she is most likely conflicted with her responsibilities as a glass artisan as well. kakeru has to deal with his mom not always being around as well as having to come to terms with his off-putting personality. This comes down to why Touka and Kakeru can see the future. Maybe this is some sort of supernatural event that happens to a select few people, but what these select few people (i.e touka and Kakeru) seem to have in common is an uncertainty of what each other wants. With this ep and the last, we see that Kakeru can no longer hear the sounds of the future, and i think the reason has to do with the fact that has found something he is certain of; something that makes him feel complete, and that is touka (which is why those “other Kakeru’s” mentioned not being needed anymore..perhaps they were embodiments of his uncetainties; of the fragments he hears).
The only problem is that Touka doesnt necessarily know how to deal with her new blossoming feelings. The idea of being more intimate still makes her anxious; the fact that she doesnt quite know what’s going on within her group of friends anymore also concerns her (as illustrated in this ep) and as a result, her visions have become more abstract, terrifying, and difficult to discern. Before, what she was seeing where possible futures based on her thoughts and concerns, not necessarily a future that was bound to happen. When Touka comes to terms with everything that is on her mind such as her future as an artist, her friends drama, and how to deal with her blossoming feelings, the visions will die down. Right now, the main catalyst to her visions is her uncertainty as to how to proceed with her feelings for kakeru.
I think Sachi’s intentions werent to dump Hiro, but to let him understand why she has been acting the way she has. She felt terrible about what she did and so she had him read that book so that he could understand her better when she “confessed”. In the preview we see Hiro smiling; now that probably is not indicative of anything to do with Sachi, but id like to think it is a glimmer of hope for him that he’ll be able to have a chance with Sachi. i think this might have been a case of Sachi loving two people, which is partly why she brought both of them along. She had yet to get over her feelings for Touka and was/still is hung up on her.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Those are very plausible reasons for Touko and Kakeru’s fragments, and I think that maybe it ties in a little bit to everyone’s dreams (hasn’t everyone had dreams they think are the future?). Not that it necessarily explains why the two of them were able to get the other sense when they first encountered each other (Kakeru able to see them, Touko able to hear).
I dunno, I think Sachi’s been pretty unambiguous towards Touko, in a way that she hasn’t with Hiro. To me, this event really put a solid “This is the person I truly love” out there for both Hiro and Touko. We’ll see if Touko is able to accept the message, but I think it came through loud and clear for Hiro. Maybe it’s not “dumping” him, but it’s also saying “I like this other person more than you.” Now, Hiro does strike me as someone who can probably stay fairly happy throughout disappointment, so I could see him not brooding too terribly much over it. I think he got a lot of his brooding done in the last few days, and this is more of the explanation that Sachi promised him.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I’m having a real hard time with this series and it’s proving time and time again why pure SoL just really isn’t my thing.
However for this episode, I have to agree with Highway in that I have no idea why Sachi is being so cruel here. Couldn’t she have broke it off with Hiro separately? Why did she invite him if she was going to look at Touko the whole time and then confess to her? Was it to somehow reveal that under that unassuming demeanor, she’s actually a cold a cruel person?
As for the rest, couldn’t really care less. Though I do find it fascinating that while Touko’s visions are intensifying, Kakeru’s are diminishing. Whatever’s going to happen with him doesn’t look good.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 140 comments
The way I look at Glasslip is that PA works is trying something slightly experimental. They are sticking to a teenage Slice of Life love drama. But they are messing with the standard formula, trying different approaches to love and relationships. The way they are treating Sachi I think is very well as a character, though we spent so little time with her. We knew she held Touko in high regard, we knew she was special to her. And it was blatantly clear how Hiro felt for Sachi. I don’t think that this show will end as predictably as Nagi did, and while this is a small step forward for PA works story telling, it is a slightly messy one.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I agree that it’s a bit experimental, and I’ve mentioned (probably more than anyone wants to hear) how much I love the way they’re doing it. skylion has mentioned that rather than going the extra mile to explain things in the show, they’re not even meeting the viewer halfway. More like 30% and saying to those watching “You can fill in the rest.” I love the pace of the show, and the lingering they allow. It allows for a much more realistic feel to the show. The scene in this episode of Yuki calling Yanagi, and the phone ringing 3 whole times before she answered it, while the camera just looked at rain falling on the window from before dialing to after she picked up was something I found brilliant.
I think you’re right on the predictability. It really does feel like almost everything’s up in the air. I don’t think Touko would end up with Sachi, just because that’s a bit too much of a surprise for her. But I also don’t think Hiro will end up with Sachi. I do think that in the coming episodes we might get the same kind of heartbreak for Sachi that Yuki felt with Touko. And it’s something that just feels true: You work yourself up to tell someone these feelings you have inside. And you hope that the response will be an overwhelming “yes!” and it just isn’t, because the other person isn’t thinking like that at all. We can see also how Yanagi tempered her expectations, the Yuki in her head turning her down far more thoroughly than the real Yukinari did. Maybe she went too far even, being so disappointed by things that didn’t happen that she attacked Kakeru and, indirectly, Touko.