Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku – 05
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Hachiman saves the day again!
Status Quo?
Meet the new student council president!
With his sister’s backing, his friends’ help, and some dirty tricks, Hachiman is able to avert the end of the Volunteers Club and returns to normal. Or does it? The resolution of the club’s job comes simply enough by tricking Iroha into believing that she could easily win the election; and win she does. Turns out the two-faced girl wanted to withdraw from the running simply because she was afraid of the repercussions to her image from potentially losing. An attitude problem which Hachiman resolved with some sly manipulation. But even though the Volunteers Club is no longer in danger of being pulled apart by members leaving for the student council, there still remains a feeling that things aren’t quite right. Specifically, Yukino’s remark to Hachiman makes it clear that she isn’t letting go of the fact that the two don’t see eye-to-eye in their methodologies. This no doubt means that the two will continue to clash in episodes to come, and it leaves us wondering just how they will finally settle their differences.
Making up.
Change can no doubt come on Hachiman’s part since we have yet to see him acknowledge his own worth in the eyes of those close to him. Komachi might have been one of the few capable of convincing him, but instead she’s grown accustomed to his attitude from 15 years of cohabitation. Even though she finds him to be a pain at times, she is willing to accept him for who he is because he is her one and only brother. So no luck on that front. Who, then, will be the one to open Hachiman’s eyes (and heart)? My personal theory remains that Yui will have to step up as she is one of the next two people closest to Hachiman, following his sister. The other of these two being Yukino, who is currently waging some sort of personal war with our hero, there really isn’t much of a choice. And on that note, we could also stand to see some change from Yukino herself as she tends to get a bit of tunnel vision when she sets her mind on something.
Friend Indeed
Yukino’s lament.
As it stands, things haven’t really improved much as the next job for the Volunteers Club could very easily threaten to tear them apart again. So before the gang sets about their next task, I fully expect more intervention from other concerned parties. Komachi and Yui aside, Hayato could get involved as a bit of a wild card thanks to his shaky “friendship” with Hachiman. The guy has made it clear that he wants to change our hero’s attitude, and Hachiman has in turn rejected all his attempts thus far to do so. But I don’t think that will stop him from carrying out his personal mission to help a friend whom he has relied upon several times in the past. Really, his actions in the previous episode greatly surprised me as I did not expect him to care so much for Hachiman. I always figured the two guys had a relationship closer to the one between Hachiman and Yukino. But as it turns out, Hayato’s open and direct personality makes a big difference in how he deals with the loner compared to Yukino’s withdrawn and unsociable attitude.
This week’s SNAFU was a bit slower than others. Primarily cleaning up the mess from this arc (or rather, putting it off for another time), we are given a bit of a breather before it’s off to the races again. Beyond the Volunteers Club dramatics though, one other development of note was the advancement in Hachiman and Yui’s relationship. It’s hinted that Yui figured out to an extent what Hachiman did to resolve the problem at hand, and as a result the two shared quite an intimate moment in the club room while Yukino was away. So from the look of things the scales are again tipped in Yui’s favor for a potential romantic development. But it remains to be seen how things go after a reconciliation between Hachiman and Yukino, so I wouldn’t say the other Volunteers Club lady is down for the count just yet.
A perfect moment recalling Hachiman’s earlier toying of Komachi’s hair.
About Sumairii
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 26 comments
I liked the Hachiman/Komachi scene at the beginning; sure they can be squabbling siblings, but they still care for each other.
The scene where Kawasaki and Totsuka show up could have used a bit more detail, and expounding some more on how the whole twitter plan worked would have been nice, since it wasn’t made entirely clear about what they were doing.
The ending’s so tense though, and while I didn’t get that same kind of feeling when reading the LN, I liked how they ended it on that note. The problem may have been solved, and reconciled with Yui, but things are still not right. Really looking forward to the next arc…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I thought that Hachi’s rumination at the end of the episode did good on how the arc is somewhat finalized, and on where it is going to progress. “If you could go back to the save point…”
I think the point he is making is not that there aren’t save points in real life. With the tool of hindsight, they do exist. But many many points overlap. In that effect he might be expressing how he is going to be stuck in past choices for the time being.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I really think that what the student council president said in the last few scenes really reflected what Yukino intended to do from the very beginning of this arc. She wanted to run for president and put Hachiman and Yui together with her. They wouldn’t be separated and they would still end up stuck with others problems to resolve. Hachiman wondering if he could go back to a save point means that he got what she wanted to do, but it was too late at that point. It’s a real shame that they nothing worked out at the end, really.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I agree with you. I also got the feeling Yukino did want to be student council president. But it may not have just been because she’d get Hachiman and Yui to work with her on it. Although I think she’d rather die than admit her sister got her to do something, I think part of her reason for wanting it was due to her sister’s egging her on. Sort of like, “You think you’re just making fun of me here, but I’ll show you and be a great council president!”
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Yeah, there’s that too. Even though Haruno probably knows that Yukino would make a great student council president and she probably just wants to have the satisfaction of having manipulated her into something.
But the “you don’t understand” by Yukino by the end really put an emphasis on the keeping the group together under the student council banner as her main goal.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 105 comments
I would definitely put a question mark next to “Hachiman saves the day” because nothing about the ending indicates he actually has saved the day.
Back in season one there was a tangible status quo to the volunteers club relationships. And at this point in Season two any hope of getting that back has been utterly destroyed. I’ll say no more cause I read the novels.