Super Lovers – 04 – 05
Me too bro, me too
Howdy howdy, it’s been a while. I became a fish farmer and helped my dad for a few weeks, that’s why I disappeared. It was muddy, murky, everything a girl isn’t supposed to like. Not that it wasn’t fun, but it was still weird for me. Thank god for weekly ghey bromance.
Episode 3 // Continuing the adventure of the two brothers with suspicious relationship, the two went back to Japan and decided to move with the other two brothers, Aki and Shima. However, there is still a tension between Ren and Aki that haven’t been resolved yet, making things awkward inside the house. Haru, who has little interaction with the twins, think of himself as an outsider. Meanwhile, Aki, who has a bit of a brocon, feels as if Ren is taking Haru away from him and Shima.
It makes sense for both to feel such feelings. After all, Ren is a person who try to interact as little as possible with other people; this is probably due to his distrust of humans. This explains why he talks only when he is necessary and doesn’t smile at lot. However, I’m pretty sure the past 6 months was meaningful for him because I can see the change within Ren. It can be seen when Ren tries to tell Aki not to worry about him. Although he said it rudely (and failed at conveying it to Aki too), it can be seen that Ren tried his best to interact with others – a big improvement compared to how he was before. So yes, although Ren is still a peculiar character, putting him in an environment filled with lots of people definitely changed his character for the better.
The same goes with Aki. It’s obvious how the past 6 months brought him closer to his brothers, especially Ren. He was able to interact with Ren normally couple of times too, forgetting his childish grudge on Ren. Unfortunately, the role of a big brother was too much for him. It makes sense, considering how the example of a “good big brother” was Haru; Haru is too good to be true. Aki can’t compete with such example. That’s why Aki “snapped” at Ren. He wanted to say that he does care about Ren, but he said it in his own way – a way Ren is not accustomed to.
Here we see a trouble on communication; two people want to express their fondness to each other, and yet they can’t. Thankfully, Haru the Great Aniki remind the two what they are: a little brother and a big brother. They don’t need to force themselves to be like others. They should be themselves. Talk like how they usually talk to people. And hey, it works! In the end, Ren and Aki become closer with each other. They probably still don’t see each other as brothers, but they are more than mere acquaintances now.
Episode 4 // After a break from Haru and Ren, the audience is given an episode which focuses on these two brothers again. The conflict is the same from the one in episode 2, how Haru never refuses people. However, now it’s added with some spice, which is Ren’s worry. If Haru never refuses others, does that mean that he loves Ren because Ren asks him to? What if there is a new woman who can snag Haru’s feelings? What is Haru’s feelings disappear just like sakura?
Then Ren snapped when Haru said that he can’t see Ren in a sexual way (big fat lie). It’s understandable why Ren feels frustrated. He’s kinda “dating” and older guy after all, that such thing usually comes with insecurities. Let’’s not forget that Ren is, what, 16 years old? He’s definitely in his puberty. Ren’s frustrated because he doesn’t know what Haru is thinking. He doesn’t know his value in Haru’s eyes. Such thing makes him feels worried, and such unfamiliar feeling frustrates Ren. Another character development for Ren, I guess? Thankfully, his worries disappear once Haru tells him how important he is for Haru. Viva bromance.
Episode 4 was so-so, but it was pretty good. It’s the usual insecurities crap yaoi series always have, but this one is more meaningful because it gives some development for Ren’s character. And that gasp in 13:45 was effing amazing, I giggled so hard that that. Ehm, anyway, back to Ren. He started literally as an empty 2D character, and all these interactions and events just give him more color as a character. It’s like a chick slowly learning from nothing, he learns from his surrounding and other baby chicks(?), turning him into something. That’s how I see Ren right now. With all these new events and emotions Ren are learning right now, I expect some great character development from him.
However, the highlight between these two episodes is definitely episode 3. In fact, episode 3 is the best episode so far. Why? Because it shifts from the relationship between the couple to another person. Usually, in yaoi, families are treated as ornaments. Well, not all yaoi. There are some yaoi where family members or outsiders play a big role, but the conflicts are usually solved by some random event where the characters suddenly get along or something. Or some crappy dramatic event where the characters become all emotional *glance at Junjou Romantica*. But no, not in this episode. In here, the outsider/family member actually talk heart-to-heart with one of the main characters, and the two actually tried to solve the problem together. And they don’t shout. They sit together in the veranda and talk properly like every human being on earth. Wow. You don’t see this kind of thing in yaoi often. Last time I saw this is in the Hana series (by the author of Seven Days). And heck, they even dedicate ¼ of the episode for the conversation between Ren and Aki. I was so happy. Finally outside force is taken into consideration in yaoi, and the conflict is solved peacefully without any dramatic event whatsoever. I hope other slice-of-life yaoi series can follow Super Lovers’ steps at handling conflicts, and I hope Super Lovers stays this way until the end.
Preview: Another female to ruin your gay day.
