Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara Episode 9: A valiant effort
Published on December 1, 2018
This...was kind of a weird episode. As always, I like how the episode used its scene to "show" more of what it was doing, but I think maybe the melodrama was a bit much for my taste. Hey, props to Shou for actually making a move, but I'm getting a little tired of watching the rift between him and Asagi. I'm curious to see how their relationship will get resolved, since I find it hard to come up with a solution that doesn't make Asagi seem like consolation.
It's nice of Shou to come clean with Yuito about going out with Hitomi, but I think this scene is one of the reasons I have a hard time seeing Shou with Asagi in the end. If he truly had some clue about her feelings for him, it feels like he's being pretty cruel to talk to Yuito about the date thing and not Asagi. Maybe it's just a "bro" relationship thing with Yuito, but it still seems weird to me.
I think it's a nice touch that we're shown so many scene with Hitomi and Shou together, and Shou is looking at Hitomi for most of them. Meanwhile, Hitomi's usually focused on something else entirely.
I like this scene for injecting a lighthearted moment into the drama. I always appreciate that kind of shift in tone, and this one feels pretty natural.
I also liked seeing Yuito screw up at work when he hears about how distressed Hitomi is. The episode isn't super obvious about it, and Chigusa doesn't tease him for his mistake. It's a simple scene to show how he feels about Hitomi.
This scene between Asagi and Hitomi also had some good moments. Overall, it's a painful experience for Asagi, but I do like the fact that she figures out what's going on between Hitomi and Shou by seeing the picture of Shou's spot in Hitomi's phone.
I know it would never happen, but the way Hitomi responds to Shou at the end almost made it sound like she'd agree to go out with him. But I guess there's no time in the show for something like that. Maybe I was just getting the wrong impression...the translation in this episode was a bit sketchy.
Being Asagi is suffering.