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| So Not Your Average Romantic Comedy |
Okay so this is not the actual Japanese name of the show,
but the actual Japanese name of the show was too long. That and Hazard likes
the word SNAFU.
SNAFU.
SNAFU.
… okay enough, let’s start.
The Story
What is this thing called youth?
It’s a lie. It’s an illusion. You can even say it is evil. Isn't
youth just a double standard? A philosophy to justify any action because it is “youth”?
Youth is hypocrisy!
Those are the thoughts of Hikigaya Hachiman.
Of course, no self-respecting teacher could stand by and
watch this utter mess of a teenager walk through life alone. Enter Shizuka! To ensure 8man
grows into something remotely resembling a regular human being, she enlists
8man into the Service Club, a club for helping others.
Thus his messed up romantic comedy starts!
The Characters
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| Yukino's Shy Wave is Miracle of the Universe |
If you talk about this show you have to talk a little about
the characters. They are truly the driving force here. There are plenty of them and
they are all cool to some degree but I am going to focus on the three members
of the service club here.
First we have Yui, the cheerful, cute, slightly air-headed
girl. Yu is the “normal” one of the main tree. She is a regular girl with
problems like being afraid of speaking up against the group for fear of losing
her friends. Her outgoing personality makes for a good contrast with the other
two members and she’s the “glue” of the Service Club, acting as a mediator between Yukino
and 8man.
Next up is Yukino Yukinoshta. Now if you have been watching
anime for a while you can totally tell that name is cold. Yukino lives up to
it. Blunt to the point of being brutal, she is not in a habit of lying to spare other’s
feelings. Beautiful and smart, Yukino is rather popular at school, which doesn't
mean she has friends.
Yukino believes in
helping others change themselves, the opposite of Hachiman in many ways.
She is the type that won’t do things for others but will
help them help themselves.
Finally, the main man, Hachiman! A loner. A weirdo. A cynic.
A sophist. A misanthrope. 8man is all that and more. If Yukino is the popular
beauty, Hachiman is that one weirdo. Surprisingly smart, Hachiman can come up
with rather entertaining arguments to defend his peculiar views. He holds that
he has absolutely no reason to change. Opposite to Yukino who helps others
helps themselves, 8man style of helping involves getting people to embrace
their flaws. In spite of all his flaws, 8man is a surprisingly kind guy till
the point of self-sacrifice. He’s the hero we deserve but not the one we need.
He’s Batman.
How does it manage?
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| Batman Time! |
Awesomely!
The SNAFU in the name is important. The show is far from a
normal romantic comedy. In fact it leans closer to slice of life series if
anything, slice of life with a cynic steak a mile wide.
Let me put it this way, I came in expecting romantic comedy and
harem hijinks. As many have pointed out through the internet, I got social Batman.
Dark Knight wishes it could have handled that last scene as
well as 8man does his stuff. Then again, Dark Knight sucks, but enough of that.
The story is told through the different cases of the social
club, putting conflict between Yukino’s conventional methods and 8man’s
peculiar brand. The end result is never an “and now everything’s fixed”, but it
does not really venture into a full tragic outcome.
It is a refreshing anime and I really recommend people to
take the time to watch it.
Final thing, I am going to apologize. As far as updates go,
I have been having a hard time keeping my usual schedule, sometimes posting
near the end of the day. It has been a tough week with a whole lot of things in
it. Next week should be better as the one thing that has taken my time away is
no longer a problem.
Final Final thing, yes Hazard knows Sensei is best girl and
he should have added her but size limits and all.
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