English Dub Review: A Sign of Affection “Oushi’s World”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Itsuomi notices calls from Oushi on Yuki’s phone and decides they need to have a talk. Initially he thinks he’s gonna hate the guy who’s crushing on his girlfriend, but a simple drink reveals that the two get alone just fine. Oushi is still prickly though and tells Itsuomi that he better not make Yuki cry, because otherwise HE’LL come by and snatch her up.

OUR TAKE

And that wraps up that whole conflict with Oushi, I guess. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is probably the best way it COULD have ended, considering him pouting and sulking for the majority of his appearances made clear he wasn’t Itsuomi’s biggest fans, so managing to avoid a big fight with a ton of drama is a big win in this case, but it doesn’t seem like there were many other options open anyway, considering the tone. He’s got all the spurned childhood friend tropes of being into for most of their lives, thinking she’d always be around but still never making a move, but then feeling dejected when another guy makes a move he couldn’t or didn’t. Interestingly, his concern for Yuki in this relationship is similar to Kyoya’s, in that they both worry why Itsuomi is so eager and if he’s in this for shallow reasons. For Kyoya, it was that Yuki tends to move on quickly from things (or people) he is initially interested in, while for Oushi, it’s that he worries Yuki is being manipulated by someone who could take advantage of her. But as it turns out, Itsuomi is indeed truly head over heels for the girl and will do whatever it takes to make things work, including befriending her childhood friend who has a big obvious crush on her (that she somehow is unaware of).

The whole episode is kinda just a big testament to how much of a gosh darn good guy Itsuomi really is. Which I suppose is kind of my issue with the guy; he’s almost TOO good. Putting aside all the stuff that makes him a real catch off the bat like his good looks, his being well traveled, and incredibly direct with his affection, he’s basically the perfect guy already. Maybe this is just the point of the story and I’m missing it but it’s almost eerie how easy things are going. Not even because Yuki is deaf, it’s just…they’re together, and it’s great. And yeah, maybe this is just SUPPOSED to be a story about a deaf girl pulling an S Class dude gatcha on the first try and things just being great, even avoiding just about all the drama, and if you enjoy that, more power to ya. It just ends up feeling kinda…too easy? Or maybe this is all just to fool us and Emma, who still does not know about the relationship, is gonna show up with a firearm in the last two episodes and things will take a dark turn. Keep an eye out next week to find out!