(ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿ Hold my flower
Look I was ready to cut Hiyori some slack today since Ikuya almost drowned himself again… BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, @$!@ THAT! @#!(@ YOU HIYORI. @(*!# YOU! I ALWAYS KNEW HE WAS A JACKASS, NO SURPRISE WHEN HE HAS SUCH A PUNCHABLE FACE. MY GOD! HOW DARE HE! HOW DARE HE SAY SUCH A THING TO HARUKA! I HOPE ISAHI PUNCHES HIM. PLEASE DO. SOMEONE GOTTA SMACK THAT OBNOXIOUS SMIRK OFF HIS FACE! (EVEN HE KNEW THE GUY HAD BAD VIBES! Well actually all three of them did, Hiyori isn’t exactly subtle about his hostility towards them.)
Even though Makoto knew something was off about him, yet he still showed him sportsmanship yet Hiyori left him hanging and then dropped the bomb on Haruka saying everyone he swims with ends up suffering! Seriously go to hell Hiyori. That was uncalled for and dirty! Last week I gave him the benefit of the doubt after learning about Ikuya’s psychological condition, but man this week completely sent him back to square one. I despise his character. Haruka has gone through enough suffering of his own damnit! Stop pinning everyone’s problems on him!
But you know what I found the most sad and frustrating about this episode? Was seeing how Ikuya has been reduced to Hiyori’s doormat. He saw Hiyori send his friends away, and agreed it was the best thing to do, but was it really? It’s more about him going with the flow. Please start thinking what is best for yourself man!
The story of the little mermaid was brought to our attention, showing how Ikuya relates to the story. The theme of sacrificing something precious refers to giving up his friendship with Haruka and the others in order to obtain to become a stronger swimmer. The reason why he can’t see them is because their past has too much of a psychological impact on him. However this is just another way of running away from his past instead of confronting it, which does comes with a risk of worsening his condition at such an important time. But honestly, I said it last week and I’ll say it again: Ikuya needs closure. So as long as Hiyori or anyone else for that matter continues to deny him of this, his past will continue to haunt him. Actually now that I think of it, has Ikuya even gone to see a therapist? You would think that would be the most logical thing to do since it’s actually interfering with his swimming scores. But apparently not, as Hiyori thinks he knows what’s best for Ikuya… Tch.
Man… Hiyori is sure a piece of work. I wished Makoto had been able to beat him, but for someone who isn’t training as regularly as the rest of the guys, he still gave the asshat a run for his money. It was a close one! In fact had Makoto been in good form, I bet he would have beaten him! Needless to say, I was happy to see him swim, and even volunteer to compete against him in Haruka’s place.
I suppose the only silver-lining this episode besides seeing Makoto swim is that the boys now know about Ikuya’s condition. It is something important to know considering they have experienced it happen once more, but never imagined it would become a bad habit. Needless to say, it will be intersting to see how the boys cope with this revelation. Perhaps they will looks for ways to reach out to Natsuya, who is most likely their next best option. Natsuya is protective of his brother, but I don’t think he would be anywhere near as stupid and awful as Hiyori.
Also, a little tidbit, but I wonder if Makoto will apply for the job to be a swimming coach! He would be fantastic! I would love to see it! It was also nice to see Sousuke and Gou interact with each other again. I forgot about it, but seeing them together made me think, “Oh I definitely ship this!” It also looks like Sousuke will be able to return swimming agian soon, but it will come with a difficult decision. Poor guy. It’s rough not being able to do what you love because of an injury…
I’m more interested in who the scruffy-looking senior (?) with stubble is; the one randomly popping up to give gruff advice to Haruka before going off just as quickly. 4 eps in, and I don’t think anyone knows who on earth he is. He wasn’t even in the movies, if I recall.
Therapy-wise, unfortunately IRL Western-style mental health assistance is still quite lacking in Japan. Their society deems things like depression (and other psychological issues) as internal character weaknesses to be overcome by Yourself; anything more makes you a social burden and failure to them, so to speak. It’s a prejudiced situation over there, especially if you’re a local who has to play by their social rules…
Just to give a background to Ikuya’s troubles.
It seems next week will focus on the Iwatobi gang, btw.
I’m pretty sure that scruffy dude is either a coach or a scout considering he is all over the place. I am half expecting him to start coaching Haruka at some point.
🙁 Yeah I have heard things about that. It is unfortunate since mental health is very important and too many people suffer from it.
I do wonder how much of next week’s episode will focus on Iwatobi gang. But if they keep balancing things out as they did in last week’s episode, it should be okay.