Nostalgia in Wintertime: A Sign of Affection Episode 1 Captures Classic Shojo Magic
Itose Yuki’s quiet world is filled with color one morning after a fateful encounter with fellow university student Nagi Itsuomi. Will their love blossom in the wintertime? A Sign of Affection episode one was such a delight to watch! It reminded me so much of the early 2000s shojo anime series I enjoyed watching in my youth.
Nostalgic Magic: Reminiscing Barnes & Noble Shojo Manga Days
I felt like I’d jumped back in time to when I was in high school, reading shoujo manga on the floor between aisles at Barnes & Noble on a weeknight while watching episode one of this new series.
I know A Sign of Affection was adapted from a manga, but I’d never read it. I kept hearing good things about this series and decided to watch the first episode and wow – I was blown away.
The Train Encounter: Yuki, Itsuomi, and Cultural Nuance
Yuki’s first meeting with Itsuomi was magnificent, albeit a bit generic in the way they met. A foreigner decided to approach Yuki of all people on a crowded train to ask for directions. After much ado of trying (and failing) to get the foreigner to go away, Itsuomi swoops in to save the day.
I do think it was wonderful that Itsuomi admits the foreigner was speaking perfectly well in Japanese, as oftentimes even if you do speak perfectly to Japanese people, they will still respond back in English because it’s just not registering in their minds. Then again, Itsuomi has the characteristics of a foreigner himself due to spending so much time overseas, so maybe that’s why he takes to Yuki so quickly.
Itsuomi even gives Yuki a head pat after their first meeting! In most anime, that takes at least half a season to happen even between childhood friends! Haha ☺.
Isolating Silence: Sound Design & Accessibility in Yuki’s World
Communication Barriers: The Absence of Sign Language in Yuki’s Daily Life
Something I found really odd was the fact that Yuki’s mom doesn’t seem to know sign language, or at least hasn’t made any attempt to try. Neither does Yuki’s best friend, Rin. Or really, anybody in her life for that matter.
It doesn’t seem like Yuki can hear at all despite wearing two hearing aids, and she seems mute as well. From the interactions with her mom, texting Rin at university, and even using the whiteboard at Kyouya’s restaurant, it seems like nobody actually bothered to learn sign language for Yuki except Itsuomi – a guy she just met.
(Which apparently parents not learning to sign is common with deaf children?)
Please let me know if I’m misinterpreting things, but aside from Itsuomi’s attempt, I can see why Yuki was so drawn to him immediately – it must have been really lonely. I keep remembering that scene of Yuki feeling depressed after one of Itsuomi’s foreign friends kissed him on the cheek and then Yuki wanting to reach out to Rin since she got Kyouya’s number, but she’s afraid to write anything.
Yuki even has trouble reading lips, which is a little concerning regarding her finding a place in society.
Soundscapes of Isolation: Fading Audio and Visual Storytelling
There was also this persisting use of sound – both ambient and naturally occurring – that really drove home Yuki’s isolation. Like Yuki mentions birds singing that she can physically see outside her window but could never hear their song, or just the sound of shoes walking on pavement that completely fades out when the camera pans back to Yuki.
Or even the university classroom – does the professor even bother to take notes onscreen? How is Yuki managing in a world that (otherwise) has no interest in even attempting to accommodate her existence?
Maybe that’s why this love story was possible, because a Japanese guy who has been abroad and isn’t so closed-minded as the Japanese tend to be took an interest in her?
Next Episode Review: Ready for the next chapter in Yuki and Itsuomi’s story? Read our review A Sign of Affection Ep 2 Review: Oushi is Kinda Awful to see how childhood friend dynamics complicate Yuki’s world.
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