A Sign of Affection episode 1 was such a delight to watch! It reminded me so much of the early 2000s shojo anime series I enjoyed watching in my youth.
A Sign of Affection Episode 1 Review
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 when watching episode 1 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.
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 so quickly to Yuki.
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 ☺.
Why Doesn’t Yuki’s Mom Know Sign Language?
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.
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?
Let me know your thoughts concerning this episode, and if I should continue on and cover the next one!
次のエピソード: A Sign of Affection Episode 2 Review
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☆ In Asian Spaces
In Asian Spaces 