Yuki’s childhood friend Ashioki Oushi seems to think he has ownership over Yuki’s entire life because she is deaf and mute. I’m not with that – are you?
Read our A Sign of Affection Episode 1 Review.
A Sign of Affection Episode 2 Review
Okay I tried it – I was going to give Ashioki Oushi the benefit of the doubt and consider him as a valid part of the obvious love triangle the show is trying to set up, but he’s extremely awful and repugnant as a person.
Not only is he always putting Yuki down, but Yuki can’t even hear partially (as Oushi cleared up) and Yuki still imagines his voice having a condescending tone! Even his signing is “pointy” and hostile.
The exact moment Oushi lost me was when he met up with Izumi, who was walking her dog. They got onto the subject of sign language due to Oushi helping someone perceived as a fare evader, and Oushi mentions that deaf people need to be protected and essentially “kept” in their own spaces. I absolutely do not agree with that, and think it’s a very outdated way of thinking.
Yuki Wants to See the World
I liked that we got Yuki’s backstory so early into the anime. So apparently, Yuki went to a deaf school from nursery to high school, and there were only four people in her grade. Everybody was friendly and her days were peaceful, but she wanted more.
I’ve noticed that Yuki also stares at birds a lot, and seems to equate herself to a caged bird wishing desperately to be free and experience the world.
Which again…would make sense as to why Yuki is so drawn to Itsuomi given what he represents to her: freedom.
Yuki decided to step outside of her comfort zone and try to go to university and be like the other students who she said lived like those seen in a drama. It’s her first time “in the real world” despite a lot of English being spoken at her university – I guess Yuki picked an international or mixed school to attend (which would make more sense than a traditional one).
Yuki saw her friend Rin and didn’t want to interrupt her conversation with other students because it would be awkward trying to text/write what she wanted to say about Itsuomi – which is normal. Even if Yuki could converse with Rin in spoken Japanese, that sort of conversation would be awkward to bring up amongst strangers.
Despite this, Oushi decides to come out from the shadows, put Yuki down, refer to Rin as “the girl who takes notes” for her instead of Yuki’s friend, tell Yuki not to get her hopes up with Itsuomi, and even has the nerve to ask her why she bothered attending university.
Ummm…excuse me?
Did Oushi ever consider the reason Yuki never returned his feelings isn’t because she’s deaf, but because Oushi is mean to Yuki without cause?
There was this really great shot of Oushi talking crap to Yuki and the colors were grey and muted, and then Itsuomi ‘bumps’ into Yuki and it was like the sun came out?
Literal night and day characterization of these two characters. You can even see that Itsuomi puts a lot of thought into attempting to sign with Yuki, not wanting to offend her or mess things up. Meanwhile, Oushi does things half-assed and with an attitude to boot.
I don’t like Oushi, but I’m excited to see what other adventures Itsuomi and Yuki can begin going on together. After all, Rin helped Yuki take that first step forward to the table and speak with the other university student and itsuomi, while Oushi wanted Yuki to stay in the shadows, alone and isolated.
What do you think about the characterization of Oushi and Itsuomi so far? Do you think the anime clearly has fans taking one side over the other?
次のエピソード: A Sign of Affection Episode 3 Review
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☆ In Asian Spaces
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