Mio is the Cool Sibling – A Sign of Affection Ep 7 Review

Wow, Itsuomi is finally back from his sabbatical and we got development from even Oushi of all people in the meantime. Provided…Oushi did kind of make the situation between him and Yuki cringe in record timing.

Read our A Sign of Affection Episode 6 Review.

A Sign of Affection Episode 7 Review

Does absence make the heart grow stronger? It certainly seems that way between Itsuomi and Yuki!

I don’t know if this was on purpose or not, but I found it funny in an ironic way that Emma was still texting Itsuomi after the apartment incident and waiting for a response. After leaving Emma on read for an entire week, her co-worker suggests that maybe he’ll reply if he’s actually interested…only for the show to cut directly to Itsuomi texting Yuki despite having spotty service in a foreign country.

Then to top it all off, Itsuomi specifically says that he will make time for Yuki, and asks her to send him a sign language video.

When there is a will, there really is a way and despite going silent for a few days Itsuomi always made sure to fill Yuki in on his adventures when he had the time. I don’t know what actually happened between Itsuomi and Emma, but it seems like we’ll finally learn their backstory next episode.

Oushi’s Sister Mio is Cool

We finally met Oushi’s sister Mio, who is the entire reason why Oushi learned sign language in the first place! I know he kept going in order to get close to Yuki, but that seems to be something only Oushi and Mio will acknowledge.

After wondering why he’s been so weird, Yuki has decidedly come to the conclusion that Oushi is just really passionate about the deaf and sign language and has absolutely no feelings for her at all aside from being a childhood friend.

Which…I am totally okay with.

Now that Yuki has Itsuomi, it’s better that Yuki interprets Oushi’s hot and cold (almost tsundere?) behavior that way. The conversation between the two was so pleasant until Oushi made it weird and asked Yuki to “praise him” more while covering his mouth so she couldn’t understand what he said.

Then…the monochrome filter came out and Oushi started getting pointy with his signs and I sighed because he started acting like a toddler. While he masked his jealousy of Yuki spending time with Itsuomi as concern for a childhood friend, Oushi has got to be one of the most frustrating characters to watch onscreen in this anime.

Will Emma and Oushi Move On from Their Unrequited Crushes?

I think Oushi and Emma are both characters who, in my opinion, are running a tight race for who should move on from their past crush the fastest. I know I joke about it, but on a serious note, I keep saying they should move on because the feelings have become unhealthy for them.

Emma was rejected and despite not receiving closure, continues to drink herself half to death and obsess over somebody who doesn’t want her, all while passing guys on the street who literally fawn over her appearance. Emma is selling herself short by ignoring all of the opportunities for real love and understanding around her and solely focusing on Itsuomi – who has already made it clear that he doesn’t like her.

(Especially when we know Shin has feelings for her. While Emma doesn’t necessarily have to return said feelings, it would be nice for her to realize that other men do value her presence – even if Itsuomi doesn’t.)

While I don’t particularly care for Oushi based on his childish personality and how he always talks down to Yuki, he seems like a decent and well-rounded guy who would be great for somebody else. I know sometimes it takes somebody else coming into the picture to jumpstart your jealousy or ‘attachment’ to a crush, but Oushi has had multiple opportunities to let his feelings be known to Yuki and has absolutely fumbled the situation each time.

Instead of just being happy for Yuki, Oushi (in my opinion) seems to be putting her down to lower her self-esteem concerning her disability in order to make it seem like he’s the only one who can ‘tolerate’ her. I could be wrong – and hopefully, I am – but I just get the vibe of Oushi continually lowering Yuki down to a subhuman level when we see Itsuomi do nothing but elevate Yuki effortlessly with no regard for what anybody else thinks in society.

I know Itsuomi is more ‘worldly’ and has lived abroad so he’s much different than a Japanese who has only lived in Japan and never left, but it’s still worth mentioning the stark difference between both young men’s behavior toward Yuki.

Anywho – I think I’m going to leave this review here. But, tell me your thoughts – do you think Itsuomi (formally) introducing Yuki to Shin is a big deal? Why didn’t Mio ask Yuki who she’s in love with? Since it’s obviously not her brother Oushi.

Do you think Yuki could find work online? Like doing data entry or even starting a YouTube channel or blog or something teaching sign language?

次のエピソード:

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, we’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more A Sign of Affection Episode Reviews and Discussions!      

☆ In Asian Spaces  

Twitter Pinterest BlogLovin