[chapter 289] But That's How Serious I am: It Was Umi-kun who Was heartbroken
Hi! Are you enjoying Kanokari? This is Kourakuone.
The third season of the anime started airing on July 7, 2023! I am half anxious and half hopeful. The movie production arc is the most popular episode, so I'm curious to see how the viewers react to it.
Would you like to look back at Kanokari from Chizuru Mizuhara's point of view before the third season of the anime?
Kanokari Commentary and Review from Chizuru Mizuhara's Perspective "Chizuru Mizuhara's Love Story
Chizuru's Story｜恋心、お借りします (ameblo.jp)
This commentary article summarizes the changes in her feelings, including her love for Kazuya, from Chizuru's point of view. Although it was difficult to understand in the anime, and even most readers of the original manga would not have noticed it, the most significant event in the scope of the second anime season was the realization of love. It means that Chizuru realized that she was in love with Kazuya (Chapter 86). I written a special article about it as well, so please take a look at it here ([Commentary] The Paradigm Shift that Happened to Chizuru Mizuhara: I've Always Been in Love with Kazuya).
Let's move on to the talk about the latest chapter.
Chapter 289, I never thought Umi was that serious about Chizuru! I was so surprised. At the same time, I thought "Umi, you have a cute side" and I felt like I finally become close to him.
Umi-kun who intervened between Chizuru and Kazuya may have looked like an obstacle to many readers. However, to me, he seemed to be a normal human being who was just suffering from the same trouble in love as Kazuya, Ruka, and the rest of us. He was no different from Kazuya. After reading this chapter, I felt a kind of kinship with him. It was very good.
Let's look back at the last few episodes from Umi's point of view and sort out the view that is spreading outside of him and what happened through his eyes. You would feel the pain aching in his chest.
Umi-kun Was Serious about Chizuru
I have said that it is unclear how much Umi is obsessed with Chizuru (how serious he is about her) ([Episode 287] "She, I Borrow You" from Umi Nakano's point of view). This is because there is no backstory depicted that suggests his feelings for Chizuru. With that as a basic premise, and especially since no reason for his fixation on Chizuru was depicted, I expected that Umi-kun would not ignore the disadvantageous situation and press (approach) Chizuru for a lover's relationship. That view remained unchanged after Chapter 288, when he told Chizuru that he liked her.
However, in reality, this was not the case. My expectation was wrong. Umi was much more serious about Chizuru than I assumed. Although it was not specifically explained in the story, he had a clear trigger, reason, and feelings for her, and other girls were not good enough for him.
Umi-kun has been rejected by Chizuru once (chapter 127), and he knows that Chizuru likes someone else. This is quite a disadvantageous situation. In addition, there are many pretty girls around Umi who are actresses, and he would have been asked out on dates or confessed (i.e. he was asked for a relationship). Even so, Umi-kun was unable to think "I'm fine with another girl" and kept thinking "I still want Chizuru-chan.
I didn't realize how single-minded Umi-kun was...!
To be honest, I did not expect that. It is true that Umi has a kind of pride as a man, and his feeling of not wanting to lose to Kazuya may be a factor in his inability to give up on Chizuru. Still, I would probably choose to flirt with another girl who says she likes me, rather than Chizuru who does not respond to my feelings if I were in the same situation as Umi-kun. It is the same with Kazuya that he knew he was at a disadvantage and still couldn't give up. Somehow, Umi is starting to look a good guy too.
It Was Umi-kun who Was in "Turmoil"
I open a Twitter space every week at midnight on Wednesdays when the latest chapter is released in Japan.
There, together with other Kanokari lovers, we look back and discuss the latest chapter from the viewpoints of various characters, including Chizuru, without being confined to the reader's or the protagonist's point of view.
The central topic of discussion was that "it was really Umi-kun who was in turmoil. Kazuya and Mini were puzzled by Umi's appearance and suspected his relationship with Chizuru (i.e., there was a disturbance), but Umi must have been more panicked.
海くんの人物像が垣間見える回でしたね！今週は特に張り切って参りましょう💪😤
— 甲楽わん@かのかり沼 (@korakuone_shu) July 5, 2023
21時ごろスタートです！#オフじゃなくもない会#彼女お借りしますhttps://t.co/xSBktbJH2f
When he visited Chizuru's house to run an errand (to greet Sayuri), he found not only Chizuru but also the man she loves (Kazuya) living there with her, you see.
◆When he visits Chizuru's house, Kazuya is there... (287)
"Does that mean they are already dating? They even live together...!?" It is natural for him to be puzzled in such a way when he is suddenly confronted with a painful reality he had never imagined. "I wonder if you're having a visitor...?" Saying that, he tried to act nonchalant, but I'm sure he was in a state of great turmoil inside.
After that, they explained to him that they were not living together but sharing a room, and he must have calmed down somewhat. Still, Chizuru and Kazuya's relationship was steadily moving forward.
Perhaps the more unfavorable situation made him impatient. Umi again tells Chizuru that he loves her (Chapter 288).
◆Chizuru showing a look of "rejection" (289)
However, her expression is dark and clearly a sign of rejection. Umikun can't make up his mind to give up Chizuru and won't let her say anything in reply.
ごめん
今はあんまり聞きたくないかな…
俺にも もう少しだけ 時間が欲しいな
”ちづるちゃんを好きでいる時間”が…
(Sorry.
I guess I don't want to hear too much right now...
I just need a little more time myself.
Time to be in love with Chizuru...)
He was very aware that he was at a disadvantage when he confessed his love to Chizuru, but the situation could not be reversed, and he was once again confronted with the reality that this love would never come true. He had no choice but to put Chizuru's reply on hold.
◆でも それくらい本気なんだ 君のこと… (But that's how serious I'm about you...) (289)
Chizuru-chan continues her relationship with Kazuya even she take a risk as an actress.
She lives with him, albeit in the form of a shared house.
The distance between Chizuru-chan and Kazuya has been getting closer and closer.
Chizuru-chan's feelings do not turn toward him at all.
The sign of rejection that once again confronts him.
Umi smiled and left, but considering what happened in front of him this time, it is easy to imagine how he must have felt in the cab. It must have been extremely hard for him. He must not keep his cool.
This time, Kazuya finds out that Umi likes Chizuru and is worried that he will lose her. That feeling is the same for Umi-kun, isn't it? No, Kazuya's anxiety is just growing without any basis that Umi-kun will take Chizuru away from him, but on the other hand, Umi-kun is clearly rejected by her. Umi-kun's situation is much more painful. It is Umi-kun who is really deeply hurt.
I think many people have experienced the situation where the person you like already likes someone else. I have had that kind of experience, too, where the person I like smiles at other guys in a way that she never smiles at me, or doesn't respond well to my approach, and that makes me depressed and my heart hurts, but I still have to change my mind and force myself to look forward. I've had that kind of experience. I see. So this is what Umi-kun is going through. I couldn't help but imagine that.
Until now, there have been very few descriptions of Umi, and I felt that he was a bit distant from me, but this episode has made me like him a lot more. I feel like we can finally become friends.
I am very curious to see how Umi-kun will perceive the unfavorable situation, what he will think, and what he will do when he next appears in front of Kazuya and Chizuru. When he told Chizuru this time that he wanted a little more time to be in love with her, he may have made a decision to continue liking her, feeling, "After all, I can't give up until the relationship between Chizuru and Kazuya is clear," or perhaps, on the contrary, he felt that he needed more time in order to sort out his feelings and give up, and almost his heart was broken. There is quite a range of swing there, so I would like to keep an eye on how his love is going.
Nevertheless, in any case, the couple of Chizuru and Kazuya has been confirmed, so Umi will have a difficult future ahead of him. Still, I hope he will do his best so that he will have no regrets about this love, and I would like to support him in his future life. I hope that Umi-kun also will do his best so as not to lose to Kazuya.
So, that's how I look back on Chapter 289.
Oh, and let me tell you a little bit about Chizuru and Kazuya. Kazuya finds out that Umi-kun likes Chizuru and is worried that he will lose her to him. But of course, Chizuru has no intention of going out with Umi at all. This is exactly what happens when there is "Serechigai" (misunderstanding). This is the "royal road" of romantic comedies (By "royal road," I mean that it is an extremely correct and popular way of doing things, and Surechigai is a common element in Japanese romantic comedies.) How the two overcome this Serechigai (misunderstanding) will be the theme for the next week and beyond. It may be resolved more easily than expected, or it may take some time there, as it did at the beginning of the Paradise Arc (when Ruka bluffed that she had sex with Kazuya).
In the last few chapters, there has been a lot of wind up for Umi-kun among Japanese readers. It is true that Umi-kun can be a bit pushy, and the way he confesses his feelings and then doesn't let her answer may be unfair. Still, did he cause trouble for Chizuru, commit a crime, or do anything that is not reasonable for a human being? It seems to me that many readers are trying very hard to find reasons to make him a "bad guy".
Many readers know the path that Chizuru and Kazuya have taken and hope that their relationship will work out. They think, "Kazuya has worked so hard for Chizuru, so he should be chosen," and "Umi should quickly step aside." Getting the reader on the side of the protagonist is a must in all scripts, including manga (accomplished mainly in the first act of a three-act composition), and the readers of Kanokari have unwittingly become Kazuya's allies as well. So it is natural that it is easy to sympathize with Kazuya's feelings and hard to sympathize with Umi's feelings. That is the proper way to enjoy the manga. So it is natural to want to make him out to be a "bad guy" for some trivial reason, an interloper. That is the "high road," the normal way, and the way Miyajima-san wants people to enjoy his manga.
However, when you sort it out like this, isn't Umi just in love? Just like Kazuya, he is just in love. He is just in love in the same way as Kazuya: he makes up reasons to meet the person he likes, he probes into his love affairs, he is depressed when he finds out that she likes someone else, but he still believes in the slight possibility of love and cannot give up on her. If you can get out of the main character Kazuya's point of view and step into the other characters, your enjoyment of "Kanojo, Okarishimasu" will expand dramatically.
See you in the next post!