>You're asking me will my love grow. I don't know, I don't know. You stick around now, it may show. I don't know, I don't know...
I'd tried to find something similar to this work, from the musical lyrics to the peers Haruhi Suzumiya and Koten-bu Series, but nothing truly fitted the frame. Then I remembered I had watched How I Met Your Mother, and even though its ending was justifiable, the audiences' reception would change after that amount of time spent with the series. Still different is the case of Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru.
Characters
Let's be frank. Oregairu is character-driven, so talking about them will automatically do the work here. Warning: What following has the potential of upsetting the fanbase, so be ready.
Yukino Yukinoshita is the front of the work. Any discussions of the work will eventually lead to her. Despite the attention she received, the character is the biggest failure. She had wished to change, yet Yukinoshita was the one showing the least effort, if ever existed. If she had genuinely wanted to do so, here could be some suggestions. I think Yukinoshita the Elder already spoke of something similar to 'codependency', and what should have been her answer is 'Why don't you sit back and enjoy the flow, Nee-san? I will prove this codependency of yours, and just wait for his dance in my palm.' That's how to shut Haruno Yukinoshita up. She had had a tongue, a very sharp one, but why did she need to behave like a cat eventually? Against the mother, well, let her be the plan maker instead of Hikigaya, suck him dry and recharge him with the word 'I love you', because it was already the end and why there was still no sign of Yukinoshita's Revolution, let alone the opportunity of freeing herself from the tangled shackles, including those of Hikigaya, at the gist 8th volume, which would have built up the much better momentum towards the end? If those things had been done, other ships would have been effortlessly sunken. However, I don't hold any particular hatred towards the character. Her state is what the author wanted to preserve, and her annoying constancy spoke the unshakable will of his. So congratulation on him getting the waifu. Yuki is always a good example of overcoming dependent tendency, and it is my pleasure to say the full name, Yuki Souma.
Hachiman Hikigaya is the protagonist of this novel. Past experiences had left such bitter taste that he considered kindness was the cruelest thing. It got him resolving the least imaginable logic, which consequently made him self-explode many times during the journey. However, what he sought for was something genuine, and if it weren't to prove after bending, twisting, shashing, then there shouldn't any belief laid in it at all. If the character had always been himself, then it would be fine, but actually, it wasn't. He had desired for something genuine, yet proceeded kicking the balls to others and remained passive for the entire Yukino Yukinoshita's True End (Shin involved). Investigating further, there was no Hachiman Hikigaya in the first place. IT HAD BEEN THE AUTHOR ALL THE TIME. WAKE UP, JAPAN. ~~Wataru Watari~~He never considered getting out of his cocoon, so the character is so bloody relatable and realistic. Also, if you dream, dream of winning, being a proper individual. Don't be a loser just to get the girl, but in such case, it would no longer be the good old insertable Hachiman Hikigaya, wouldn't it?
So far only boring characters? There are also the interesting. Yui Yuigahama was seemingly a character academically disadvantageous, big boobs, TOTALLY UNATTRACTIVE... but when it came to common sense, she was such a clever person. She knew and understood everything, so most of the time she was playing the role of an observer. However, when Yuigahama was on stage, she shone brilliantly. The character possessed things the other clubmates didn't, so in the darkest hours, she was the one keep everything binding together. She was always the first one taking a step forward, leading the story out of the stagnancy with her 'I want everything', which is my greatest impression of the work, from the portrayal of the surrounding to every expression of the characters. Eventually, her influence surpassed that of the narrator, and I used to think of which season would be remembered every time taking a whiff of that smell, tea or fruit tart, because I firmly believed the bakery product would be much better to become a straight-forward person, or gain weight.
The supporting characters are also prominent. Shizuka Hiratsuka deserves the title of a (lonely) mentor. Haruno Yukinoshita, as well as her childhood friend Hayato Hayama, were loners full of conflicts and regrets. Iroha Isshiki also found herself solitary. The author had gathered many kinds of lonely souls in his work, and the way they struggled finding a solution was so human, but certainly it is not that realistic. On the other hand, Saika Totsuka had appeared forgettably, but turned out he was the first to graduate within the series. After the revaluation, I believe these characters, along with Yui Yuigahama, were the motivation for me to pursue the end. Nevertheless, there is still this unshakable sensation that many of them were the devices buying time whilst Wataru Watari making the decision that should have been thrown out 5 volumes earlier.
Something other than the characters
References are just fillers. I never paid any mind to them, not to mention they mostly missed.
The illustration really grew with the course of actions, even though the quality was inconsistent at times.
Conclusion: Honestly, I've never been onto the Shi* War, as all necessity would be for the characters to grow naturally. Nevertheless, Yukino Yukinoshita's True End offered no such thing. It had been fun, until it no longer was.
>Away, I'd rather sail away, like a swan that's here and gone. A man gets tied up to the ground, he gives the world its saddest sound, its saddest sound.
Certainly, reality wasn't that kind regarding to what had happened so far.
