Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf
The most interesting thing I've learnt from reading these threads on KGNE is that Western attitudes towards best friends and romance is subtly different from what I'm familiar with here in East Asia.
Most of the anger against Mitsuki seems to stem from the opinion that it is wrong to poach your best friend's boy/girl-friend. More specifically, that it is somehow wrong for Mitsuki to develop romantic feelings for Takayuki because he is supposed to be reserved for Haruka, her best friend.
I haven't noticed this strand of opinion before until I've watched other teenage romance anime, where the dubbed English dialogue differs very significantly from the Japanese original. Specifically, I'm thinking of a scene in Whisper of the Heart where a boy confessed that he liked the story's heroine. In Japanese, the girl felt awkward about the confession, and rejected the boy because she didn't have any romantic feelings for him. In English however, she rejected him because she knew her best friend liked the boy instead.
To be sure, I never quite understood the criticisms levelled at Mitsuki's supposed "betrayal". In my opinion, Mitsuki had behaved as best as she could have as a friend, given the circumstances, and it seems unfair to blame her for "poaching" Takayuki, when in truth, Haruka was already as good as dead at the time. How much longer was she supposed to wait?
As such, I wonder if Mitsuki has been indicted by a Western prejudice towards how such relationships should be handled. Culture plays a large role in how we approach our everyday affairs, and I wonder if it plays a role in understanding how events turned out in KGNE.  |
Thanks much for the interpretation TinyRedLeaf. It is true that friends here are very "loyal" to one another. If your friend is dating someone, you don't touch him/her. If your friend has a sister, you don't touch her. We also don't really have this "I love you and only you" thinking here, and we move on quite easily. That's why many people felt angry with Mitsuki because like you said, we think that Mitsuki betrayed her best friend.
What do I think? I did not interpreted it as betrayal. Even for American standards, let's think about this from Mitsuki's perspective. Your best friend is still dating the guy you like, but she's in a coma without any signs of when she will wake up. Meanwhile the guy is depressed and is also one of your good friends. Nothing you do can cheer him up, so as a last resort....
In the end I'd rather be called someone who betrayed his/her best friend than let one of my close friends commit suicide out of depression. The cost is to lose your best friend, but time here is a factor. If she wants to be lovesick for all three years (and maybe longer, who knows?) so that she can retain her best friend and support their relationship, then that's good for her. In reality I don't imagine myself or most people doing that. What Mitsuki did might have been selfish, but it's not unreasonable. She doesn't know when Haruka will wake up or if Takayuki will do something stupid (like have a high fever and die). I think that alone can justify her actions, and the ending says it all.
This anime is one of the first romance/drama with some traces of reality in it:
- If someone's been in a coma for three years and you like someone else, then you'll probably stick to that someone else. We all want an emotional "I'll wait for you forever" from Takayuki but that's too cliche. In reality, your feelings lessen the longer you're away from said person, and Haruka's parents specifically told him to not visit Haruka anymore.
- Also, this is one of the first anime that doesn't feature childhood promises, first love is last love, and first date is only marriage. Reality is much more painful than that, and while some people in America do marry their high school partners, chances are they're not first loves and the majority of people don't. In my eyes what is shown here is more real than most romance/drama I've watched before.
- Finally, it shows the ability of moving on. For both Takayuki and Haruka, they both moved on in their own ways. Of course Takayuki was depressed at first by the accident; he soon realizes that it's not the way to go. Haruka also realizes that she's been chasing the Takayuki three years ago when she woke up, and shows no resentment in letting him go. She went through her rehabilitation and became a successful writer.
People who think that Takayuki is an asshole, do you really want him to be depressed some more until Haruka wakes up? What do you think could have happened to him if Mitsuki didn't step in? There's a time for grief and a time for moving on. What if Takayuki didn't date Mitsuki but another girl? Would you guys hate him still? Let's just put Mitsuki out of the argument and focus on Takayuki and Haruka. You guys really agree that Takayuki should beat himself up for all three years waiting for Haruka to wake up?
My personal thoughts on the anime:
Person I wanted Takayuki to end up with: Haruka
Favorite character: Akane
Least favorite character: Ayu (She's not funny, just annoying IMO. Comic relief is good, but too much in a serious drama can be out of place)
Least favorite aspect: Hotaru (the young nurse)...what happened to her? I'm sure there's a good explanation in the game but nothing in the anime
Ranking on Top Ten List: #1