Quote:
Originally Posted by Kanon
I agree that Tsutomu isn't getting bullied, at least not seriously. However, I don't think he chose to alienate himself from the rest of the class. His way of thinking is a defense mechanism he came up with after being ostracized due his difference. In order to deal with the crushing loneliness, he convinced himself that he's the one who chose to be alone, and even developed a sort of superiority complex ("those plebeians fools should be grateful to me for raising the class average") only kept in check by Taichi. Hard to pretend you're superior when somebody else is better than you at everything, after all. Even so, since studying is the thing he is best at -and the only thing he has-, he could do nothing but to keep trying. That is the only he found to exist.
Re-watch the flashback near the end of the episode (18 min in or so). Deep down, he desires to be accepted by others and that is part of the reason he immerses himself in his studies. He thought if he became number one, people would be forced to acknowledge him.
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Agreed. Very well said.
This is why I'm inclined to view Tsutomu as being a victim of bullying, much like how Arata was during the flashback portion of the show.
Dawnstorm is right that there's two types of bullying (if you choose to categorize the second type as "bullying"). The one I think westerners are most familiar with is where a specific group of people seeks out a vulnerable outsider to torment him/her. But in Japan, I'm getting the impression that the more common type of bullying is when a diffuse crowd of people is excluding an outsider and making jeers behind his/her back.
The "Japanese" form of bullying is less problematic in many ways in that it probably tends to come with less physical abuse and less annoying pranks. However, it's worse in the sense that it's trickier to stand up against and put a stop to. To stop the "western" form of bullying, you can either appeal to the majority of students who aren't part of the bullying group and try to get their help, or you can courageously stand up to the bully/bullies yourself.
But how do you stand up to a diffuse crowd of people? How do you appeal to a third party if there's no third party there?
My view on Tsutomu is that deep down inside he's very lonely, and has a need for a greater sense of belonging in the world. I think he has no real interest (at least yet) in the game of karuta, but being sincerely wanted to be part of a club - Not simply as a "warm body" to fill out five members but as a full-time contributing member - does appeal greatly to him.
Tsutumo doubted Chihaya's sincerity in this episode, but not the value of her offer if it was sincere. I think that Tsutumo felt that Chihaya's offer was "too good to be true". He felt that
nobody would want him to join their club as a
real member. I think that Taichi's words convinced Tsutumo that the Karuta Club was sincere in wanting him to be a member; not just anybody at all, but him specifically.