[Sol Falling]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

And when did he ever tell her she couldn't count on him? She's feeling guilty and anxious in large part because she jumped to various conclusions without discussing things with him. And because, let's face it, she failed to give any kind of answer for a good long while, or any indication she even wanted to hear from him. She did discuss with glasses girl... but Ko's only peripherally involved in that. Does he know the discussion took place? Does he know the contents in any detail?

Only, he's never done that. Ohana, with the assistance of her freaking love rival, got it into her head. Ko had nothing to do with it.

Ohana one-sidedly decided she didn't want him in her business. He never actually told her "no". He didn't even really get to hear what it was about.

The way the phone call at the end of episode 12 goes is basically like this: Ohana says she's been a terrible person and has not been thinking about the people who are supporting and cheering for her--Kou says "sure". Additionally, in response to Ohana saying he doesn't actually need to go with her, Kou ends the call with a "goodbye"--in the clear sense of moving on from their relationship.

So basically, Kou allows Ohana to go on thinking that she was at fault for having depended on him--or rather, confirms it for her--and then further goes on to indicate that if there's nothing more she needs to ask of him, they have nothing more to say to each other. In response to this "goodbye" of his--with all its, if not voiced explicitly outright, clear implications of what remains of Kou's feelings about their relationship--Ohana, in the next episode, has to say a "goodbye" of her own. So in the end, given what was successfully communicated in that last conversation of theirs, I think it is completely fair to say that Kou was the one who really ended the relationship.

She knows she's hurting him by not answering, yet she doesn't answer. Not even with an "I'm confused about the nature of my feelings, please wait" or "I'm confused, please don't wait" or "I love you, but I'm not sure the long distance thing could work" or any freaking thing. Her consideration looks pretty useless. And please notice that he's just as considerate. And just as paralyzed, though his confusion isn't about his feelings, but about the mixed signals Ohana's been sending.

I don't see how he's putting any less in it than Ohana. What did she do aside from getting drunk and crying about it?

The point here being, then, that in the absence of a romantic resolution to their relationship, at least their friendship should continue to survive. The fact is that if it had, Ohana would have reached a romantic conclusion eventually. In the end, it is because Kou did not put enough into the foundational friendship of their relationship that he allowed the romance to end with an "I'm moving on; I can't wait any longer" sort of conclusion. Ohana's been angsting about having finally said goodbye--but did not Kou seem to be perfectly fine with it? Ohana has obviously got the more care and attachment here--that's why I've said she's put more 'in'.

Because it's Ohana's story, most of his screentime is connected to her.

Which just means that most of it is spent highlighting his weakness of character.

Well, that's his problem, isn't it?

:P It's also the show's problem, if I am actually supposed to like his character. I don't like seeing failure in reality; and I don't like seeing it in fiction either.