Quote:
Originally Posted by Pellissier
Probably because it was just episode 2, the first where we started to really know Aoba, I've always been quite unsure on how to decipher that scene. Because the first time I saw it I was more for thinking: she hates it so much and yet she doesn't care to undress in front of him? I mean, the scene is inside a context where she first hits him in the face then screams all of her hate for him. Consider that at point of time our knownledge of their past relationship was close to zero. Even now, I'd say I can easily read that scene in the anime just because I know the final outcome.
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Maybe it was more efficient towards the manga readers because we got a full volume to get used to their relationship, but my first understanding of the scene was the same as it is now. It was meant to show two things :
1) Although Aoba despises Kō, they have a unique relationship/chemistry if only for the years they have spent together as kids and their connection to Wakaba. Indeed, he is almost a surrogate brother(-in-law). They have probably spent a lot of time in underwear together in the past.
2) Aoba is not yet self-conscious about her sexuality at that point in the story; we see her change her attitude when Mizuki comes back.
(This scene is also why I think Aoba had no conscious romantic interest yet for Kō when she was warned by her sister not to steal him away. I think Wakaba suspected her sister would eventually fall for his qualities in the future, rather than seeing her as an immediate rival. Aoba still honestly thinks she "hates" Kō during the undressing scene.)
I am pretty sure establishing these two points was the goal of the scene. However, note that it is possible Kō was in fact weirded out by Aoba undressing but did not say anything about it because he feared she would be angered by his remarks. In the "Momiji is sick" chapter, when he wakes up before her, we have a first glimpse at how he treats their relationship:
I actually like her and I know she does not despise me as much as she claims, but I should play along that pretense.
Later in the story, even though there is some obvious progress in the honesty of their relationship, Aoba does not hesitate to give Kō a very thorough massage (and in the manga, he makes naughty comments/jokes about it). This might be of course because she has the convenient excuse of her "one of the boys" baseball persona, but it still shows they are both very comfortable about their physical intimacy at an age were most boys and girls ain't.
The element we are not aware of at the time is how well Aoba knew about Kō's suffering. We are only told much later in the story that Aoba caught Kō crying in front of the graveyard (flashback sequence when they pray for Akane) and caught him crying when he was furiously pitching at the wall (flashback sequence near the end of the final match). By the way, I urge anime viewers to check that last scene in the manga. It is much longer and more impactful (+ it came after a long publishing hiatus).
Something I am really curious about is Ichi's comment at the end of the final game.
Ichi has obviously understood everything about Aoba and Kō way before they did it themselves. She oftens hints to both kids how oblivious they are about their feelings towards each other (ex. when she yells at Kō for mocking Aoba's culinary efforts, when she mentions repeatedly how similar they are, when she hints to Aoba that she has replaced Wakaba in some ways, etc.).
So when she says "only Wakaba and Kō can make Wakaba cry", I wonder what she means exactly. Is Ichi so confident in her understanding of their relationship that she guesses Aoba cried about her seemingly impossible relationship with Kō? Did she ever surprise Aoba crying romantically because of Kō? Is she only talking about romantic distraught or does she also count childhood memories during which Kō made Aoba cry because of some kid prank?
There are many ways one can understand that line.