Hanasaku Iroha - Character Discussion - Miyagishi Tooru

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by .x.crii.x.

The gif makes me think of something along the lines of:

Tooru: Ohana, prepare me my bath and serve me dinner.

Ohana: Yes, Goshijin-sama.

orz.

Cocky bastard. He WOULD think he was that cool.

[.x.crii.x.]

Lol. HE IS that cool. :P

I can't wait until the next episode. I´ve been comparing background scenes and by the looks of it, it looks like Tooru goes to Ohana's and Minko´s room. That´s where he checks Ohana´s temperature. Maybe he uses taking strawberries as an excuse to go to her room? xD;;

[Sugarless Ocean]

Heehee, I'm looking forward to the next episode. But usually they don't show scenes like this in the preview... Maybe it's a troll >.>

[.x.crii.x.]

Ugh, I myself can't wait until next sunday. Dammit, hurry up and pass already week!!

And we'll be getting a new OP on ep 14 right? I do wonder if we'll get more of Tooru in it. o3o

And that damn preview better not be a goddman troll. I'll stab P.A works repeatedly if it is.

[cheesie]

It's way too early to work out shipping odds. Though I have much appreciation for the dynamic between Tooru and Ohana, it's actually quite difficult to tell where the direction is leading until it's revealed what roles the rest of the major players (Minko, Ko especially) will be playing.

Especially Minko - this segment is the vaguest of all in that it's not clear exactly how the series intend on handling Minko's "love" for Tohru - is this a simple side shoujo story about a girl who simply longs for the man who opened up the gateway to her dreams? Or, on the other hand, are her feelings actually setting her back in regards to her character, where she pretty much worships the ground Tooru walks on, and submissively takes in whatever he dishes out? It depends on what angle the story wants to approach this from.

Same with Ko and Ohana - the story is still developing its foundation so predicting and crying about shipping odds when we could barely see anything there is a bit premature if you ask me. Once it's all laid out in the next few episodes, I'll be tossing in my bets.

(Still, I'll hand it to the series - I squeed like a squeeing thing when Tooru showed up.)

[Pellissier]

The recent wave of posts discussing other series pairings and endings (with some spoiler in the open ) has been deleted. Very simply put: it has nothing to do with Miyagishi Tooru nor Hanasaku Iroha.

Please try to stick to the thread title (not only in this thread, in the others as well). Thanks.

[satomianzaki]

tohru was really cool this episode...now with that preview for the next epi, cant really wait...ohana is really oblivious, that due to her actions, tohru is slowly falling for her...

i wonder how will she react if tohru will confess to her...my goodness...
but let's not forget about kou - her best friend, and minchi of course...

i think tohru will have a hard time capturing ohana's heart...
anyways, may the best man win...

[.x.crii.x.]

Its still a bit too ealy for Tooru to confess though, no? xD I think the next 4 or five episodes will just be slowly building up his character and his interactions with Ohana. And then in the second cour, perhaps Ohana will come to realize his feelings or he might sort of subtly confess without outright confessing?

[Sugarless Ocean]

It's really frustrating and amusing that all of us including KoxOhana fans are arguing about who Ohana will end up with when the show itself doesn't seem to be taking it seriously... It's not even a romance and half the fan population are gunning for it. D:

Also, WAY TOO EARLY for a confession. I want them to have as many fluffy moments as possible before anything serious happens.

[orion]

I think it's too early period. She's just starting to get interested in guys.

[.x.crii.x.]

Eh, well romance is not the primary plot of the anime, but it is an important part of it. I mean, romance makes you mature. Learn from your romantic mistake and move on. Or learn from your romantic experience and keep on living it. Ya know?

Guys, is Tooru the only who has a motorcycle? I mean, Tomoe´s isn't exactly a motorcyle...is it? o.O

[Sugarless Ocean]

I'm pretty sure it's a motorcycle...? It doesn't look like it could be anything else.

EDIT: Yeah, it's important but it's not going in that direction yet. The main point of this week's episode was to bring Tooru back to help with the work at Kissuiso and GRANDM- er... Madam Manager came back! yet fans are going crazy over "Ko vs Tooru". I don't know, it feels like fans are enjoying only the romance parts and caring about nothing else :< There's more to this show than just romance.

BTW has anyone noticed that Tooru's eyes look REALLY REALLY squinty? Even more than before? Especially when Ohana found him and fainted.

[.x.crii.x.]

Its an electric scooter no? o.O

But still, about how much would a motorcyle in Japan cost? I mean, Tooru's motorcycle is pretty damn awesome. I'm sure it wasn't cheap. o.o So I guess that at least means he´s got a somewhat stable income? And perhaps a few savings? o.O

[Roger Rambo]

It's a scooter I think.

[.x.crii.x.]

Pfft, now I want a motorcyle. xDD But my grandma said: "You wanna kill yourself?!" orz

But anyway, I've noticed something. The guys are prefering Ko while the girls are prefering Tooru.

What exactly makes guys prefer Ko over Tooru? Is it that they see themselves in him? Does Tooru perhaps "intimidate" them?

Any guy here willing to answer?

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by .x.crii.x.

Pfft, now I want a motorcyle. xDD But my grandma said: "You wanna kill yourself?!" orz

But anyway, I've noticed something. The guys are prefering Ko while the girls are prefering Tooru.

What exactly makes guys prefer Ko over Tooru? Is it that they see themselves in him? Does Tooru perhaps "intimidate" them?

Any guy here willing to answer?

I would just as soon ask why people - of either gender - are so drawn to Tohru. But then, I think of how girls once flocked to Jean Paul Belmondo and James Dean and how that's never really changed... The "bad boy" always has an irresistible lure, it seems.

For me, Tohru is more of a sad figure than anything else - all artifice and pretense. A kind of peacock of a youth - though perhaps in this context, he's represented by the heron? He's trying so hard to prove how cool and detached he is - which is usually a cover-up for intense insecurity. I like the guy, but I feel kind of sorry for him.

As for preferring Kou as a romantic partner for Ohana? Well, I've already said I expect the show to end with no pairings at all. But I guess for me I like Kou as a matter of substance over style. Kou is direct, honest and seemingly not very good at artifice and pretense. I think he's a better match for Ohana in the long run.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by .x.crii.x.

But anyway, I've noticed something. The guys are prefering Ko while the girls are prefering Tooru.

What exactly makes guys prefer Ko over Tooru? Is it that they see themselves in him? Does Tooru perhaps "intimidate" them?

Any guy here willing to answer?

I'm not sure it's completley that 1/1...but I will admit. There does seem to be a small trend along gender lines as to which pairing people tend to find the most appealing. At the very least. People who are interested in OhanaXTohru are MUCH more interested in talking about Tohru than ohanaXKo fans are interested in talking about Ko. Which isn't to surprising honestly. Ko is certainly a pleasant fellow, but as I guy I certainly don't have much to say about him, especially when he's been in the back round predominantly. And I suppose Tohru has that "I look like a total hotshot but I'm a complete dumbass when I lose my cool" that chicks seem to dig.

And there probably is somewhat of a matter of who a person relates to when they come to these decisions. Allot of guys can sympathize with a male character whose trying to make a connection with the girl he likes. That kind of uncertainty that some guys happen to relate to a bit more.



There's also the principle of *First Girl Wins*, that you see in many romance anime, where the first romantic love interest that the audience see's the protagonist encounter (or who makes the biggest initial impact in the pilot) is predominantly the one who ends up *winning* out of all the possible competition. This makes sense, since the writer knows that that readers/viewers are like baby ducklings. They'll bound to the first moving thing their eyes see. (You see this phenomena in the first chapter of Love Hina and Ranma 1/2).

The first episode of Hanasaku Iroha opens up to Ohana and Ko interacting. Before she leaves for Tokyo, he's confessed his love for her. And Ohana doesn't even interact with Tohru meaningfully in this episode, or is their initial meeting played up in the slightest. So many viewers categorized OhanaXKo being an official couple in their heads, even though over the course of the series from this point his role was minor.


I will note though. Episode 2 with the car ride with Ohana and Tohru DID make me suspicious that the writers were doing more than just eating up screentime. Someone felt a need to subtlety make it clear that Tohru wasn't going to ENTIRELY view Ohana as some simple foolish girl from Tokyo. Demonstrate that Ohana is the kind of person that can throw someone off balance.

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

For me, Tohru is more of a sad figure than anything else - all artifice and pretense. A kind of peacock of a youth - though perhaps in this context, he's represented by the heron? He's trying so hard to prove how cool and detached he is - which is usually a cover-up for intense insecurity. I like the guy, but I feel kind of sorry for him.

Most guys with a cool facade like that ARE posturing just a little bit, and you tend to see the cracks forming the second they start paying attention to a genuinely pretty girl. Though I think you might be overplaying a bit of how desperate Tohru is to keep an aloof image. He certainly wasn't uncomfortable with holding his tongue when someone was deserving of praise, and freely gave it (mostly).


I have a hard time rationalizing how Tohru needs more sympathy at this point than Ko.

[Guardian Enzo]

I don't think either of them need sympathy - in the larger scheme of things both of them are pretty well off compared to some, and their issues are pretty normal. I kind of feel sorry for both, for different reasons. I just happen to like Kou a little more.

[.x.crii.x.]

I see, so its mostly that guys identify themselves with Ko. Because trying to connect with the girl that you like is nervewrecking. I see. O:

As for Tooru and having to feel sorry for him...I don't really think so. And I'm saying this from a totally UNBIASED point of view. Sure, I bet he has some problems that will later on be revealed as the series progresses. But I don't necessarily think that he´s intensely insecure. o.o

[hanashi]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

For me, Tohru is more of a sad figure than anything else - all artifice and pretense. A kind of peacock of a youth - though perhaps in this context, he's represented by the heron? He's trying so hard to prove how cool and detached he is - which is usually a cover-up for intense insecurity. I like the guy, but I feel kind of sorry for him.

As for preferring Kou as a romantic partner for Ohana? Well, I've already said I expect the show to end with no pairings at all. But I guess for me I like Kou as a matter of substance over style. Kou is direct, honest and seemingly not very good at artifice and pretense. I think he's a better match for Ohana in the long run.

I thin you might be right about the show ending without a pairing. Personally, I really like Tooru and Ohana together but if it happens, I'd like to see it happen further down the line. Ohana still has some growing up to do and Tooru does too (Pulling the (metaphorical) pigtails of the girl you like? Really?)

This episode actually made me lean more towards Tooru/Ohana. I loved them in the kitchen. Maybe I'm weird but something about that scene really seemed 'old married' couple to me. I think it was their little contented smiles as Minchi (their 'daughter') was flailing about. I thought it was adorable.

I have to disagree with you on Tooru's characterization. I don't think he's a 'bad boy' at all. In fact, he's ridiculously dutiful and surprisingly thoughtful. I think he's a little insecure--we saw him ask Ren if he'd miss him if he actually had left--but he's also grown over the course of the series. He really seemed...more settled in this episode, which I think was because he was validated--both by Ohana's belief in him and the fact that him being around did make the difference. But all artifice and pretense? He has his own blind spots when it comes to reading the atmosphere (coughMinchicough) but if anything, I think Tooru's probably too honest. Could he use some more tact? Yes. But what he said to Ohana really was true.

I also disagree about Kou. I think it's dishonest when one friend is harboring feelings for the other person and doesn't say anything. It's really difficult to suddenly realize that your perceptions of the friendship are different, but it's better than never knowing your friendship wasn't what you thought it was. Ohana and Kou seem to be feeling their way through that and whatever happens, I hope they can at least still remain friends as they grow. Ohana's slowly leaving him behind. Sometimes friends grow apart as they grow up and I love that the show is paying attention to that struggle. This show makes me feel a little old sometimes.

Kou needs to learn how to better handle his emotions and he needs to learn how to put his emotional needs before Ohana's. I think he's adorable and I want him to grow and become more confident and assertive.