[Malcolm50K]

Originally Posted by DaFool

Spoiler:

I'd have to agree with KoopaTroopa. Though I still prefer Ojo over Shizuka, I still dislike how Shizuka was yelled at. Ryo's just mean, even the guys in Rizelmine and Rozen Maiden are more agreeable, in my opinion. Maybe it's his self-righteousness, I dunno. I don't have his sense of ethics or individuality or whatever. Well, his saving grace is he did ask Ojo out.

Anyway, that aside, in his place, I would have been too distracted staring at the laptop screen into Ojo's room, thinking dirty thoughts, too distracted to even get angry.

I think Ryo's reaction is not so much an explosion over this one event but rather a release of frustrations that have been building up over the last few episodes.

First, Shizuka has forcibly inserted herself into his life. She has invaded his apartment, his privacy, his modesty (bath scene) and probably worst of all, his circle of friends and relations. She does this blatantly, without any real apologies or consideration, and she does it in front of a chorus of goons, which probably adds to his embarassment, and he is powerless to stop it. In return, he learns nothing of her. He hasn't met any friends or family, and knows nothing about her. It has to be frustrating and demeaning to not be able to defend your privacy and libertes.

Second, he probably feels very outclassed and inadequate. Shizuka has looks and political power. She has a small army of goons to serve her, a limo, access to an impressive array of intelligence and military gadgets, and presumably government backing. She has the sympathy of his friends and his sister seems to be siding with her. If he feels powerless and helpless, he will be more inclined to snarl and snap.

Third, no one seems to care much, not even his sister. What may be worst of all, and Ryo may not even realize this on a concious level, Shizuka does not seem to care, not really. She is very much into being the "perfect wife" and having him accept her, but she does not seem to suffer any emotional damage from Ryo dating Ojo. She has no skin in the game, even if she is killing herself trying to be the "perfect wife". At the very best, she does not feel in the least threatened by his relationship with Ojo, as if it really didn't matter, and at the worst she does not care as long as Ryo is the warm body filling the role of husband.

I think Ryo pretending Shizuka does not exist actually does their relationship some good.

For Ryo, its a victory of sorts. Once he calms down, or has a third party work on him to get him thinking, he's in a position where he can consider his relationship with Shizuka without feeling its being forced on him. He needs to get the upper hand at least for a while to feel safe enough to even consider accepting her. It also gives him a chance to give her something without feeling like its being taken from him (see ep. 7).

For Shizuka, I think this is the first time she realizes that things just might not turn out the way she wants them to, no matter how much effort she puts out or how many goons she has waiting in the wings. I'm not sure she understands why she's being relegated to the status of furniture, but she has started to doubt herself and ask "Why am I not being accepted? Is there something wrong with *me*?" Before this, I think it was more "What's wrong with him?" She also asks for something in Ep. 7 without arranging the result ahead of time, or assuming a yes.

The animators seem to want to make Ryo seem a bit cruel to her. They are painting him as an ungratefull stray who is too scared to accept offered kindness (you'll understand what I mean in episode 7). He is, in a way, but one must keep in mind that Ryo is being treated like a stray and not a human.

I suppose in an anime where the practice of arranged marriage is a central issue, the animators can aim to either protest them, or to make the audience try to feel they aren't all that bad. It seems we are on the second path.