(CR) Yesterday wo Utatte (Sing "Yesterday" for Me)

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I hope Shinako gets over HER tendency to compare him to his brother. That would help him get over it.

Well, yeah but it's still his brother and he can't change that fact while Shinako as an outsider, can just walk away any time so depending on her is kind of shaky. I suppose it also means getting over Shinako herself since what's the point if he doesn't even register in her eyes

[Kanon]

I'm glad that Minato guy left as suddenly as he arrived. We already have a weird quadrangle, no need to overcomplicated things. He was yet another person with an unrequited love too, so it didn't feel like he would have added much to the series. His presence allowed for Haru to experience what it's like to be in Rikuo's shoes, and showed us there are people who can move on unlike the main characters.

How much time has passed since the beginning of the series exactly? A year and a half? Kind of amazing nothing has changed.

[Wandering Soul]

Minato left as soon as he came, but he played the part he needed too. In this show about people stuck in the past, he's so far the only one that truly moved on. He also sort of forced Rikuo to think about Haru means to him. She has to mean something considering he did get a bit upset at seeing them hang out.

[kk2extreme]

Haru is a keeper

[Frontier]

Rikuo's new boss is Akio Otsuka! Nice .

What are the chances of Rikuo's co-worker turning out to be Haru's old high school classmate who secretly had a crush on her? Although contrasted with Minato it doesn't seem like Haru's aged a day since high school .

I'm not surprised Minato got on Rikuo's nerve even if he wasn't trying to be. Maybe his emphasis on more historical photos is a bit pretentious, but it shows more drive and interest in photography as a profession then Rikuo has. Not that Minato doesn't have his own anxiety and issues of wistfulness, but it probably didn't seem that way to Rikuo .

Shinako talking about the changing of the seasons made me wonder if she's finally decided to move on from her first love. She still seemed pretty clear about making sure Haru didn't misunderstand seeing her and Rikuo together, so I wonder if she's definitely not planning on moving forward with Rikuo .

Yeah, I have to wonder why Rikuo got mad at seeing Minato together with Haru. It's definitely a change of pace from how nonchalant he usually seems to regard Haru, even if she was partially trying to use Minato to make him jealous. A part of me wonders if it was just his annoyance with Minato but I don't think he would've singled out that Minato was with Haru like that .

I kind of feel bad for Haru that she seems stuck in a one-sided love as Rikuo's "backup," and she knows it, but can't change course because she doesn't want to give up on something she believes in for once .

I can't fault Minato for winning first place. He managed to capture something fairly elusive...the real Haru .

[Guardian Enzo]

Haru annoys the hell out of me, but I keep telling myself she's supposed to and that makes it all right.

[Marcus H.]

Love is like a plant... but if it never grew and blossomed, would you settle for what you have, or move on?

By sheer luck, Minato reunited with his high school crush, which turned out to be Haru. (Imagine that, Haru's already college-level.) However, he knew that things aren't working between them; he isn't a coffee person, and Haru's already in love with Rikuo. However, unlike Rikuo who was still clinging to his feelings for Shinako, Minato knew that he's hopeless and there's more important things in life than brooding over unrequited love.

Just like that, Minato was a wake-up call for Rikuo and Haru. Haru revealed how serious she is over Rikuo, while Rikuo experienced how it is to suddenly lose Haru one day. Rikuo also saw an opportunity to return to his hobby, photography. That's a good thing. Self-growth is something that can be attained without the experience of romantic love.

Meanwhile, Shinako has finally revealed that she is starting to break the circle. Omedetou.

Anyway, I don't know how it goes inside Minato's head. All of his claims (not liking portraiture or landscape photography and not wanting to join the contest) were all debunked by Minato himself. Was it partly some kind of self-deprecation regarding his skill in photography, or was he somehow inspired into photography by Haru?

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Haru annoys the hell out of me, but I keep telling myself she's supposed to and that makes it all right.

I'm pretty sure she's not supposed to be annoying at all. Quite the opposite.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Frontier

What are the chances of Rikuo's co-worker turning out to be Haru's old high school classmate who secretly had a crush on her?

This show is full of such ties, like Shinako having been Haru's teacher. All these characters seem to live in a very small world. Perhaps that's indicative of the time period in which it is set?

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I'm pretty sure she's not supposed to be annoying at all. Quite the opposite.

If you're a fan of stalkers.

[Blaat]

Yesterday has completed production, so we don't have to worry about any delays. Except maybe the last 5 episodes (14-18) due to exclusivity rights.

Also regarding Haru I have to agree with Enzo on this one, she's an annoying stalker although I don't think she's intended to be annoying.

[Dop]

Ah, when Minato talked about Leicas, I thought "You're a student. You can't afford a Leica. Not even in the 80s!" Also his big aluminium camera case was a "please mug me" indicator. Think I caught a sight of a Hasselblad system, also not cheap.
(The only way I could afford a Leica was to buy one older than I am, a thread mount Leica IIIf from the mid '50s and one that's not 'collectable')

Have to admit I like Haru. Sure, she's a bit messed up and putting on a big front to try and hide that, and I've known and liked people like that, though retrospectively that was a bad idea but one of my weaknesses.
There's definitely a few times where the jolly mask slips and the insecurity spills out, I think.

[Kanon]

Haru graduated from being a stalker a long time ago. She's an integral part of Rikuo's life now. He always acts annoyed but he likes her, just not romantically.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Blaat

Yesterday has completed production, so we don't have to worry about any delays. Except maybe the last 5 episodes (14-18) due to exclusivity rights.

That's great! Hopefully Crunchyroll gets the rest of the series so we can see the conclusion .

Originally Posted by Kanon

Haru graduated from being a stalker a long time ago. She's an integral part of Rikuo's life now. He always acts annoyed but he likes her, just not romantically.

Yeah, I'm not seeing where she comes off as a stalker either. She goes out of her way to see him, because she's in love with him, but she's not following his every waking move and being as possessive of him as a stalker would be.

[SeijiSensei]

I was disappointed at the end when

Spoiler:

Yuzuhara left. I was hoping to see more of

Yuzuhara, Shinako, and Haru were a terrific combination. I was counting the seconds until the doorbell rang. I could watch the three of them for the rest of the show. I hope Rikuo shows more gumption soon. Shinako, too.

If not "having had a relationship yet" is a euphemism for sex, I'm not convinced Shinako is the only virgin in that group of drinking buddies.

Smoking is an interesting issue in this show. Yuzuhara seemed like a smoker to me, especially when we learned that she had spent a lot of time in bands. It seemed to fit her rebellious character well. In Rikuo's case I think it's because he's depressed. Notice that Haru doesn't smoke, nor does Sensei.

I liked this episode a lot. It could be my favorite so far. Now that we have six of them in the bag, I might rewatch it from the beginning.

[Kanon]

Haru and Shinako's faces when Yuzuhara opened the door were gold.

Haru's reaction was a bit too extreme and would have annoyed me a lot if Rikuo himself hadn't acted like such a tool with her in that same scene. First he tries to avoid her, then he tells it's got nothing to do with her when she's made her feelings for him perfectly clear. Then he goes to Shinako to clear up the misunderstanding even though Shinako made it clear she's not interested in him (until now), meaning that by his logic, it didn't concern her.

On the bright side, it looks Shinako might really be ready to move on.

[Wandering Soul]

Haru and Shinako's reactions were priceless. I was looking forward to what their reaction to Yuzuhara would be and I wasn't disappointed. Luckily for them, Yuzuhara isn't sticking around and has already left.

If nothing else, Shinako st least likes the attention she gets from Rikuo.

[Marcus H.]

"You cannot do something just because you want to."

Yuzuhara is indeed a breath of fresh air. She's almost like a cloud even. She drifted away from Rikuo after having a relationship of four months, and circumstances in life brought her to his doorstep. Was amazed that she wasn't actually being a freeloader. She helped out with Rikuo's dishes at the very least. She is also quite considerate; leaving Rikuo's apartment unit when she realized that she had been causing misunderstandings.

Gotta put this out here: Yuzuhara's characterization was amazing, considering that she was only given one episode. We saw her past, her life struggles as an adult, her rebellious streak, and her attempts to live her life. And her wistful stare out of the window in that solitary moment. Damn. She was definitely handled better than Minato, that's for sure.

Anyway, Haru is on the backseat this episode as Shinako was given focus. There's a lot of things forced upon her this episode (peer pressure over entering a relationship, as well as what she thinks of Rikuo through Yuzuhara's unexpected stay) that has got her thinking.

You know, Rikuo's a pretty nice guy. But aren't nice guys the kind of person that are depended upon then usually left behind?

[Frontier]

Now it's Rikuo's turn to deal with an old high school acquaintance, except this time it was his actual ex-girlfriend. They may not actually be involved anymore but I am a little jealous that all these gorgeous women keep ending up in the orbit of such a hapless guy .

Yuzuhara definitely feels like a free spirit who rebelled against her parent's strictness and conformity to live life on her own terms, and that freedom extends to her relationships as she moves from one guy to another in quick succession because she just likes being liked. The only thing consistent she has going for her is the piano, which she owes to the parents she left behind. She definitely made a memorable impact in this episode and played off everyone well, and in general just seemed like a really fun and fascinating character. Plus it's always really nice to hear Eri Kitamura in something .

Wait...Shinako never even dated Rou's brother? So she's been pining away for someone she dedicated her life too...and he wasn't even her boyfriend? Jeez, Shinako, I know there's something to be said for the power of first love but still .

Rikuo and Yuzuhara ending up in that compromised position makes me think that Rikou is probably still a virgin (I forget if that had come up before). Yuzuhara definitely seemed like she wasn't, especially with the amount of relationships she's apparently had, but I doubt Rikuo has ever gone that far in a relationship .

Nothing unites two ends of a love triangle together like throwing a third woman. Haru and Shinako's reaction both to Yuzuhara and the possibility of Rikuo in a relationship with another woman was priceless .

Wow, Rikuo saw Shinako's angry face. I can't imagine it was a pretty sight. Although now he's wondering what her anger means and why she would care about him being with another woman .

I do feel bad for Haru though. She's made it clear how she feels but Rikuo still doesn't seem to regard her feelings much at all, especially compared to Shinako .

[Guardian Enzo]

Why does Rikuo owe Haru reciprocal affection? He's entitled to like whoever his heart tells him to like.