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

[SeijiSensei]

I think the wedding plays a significant role in these events, certainly for Shinako. Both she and Rikuo probably felt a sense of the years passing them by and leaving them each facing a future alone. In my limited experience, establishing a relationship to avoid loneliness is not a recipe for future happiness.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by kk2extreme

The story starts in late 90s right judging from the technologies shown?

Yeah, around then

[SeijiSensei]

I presume that's the "Yesterday" to which the title refers. As I said it's highly unlikely anyone would actually sing that song in this show. For those who have read the source material, does anyone actually sing "Yesterday?"

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I presume that's the "Yesterday" to which the title refers. As I said it's highly unlikely anyone would actually sing that song in this show. For those who have read the source material, does anyone actually sing "Yesterday?"

I haven't read the manga, but it's obvious the title refers to the song. Why use English otherwise? Not to mention the "sing". That doesn't mean someone is actually going to sing the song though.

[Frontier]

I'm actually wondering if Haru can sing now .

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I haven't read the manga, but it's obvious the title refers to the song. Why use English otherwise? Not to mention the "sing". That doesn't mean someone is actually going to sing the song though.

Yes, I realize that. My question was whether the title was symbolic, a reference to times past.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Sorry to burst the bubble of any Beatles fan in this thread, but if the Wiki entry for the mangaka, Kei Toume, is reliable and accurate, then apparently she was inspired "by a song of the Japanese rock group RC Succession".

Bonus point: Kei Toume is the creator of Hitsuji no Uta ("Lament of the Lamb")! I've actually watched the anime adaptation, but I have no idea what even motivated me to do so.

It's a very obscure OVA, and it was never particularly popular. It could be because the lead character was voiced by the legendary Megumi Hayashibara (Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bepop; Rei Ayanami, Neon Genesis Evangelion). I don't remember very much of the story. I vaguely recall it has something to do with cherry trees, and the persistent urban legend about what lies beneath it.

A brief scan of the Wiki entry says it's got something to do with vampirism. Hmm. Probably as good as a time as any for a rewatch.

P/S: By the by, Kei Toume's cover illustrations are lovely and have a distinctive melancholic style that's instantly recognisable, the same way I can instantly recognise Yoshitoshi ABe and Range Murata's art. (ABe's style, in particular, is similar to Toume's). But as is often the case, her actual panel manga art is much rougher — I'd even go so far as to say ugly. Don't know if her technique improved over time. Once this series is over, I'll take a closer look.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Outstanding new ED starts in ep7, by the fantastic (in many senses) Sayuri -- also known as "Oxygen-deprived Girl Sayuri." She seems to be getting even better -- and less extreme -- working with Sony. In this song, Aoibashi ("Blue Bridge," the name of a Taisho-era bus stop near Shinjuku Station) we get her uniqueness and expressiveness without as much noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QPQ_DgyTRQ

I find Haruo hard to like. Shinako is easy to pity, but also hard for me to like: she's as disconnected from life as Haruo. My favorite character -- whom I both pity and enjoy -- is the weird Haru.

Ep7 good. I read some of the manga, but my interest flagged. Here my interest is not flagging, even growing. The show/story is off-kilter, but strong.

Spoiler for Aoi Hashi lyrics:

Aoi Hashi
music and lyrics by sayuri
Yesterday wo Utatte ED2 (full version)


Shinjuku Station, western sun shining on the platform
I stood alone within the white line
Sneakers on my feet, dirt layered on the white
At the edge of my view\Nearrings gently swayed
I suddenly thought of something
But a passing train cut it off
I waited for your shift to end
There was something I hadn't said
But I greeted you\Nthe same way as always
We keep ploughing our season
The red and blue are so pretty
We keep ploughing our season
At the end of the journey, what will we see?
A film camera is better
Only afterward do you know that the picture's blurry or faint
The plant whose name you don’t know
You felt as if you recognized it and were comforted
In a photograph
Ordinary streetcorners come into focus
In the passing waves of people, with that same tranquillity
I waited for your shift to end
In the instant our eyes met
I had no idea what it meant or where it would lead
We keep ploughing our words
And I just pray we will meet again
We keep ploughing our season
I pray that what was here will remain
It’s as if…
A flower like a jewel
A flower that’s gone transparent

___________
Aoi Hashi ("Aoi Bridge") was a Taishou-era (1912-1926) bus stop west of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo

------------------------------------------------------------
Aoibashi

Shinjuku Eki no nishibi sasu hoomu
Shikai no waki de fuwari yureta mimikazari
Isshun nani ka omoidashita you na ki ga shitara
Tsuuka ressha ga saegitta

Kimi wo Matteita baito owar
Ienakatta hanashi ga aru
Soshite kurikaeshita onaji aisatsu wo

Bokura wa kisetsu wo tagayashi tsuzukeru
Akaao dore hodo kirei datta no deshou

Bokura wa kisetsu wo tagayashi tsuzukeru
Kono tabi no hate ni nani wo miru no deshou

--------------------------------------------------------------
葵橋

新宿駅の西日射すホーム
視界の脇でふわり揺れた耳飾り
一瞬 何か思い出したような気がしたら
通過列車が遮った

君を待っていたバイト終わり
言えなかった話がある
そして繰り返した 同じ挨拶を

僕らは季節を耕し続ける
赤青 どれほど綺麗だったのでしょう

僕らは季節を耕し続ける
この旅の果てに何を見るのでしょう

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Sorry to burst the bubble of any Beatles fan in this thread, but if the Wiki entry for the mangaka, Kei Toume, is reliable and accurate, then apparently she was inspired "by a song of the Japanese rock group RC Succession".

Now that's a twist! It was inspired by a song, but not by the one everyone thought about

I could see that song being sung by Kinoshita. That's assuming Kinoshita is even going to stick around now that Rikuo is going to quit his convenience store job.

[Kaoru Chujo]

It seems that the manga was inspired by a song called "Sing Yesterday," by RC Succession (active 1968-91) but which itself seems to talk about the original Beatles "Yesterday" (1965). The lyrics say a woman asked the songwriter/band member to sing "Yesterday," which he did.

Video and Japanese lyrics here: https://www.uta-net.com/movie/28997/

By the way, @TinyRedLeaf, I really enjoyed the Hitsuji no Uta anime...if "enjoyed" is the word. Pretty dark.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

It seems that the manga was inspired by a song called "Sing Yesterday," by RC Succession (active 1968-91) but which itself seems to talk about the original Beatles "Yesterday" (1965). The lyrics say a woman asked the songwriter/band member to sing "Yesterday," which he did.

That's like multiple layers of Inception-level references there.

Interesting find! Thanks for confirming and verifying the Wiki entry.

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

By the way, @TinyRedLeaf, I really enjoyed the Hitsuji no Uta anime...if "enjoyed" is the word. Pretty dark.

I binged the OAV the same night I made the post. I wrote about my impressions from re-visiting the story here.

In short, re-watching Hitsuji no Uta gave me a deeper insight into Kei Toume's versatility as a writer. The OAV is completely different from Yesterday in tone and style, but I would add that it hasn't aged well. Yesterday is much more polished, and has clearly benefited from a great writing team that managed to tighten the narrative to much greater effect, based on my reading of the first few adapted chapters.

Hitsuji no Uta has almost nothing in common with Yesterday wo Utatte, but for one significant symbol: the cherry tree. In both stories, the cherry tree is a symbol of death and lingering regret.

And, oh, both stories also feature supporting characters who are aspiring artists/painters. But I don't feel this is as significant as the reference to cherry blossoms.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

P/S: By the by, Kei Toume's cover illustrations are lovely and have a distinctive melancholic style that's instantly recognisable, the same way I can instantly recognise Yoshitoshi ABe and Range Murata's art. (ABe's style, in particular, is similar to Toume's). But as is often the case, her actual panel manga art is much rougher — I'd even go so far as to say ugly. Don't know if her technique improved over time. Once this series is over, I'll take a closer look.

It is standard 90s shoujo manga art. Pretty much remains like that throughout the whole series

[SeijiSensei]

Wonder if Haru knits cute hats for her pet like this.

[Kanon]

Eh, so last week's ending was just a fake out. It's not like I thought something sexual was going to happen, but I didn't expect her to take back her invitation at the very last second. Shinako's doing a lot of thinking, but it doesn't seem like she's near a conclusion. She at least needs to cut ties with Rou just like Rikuo did with Haru.

Speaking of Haru, boy do I feel horrible for her. It's probably better than letting hold onto false hope for years, but that was cold. The worst part is that I can tell Rikuo was trying to be nice, but it was so clumsy/awkward it just ended up being plain hurtful. The timing didn't help.

I hope we'll get an episode from Haru's perspective soon. She's the only one that hasn't had one yet.

[Frontier]

I wasn't expecting Shinako inviting Rikuo to her apartment was going to go that far, but I wasn't expecting her to chicken out at the last minute. She really has a hard time committing to this stuff .

When now your buddy can rope his cute wife into talking about your relationship problems .

Rikuo is making headway with his own career and finally seems to have made something of himself, and even Kinoshita is going on tour with his band. It's good to see things picking up for those two .

Shinako acknowledging Haru as a rival by not giving her credit when using a line she said about Rikuo .

Rikuo tried to frame asking Haru to stop waiting for him as concern for her...but Haru seemed to take it as a rejection, which it might as well be at this point. I feel bad for her, but there's no sense in continuing to wait around and spend time with Rikuo if he's never going to return her feelings at this rate .

Originally Posted by Kanon

I hope we'll get an episode from Haru's perspective soon. She's the only one that hasn't had one yet.

I kind of feel like we have to have one if only because they still haven't explained what happened to her father yet, and that seems to have had a major effect on who Haru is now.

[Wandering Soul]

It's not like I was expecting anything to really happen, but they didn't even get into the room. It's fir the best though as Shinako still isn't sure of what she wants.

Rikuo doesn't actually say he's rejecting Haru, but he may as well have. He did try to be nice about it though and it's is for the best to end things here than to continue giving Haru false hope.

[Marcus H.]

The atmosphere is pretty heavy this episode. Especially for Haru. Rikuo is gathering his thoughts about making up his mind about things, and Shinako is on a similar note. It's like Haru's pretty much carried away by these changes while still unaware that things aren't what it used to be.

I won't blame Haru for being carefree still; those moments of teasing Rikuo and "declaring war" against Shinako were safe moments... moments where there's almost nothing to lose.

But things are different now. Rather, it cannot stay the way it was for long.

EDIT: I wonder if Haru is aware that her dynamics with Rikuo had changed drastically over time. Rikuo was clearly less enthusiastic about meeting Haru compared to the previous episode.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

The atmosphere is pretty heavy this episode. Especially for Haru. Rikuo is gathering his thoughts about making up his mind about things, and Shinako is on a similar note. It's like Haru's pretty much carried away by these changes while still unaware that things aren't what it used to be.

I won't blame Haru for being carefree still; those moments of teasing Rikuo and "declaring war" against Shinako were safe moments... moments where there's almost nothing to lose.

But things are different now. Rather, it cannot stay the way it was for long.

EDIT: I wonder if Haru is aware that her dynamics with Rikuo had changed drastically over time. Rikuo was clearly less enthusiastic about meeting Haru compared to the previous episode.

I don't know if it was so much "safe" because she was putting herself out there in a "battle" that she could very well lose and feel emotionally hurt. That was an active change on her part to be more committed to Rikuo then she has been to anything prior to that.

[Marcus H.]

It was "safe" in a sense because Shinako was pretty much not thinking about the competition early on. But now that Shinako is starting to think that she may have some feelings for Rikuo is the time where stakes are real for Haru.

[TinyRedLeaf]

I'm hardly an expert on relationships in real life, but I concur with Fukuda, Rikuo's now happily married college buddy: Rikuo's not going to get a second chance after flubbing it the way both he and Shinako did.

On the one hand, I guessed right, and Rikou did indeed sense something wrong with Shinako that night, and I am glad he didn't exploit it. But on other hand, the moment has come and gone, and it looks like the two of them ended up not seeing each other for weeks, if not months, after that.

The momentum is gone, and it'll take that much more effort to resume the relationship, if at all. Actually, I'd say at this point that it could well be the beginning of the end for any kind of romance between Rikuo and Shinako.

You fall in love; it's not something you plan for. Sometimes, impetuousness is indeed what's needed. The fact that they're still holding back means Rikuo and Shinako aren't as committed as they need to be for this to work.

============

It seems that Rikuo has come to believe his lack of self-confidence is key, and he's addressing that by delving further into his newfound profession as a photographer. That's not a bad thing. More likely than not, though, career would eventually take over as the main goal. That's probably part of the reason he told Haru to stop seeing him. He doesn't feel like he needs the distraction at this point.

As for Shinako, kudos I guess for finally summoning the courage to go back to Rou's apartment? It still feels like a mistake to me, because I believe the kid is not going to be anywhere near as considerate as either Rikuo or Haru. What is Shinako going to do if Rou forces himself on her again? I kind of have a bad feeling that he would.

Speaking of apartments, I am confused about whether Shinako had moved at least once between the first few episodes and the middle episodes. In the earliest episodes, recall that she'd climb the stairs to get to her corner apartment. But now we see that she lives on a higher floor, and in a middle apartment, and that she enters the block via the main lobby.

It's also interesting to note that the 8-bit game in the ED maps out the major venues in the series so far: The train line running alongside the convenience store; the playground where the characters meet up sometimes; and either Shinako or Rikuo's home near the end. The story does unfold over a pretty small precinct, which partly explains how the characters sometimes run into each other by coincidence.