True Tears - Episode 6 Discussion / Poll

[Quarkboy]

I just watched this show (been recording it on my TV here in Tokyo).

Good stuff, although predictable.

I have a simple question: What is Hiromi doing on the computer all the time? WoW?
I wonder if they'll ever explain that?

[cloudninja]

Originally Posted by golthin

Remember that it is not set in stone. Even Shin mother was surprised that Hiromi still remembered that, maybe it was a bad joke and she expected Hiromi not to take it seriously.

I remember that part. Her surprise at seeing that Hiromi remembered the conversation is very strange and suspicious. It's almost as if she herself did'nt take what she said seriously and so she did'nt expect Hiromi to be so hung up on it either. If the allegation is true why would'nt Hiromi take it seriously and remember it? For Hiromi, the devastating part of it was the implications considering her feelings for Shinichiro, something that Shin's mother did'nt know of. If it was a spiteful remark meant only to hurt Hiromi that has taken a life of its own, that's just too cruel...

[Deathkillz]

Then we will have to question why she hates hiromi's gut so much. The theory about two girls over one man still holds the most of the truths imo. Why shin's mother hate hiromi's mother is still a mystery beyond that - and obviously hate can travel down generations

[Quarkboy]

Oh, by the way, I think that something in this episode (or was it 5? I forget) might foreshadow something even more shocking:

Spoiler:

Do you recall when Shinichiro's brother pointed out that his father looked like him in the old picture.
I wonder if that foreshadows the resolution of the incest thing:
Shinichiro is not actually his father's son! In fact, his true father was the person Hiromi thought her father was! That's right, they are BOTH products of affairs, therefore are not blood related in the end!

So to sum up: My guess is Shinichiro's mother cheated on her husband with hiromi's mother's husband, and then afterwards her husband cheated on her with hiromi's mother.

Maybe?

[cloudninja]

Originally Posted by Quarkboy

Oh, by the way, I think that something in this episode (or was it 5? I forget) might foreshadow something even more shocking:

Spoiler:

Do you recall when Shinichiro's brother pointed out that his father looked like him in the old picture.
I wonder if that foreshadows the resolution of the incest thing:
Shinichiro is not actually his father's son! In fact, his true father was the person Hiromi thought her father was! That's right, they are BOTH products of affairs, therefore are not blood related in the end!

So to sum up: My guess is Shinichiro's mother cheated on her husband with hiromi's mother's husband, and then afterwards her husband cheated on her with hiromi's mother.

Maybe?

It's a reasonable possibility. I put out pretty much the same theory on page 3. That was'nt Shinichiro's brother though. I think it was his "father's" employee.

[Onizuka-GTO]

oh haruhi.

Episode 06...shinichiro mother......it's enough to drive a man to gynophobia...

truly, i rather face the fury of a man's simply violence, then this slow twisting cloak & dagger emotional assault that this women wage.

always knew women were the the more brutal gender.....

*shudder as subtle misogynistic fears swarms around him*

this series is...evil.....!

D:

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Quarkboy

I just watched this show (been recording it on my TV here in Tokyo). Good stuff, although predictable. I have a simple question: What is Hiromi doing on the computer all the time? WoW? I wonder if they'll ever explain that?

Hiromi is helping out data entry for the sake brewery, as mentioned in ep1 when she was first doing it. I expect that is what she is still doing, or else she would be on a computer in her own room.

Personally, I do not see this show as "predictable." Is Noe predictable? Is Jun predictable? Is Aiko's emotional high-wire act predictable? Is Hiromi telling Jun predictable? That one can predict a range of possibilities some of which come true is consistency, not predictability, it seems to me. Events that are completely unpredictable are probably inconsistent with the characters. If it turns out that...

Spoiler for speculation based on this ep:

...Shin is in fact his father's child, does that mean this show is not predictable?

Originally Posted by Quarkboy

Do you recall when Shinichiro's brother pointed out that his father looked like him in the old picture.

That other boy is not Shin's brother, unless things are more complicated than we have yet imagined, he is an employee of the brewery. That's why he calls Shin "bocchan." I believe that statement was a setup to let us know Shin really is his father's son, so that we would not get confused at this point later.

And by the way, congratulations on being in the Holy Land.

And Onizuka_GTO, I think we should have more sympathy for the Shinmother. She is not responding well to her trial, but she is undergoing a huge trial, having to take in her husband's illegitimate child. That she does not resort to using boxcutters on herself or others shows self-control, it seems to me. Hiromi is a living embodiment to her of her own inadequacy, rejection, and shame.

People have mentioned the highly enjoyable KimiKiss. Episode 18 of that show was excellent -- and not a million miles from some plot events in this show -- but it was not as excellent as any ep of this show, for my taste, even leaving aside the huge gap in animation quality.

Originally Posted by golthin

Remember that it is not set in stone. Even Shin mother was surprised that Hiromi still remembered that, maybe it was a bad joke and she expected Hiromi not to take it seriously.

Yes, that is the one thing that makes me think it might not be true. But I think it is far more likely that it is true, since Shinmother would not want to believe it if there were any chance she didn't have to. And ka mo shirenai could mean just "maybe," but could also mean "for sure but I'm being polite."

Hiromi's confession scene and her crying afterward in her room made me like her even more. She's a real person.

[UPR]

I have a theory.

Hiromi is the daughter of Shin's dad. But Shin is the son of Hiromi's dad. Thus confirming what Hiromi fears ,but at the same time not making them siblings.

crazy I know.

[Onizuka-GTO]

oh well, we had koi kaze,


not like a little bit of blood sharing is going to matter, just think of each of them as cousins.....




and yes i voted this episode as "painful" because...it was.

(;_; )

As Chika Ogiue famously muttered from Genshiken.

"kurushi......kawasou....kurushi......kawa-rushi....."

[Quarkboy]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Hiromi is helping out data entry for the sake brewery, as mentioned in ep1 when she was first doing it. I expect that is what she is still doing, or else she would be on a computer in her own room.

That other boy is not Shin's brother, unless things are more complicated than we have yet imagined, he is an employee of the brewery. That's why he calls Shin "bocchan." I believe that statement was a setup to let us know Shin really is his father's son, so that we would not get confused at this point later.

Ah, well, I kinda missed parts of the first episode, my HD recorder cut off like the opening and the first 5 minutes... Didn't realize they explained it.

So that's what "bocchan" means... I thought it was some strange nickname.

I've been trying to watch the show without using any dictionary or looking anything up (only the occasional rewind for important lines like "I will take all of your sadness unto myself") in order to really test my listening comprehension. So far so good, but I'm sure I'm missing some little things here and there.

Frankly I much prefer the sunday morning anime which have a closed caption track for me to cheat off of .

[Tatiana Razajev]

I kind of feel sorry for Nobuse as it seems his ideal world with Aiko is coming close to shattering regardless of what action(s) Shin takes. Granted it's hard to say what he'd be more angry about. Shin stealing Aiko away or Shin continuing to be ignorant of Aiko's feelings.

In terms of Hiromi and Shin possibly being related. Well it remains to be seen if it gets 100% confirmed, but even if it does remember there's always that "option". Not to say I want him to end up with Hiromi as I'm still hopeful for Aiko. However I'm not ready to rule out Hiromi yet even if them being related is true.

The preview shows the next episode will be quite "fun" and by fun I mean a complete mess. I was wondering how long before we'd see such a scene happening.

As for this whole predictability vs unpredictability mess. I'll use an analogy or two. If heat water on a stove, I should not be shocked if it reaches a boil. At the same time I should accept the fact the lottery numbers are random and people often get them wrong.

[faust123]

After this episode I have to say that I really like Jun. His rather poignant statement "it's agonizing not being able to like the things you like" is basically the theme of this show. I think he clearly knows what is going on with hiromi x shin (obviously not in depth but on the surface) and will help either indirectly/directly to bring them together. Great episode btw :b

[monir]

Darn it, I'm not into speculating that much but after reading so many interesting theories it's so hard to resist to not to join as well.

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

The theory about two girls over one man still holds the most of the truths imo. Why shin's mother hate hiromi's mother is still a mystery beyond that...........

Not much of a mystery considering the first sentence indicates a plausible answer. Let's take these following facts into account:

- The cut out picture of the face (Hiromi's mother )
- The throwing out of the album from Shin's room by his mother
- The accusation, Hiromi is just like her mother, the "fushidara no musume" or the easy-girl.


Yeap, I also think "jealousy" is the keyword to interpret Shin's Mother's behavior. Bravo Deathie! I think we can also take this a notch further and should be able to have a guess on the circumstances that lead to the state of mind Shin's mother is in. My couple of theories in the briefest of words are: [a] Two guys (Shin's dad and Hiromi's dad), one girl (Hiromi's mother) [b] Two girls (Hiromi's mother and Shin's mother), one guy (Shin's dad).

One more thing to note here is how Hiromi calls herself "the worst" after she reveals the possibility of her and Shin to be sibling. Take a note of the opening line to start the conversation with Shin: "Shall I tell you something interesting." Those were the same opening line used right before Shin's mother said something to Hiromi sometime in the past. Hiromi was really hurt that time just as it was intended to be by Shin's mom. And this time, Hiromi wanted to hurt Shin just as much, so no wonder she thinks of herself the worst.

In conclusion, the folks who do not want to see an incest theme, well, all the clues and hints seem to be against the incest-resolution at this moment, or at least that's how I see it.

[Kaoru Chujo]

1. I'm not going to go as far as faust123 and say I really like Jun, but I see a lot of possibilities there. He's pretty deep, and is responding to his sorrow with machismo to keep his personality from collapsing in frustration at not being able to have the one he loves. I can see him and Hiromi coming together in the same shared sorrow.

2. "Bocchan" means something like "young master." The term makes my skin crawl because it reveals the deep social stratification of meritocratic Japan. It sounds almost medieval.

3. I would never have said this before, but I see an opening for Ai-chan. With a half-sister on the one hand and a stalker-girl on the other, who might Shin turn to for comfort and relief? I'm still shipping Noe, but all three are wonderful creations.

[Rhyel]

Perfect episode, finally true tears drop from Hiromi. ;_;

[Onizuka-GTO]

Originally Posted by monir

Darn it, I'm not into speculating that much but after reading so many interesting theories it's so hard to resist to not to join as well.


Not much of a mystery considering the first sentence indicates a plausible answer. Let's take these following facts into account:

- The cut out picture of the face (Hiromi's mother )
- The throwing out of the album from Shin's room by his mother
- The accusation, Hiromi is just like her mother, the "fushidara no musume" or the easy-girl.


Yeap, I also think "jealousy" is the keyword to interpret Shin's Mother's behavior. Bravo Deathie! I think we can also take this a notch further and should be able to have a guess on the circumstances that lead to the state of mind Shin's mother is in. My couple of theories in the briefest of words are: [a] Two guys (Shin's dad and Hiromi's dad), one girl (Hiromi's mother) [b] Two girls (Hiromi's mother and Shin's mother), one guy (Shin's dad).

One more thing to note here is how Hiromi calls herself "the worst" after she reveals the possibility of her and Shin to be sibling. Take a note of the opening line to start the conversation with Shin: "Shall I tell you something interesting." Those were the same opening line used right before Shin's mother said something to Hiromi sometime in the past. Hiromi was really hurt that time just as it was intended to be by Shin's mom. And this time, Hiromi wanted to hurt Shin just as much, so no wonder she thinks of herself the worst.

In conclusion, the folks who do not want to see an incest theme, well, all the clues and hints seem to be against the incest-resolution at this moment, or at least that's how I see it.

interesting that you mention the incest theme, since Jun (i assume this is that crazy girl's older brother) because he does seem to have a bit of a sister complex....

[bbduece]

hope that they arent blood related

they should both get a dna test

feels pretty much shattered after this episode

[Westlo]

Hiromi and Shin to appear on Maury's in episode 9

[littlekitty]

good epi
i liked how shin stood up for hiromi in front of his mother (finally)
funny belt scene at the end!

[margafred]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

A couple of things about Hiromi's "confession": I think she said it was her aunt, Shin's mother, not her grandma, who told her (obasan, not obaasan). And I think ka mo shirenai ("may be") is often not quite so uncertain as it seems. I think people often use it to soften the statement, not because they really think there is any doubt.

Hiromi"s ichatta ("There, I said it.") was drawn by the animators and delivered by Nazuka Kaori just brilliantly.

Thanks Kaoru for the explanation and correcting few parts about my post,really appreciate it...i just love how you explain those terms in the simplest way.

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

So what I'm saying is I think Shin's mom told Hiromi that she actually is Shin's half-sister. This means that the tragedy is that she can never be his girlfriend. No ifs, ands, or buts. No wishful thinking by those who prefer Hiromi. Brother and sister.

Now, I prefer Noe, but that doesn't leave me off the hook. Shin, from events in this episode and next, is clearly distancing himself from her, much to her dismay. Could Aiko be well placed to comfort him in his dark night?

Well its not really a wishful thinking.But most romance genre story especially for school type anime always have this strange kind of storyline,where the main couple will face some kind of problem which is 99.9% impossible to be solved by any means.But despite of the impossibility,they will always find themselves a way to solve it,no matter how hard the way will be,even if it meant to kill other ppl (i don't wish something like that to happen in True Tears) so that they will always stay together till the end.And the only requirement needed to have such ending is that,they must have feeling for each other,even if they both were "supposed to be a" siblings.

Now the only thing left for Shin to do is,whether he will just give up on Hiromi or he will fight hard for it,so that he can be together with Hiromi.Most ppl think its impossible especially if they were labelled as siblings,but i don't think its impossible anyway.This is love we were talking about...everything is possible when it comes to love.I'm not talking about siblings love,i mean love between a couple.

For now the only thing that had been revealed was "Shinichiro is supposed to be Hiromi's big brother".That is just a one sided fact for now,revealed from Hiromi's mouth only..we don't even know whether its true or not,and also as i said it was just a one sided fact,we need to know too about the history of Hiromi from many other sources,such as her auntie,her real father,and also Shin's mum.Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding happened in the past?Who knows if there were many unexpected things actually occured in the past,something that Hiromi didn't know.

If Shin gave up on Hiromi just like that then the biggest mystery in True Tears will be left unsolved just like that,when it was actually worth to see it to be solved.There's no point in creating a new relationship with the other 2 girls,when the best he could have to be by his side was Hiromi..that's how the story started and i believe thats how the story should end too.And if we count in the number of episodes left,i think it would be enough to fill in the episode with the story of Shin and Hiromi trying to outcome the biggest obstacle between them,while at the same time had to face 2 girls as Hiromi's rival to get Shin's love.Aiko probably will have a bit trouble there since Nobuse for sure won't just silencing himself after everything that happened in episode 6..as for Noe,i think she can do some unexpected things too,but not enough to break the bond between Hiromi and Shinichiro.

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

Hold on...who says that shin x hiromi's relationship will be crushed?

If anything I think this is the perfect chance for them to bond even stronger provided that they could get over the blood related thing (which is possible). I find it hard to see hiromi not ending with shin as they are just made for each other (with screws missing to boot). Roadkill for aiko and noe tbh.

Originally Posted by tun

Please please please please please let incest prevail in the end.

Hahaha its a good thing i'm not alone in True Tears.Hiromi x Shin for True Tears yeaa~~

xD

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

1. I'm not going to go as far as faust123 and say I really like Jun, but I see a lot of possibilities there. He's pretty deep, and is responding to his sorrow with machismo to keep his personality from collapsing in frustration at not being able to have the one he loves. I can see him and Hiromi coming together in the same shared sorrow.

3. I would never have said this before, but I see an opening for Ai-chan. With a half-sister on the one hand and a stalker-girl on the other, who might Shin turn to for comfort and relief? I'm still shipping Noe, but all three are wonderful creations.

Jun from my view has too many advantages for Shin to beat him when it comes to love.But what Shin lack off may probably give him the advantages to win against Jun..

As for Aiko...i don't think Nobuse will just stand still seeing his Aiko being snatched away by his best friend.Sure he will do something about it...and beside i don't think Shinichiro need Aiko to comfort him after everything that happened.What Shin need now is the courage to step forward and find the truth about Hiromi,and becomes like what Noe had told him in the episode 1 >> fly towards the sky.

Originally Posted by bbduece

they should both get a dna test

I think DNA test will only make things becomes even worst..especially to Shinichiro,worst enough to probably make him give up on Hiromi.