Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai - Episode 9 Discussion / Poll

[DragoZERO]

Yeah, as much as I like Sena... this is a Yozora end. I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised, but I'm not about to get my hopes up, lol.

[Shimapan]

Originally Posted by Kayin

Maybe, but in Yozura's case, it would seriously hinder her development, or break her completely.

The way she behaves, Yozora already *is* completely broken.

Originally Posted by Kayin

She puts on a really good mask, but she's a classic glass-type character who went so far as to make up a club just so she could have a chance to get Kodaka to remember her (I think she wants other friends too, but her primary goal has always been him.)

The only mask she put on so far is the horse mask
She's been herself all the time, and she's certainly anything *but* fragile.
It could be that the club she made and force Kodaka to join was to be together with Kodaka, but I'd say that was rather an afterthought.
The way I see it, the club founding was an impulsive reaction, without thinking about it much, just to have *someone* for company. If that someone then happens to be Kodaka, all the better.
I seriously doubt she wants other friends, otherwise she would've made the text and drawing on the club poster so that ordinary people can understand it, and she would treat others much nicer and not constantly troll them.

Originally Posted by mironicus

The revealing of the childhood friendship won't change Yozoras position much - that was in the past.

Yes, I also doubt that knowing it would change anything for Kodaka, it was a long time ago. If anything, he would only be mad at her for standing him up the last day, and for fooling him into thinking she was a boy.

As Yozora also pretty much had no development, a Yozora end is very, very unlikely.

[Flawfinder]

I'm kind of shocked that Yozora hasn't gotten much alone time or interaction with Kodaka throughout this series. In fact, I'm betting that Yozora is relying on that childhood friend card to always give her an advantage when in truth, that's not enough. God, she's deluded.

[relentlessflame]

I don't think this anime season is going to feature any ending of any sort -- if anything, it'll just be a status quo ending, with a slight nudge towards "maybe we're starting to be friends". If they develop Yozora's past, that'll have the effect of balancing the playing field in a way, but it certainly won't tip the proverbial scales at this point. As for the story on the whole... I'm not even sure if a romantic end is in the cards even then. Hard to say. I think there's a long ways to go before that sort of thing is justified.

[Flawfinder]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I don't think this anime season is going to feature any ending of any sort -- if anything, it'll just be a status quo ending, with a slight nudge towards "maybe we're starting to friends". If they develop Yozora's past, that'll have the effect of balancing the playing field in a way, but it certainly won't tip the proverbial scales at this point. As for the story on the whole... I'm not even sure if a romantic end is in the cards even then. Hard to say. I think there's a long ways to go before that sort of thing is justified.

I'll agree with that. Romance isn't exactly a big part of this series, surprisingly enough. It's more about making friends and the real big hook of the series is that the club members aren't realizing that they actually have friends-each other.

[Kayin]

Originally Posted by Shimapan

The way she behaves, Yozora already *is* completely broken.



The only mask she put on so far is the horse mask
She's been herself all the time, and she's certainly anything *but* fragile.
It could be that the club she made and force Kodaka to join was to be together with Kodaka, but I'd say that was rather an afterthought.
The way I see it, the club founding was an impulsive reaction, without thinking about it much, just to have *someone* for company. If that someone then happens to be Kodaka, all the better.
I seriously doubt she wants other friends, otherwise she would've made the text and drawing on the club poster so that ordinary people can understand it, and she would treat others much nicer and not constantly troll them.



Yes, I also doubt that knowing it would change anything for Kodaka, it was a long time ago. If anything, he would only be mad at her for standing him up the last day, and for fooling him into thinking she was a boy.

As Yozora also pretty much had no development, a Yozora end is very, very unlikely.

The mask I'm referring to IS her current personality. She hides her insecurity behind that forceful and boorish attitude to protect herself - for reasons we don't really know yet. When she was a child, she protected random strangers as we saw with Kodaka, but for some unknown reason, she's using that part of her personality to protect herself. She says she hates bullies, and she proved that in the past, but look at her now. Yozora bullies others as a part of that mask she wears today.

More then likely the reason why Yozora disappeared as a child is part of why she is the way today. We know it didn't happen because she chickened out or something like that, not with how strong and independent she was as a child. If she did chicken out, then it has something to do with her pretending to be a boy, which is a source of shame and yet another reason for her to be the way she is (although that alone doesn't seem to warrant the extreme personality change.)

[potchip]

Originally Posted by Flawnalyst

I'm kind of shocked that Yozora hasn't gotten much alone time or interaction with Kodaka throughout this series. In fact, I'm betting that Yozora is relying on that childhood friend card to always give her an advantage when in truth, that's not enough. God, she's deluded.

Not deluded, but exceedingly naive. She hadn't had much chance to be alone with Kodaka because such situations has to be created by herself - which Sena is a natural at (to hell with other people's convenience), but Yozora is too embrassed to undertake.

The unraveling of her idealistically romantic view on friendship (and she cannot distinguish friendship with romance, eternalfriendship whatnot) will be a watchpoint for Yozora's development. Chances are she must change her behaviour to respond, eg more proactive.

Not going to bother responding to Shimapan's post, too many assumptions and interpretation with a tinted glass. To suggest Yozora had an implusive moment is hilarious. She's always been portrayed as a scheming, foxy character who would take 3 turns to arrive at a destination straight ahead. She cannot act without thinking, in general she thinks too much!

[relentlessflame]

One thing regarding this issue... obviously we don't know why Yozora didn't show up at the playground that day, but the other issue is that we don't know what Yozora's secret was that she said she'd tell him in exchange. It seems to me that the most obvious thing would be that she's a girl? Based on her trauma over his disappearing, I guess that the reason for her not coming must have been something out of her control, so not like she chickened out from revealing her secret (or whatever important thing she wanted to say).

Anyway, if this has already been revealed in future novel content, I don't want to know the answer... but I think some of the mysteries about Yozora's trauma will obviously be revealed when the exact details of whatever happened in the past come out. Based on the foreshadowing I'm thinking that could be by the end of this anime season... but who knows.

[potchip]

I don't view Yozora as been traumatised. That is like suggesting her current state is unnatural.
I would simply view Yozora and Kodaka as two unlikely parties in an even more unlikely friendship that is all the rarer because it only happened once. Call it luck, fate, whatever. Had the friendship continued who knows? But due to unfortunate circumstances it was not meant to be.

If you look at the perspective of both parties on that 'promised' day, I would say Kodaka is more to blame.

From Kodaka's perspective, his friend never showed up on the last day he's in town, so he lost his chance of a proper farewell.

From Yozora's perspective, her friend basically disappeared after that day. She had no idea why, or what happened, and depending on circumstances she may blame whatever happened that stopped her from showing up, or Kodaka. (betrayal?)

The key difference is Kodaka knew he's going away, knew it for weeks, whilst Yozora didn't. Had Yozora known he's going away, would it be different?

[Malkuth]

Originally Posted by ThereminVox

I can't believe that this only just now occurred to me: Hasn't Yozora spent 8 episodes flashing her (sometimes apparently bare) backside under that skirt? The full body swimwear just seems so much more ridiculous, and yet so... Yozora.

This falls in the same category as "women are embarassed to be seen in their underwear, but not wearing only a bikini"

Originally Posted by Kayin

Somehow I don't think Yozora is going to progress much until the childhood thing is confronted. That part of her past made her completely broken, much more then Kodaka.

Well after seeing the drawing below, I come to believe that either Yozora is not Kodaka's childhood friend, or that Tomo (her air friend) is a real person... we'll see

Spoiler for Buriki's drawing from volume 6:

WTF? different outfit and haircut

Originally Posted by Kayin

Sena ending up being some kind of blood relative would ruin the series, and her father apparently likes the potential pairing between her and Kodaka (which probably won't happen anyway, because the "childhood friend/love" almost always wins...)

LOLWUT?! More like never

Now that I think about it, there is the silly explanation for the absence of Sena mom that she is her dad, while her dad is actually Kobato's dad, which can also explain why they look like sisters

[Nvis]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

Yeah, as much as I like Sena... this is a Yozora end. I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised, but I'm not about to get my hopes up, lol.

Isn't there a saying where the childhood friend always loses?

[Lexxus]

^ Well, yeah but I don't really agree with always because it should be "mostly" instead of always

[Yui Is My Wife]

Originally Posted by Nvis

Isn't there a saying where the childhood friend always loses?

Just ask poor Kaede Boxcutter of Shuffle.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by potchip

If you look at the perspective of both parties on that 'promised' day, I would say Kodaka is more to blame.

From Kodaka's perspective, his friend never showed up on the last day he's in town, so he lost his chance of a proper farewell.

From Yozora's perspective, her friend basically disappeared after that day. She had no idea why, or what happened, and depending on circumstances she may blame whatever happened that stopped her from showing up, or Kodaka. (betrayal?)

The key difference is Kodaka knew he's going away, knew it for weeks, whilst Yozora didn't. Had Yozora known he's going away, would it be different?

I'm not sure if it's really about blame, but I'm not sure it's really his fault either. I suppose he didn't have to wait until the last day to tell her (I don't know how long he knew), but a lot of people have trouble with saying goodbye and put it off. And I have to imagine that at some point Yozora must have pieced together that the important thing he wanted to tell her the day before probably had something to do with the fact that he wasn't going to be there the next day. So yes, it's his fault for not saying something sooner, but she should know that he was probably going to tell her if she had been there as promised. That said, of course, I assume that her not being able to be there was out of her control, so she's not really to blame either.

At the end of the day, I say it's just that circumstances conspired against them. If things had gone a different way, they would have reached a different outcome.

Originally Posted by potchip

I don't view Yozora as been traumatised. That is like suggesting her current state is unnatural.

Well, "trauma" was too strong a word, but I don't think I can honestly suggest that the current state of any of the characters in this show is "natural"...

[Shimapan]

Originally Posted by Kayin

More then likely the reason why Yozora disappeared as a child is part of why she is the way today. We know it didn't happen because she chickened out or something like that

Wrong, we *don't* know why she didn't appear, it's never said.
But yes, the reason why she disappeared could very well be the reason why she's that way now. I still think it most likely that she *did* chicken out, and because of that has started to hate herself. Her self-hate could be the reason why she can't treat others any better than she currently does and constantly trolls them etc.

Originally Posted by Kayin

If she did chicken out, then it has something to do with her pretending to be a boy, which is a source of shame and yet another reason for her to be the way she is (although that alone doesn't seem to warrant the extreme personality change.)

Her pretending to be a boy could indeed be the main cause why she chickened out - perhaps she was afraid about what he would say when he found out that she lied to him about her gender.

Originally Posted by potchip

If you look at the perspective of both parties on that 'promised' day, I would say Kodaka is more to blame.

lolwut? Yozora didn't appear, most likely because she was too ashamed to tell him that she's actually a girl, and you say that Kodaka's to blame for that?
Yozora brought this upon herself all by herself, by telling him that she would be a boy.

Originally Posted by potchip

The key difference is Kodaka knew he's going away, knew it for weeks, whilst Yozora didn't. Had Yozora known he's going away, would it be different?

I doubt it would've changed anything. Yozora was simply too ashamed to tell him that she's a girl, and I doubt that knowing that Kodaka would be going away would've made her any less ashamed. Rather, knowing that would've make her feel more uncomfortable and thus more likely to panic sooner and thus disappear sooner without goodbye.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Shimapan

lolwut? Yozora didn't appear, most likely because she was too ashamed to tell him that she's actually a girl, and you say that Kodaka's to blame for that?
Yozora brought this upon herself all by herself, by telling him that she would be a boy.

Correction, she never said she was a boy, Kodaka just assumed, there's a different between not saying and lying.

As for the reason why she never showed up, well that's a spoiler so I can't really bring my full knowledge to bear.

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

Yeah, as much as I like Sena... this is a Yozora end. I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised, but I'm not about to get my hopes up, lol.

Can't really understand fully where you got this from... Yozora hasn't done anything that'll make Kodaka to think of her as a "girl". It's not like "oh hey you're my old childhood friend all along, lets totally go out..." but rather its more along the "wait... aren't you a guy?"

It'll be different if he knew she was a girl at the time... but I can only see them ending up as friends.