© 森野萌・講談社／ 「花野井くんと恋の病」製作委員会

This episode feels off in tone, storytelling, and character development. Let's start with the second half because there's a lot of it I really like. I have to give credit to A Condition Called Love for highlighting certain relationships that many shoujo series don't address or take for granted. The message at the end about how you can't expect much from your partner without showing a willingness to do the same is a good lesson. Hotaru spends the entire episode trying to learn more about what startled Hananoi, but she's unwilling to share much about herself. Her inability to read other people's minds has caused her to fail in the past. It takes someone as clingy as Hananoi to help highlight something she needs to improve about her character. It was a good lesson and I'm glad they got a little closer by the end of the episode. Additionally, her growing feelings towards Hananoi were really believable and I liked the subtlety of her growing desire to spend more time with him and share intimate moments. more secret.

However, their exchange at the end summed up why this episode felt off. Hotaru is revealing a lot about herself and we only get scraps of information from Hananoi. We spent a lot of time developing Hotaru while Hananoi was just there. Last week, I mentioned that it would be great if we saw a counter-narrative, which we've achieved so far by shifting the focus to Hananoi so we can see things more in perspective. his. I know we won't get there right away, but this week's episode just further highlights why it needs to happen sooner rather than later. On the other hand, the way the narrative treats them feels very unbalanced. If the show wants to take a slow approach with Hananoi or develop Hotaru first so she's mature enough to handle whatever Hananoi is dealing with, that's fine. However, A Condition Called Love needs to cut down on the moments when Hananoi displays suspicious behavior.

The first half of this episode finds Hananoi extremely distant and extremely passive-aggressive. The episode even emphasizes that he clearly keeps his distance from everyone except Hotaru, has no friends, and doesn't talk to anyone else directly. I can understand wanting to spend as much time with your lover as possible, but I don't like how the show addresses Hananoi's behavior and then does nothing about it. I needed more of him helping one of Hotaru's friends tie her possessions to a tree, especially after the tense moment he spent with his classmate. Understandably, the bad advice upset him, but it highlights double standards.

Everyone experiences happiness differently and not everyone has the same perspective. Maybe Hananoi is just the type of person who just needs a significant other. If that's the case, it won't lead to an interesting story and becomes unhealthy behavior that can lead to many problems. While I liked some of the developments in this episode, I didn't like how the show focused more on one partner while ignoring all the hints about another partner. Maybe I'm losing patience because the more a story states something without actually mentioning it, the more it makes me lose faith. Who is the character Hananoi and why should I care about him based on what the show has highlighted in these first four episodes?

Rating:

A Condition Called Love is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.