©竹嶋えく・一迅社／ささやくように恋を唄う製作委員会

No matter what kind of “like” you're talking about, liking someone doesn't guarantee that you'll always be on the same page. That's where Himari and Yori are now, and Yori is in a much less comfortable position. This leads to uncertainty for Yori: she's in a position where she's not sure where she stands with the girl she likes, and that means (in her mind) that she's susceptible to hurt by Himari's whims. I'm not sure she would put it that way, but with her panic when Himari started talking about Momoka, the second year student whose cooking club she joined, you could see the trouble. by Yori. She's afraid that the boisterous Himari will fall for another girl before she moves on to “love” for Yori, and Yori knows very well how quickly feelings can overtake a young girl. Since Himari isn't sure that her “liking” is romantic, what can stop her from developing feelings for someone else?

Is that fair to Yori? Maybe not; just because Himari isn't sure she loves Yori doesn't mean she'll push her aside. But feelings are not fair; they are things that live in our minds and hearts and don't necessarily take logical next steps. Yori may be working hard to get Himari to have romantic feelings for her, but ultimately she knows that Himari's feelings are her own and she cannot force them. Her underlying panic and jealousy are emotions she cannot control any more than Himari can control herself, which, in a way, puts the two of them on equal footing. Even if a part of Yori feels like Himari is unfair to her, that's okay because she's allowed to feel what she does just like Himari does, even if it doesn't advance the plot in her direction. that (and we) want.

That's what Aki is struggling with. Even before she said it out loud at the end of this episode, it was clear that she was in love with Yori and up until now, she's been trying to control her emotions so as not to upset her friend. But when she heard Yori's side of the story-that she was jealous and worried for Himari and Momoka-Aki also felt a surge of disappointment. She is definitely on Yori's side, believing that Momoka threatens Yori's mission to make Himari fall in love with her. So wouldn't it be easier if Yori was with someone who loved her? Again, it's unfair, and her confronting Himari is a bit mean since it risks invalidating Himari's sexuality if she is, in fact, bisexual. (And even if she wasn't, that moment might be familiar to asexual people.) But it's honest about how people thought and reacted at the time, and I appreciated that there.

Aki and Yori are acting out of pain and fear, and Himari is struggling, trying to understand her feelings. Those fragile states can cause people to make questionable decisions and say terrible things, and it's actually quite amazing how Yori can control her jealousy. There is no right or wrong way to handle this situation. However, I can see making a case for animation taking a less sound approach, as this is the second week in a row where we've relied significantly on stills and novel art tricks intuitive. And now, with the arrival of Momoka and the often absent member of the cooking club, who also seems to be in a band, things get a lot more complicated. However, I hope Miki goes back and tells her sister because even if it was a believable act for Aki, it was still cruel and she must have known that she had crossed the line.

Rating:

Whisper Me a Love Song is now streaming on HIDIVE.