Warning! This rating on Yahari ore no Seishun love Come wa Machigatteiru Kan (Oregairu 3) Chapter four contains spoilers. If you haven't watched the episode yet, I recommend you watch it and then come back to read the review.
# 4 Yuigahama Yui meditates on the future
Oregairu 3 Chapter 4 begins with the good reception that the prom gets thanks to the recorded video. Although there is still a lot to do, Yukinon refuses to help Yui and Hikki, but assures them to go to them if necessary. With their free afternoon, the two go shopping together to find a gift for Komachi. Despite all efforts, the parents' association, led by Yukino's mother, demands that the prom be canceled. Yukino has not resigned, wants to find a way to get him afloat, but doesn't want the help of Hachiman or Yuigahama. Hikki is more aware of the nature of their relationships and still cannot turn his back on Yukinon, resulting in a Yuigahama injury.
An uphill path
Before we think about the problems that have arisen in this chapter, I think it is necessary to take a step back and see where we are.
The first thing we have to remember is that Yukinon is in the middle of a personal search and has taken his own path to independence. The request that opened the curtain for this season was made by praying that they would not help her and simply watching her efforts to the end. And following this line, we saw her face Haruno in a conversation about the future that does not appear to be wealthy but is therefore not fruitless. With that in mind, doing things for yourself without being dependent on others, we rejoin her in her decision to help Iroha organize the prom. An event that is completely new to what is common in other generations. It is a worthy challenge to test your skills.
The second thing to consider is Iroha herself, who is not aware of the dilemmas of the volunteer club trio. She took a step forward to leave a record. The idea of organizing the prom was originally hers, and the reasons, even if she didn't say it out loud, come to light. This event is their form of appreciation, this generation has not said goodbye, it aims to repeat the success for the following year. It's not something she can postpone, after all, the position as President of the Student Council won't have her for the next degree, so this is the only time she can act, like I said, she wants to leave a record.
In itself, the prom is not the most important thing, but the feelings behind it make it something of the utmost importance. The effort that was invested in the organization is no small thing. In addition, the organization has been declared a Yukinon test. In the midst of all of this, "the boss" appears, Yukino's mother appears with the determination to end it. The reasons why the prom is not held are vague. However, the simple fact that there is no parental authorization leads to the organizing committee being in a very bad position. But that's how it works, Yukinoshita's mother doesn't even try to see her daughter's effort, on the contrary, it makes it banal and boring.
A lot of effort is required to bring this project back to life. It was a difficult project from the beginning, now its difficulty has tripled. It is not necessarily that it is difficult to convince parents, it is difficult because Yukino made it personally. More than any other, it is his mother that he has to convince, and for that he has to stop being dependent on others. Situation that he still cannot master, even though he tried. Things get complicated because while Yukino breaks or pretends to break the code pending patterns he has with the volunteer club, Hachiman particularly loses sight of the fact that this doesn't necessarily break with his code pending. Don't forget that Yukinon is not the leading organizer, this role must be Irohas.
"Do you know how your relationship is defined?"
It appears that Haruno's apparitions are supposed to shake the foundation. The leading trio's relationship went through moments while the first season showed us how to build their relationship, the second was responsible for helping us define that relationship. Now in this third season, he's asking us to face reality, not fiction we like to build. Although it is easy to classify all three within a love triangle, the truth is that the real core points in a different direction. In Haruno's words, it is a code dependency.
Codependence is, by definition, a series of emotions and attitudes that result in the sufferer becoming involved in another person's problems with which they are emotionally connected and even forgetting their own well-being in order to achieve that of the other person. It may seem altruistic, but it is not, it is actually a way to fill in gaps and feel needy. Just as Haruno pointed out, Hikigaya likes to be dependent on him, but that's just her dependency on him. A similar case connects him to Yui, and it will take him a long time to remain his "hero".
Yukino's case may be the most serious, it is not only dependent but also dependent. She has become addicted to Hachiman and she knows it. Just as he enjoys being dependent on him, she has relaxed with this idea. But she can't help it, from the beginning she never knew where the boundaries of trust and dependency were drawn. Right now he's struggling to find out. In the meantime, you also have to deal with your code compliance problem. If you grow up with no expectations of them, it is normal that you feel the need to look elsewhere for these expectations.
Yukino's dependency shows in her hard work. In order to meet everyone's expectations, she can bear the entire burden herself. We saw it at the culture festival and can see it again with the prom. Another way to name code dependents is “enablers,” and that's exactly what Yukinon does. He takes the whole load on her and makes the rest feel that everything should be fine. Taking responsibility for others is another form of code dependency.
Yuigahama's case is the least flawed, but also the most problematic in itself. Her addiction is her friendliness, her attitude to look away and pretend that everything is fine. It is possible that she is best aware of the situation among the three, but decides not to do anything. This feigned ignorance is how Yui maintains the sense of normalcy in the group. Addressing the problems is Gahama-san's code-making.
Reasons to help
The codependency situation will not be resolved at any time, nor will the distance imposed by Yukinoshita. But they know how to break the stigma and give a real feeling.
At the beginning it is clear that Yukinon has a desire to move forward, to leave his dependency and to become someone independent. The best way to imagine that is to distance yourself from Hachiman. If he is not around, at some point he will stop looking for his help, no longer need it, and in this way his relationship will end cleanly. Yukinon's thoughts even take into account Yui's feelings.
Aware that Yukino wants to break his addiction, and with the stigma of calling his relationship synonymous, Hachiman takes a step back. But it is not enough, at the first sign of a change, Hachiman Yukino still wants to help. Why does he still want to intervene despite the fact that everything dictates that he separate? Shizuka is the one responsible for getting this "truth" out of him, but in the end we all know that it's just an excuse. ""I promised that one day I would save herThat was the excuse I took, although Yukino initially overruled that wish. The reality is that you just want to take care of them and get involved with them, even if you have to apologize. Not because of her addiction, she just doesn't want to end his relationship with her.
Tears that will not stop
Again we have a heartbreaking end for the Yui team. If you think about it, the scene can only get more painful if we remember that she was enjoying her date with Hikki a few minutes earlier while thinking about the future. It seems that Yuigahama's fate for this third season is to break our hearts slowly.
Yui's feelings are becoming more and more painful to look at, it is no longer just about his unrequited love, it is painful to see that they cannot be transferred. With every fiber of her being she continues to cling to a hope that is becoming increasingly unattainable. I repeat, Yui is not stupid or naive, she knows that Hachiman Yukinon values more than she does. He is even aware of her feelings, including his sense of resignation. But even with that, he can't move forward, he doesn't have the courage to change everything.
Yui's tears are only a reflection of her own cowardice. Even though he knows the feelings of the three, he cannot take the decisive step because that would destroy everything. Yuigahama's pain is the product of her own inability to move forward or backward. He cannot express his feelings, but at the same time he cannot give them up. His love for Hikigaya is not only his friendship with Yukinon is in the middle. She can't do anything, just stagnates with regret and has only tears left. She cries because she feels overwhelmed, she doesn't want to be saved, but she can't help but be.
In the end, the power of this scene lies in the perfect synchronicity with which the ending "Diamond no Jundo ~ Yui Ballade ~" begins, which together with the voice-over by Yuis Monolog is the best combination to bring us to tears. It is difficult not to put yourself in Yui because she only endures her pain with crying.
Final comment
Oregairu 3 Chapter four was an episode that blew you away. The entrance of Yukinon's mother lets us feel the pressure he was under all the time. He is undoubtedly "the final boss". Although there are funny moments in this chapter, you generally manage to leave a feeling of confusion with the information provided. Believe me when I tell you that I have seen the chapter at least three times to connect everything in an orderly manner. Overall, I still think I've left out some information.
Before we finish, let's put all seriousness and sadness aside, I just want to mention that I like Hachiman so hyperactive about the coffee machine. I actually wondered if this coffee really tasted so good. I'm certainly not a fan of canned coffee, but I'm fascinated. Almost as fascinated as I am by Hiratsuka's situation, the goodbyes are not bad, but they are not happy either.
Anyway, those were my impressions from this chapter: What do you think about the episode? How do you assess the leading trio's dependency? How many cried together with Yui? How do you think a relationship can evolve based on code bias?
