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EP. REVIEW: Hanebado! [2018-07-17]

I will admit, I really wanted to like the show but after episode 3, I think I'm dropping it (I will keep following the reviews though in case it turns around).

Episode 1 was a good set up but 2 and 3's resolution for the angst was too convenient.

Here's the thing: A friend should push you when you are going against who you are.

Elena is not doing that. She only starts caring about how Hanesaki feels right at the end of episode 3.

I will remind you she has been her friend since childhood but couldn't put together that her mom (who made Hanesaki play badminton from the age of 2) leaving made Hanesaki start down a path where she came to hate badminton.

That is not an insignificant fact. That is telling as hell that she has very little empathy or insight into someone she has spent so much time with. She doesn't see Hanesaki as a friend, she sees her as something to wrap herself around...she's a parasite. She tries to get Hanesaki to do physical sports so people will be wowed by Hanesaki's talent and therefore she'll get to leech off of that attention. Remember, her role in teh club was just to play on her cellphone and the moment Hanesaki got some praise she left out of jealousy.

If she was really interested in getting Hanesaki back into Badminton, here's my issue with how she handled it:

1. Hanesaki is suddenly grabbed by an older guy who feels her hands up. If someone started groping you, would a good friend make you hang out with that person?

2. Once Hanesaki arrives, the true toxic environment Aragaki has created for the team is apparent. It is not a healthy atmosphere, people already have high expectations of Hanesaki without any attempt to discern her own feelings. Imagine if you used to be into competitive gaming and your friend gets you to join a gaming club where everyone is already planning your role out and then some guy who has a grudge against you lets out a bunch of slurs and says you have to play? A good friend would say "yeah lets leave" not make you keep going back.

3. What should she have done? Do what she did at the end of this episode (and before anyone says "oh well that's the point" . I'd like to remind you, it took her till now to think about it despite being her friend since they were in pre-k.): get her into a relaxed match where nothing is on the line with an opponent who is chilled out, and practically no audience so it could be jut about the game, or even find a badminton group that isn't associated with a school.

What did she do?
"Hey that guy grabbed you! Sounds like fun! The team is being abused by their ticked off captain who has a grudge against you...I'm joining and making you go! Wait, despite me doing jack all and my alleged reason fro doing all this is to get your love of Badminton back, I'm suddenly jealous of you. Wait, your Badminton mother leaving after you lost a Badminton match made you hate Badminton? Who could have figured that out?"

So I have rethought her a bit. My take is, she was a crap friend who associated with Hanesaki for self-serving reasons who finally did something decent at the end of episode 3. She is not a good friend.

EDIT: Y'know...upon rewatch, I think that was the point. Elena realizes how crap she was and when she fully realizes it, finally hunkers down and does something decent. It's actually expressed really well in the animation like when Aragaki is talking to her and the scene where she goes to see the movie. She realizes how she liked having Hanesaki around her finger and that she ultimately knew very little about her and was using her to boost herself. Reflecting on it, it's actually better than I thought on the first watch. Hell, I think I'll check episode 4 out (pink haired rival and Hanesaki's past are still pretty bad though).