365 Days to the Wedding

Episode 7

This episode took an unexpected turn. Rika is all about suppressing her emotions to avoid pain and disappointment. Last week we traced this behavior back to her parents' divorce, and the theme echoes in this episode. Sometimes it's better to pretend that nothing bothers you or to not develop an attachment to anything because you could wake up the next morning with it suddenly disappearing. In Rika's case, she woke up one day and realized that her happy family life would be radically different. While she made the best of it with her mom, we're getting more and more of a sense that she never really got over that loss. Combined with the fact that she has an obscure hobby, it's no wonder that Rika never developed an emotional attachment to other people, let alone a romantic one.

However, now she is close to a person who might be on a similar wavelength, or at the very least, someone that she feels a distinct attraction towards. There is so much projection going on with Rika during this episode. She's trying not to get her expectations up, but also not communicating that she has any expectations in the first place. I felt a little bad for Takuya, because he is being thrown under the bus by Rika, who wants him to be clear about his feelings and the nature of their relationship when her plan is the reason they are together in the first place. She is the one who set up the initial dynamic and isn't making it clear that she wants the dynamic to change, but it's easier to blame him. She's unsure of what she wants because she immediately freezes when he clarifies that he wants to pursue things romantically.

My favorite part of the episode was the implication that Rika legitimately did not move or say anything for ten minutes after Takuya confessed to her. Her brain had just completely gone into self-preservation mode as she was confronted with the number one reality that she would never be able to accept, and I love that. I would've liked more of Takuya's perspective leading up to the confession, as there should've been more build-up to justify that specific response. Even though he's a little taken aback by what he said, the silent build-up to the confession was handled well. We are halfway through the series and introduced to a shift that cannot be reversed. Rika got what she wanted and has to figure out what she should do next.

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