A Sign of Affection

Episode 10

When Itsuomi was the one to notice an incoming call from Oushi, I -and likely a lot of other folks – wondered how he would respond. Would he decide to intercept the call, confronting Oushi with his presence and maybe even taunting him as he did at the train station? Would he go even further, erasing the call history altogether in an impulsive and jealous bid to keep his obvious rival at a distance? Anything of that sort would be a gross violation of Yuki's privacy and agency, but would also be an immediate and juicy source of conflict that few stories can resist.

So when Itsuomi just casually brought the phone to Yuki without playing interference, it was genuinely a shock. A lifetime of romance media has conditioned me to expect a third-act complication that would drive our central couple apart before reconciling for the finale, and A Sign of Affection was in prime position to do just that. Instead, Itsuomi acts like a reasonable, secure adult who trusts his partner to make her own decisions, and from there they end up having a really sweet and romantic night together. That shouldn't feel revelatory, but it does. What's more, that emotional maturity ends up defining the entire episode, as Itsuomi confronts Oushi the way only real men can: having a beer together and talking about their feelings at 2 am.

I can't tell you how refreshing that move is. Had we gone with a more traditional plot, we would have spent these last few episodes of the season waiting for a ticking time bomb of angry yelling and tears to go off. Instead, we get to sidestep all of that and witness Itsuomi the social butterfly no-sell every last one of Oushi's tsundere defense mechanisms, batting away his blows like a martial arts master humoring an upstart 12-year-old who's watched too much anime. While that's funny, it also cuts through (to borrow Itsuomi's words) all the bullshit clogging up Oushi's character. He acts belligerent and defensive, insisting he hates Itsuomi for manipulating or chasing Yuki, and our leading man shrugs it all off, recognizing the baseless provocations, and asserting that they don't know each other well enough to have any meaningful enmity. If Oushi wants to hate the guy, he'll only get to do it after getting to know the real Itsuomi, and witnessing just how earnest he is about Yuki.

It slices through all the noise and shows what exactly makes Oushi tick. While nothing we see excuses or mitigates his patronizing attitude towards Yuki, it makes it easier to understand him as a person. There's something genuinely sweet to how, as a kid, he internalized Sign Language as a secret code only he and Yuki shared, a special connection that Oushi thought would make him as important to her as she was to him. It's a childish viewpoint – signing is an integral part of how Yuki connects with everyone, not just Oushi – it's a powerful emotional context for why Oushi is so overly protective, beyond unconscious chauvinism. At the heart of it all is a deep insecurity that prevents him from being honest with his feelings and forming the relationship with Yuki he wanted. Now he's forced to see somebody else forge that bond with ease and honesty Oushi could never muster. It's no wonder he'd lash out and make assumptions to protect his feelings.

I still don't necessarily like Oushi but I admire how the show can make him, if not sympathetic, at least as emotionally complex as the rest of the cast. He no longer feels like an irksome obstacle but rather a fully rounded person who has to sort through his baggage to become a happier, healthier version of himself. That wouldn't have been possible if the show had gone for the cheap heat it could have.

Rating:

A Sign of Affection is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.