I started Sasaki and Miyano expecting it to be cute and sweet, which it is, but I still didn’t expect what I ultimately got: perhaps the most consistently enjoyable show of the season thus far. Last week’s episode ended with a pivotal pseudo-confession as Sasaki whispered “I love you” to Miyano…without realizing that Miyano was awake to hear him. How does the pair’s relationship develop in the wake of said revelation?
If there’s one thing this week’s episode makes sure to hammer home, it’s the passage of time. Sasaki and Miyano are beginning a new school term with new rooms, new classes, and all the familiar adjustments of growing up. In some senses not much has changed: the pair still go to the same school albeit a year apart, and they still have the same friends. With that that said there’s an acknowledgement of how close they’re grown in their time together, so much so that said time now feels profound and nostalgic in retrospect.
This sense of cherished time and freshness amidst the familiar is ehanced by the episode’s visuals. The nature imagery and general background art are lovely as always, but there’s an added emphasis on spring here. The cherry blossom trees sway, their petals float through the wind, blue engulfs the sky with few clouds, and whether rain or shine the world feels truly alive. The depth of color and fluidity of motion make the seasonal establishing shots pleasing to look at and reinforce all of spring’s metaphorical promise.
Narratively the developments of most substance here pertain to Miyano’s sense of self. After months worth of heart pounding, profuse blushing, and general teenage affection he begins to explicitly question his sexuality. His thought processes will likely be relatable to many gay men: overthinking what he thought were crushes in middle school, attempting to quantify feelings of attraction, and tinkering with how his self-image would need to change to accommodate such an identity shift.
These shifts are mirrored visually in fantastic ways. When pondering whether he’d be a seme or uke (because his sense of gay sexual roles is so steeped in the manga he reads), Miyano has a daydream sequence that’s rendered in widescreen and casts himself and Sasaki in standard romcom roles as they stare into each other’s eyes while (clothed) in bed together. At another point Sasaki opens up one of his BL manga and the voice acting for the scenario that plays out within his head quakes with intensity to match the heightened potency of both fiction and of his own as yet unrealized young love. The use of shojo manga-esque pattern effects also continues to be pleasing as in past episodes.
The rest of the episode’s events are fun to watch unfold as well. Miyano has an extended conversation with one of Sasaki’s friends which brings up the possibility of their romance as a falsity to be denied. While Miyano doesn’t technically lie here the conversation does dredge up fresh feelings of confusion in yet another case of all the supporting characters having a firmer grasp of what’s going on than the protagonists do. This gap in understanding further reflects the emotional difficulty of what Sasaki and Miyano are going through.
All in all, this is yet another highly enjoyable episode. It’s gorgeous to look at with almost no flaws artistically. (The characters aren’t always quite as lifelike as their surroundings, but that’s absolutely a matter of picking at straws.) The soundtrack also further enhances the mood and the writing is strong throughout. This has unexpectedly become the best looking and most consistent show I’m watching this season.
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