So, is it love or not, Jiji?
Chapter 230 was the new 092 for many fans. The mood that Monday and Tuesday was so bad...
But now, with the great step Aira has taken, it's worth looking at 230 with a new lens.
Let's take a closer look.
Jiji and Momo in 230.
Jiji had been able to resume his friendship with Momo very quickly and with little difficulty. There doesn't even seem to be any trace left of the resentment that Momo used to feel towards Jiji due to little Jiji's past taunts. Moreover, fond childhood memories of her and Jin survived Momo's memory loss. Everything seemed to be going well from Jiji's point of view!
Jiji goes with the flow, avoiding conflict, and Jiji's approach to show Momo that he likes her couldn't have been more different from Aira's: Aira used a lot of physical contact initiated by her. Jiji was never so upfront with Momo because Momo would have hit him if he had dared to go that far. Something very extraordinary and not initiated by him had to happen for Jiji to be able to touch her.
Jiji used to flirt with all the other girls without commitment. In contrast, he communicates to Momo his feelings under a mask of jokes and playful flirting but also accompanied by gestures of genuine care that demonstrated commitment. Jiji transforms the energy of his butterflies in his stomach when she is close to him into effusiveness, enthusiatic wit.
Until Jiji started telling Tiny Momo: you're precious to me. But Momo is now back to normal size.
In Six Curses arc, everyone seems resigned to the fact that Momo has lost her memory, including Jiji. Nobody asks why did it happen. Perhaps Jiji accepts this situation as the price they paid for Momo to return to her normal size. So Jiji doesn't force Momo to remember, and waits for things to unfold.
In the aquarium, every time Jiji jokingly mentions the idea of changing the vibe to one more appropriate for a date, Momo rejects the proposal. Jiji's energy encounters a potential barrier and becomes asymptotic. He cannot reach her. Jiji's energy is out of phase with Momo's.
Then, Momo shows vulnerability to Jiji, confessing the gloom she was constantly feeling. And she says:
>... curiously, when I'm with you, Jiji, my mind is at ease. Why is that? (Ayase to Enjoji, 230).
Momo was implicitly expressing a sincere praise. But Momo's words and tone expressed that she was looking for a rational, not an emotional, answer. Momo's curiously and why is that? were not rhetorical. Her words conveyed sincere rational thoughts about her condition. (It will be very interesting to listen to the acting of Wakayama san next year!!! [you know, manga chapter 092 😉]).
Now Momo's amnesia is working against Jiji. Momo doesn't remember the moments they shared together in chapter 092, when he was able to help her counteract Kashima's curse, nor when Jiji comforted her when Tiny Momo was fading away. From Momo*-after-Izumo*'s point of view, Jiji had barely returned to her life and not enough meaningful interactions had happened between them.
There was no knowing glance from Momo inviting Jin to "rhyme" romantically with her either. No smile. Momo just looked toward the window of the aquarium's water tank, instead of looking Jiji in the eyes.
Contrast: when Momo wants to connect with Okarun, Momo wants Okarun to look her in the eyes, because she offers a sincere, meaningful connection [even during the memory loss phase], and expects the same sincere connection from the other person.
Momo, the Gyaru who never lowers her gaze, has only lowered her gaze with Okarun.
But Momo's gaze wasn't focused on Jiji, her gaze was wandering on the aquarium tank, without lowering her gaze.
How was Jiji taking Momo's words and actions?
Let me bring out the heavy artillery to explore his feelings. There's a song called Piensa en mí (Think of Me...) [link to YouTube if you want to listen to it]. It is a plea for a loved one. The song (translated) says:
>If you have a deep sorrow, think of me.
If you feel like crying, think of me.
Momo's words and actions were telling Jiji that Momo was not thinking of him, that she was not considering him as a refuge when she was having a deep sorrow, or feel like crying. In Momo's most vulnerable moment, when it seems Jiji is her only refuge, when he is the one who asks her how she feels, where it seems Okarun has failed to be Momo's refuge, Momo doesn't cling to Jiji. Jiji's still just a friend to her.
The relationship between Momo and Jiji reached an equilibrium as quickly as it was restored. Jiji had all the energy necessary to transition their relationship from a friendly state to a romantic state, but Momo wasn't following suit.
At that moment in the solitary aquarium, Jiji began to realize that Momo didn't see him as someone with whom to share romantic affection. Teamwork, sharing jokes, laughter and memories, yes, but that's it.
(Interesting that Momo and Jiji were practically alone in the aquarium, while Ken and Aira were surrounded by people in the dinosaur exhibit.)
Then Jiji makes a bold attempt.
Jiji steps between Ayase and the aquarium glass, as if to say "Momo-chan, I'm here. I'm here for you".
Jiji tries to turn Momo's rational question into a rhyme, so he does what Momo used to do with Okarun: to communicate affection by means of physical touch. Jiji grabs her hand.
And at the same time, Jiji looks her in the eyes, and answers Momo's rational question with:
>... probably just cuz I'm a moron, yeah?
A rhetorical statement that, on the one hand, seeks to soften the initiative of grabbing her hand and, on the other, words that still leaves the door open.
Jiji hid his "because you're precious to me", just when a direct look at Momo could have reaffirmed that what he was saying was true.
Jin postponed exposing himself to the risk of being upfront and in turn not being reciprocated by Momo. He had hope of inviting Momo to "rhyme" romantically with him, progressively.
Momo reacted with surprise and said...
>Maybe.
231: a phase of denial begins.
The next chapter reveals that Momo took Jiji's gesture very calmly.
But then Momo gets tired of holding hands with Jiji.
Don't think for a second that I'm gloating over Jiji's suffering.
Jiji manages to relieve Momo's mysterious chest pain. But Momo still doesn't believe it's because Jiji has a special ability, so Jiji seems to recall the moments when he alleviated Reiko Kashima's curse. Not even a gradual, step-by-step approach worked for Jiji.
Jiji was needing to invest more and more energy to try to convince Momo without a direct confession. The "activated complex" MomoJiji broke and returned to the initial state of just two friends.
The rest is history.
It seems everyone is going to experience a broken heart.
Who would have thought that Tatsu turned Okarun into a Schrödinger's Cat in Six Curses arc? Momo is still in love with him, but at the same time she has rejected him.
Okarun has already sung Think of Me. Tatsu wasn't going to let Okarun get away unharmed. Tatsu made Okarun go through a rejection by a loved one.
Momo's amnesia definitely broke Ken's heart at the beginning of the current arc.
Now, Aira's heart is broken, although she bravely stands firm. Jiji is next.
Momo has also already had at least two disappointments with Okarun in this arc.
However, the tide has changed and things seem to be improving for Momokarun.
But new enemies have entered the scene.
Will Momo's heart be attacked again?
TL; DR:
Jiji already knows deep in his heart that Momo won't reciprocate his feelings the way he would like, even though he told Okarun he was going to try harder to win Momo's love, before being swallowed by the brachiosaurus 🦕🦕🦕. At the same time and in other place before the attack of Seal Man Blago, Aira also knew deep down that Takakura wasn't going to reciprocate her feelings.
Thanks for reading!
If you know any heartbreaking song about someone pleading the loved one to think of him, please feel free to share it.
Peace 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽!
