u/Particular-Curve8791

Obviously I'm joking... or am I?

Credits on Twitter/X to: @BummerPaper

First of all, I don't want to increase or decrease the expectations you may have about this topic. I just want to post my thoughts about if they end up doing a season 2 or they just let it here. Also, this will have to do with the reasons how this would or wouldn't happen. What could possibly happen in the story is for another conversation.

Knowing the adaptation was officially announced in 2024, and its original date of release was in 2025, one can think they started to work on it since one point between 2022-2023. But then, on July of last year, they delayed its release date to 2026 due to production issues.

The main director of the series said in the early screening of the final, more than a week ago, that they decided to make an open ending because they wanted Syundei to continue the manga without any kind of conditioning factors.

What I think is that the production staff should've had this same thought when they where writing the episodes, that was like 3 years ago. And after all the time that passed since then, where the series was animated and released, Syundei hasn't published anything yet. However, because the anime studio and the producers were in constantly contact with her (based in the notes she gave them, for example, cutting most of the scenes of Otogiri and Hirose), they should've been attentive to that situation.

For the same reason, IF they were 100% sure they didn't want to continue the series, whether they were satisfied with the story ending there and/or the lack of more material to adapt, in the last stage of production (which should've ended most likely at the end of 2025/beginning of 2026) they COULD'VE just cut the post-credit, so they don't create expectation on the audience to a possible continuation (because the intention of that scene is obvious), but they didn't. That means they HAVE the intention to follow up the season, even if they don't have more story to work with (or at least, a published one).

Does this mean they WILL make a second season/OVA? Of course not. As with most of series, the main factor that determines that is the financial success. I'm not into that area of anime, so I can't really talk how well or not the series has been doing, and truth is, the only people who knows exactly that information are the animation studio and the distributor.

There's another factor that might influence here, and that's Syundei situation. One can only guess how much or less she worked on an hypothetical 3rd Volume of the manga since she published the 2nd one in 2021, but the reality is that we really don't know anything about her progression. Besides, after the unfortunate incident of harassment she suffered on Twitter and the deactivation of her account, is unknown if she ever will continue working in the manga or not.

So, in the case they (the studio) DECIDES to continue the series, whether it ends up being profitable and/or for their merely wish to keep working on it, they'll have to see (or already have) what material Syundei has been working on and what they could use to make a season 2/OVA. There's also the chance that Syundei, if she decides to stop writing the manga or lead it in a different direction than the series, she could give total freedom to the production staff to make their own continuation. They already proved they're capable of creating original material to make work the anime, so it wouldn't be weird if they go for that path.

Whatever happens, the choice they'll take (I think) should be made, at least, in the short term (this year). It wouldn't be advisable for them to lost the momentum of the anime and wait too much to announce anything (in the case of a following up, the probably have projected numbers if they end up matching their intentions). In any case, if they decide to NOT continue it, whether their numbers aren't good and/or they compromise (too much) to wait to the author to publish anything, we'll have to accept that decision, as frustating as it could be. At the end, it's a situation the fandom has little or not chance to influence on, unless they demostrate their want to see more content by increasing the views and/or buying merchandise.

At this point, we'll only have to wait whatever announcement they could make in the next days, weeks, months or (let's hope not), years.

Good day everyone. As many of you may know, or if you don't, here's the information, the Japan early screening of the final episodes and the staff talk has already ended. So, even if in the rules of the event they'd prohibited the use of phones to avoid any leak, there's always the chance some spoiler (wheter image, video or just written information) might get out from there.

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So, I want to make a request to anyone who watched the screening or has/know about the ending: if you're gonna post any spoiler of the finale, PLEASE, use the corresponding tag and hide the words that says the info in the preview. There are people who can't wait and want the information as soon as possible (which is understandable), but, there are also people who, if they don't disconnect from here to avoid such spoilers, don't want their experience to be ruin by unwished leaks.

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I know that trusting the good faith of people on the internet can be deceiving, but in order to keep the good mood this subreddit has (mostly) kept, be sure to warn about what info you're saying here, at least until Wednesday when the actual episode releases.

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Thank you for reading.

Hi everyone. It definitely has been a rough week after episode 12, hey? Anyway, we're about a couple of days before the ending, and here I'm overthinking how they will end the story. Even though I had an idea how they'd adapt the Hana plot into the finale two episodes, the decisions the production team has taken about it surely has reconfigure the way things might go. But before explaining how they could manage the final episode, I will, like with the rest of the series, collect the main points that happened on episode 12 and analyze their subtext. Therefore,  use the interpretations I made and, along with the original material, try to predict the events that might happen so the series can have a satisfying conclusion.

As usual, the normal warning. This is an interpretation of the character's actions and thoughts, as the story events. Nobody, aside from the production team, the anime studio and the distributor, knows how exactly the anime will end. While there is a base of facts and suspicions most of us can have that I'll use, still, none of this information is sure to happen. At the end of the day, this exercise is an entertaining way to kill time before the expectation of waiting for the finale episode consumes us.

Also, since there will be a screening of the finale on Monday in Japan at 19PM (in the morning if you live under America's East Coast time slot), there is a possibility that spoilers of the ending may leak from there. Even if they'll have restrictions to avoid such a situation, you never can be really safe on the Internet. So, unless there would be a way to prohibit its diffusion on this subreddit, it would be a wise decision to leave any interactions on social media about this series if you don't want to get spoiled. Kind of contradictory to say that while many of us break our heads thinking how all of this will end, but since the discussion about the series has been (mostly) pretty good over here, I think the best way to enjoy the finale and the creator's efforts, it's to watch it free of unwished information.

So, enjoy it, or not.

Episode 12 (Valentine's Day and Hana):

https://preview.redd.it/61nii22ved7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=4255e1c29cb712859506d431e5e788cce68c5dce

• A little side note about this detail, that would explain, somehow, why Kana acts the way she does with Nakamura. While her aggressive attitude and her apparent indifference towards his brother's problems can be annoying, the fact that, aside the little chocolate balls she made for her friends, she cooked a heart-form cake, implies she's in a similar situation than Nakamura and that's why she may understand what his brother is feeling and decides the best way to help him is giving him space.

https://preview.redd.it/46czcy7xed7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5de334951164be997492cc0601d852ac966e2462

• Then, we jump to the first pivotal scene of the episode. Nakamura failed to find time to give Hirose chocolates, but, fortunately, he found him alone at the school's entrance when everybody had already left. In the previous scene, Hirose told Oomori he had something to do so he couldn't go with him after class. Him being there, alone, and doing nothing, can mean he was expecting somebody, and since Hana hasn't (apparently) appeared yet, the only person he would expect to (and knew that was busy doing something else) was Nakamura.
• Hirose seems pretty nervous talking to Nakamura, which is weird considering he never felt like talking to him. In a doubtful way, he asks Nakamura if he received chocolate from anybody in his class. Why does he ask that is the question that many of us have been asking, and since we never get a view on Hirose's thoughts, there isn't a correct answer. The way I interpret the reason behind his doubt about Nakamura's situation, based on my own thoughts and other people's theories, is that he wanted to know if Nakamura had someone special for him, giving him chocolate for romantic reasons.

 

Why would he care about that? Well, since it's never said when Hana proposed to him to be her boyfriend, and by the time in which this scene takes place (end of the school day), I understand she did it before this conversation. The thing is that Hirose didn't give her a fast answer, because he wanted to consult Nakamura.

https://preview.redd.it/nqfapbq2fd7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=7688c8a6b9aaf735f0e40af139914a738139cc2e

• So, it's understandable he wanted to talk with Nakamura about this topic because he considers him the type of friend who would give him good advice. But that's not the only reason he's nervous. As we may recall of the hints and clues the series has been showing, after episode 6, Hirose started to notice Nakamura in a different way than his other friends, a special one, you may say. I believe he was slowly falling in love with Nakamura, but didn't realize it because he never considered having romantic thoughts towards a guy. The moment I feel he actually realized it was when he saw Nakamura's new haircut at the end of episode 11, by understanding he did that because he suggested it on Yokohama. Therefore, he already knows he feels something for Nakamura, but is conflicted by it.

 

Also, we can add another element to justify his attitude: he suspects Nakamura is gay. This comes not from an exact scene, but by considering the amount of time they spent together, the unintended clues his friend left there to see and how he realized (because he's pretty aware of his surroundings) Nakamura's shy and clumsy attitude when he's with him could be justified in a possible interest beyond friendship.

https://preview.redd.it/dzuhucb5fd7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=11691484f085e2b55287626f640c60c1a2378cd9

• Nakamura answers negatively to Hirose's question, and while he accepts it, he acts even more nervous. Then, he starts to tell him "well, actually...", but doesn't end the sentence. What he actually was to tell Nakamura is a bigger question fans have been asking, since the interpretations are many. With what I established before, we have the reasons why he acted like that, but what he was about to say is still a doubt to me. He could have said he actually didn't receive any chocolates either, as he could also have said he actually got some for him, as he could also have said he did receive chocolates from Hana in her proposal. Whether any of these options might be true, what Hirose understands of this question is more clear: there's nobody interested in Nakamura (for his relief) but also, if he'd said that he actually received chocolates, and suspects Nakamura could be into him, that would damage him. Of course, he wouldn't like that, but at the same time, he just can't openly say he's also into him, because he hasn't come to terms with his sexuality. Besides, due to his compliant nature, rejecting Hana would put him in a bad position. It's in this dilemma where Hirose ends up cowering himself and leaving Nakamura, so he can accept Hana's proposal and become her boyfriend.

https://preview.redd.it/sogecfm7fd7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=13c66e8ef29cde0c7181d1b94133addff35f302e

• On the other hand, Nakamura reads this situation completely differently. While he couldn't give Hirose his chocolates, he gets hope from what Hirose was about to tell him. When he reads the manga Kawamura drew him, Hirose's character says that "well, actually, I've always liked you". The mere start of the phrase makes him think that Hirose was about to confess to him, which is something that Nakamura never considered before this moment, and what will come next will make him understand the hidden reason for it.
• After finding out Hirose is in a relationship with Hana, he comes, at first instance, to the realization that it was inevitable for it to happen. While walking through many couples (all of them straight, reminding him the loneliness his homosexuality dooms him), he understands Hirose should be happy with Hana, even saying they make a good match. Sooner than later, we'll see that such a fact will hit him harder than he seems to look.

https://preview.redd.it/g08c4sv9fd7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=237f88595c196964a5993f029992fa155199fde4

• When Nakamura asks Kawamura to draw a continuation of his manga with Hirose, she makes no questions. This is because, as it's implied by the shot’s angle, Nakamura has been crying and has a bad look, and since Hifumi already knows about Nakamura's interest on Hirose, and definitely heard of his new girlfriend, just with one look, she understands why Nakamura is asking her to do such favor.

https://preview.redd.it/f4pd9ubbfd7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=d47b09c989aef3c5740d4a33a68ce352103fcce3

• In the second pivotal scene of the episode, Nakamura cries his heart out about Hirose's new relationship. He decides to read Kawamura's manga to get some relief, but by doing that, he starts to really understand the truth he unconsciously hid about his intentions with Hirose. If you remember, after episode 6, Nakamura never says explicitly he wants to become his couple. At most, and guided by his dream in episode 8, he believes at one point he may kiss Hirose, but this thought is more based in a fantasy than anything factual. Because he's never honest with himself and, therefore, with Hirose about his real intentions, he hides them behind the wish to deepen his friendship bond, but not going further with it. The fact that he's with someone else now ends up highlighting it and making him confront his biggest fear: that he never stood a chance to be with Hirose and the best thing he could be for him is his friend.

 

The text of the manga functions as a contrast of what he wished could happen, but at the same time, works as the fake realization that he still can be friends with Hirose even if he has a girlfriend. Yet, the truth notices most. Like he says at the end, if Hirose is happy, why couldn't he? The answer is obvious at this point: he can't be happy for him because he wants to be with him.

Episode 13’s predictions:

This section will be divided in two parts. The first one will have two subdivision’s: one will collect the facts, hints and suppositions related to the final episode’s resolution of the anime and the other will recap the scenes that episode 12 left to adapt from the original chapter in the manga. The second part will be a kind of summary of the scenes that might happen in episode 13, based on the points the previous part took and how they would change, add or cut the scenes of the manga’s chapter due the recontextualization the anime made of it.

Anime:

• Since the possible resolution of the main conflict the last episode left (Nakamura trying to get together with Hirose) is strongly linked on each character’s knowledge about their feelings and the other one’s, it’s necessary to left clear what are the thoughts of both Nakamura and Hirose about the relationship situation:

Nakamura KNOWS he’s gay, KNOWS he’s in love with Hirose and WANTS to be with him, even if at the ending of episode 12 he tries to convince himself of the contrary. About his crush, Nakamura DOESN’T KNOW Hirose might like him as more than a friend and also DOESN’T SUSPECT Hirose might know he (Hirose) knows about his (Nakamura) crush on him.

On the other hand, Hirose IS IN CONFLICT with his sexuality because he KNOWS he’s fallen in love with Nakamura, and therefore, is DOUBTFUL about if he wants or not to be with him. About his crush, Hirose SUSPECTS Nakamura is gay and might like him in a romantic way, but DOESN’T SUSPECT he (Nakamura) might know he (Hirose) is secretly in love with him and that he (Nakamura) knows that he (Hirose) knows about his sexuality.

It’s kind of complicated, I know, but since the series decided to have a pretty limited POV, we just have to assume the information that isn’t confirmed by associations and assumptions based on the characters actions and words.

• Hirose has been in a relationship with Hana since Valentine’s Day, which fell on a Friday. Nakamura learned about it at the end of the Monday after the weekend that followed the previous day. He watched them interact, heard Mukai and Takeuchi’s gossip about them and spent the school day skeptical on Tuesday. The same day, when he was coming back from school, he accepted reality. A few days happened between that scene, he asking Kawamura to draw him his manga continuation and the final scene, due to what her sister tells him (he’s been crying at the nights), so we can assume he crying in his room and going to the viewpoint might happen on Friday, a week since Hirose started his relationship.

https://preview.redd.it/00m3dtuffd7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=ac76a1e203374c7711db92782b884cc91fbea555

• The octopus pens. Even if they didn’t appear on episode 12, the fact they created the first half of episode 11 to show them in the end and made them relevant, means they would probably appear again in the final episode, also supported in the manga chapter it’s based on.

https://preview.redd.it/w0iiryhifd7h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=1dbddcf0b1c23baa42a675b9f0ab2c66f3354e3b

• Episode 6’s core moments. These would be: the aquarium scene, where they highlight Nakamura’s liking in octopus and his shyness about it as a metaphor of his homosexuality and how people would consider it weird, and when Hirose tells him that’s nothing to be ashamed about his liking; the Hirose being honest scene, where he reveals Nakamura what does he think about his friends and his disliking about them talking about girl stuff; the in-front-of-the-sea scene, where Nakamura dares to hold Hirose’s hand to avoid him to go with his friends, which is something he actually didn’t want to do, and how he justifies his actions with the honest theme Hirose told him in the aquarium; and the friendship confession scene, where Nakamura “goes for it” and asks Hirose to be his friend, which makes him feels a bit skeptical, but solves the situation by asking Otogiri to take them a photo, at the same time he tells Nakamura he thought they were friends already.

Manga:

• The anime’s episodes 12 and 13 are based, in the most part, on Chapter 5, Vol.2 of the original manga. By watching that the first third of episode 12 was original content, and the second and part of the last third of it were mostly an adaptation of such work, but only half of its scenes appeared yet, it’s normal to think they will adapt what’s left of the chapter on episode 13.
• There are 4 scenes they didn’t adapt from the original chapter.

https://preview.redd.it/i6nd0rq9gd7h1.jpg?width=1123&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce79118d69a42ab2b1e70d48ba8696a595fbd550

The first one is where Hana comes to Hirose’s classroom to ask him to go to a new cafe when they walk home that day. Hirose seems uncomfortable by her proposal and he’s molested by his friends, all of this being watched by Nakamura.

https://preview.redd.it/znr5cewagd7h1.jpg?width=1123&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56af73765a395dd7c9e27f0a25afc8b25d0bd8a6

The second one is where Nakamura is changing his shoes at the school’s entrance and Hana accidentally collides with him, causing his octopus pen to fall to the flat. Hana notices it, gives it back to him and reunites with Hirose, asking him if that guy is his friend. Hirose says he is while they’re leaving the school, which makes Nakamura finally accept Hirose’s relationship and even thinking that he’ll crush anyone if they try to separate them.

https://preview.redd.it/4rc5jsicgd7h1.jpg?width=1123&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d030b9774939c705c179434760dd4a6bcceb05c4

Two weeks happen before the third scene, where Nakamura is asked to take the trash out during cleaning time at high school. At the backyard, he watches Hirose and Hana discussing, leaves them alone and almost immediately, Hirose catches him, telling he was dumped. He explains to Nakamura that Hana broke up with him because she thought he wasn’t as fun as she expected to be. Nakamura, unconsciously, tells him Hana didn’t understand his charm. He realizes it and asks his friend if he’s sad about it. Hirose denies it and says he didn't know how to act with her, that he felt frustrated and, what’s most important in this exchange, that he’d prefer a guy to talk to about stuff like he does with Nakamura. This is the biggest hint the manga made that could imply Hirose might like boys. Then, he warns Nakamura to not tell anyone and leaves him, while his friend is relieved by the outcome and glad Hirose told him how he felt.

https://preview.redd.it/zcix7skdgd7h1.jpg?width=1123&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bac7fd60347889f7ecb21ba94d43a48144358e95

The fourth and final scene of the chapter happens between Otogiri and Hirose. The first one finds the second one thinking about what happened, while he keeps his eyesight to the sky through a window. Otogiri tries to guess what’s the topic Hirose seems worried about, and nails his prediction suggesting it was girl problems. Hirose doesn’t answer him and Otogiri goes further in his doubt and asks him if they (Hana and Hirose) kissed. Hirose’s ashamed look suggests Otogiri they did and tells him if he thinks that it wasn’t great, to which Hirose asks what would be so great about it. Hirose tries to continue the conversation, but Otogiri tells him he has to leave and they could continue it in his car. Hirose asks for confirmation and Otogiri warns him to not tell anyone, to which Hirose accepts, ending the chapter there.

• As we can see, the scenes just described here are unable to be adapted as they are in the anime. First of all, the context of the chapter happens on the manga timeline makes it seem like another tale on Nakamura’s everyday life, while in the series it’s the final plot. The new scenes they added in episode 12 recontextualize the events, linking them to the Valentine’s Day chocolates and a failed Hirose’s confession to Nakamura. Besides, the tone the anime’s episode presents it’s more dramatic as the story goes, while in the manga the angst moment doesn’t last very long. Finally, since the series has taken different choices than the manga did, and one of these was to divide the chapter’s plot in two episodes, there’s just not enough material left to work in episode 13. Unless they extend the scenes described before, they necessarily have to create an original ending to close the main plot and the character arcs.

What could possibly happen on Episode 13:

• I think they’ll adapt the first scene of the manga practically the same, so it would be the opening of the episode. What happens there shows the establishment so far: Hirore it is his relationship with Hana (but starts to seem uncomfortable with it), his friends mock him for that and Nakamura watches the situation, still a bit depressed.
• Then, they’ll keep the dynamic by adapting the second scene of the manga, Hana collides with Nakamura, notices his octopus pen, goes with Hirose and asks him if that guy is his friend. He would answer yes, but he would seem more doubtful. As Nakamura decides to actually support Hirose’s relationship, we would start to see Hirose’s POV thinking about his discomfort with Hana and how he feels bad about Nakamura.
• They’ll make the two week timeskip, and we’ll be jumping between Hirose and Nakamura’s POV. There will be something that causes tension between Hirose and Hana, probably the fact that she dislikes her boyfriend's disinterest in their relationship. She could notice he might be interested in someone else, and Hirose’s octopus pen would be the hint that reveals her that person is Nakamura. They would follow their discussion in the backyard at the same time Nakamura goes out to take out the trash. He would find them and Hirose’s look on him, charged by the feelings he has for him are being brought to light, would make him break up their relationship, as Hana, by looking how Hirose sees his friend, would understand she has nothing to do there.
• Hirose would catch Nakamura leaving the place, and would tell him about his break-up. The dialogue and Hirose’s relaxed tone in the manga would be different here, since the reason for his actions are his feelings towards Nakamura. Though, even if he overcame his problems of being a compliant person and being honest about what he wants, he doesn’t have the necessary strength to confess to his friend because he hasn’t come to terms with his sexuality. But, when Nakamura tells him that Hana might haven’t got his charm, he would confirm his suspicion about what his friend feels for him. So, being already free from a relationship, he would decide to give Nakamura a last hint of what he actually feels for him. That would be the dialogue about his preference to talk to boys about personal stuff. Having said that, and waiting for his friend to make the next move, he leaves him.
• The previous points would make half an episode, but there would be another half to complete with original content (it’s implied the Otogiri and Hirose’s scene is entirely cut for obvious reasons). To be completely honest, I’m not sure what exact events could happen in this part. In any case, what I’m sure that HAS to happen is Nakamura confessing to Hirose, and him, without any doubts already, would correspond to his feelings (and, in the best of the scenarios, there might be a kiss). Narratively, it would complete Nakamura’s arc to understand that he has to be true to his feelings and “go for it”, and not just in a blind way, but with the hint Hirose left him in the previous scene. It also would compensate for the “all is lost” moment that happened in episode 12 with a positive outcome for the characters. Finally, and this is the biased part of me talking at its loudest, it would be the resolution I want (talking about in a general way, not the exact events that I say could happen).

Conclusions:

I really thank you for coming all this way to read my theories and delusions. Like I warned at the beginning, part of the information I presented here are only my interpretations and suspicions about the series and what possibly could happen in the ending. This is, like other one said here, a fun exercise to analyze the anime we loved so much.

I also want to remind everyone that, whether the series ends the way it does, as it’s a happy ending (hopefully), an ambiguous ending or any other option, don’t get mad if your expectations don't happen on it. Even all of us are biased by our own likes and ways of thinking, by keeping the critical thinking, the media literacy and, above all else, respect for someone else’s opinion (as long it’s justified), we can have better exchanges between us and try to give a better impression of this fandom that unfortunately already had the author’s incident we all know that happened.

Again, thanks for reading and any comment, doubt, thought or complaint you may have, let it down in the comment section. I’ll try to answer you the time I have left here before the spoilers that may leak from the Japan screening tomorrow arrive (let’s hope not).

Original tweet

A Twitter user noticed that in the Spanish (my native language) dubbed version of episode 12 they changed the poem Nakamura says in class to one written by the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, which has a very similar meaning than the original one.

In the tweet, the user explains it better. I just wanted to highlight it here so we can see how much dedication they've put in the series production, in this case, even in the dubbing.

Hi everyone. So, we are at the final moment of the series. Knowing there will be 13 episodes (at least, for now) and, by outside information, we know the last two will be interwined, I decided to do a little contribution to the community and recap the episodes we've seen so far.

But I won't hightlight the obvious important moments. I choosed to focused more in what we can see "between the lines" of such. Since this series is a slice of life romcon, the narrative is not guided mainly by character actions and important events, but for character interactions and coincidences of life. That's part of the reason why many of us felt dissapointed that the latest episodes didn't almost show plot development. Understanding that, I rewatched the series and tried to get what they wanted to tell us in the subtext, the symbolism and the analogies presented behind the surface.

Having said that, I want to clarify this interpretation isn't final, it's just what I (and what other people here posted that I share opinion with) understand about the anime. At the end, given that the series doesn't show as many events as we would want to advance the story, we have to work with what we have. See it as a way to clear any doubts about what happened so far and, if you may, setting aside some possibilities that can happen in the ending which the points I present might rectify.

The last thing before starting. English is not my native language and I apologize for any misinterpretation of gramatical mistake that could be in the analysis. I easily could've done it in the language I use, but for the reason of practicing my English, I tried my best to say it in said language.

Enjoy it, or not.

Episode 1 (Introduction/Cooking class):

https://preview.redd.it/cfcxjtqqi66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=a4b7c6b0c3b1a83c477d85af3fc2ae541d71e34f

-Maybe the only thing noticiable is that the series plot starts one month after the beggining of the first year and, by the timeline until now, the finale may take place at the same moment on the second year. Also, the fact that in the intro, Hana appears with petals going down her hair, and such are seen growing in the threes of the high school at that time of the year, reinforces that point.

Episode 2 (BL manga):

https://preview.redd.it/uxr8t3yti66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=7a640649356eb049203b147df3c9fbb09f4c6eaf

-The BL manga Nakamura reads presents two stereotypical characters in this kind of genre: Makanouchi, the active one in the relationship, trusted and sure of himself; and Taku, the passive one, doubtful and vulnerable at sight. Nakamura puts this idolization in his hypotetical relationship with Hirose, where he puts himself in Makanouchi's place and Hirose in Taku's, which is more obvious by how similar looking they are.

-When Hirose says there's no problem when finds out Nakamura might be reading BL, he doesn't seem to say that only because he's a nice person, but he's also open-minded. That would help to explain why Hirose acts in certain ways and does certain things that normally even people as nice as him wouldn't do, like following Takeuchi's plan or acting as a girl in Tamura's play.

Episode 3 (Kawamura):

-In this episode, we get to see a new POV: Kawamura's. We follow her during the episode, interleaving with Nakamura's POV so they end up the episode locked down with Hirose and discovered by the teachers. The important thing here is that, along with Otogiri and, obviosly, Nakamura, they're the only characters we get to see the anime events through their eyes, which means they're integral parts of the narrative and could help it to get resolved in the ending.

https://preview.redd.it/3dilh20yi66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=f9a120038dcd9a33bc66fcd65b7698f3be54b7b1

-By looking at Nakamura in the final scene and remembering how he leaned down to Hirose in the storage (and also, even if she doesn't bring it out, the manga Nakamura asked her to do earlier), it's implied she hints Nakamura has an interest on Hirose, therefore, he might be gay. She dissapoints for a moment, but when her crush asks her if she's okay, and she confirms it, it's understood she still appreciates him, but at the same time, debating with the option he might never correspond her feelings.

Episode 4 (Magic holy water):

https://preview.redd.it/6d1oywn0j66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=8c5c2237be5a53a4206b1890998613a704243d3a

-It's after their walk home together and the bullies incident when, at least to me, Nakamura becomes friends with Hirose, even if none of them say it outloud. The experiences they lived together (the cooking class, the cockroach, their lock down and this one), when both of them got to know the other better, and with the fact that each one saved the other of an uncomfortable situation, make possible to say that they created a bond strong enough to be something more than classmates.

Episode 5 (Jealousy):

-Hirose shows that he's not convinced following Takeuchi's plan to conquer Yamaoka, but not necessarily because he's uncomfortable with being physicaly with a boy (which also could explain why he didn't have problem taking the cockroach out of Nakamura), but because the plan itself is dumb. If he'd be the typical straight high-schooler boy, he wouldn't have helped Takeuchi in the first place, due what it takes to show affective with a boy and worrying about others can say about that.

-Following the previous point, the lack of worrying about being affective towards men, and the clear innocence he has about how to act with someone you admire, makes Hirose to show his affection with Otogiri in ways that are not really appropiate. Even the teacher tries to pull it out subtly saying it would be cute if Hirose were a girl by asking for his LINE, trying to make him uncomfortable for what he's doing. Hirose kinda gets it, but doesn't leave entirely his intention to connect with Otogiri. Sorrily for Nakamura, the place where he's in the scene limits him to understand the full context of the situation, which leads him to misinterpret the dialogue.

Episode 6 (Yokohama):

https://preview.redd.it/hr1xu457j66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab390126dfe33c642c9f0f3bb05c115bf24691f4

-One of the big merits of this episode is the framing and the way image composition tells what the characters and what they feel don't. In this case, during the first half of the narrative, these elements show Nakamura distant and alienated of the rest of his classmates. Before this, he didn't seem worried about this, he's been portrayed as someone who prefrers wander in his imagination than talking to others. But here, it's clear that such situation discourages him, maily because he sees how Hirose's friends can get along with with so easily while he can't.

-Otogiri says he had a reckless adolescense and he wished to have a teacher woho guied him, so that's the reason why he became a teacher in the first place. While Hirose, Oomori and even Nakamura end up admiring him for that, this information is and will be useful to understand why Otogiri is very attentive with his students and how he can notice stuff that aren't obvious to the rest of people. It also helps to understand why he prefers to be alone and his particular lifestyle.

-When Nakamura decides to leave Hirose and Oomori in order to go to the aquarium, it's implied that he relate in some way to what Otogiri said before, ad understands that he can't be so focused in one thing (Hirose) and letting it take his entire life. The decision to go to a place he actually wants to go instead of following what the others want gives more autonomy to his character, which, later, will be rewarded.

-Such reward arrives sooner than later, when Hirose surprises him going to the aquarium. Here, maybe not as clear as in the manga, but still understandable, Nakamura's like in octopuses and the way other people doesn't undertsand him and even mock of it can be an analogy of his homosexuality, as something that he accepts himself, but chooses to hide from others, being afraid of rejection. This doesn't happen with Hirose, who actually encourages him saying that his likes aren't weird and what't best is to be honest to who you are. Like with the BL manga, he shows he's open minded and he isnt't reluctant to learn about such likes.

https://preview.redd.it/w1ed8149j66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fe088b1b4d429d9f044719ed59e777d63680dc2

-This point is important, not only in this part of the story, but in what could happen in the ending. Nakamura says to himself he's happy to have fallen in love with Hirose. This works here because it reinforces his goal to become friends with him, but also, wheter he ends up getting together with him or not in the finale, he's proud of having experienced such feelings. This part represents what's most important in this story is the path, not the destination (even if the hints showed so far and the ones to appear could lead to a satisfactory ending).

https://preview.redd.it/jr7bod5bj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=56c0bba4c572112499b6cb0dc392085f720fc04f

-As framing and composition were mentioned as important elements in this episode, so does color. In the aquarium's resting place, it's orange, Hirose's color, the one who dominates the scene. Here, Hirose opens up to Nakamura about his friends and what he thinks about them. It's noticiable what he decides to say that disconformes him: their dirty talk and the girl-about talk. He mentioning such topics lets clear that he's not very interested about women, but nothing more than that, yet. Also, he saying to Nakamura he's the only one who he revealed that means he trusts him in a way he couldn't with Takeuchi, Mukai, or even Oomori.

-Again, Hirose didn't seem to care about much about personal space. Even knowing that Nakamura has a closeted personality, he still decides to touch his hair to indicate something he would like Nakamura to do, when he just could only leave it in words.

https://preview.redd.it/wovrdm1ej66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=f946750f643b9aeb083a0bf7d3d72a9b0892e243

-It's in this precise moment, in my opinion, when Hirose starts looking at Nakamura with a different light than his other friends. While Nakamura decides to be brave and take the iniative, Hirose takes it very softly and, even happy his friend did that. However, it will take more time in their relationship to Hirose to really understand what he likes in Nakamura. Since it's his first approach to this kind of feelings, it's normal that he doesn't realize of them inmediately.

-What I interpretate about Hirose's thoughts in Nakamura's confession, it's that, by the way his friend presented the situation, it looked like he was about to declare his love. This kind of situation normally doesn't happen when one becomes friends with others, it's something that it's implied due the amount and type of interactions these people have. That's why Hirose looks kind of concerned when Nakamura asks him to be his friend, and not because he wanted him to reveal his crush on him. Fortunately, he makes his way to get out of such awkard situation and oficializing his friendship with the photo Otogiri takes of them.

-So, this is how the first part of the season ends: Nakamura achieved his goal of becoming friends with Hirose, even if he didn't notice it until the very end, but still, he made it. Since the first presented goal of the anime is pretty clear, and it's inevitable it will be achieved, sooner or later, there isn't much need to use subtext to narrate the plot. The superficial events and the implications of them are enough to reach the conclusion, while there are some hints that would be useful for the further future. Having said that, now that the new goal of the series isn't as obvious as the first one, which is to deep the character's bond, not specifying how, there's more space for the subtext to appear.

Episode 7 (School ghost):

https://preview.redd.it/b9in2grgj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=86a1120f3c24bda301d05e74a7069f8cda2e5a00

-Since this episode happens after the first emocional climax of the story, it's normal that it has a more relaxed plot that reduces the previous tension. Maybe the only unresolved thing in it it's the ghost dilemma: did Hirose hold Nakamura's hand at some point or it was the ghost all the time? By crumble the sequence, I understand that the first option happened. The color of the hand in the first shot is more close to Hirose's skin color than in the later shots when the hand looks more pale. Besides, when the teachers find them, the position of Hirose's arm is suspiciouly near to where Nakamura's hand is. But, even with the explanation, I don't mean any romantic intention in this gesture. As seen before, Hirose doesn´t have problems to get physical touch with other guys. And knowing Hirose is a little fearful, it's normal to think that he reached Nakamura's hand to feel more safe (like he did with the belt before). Of course, when the fear got away, he released the hand and let the ghost to take it, while Nakamura didn't realize of this.

Episode 8 (Matsumura):

-When Matsumura reveals to Nakamura that Hirose actually doesn't talk to him regularly, ignore his messages and he even haven't meet his parents, means that Hirose isn't really just someone forgetful, but also someone who implicitely decides to set aside people he seems not really interested into. For a decency matter, he still treats Matsumura as a friend, but his treatment to him isn't really the best (which is something we could see repeated with Hana in the future).

-Nakamura says the experiences competition with Matsumura is 121 to 120. I wanted to bring out this detailed for two reasons: the first one is that in the half a year Nakamura knows Hirose, he shared almost the same amount of experiences with Hirose than Matsumura in years, which implies that Hirose prefrers spending more time with his new friend than with the other; the second one, and this one is about the series timeline, is that we didn't see that amount of experiences in the episodes seen so far. This means that there are other situations where Nakamura and Hirose interacted off-screen, which can help us to understand that their friendship isn't only build of what we see, but what we don't that isn't imperative to show, probably because such moments didn't have something noticiable to advance their relationship.

Episode 9 (Play):

https://preview.redd.it/vzy3pm6kj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5a0892d0cc6ee67d327aa8ef2144c3d53dc66584

-It's interesting that the two times Aokiyama gifted Nakamura a luck charm, they both worked in one way to another. This doesn't mean that luck is only reason why Nakamura gets to spend time with Hirose, it's more a combination of such luck, casualty and his own initiative. Even so, this "mystical" element makes you thing that there are some hidden force that pushes Nakamura's fortune.

-At this point, Kawamura hasn't a reason to believe Nakamura doesn't like Hirose. The art class portrait, the manga, the lockdown situation and this new portrait are enough proof of show an interest. Yet, she still shies when she talks to him, meaning that her crush on him isn't gone, at least, for now.

-It's a cute detail that Niou approaches Nakamura to ask him how is he and to give him the play poster. Since he discovered him sniffing Hirose and how shy he acted about that, he must understand Nakamura is lonely and doesn't interact well with people, which, by how his personality is, he can relate with him.

-Nakamura agreeing to participate in the play instead of Kawamura shows that he has become nore empathetic with the people he interacts with. While the reason of it can be the ways he finds out to deep his crush on Hirose, it also ended up helping him to grow as a person and to reduce his shyness in social relationships.

https://preview.redd.it/haw8yqlmj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=96d79ff8e1a9668cc9c4fa59784eceb9941df5f6

-While we know Hirose is very complacient and likes to help the people around him, the fact that he agreed to act as a girl in a play, with dress and all, is certainly interesting. He doesn't seem bothered about it, and even when her sister cheers for him, making him angry, he decides to follow the play and ending it up. And viewing how the script is, it seems Tamura wrote that role for him, which is noted when he tells Nakamura he will act with the "most beautiful woman on the country". He doesn't have problem to hug his femenine side, and that could explain, along with his affective displays to guys, that he can accept liking them in the future.

-Again, I want to highlight how Nakamura, throuht his interest on Hirose, could integrate better with his classmates. Even if they aren't precisely his "friends", he managed to interact with them enough to make them part of the world of the series, making it more real.

Episode 10 (Study and lunch/Autograph signing):

-When Otogiri says that Niou is jacked only for running, that comment feels a bit out of place, like he said with an inner convition but at the same time, he cut it out quickly because he realized what he said wasn't logical. It may seem that this detail isn't worth to talk to, but by the way it happened, and how Otogiri reacted surprised when Niou appeared in the door, makes the impression that the first one may have an subtle interest in the other one. This will be brought back later.

-Hirose still doesn't know about personal space, and he gets too close to Nakamura when he asks him for help. Even calls him senpai (master) for helping with with proverbs.

-The fact that Hirose supposes Nakamura is going to go with them when Mukai suggested to go for lunch, and he realizes he didn't think it, so he invites him anyways, represents that Hirose thinks of Nakamura at the same level than his other friends, but later we'll see that he treats him differently.

https://preview.redd.it/8hmglcrqj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7a889d7e9b40d5cf13f6b527db603391c84a223

-In this case, Hirose keeps his sight on Nakamura a little too long, and only Takeuchi's comment takes it away. Another hint that he perceives Nakamura in a certain way.

-As he did with the music question, and now with the videogame one, Hirose tries to pull Nakamura in to the conversation he has with his friends. This shows that he wants to integrate him inside his circle and, by that way, knowing him better.

https://preview.redd.it/0l9u6o7tj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=dec72a2f31e3685760f2ab0a13df791ce8ad454b

-If you notice Takeuchi and Mukai's glasses, they've been empty for some time, and yet, Hirose only asks to Nakamura if he wants him to refill his cup when he saw the moment there wasn't coffee in it. This gesture doesn't just mean that he's nice with Nakamura, but also, in that certain moment, he put him above his other friends just to be gentle.

-Following the previous point, when Hirose decides to make a joke on Takeuchi and keeping it in secret with Nakamura, reinforces the fact that he considers him in a different way than the others and trusts him things he couldn't say the other by how their dynamic is. Sorrily, karma attacked again, but for some reason, it has a personal deal with Nakamura.

-Niou getting ashamed by considering the nurse cute, makes a nice parallel when Nakamura went through the same thing with Hirose in episode 1. However, it's also noticiable that Otogiri watchs this interaction, drinking coffee (the same drink Nakamura just had) and keeping his eye on Niou before and after he meet the nurse. It doesn't state any true, but if they decided to make this scene, there should be a reason for making it in this way.

-Kawamura says something obvious for most of us but not for the protagonist: Nakamura isn't really cautious when reading his BL manga. He doesn't hide it while eating in the school, believing nobody will see him, which changed the moment Kawamura started to putting him a little more of attention. Yet, she accepts his liking and even share opinions on the manga, making it seem they're actually friends, even if she still get a little nervous with him.

-Someone already brought this out in other post but it notices that one of the plots of the Lovable Lunches manga, the one where Makanouchi and Taku discover a new taste, could be an analogy of what could happen in the future with Nakamura and Hirose, based in how the fictional character's stereotypes make a parallel on both Nakamura and Hirose, and that the "new taste" could be a symbolism of discovering a new feeling between them.

https://preview.redd.it/hlo2824xj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=522a71eeb9d6de16d63c54e6dbe7bb0b1df621e9

-This is more interpretation than anything, but when the mangaka sees Nakamura, the only boy of all the girl fandom present there, feeling nervous mentioning his love for the BL manga, it could be said that he watched himself on him and understood he liked his work because he's queer. Knowing that, he calms him down confirming him that he also considers the Taku character cute and asking his name.

https://preview.redd.it/gn04kxqyj66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=a1769738dc4714d55769e2034cb34dab9d03d921

-The previous point is followed in the final shot, when it's revealed that the mangaka not only drew Taku along his signment, but also encourages Nakamura by writing the title of the series. Like with the aquarium scene in episode 6, this metareference supports the idea that the most important thing of the series is the path Nakamura follows, not much the destination, as to what is being in love. Even so, what the title says could foreshadow how the main conflict of the anime would be solved.

Episode 11 (Christmas gift/Haircut):

https://preview.redd.it/3r6f6ps1k66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2b12ba5b1090cd3ebaa8f8285a96f5df8692cf4

-The way Hirose slowly leans to Nakamura's direction to say casually he wants the Aqua Pet's shirt as a gift, it's, at the very least, notable.

-This point is taken from another post made by other redditor, but I put it here because it was convincing. When Nakamura says that Hirose my not like the pens he bouhght because they're "more of his liking" can symbolize Nakamura's wish to share something very personal for him, his sexuality, to Hirose, but being afraid he won't like it because it's not what he wanted.

-Luckily for him, his clumsiness helps him to call Hirose's attention. Ironically, his nerves play against him and make him tell to Hirose that he wasn't actually to gift him the pink pen and decided to give it to him because he had one extra. Hirose dissapoints for a moment, but inmediately changes his reaction and thanks Nakamura. If it was Takeuchi, for example, the one who give him the pen, Hirose probably would mock of him, but since it's clear he treats Nakamura differently, he accepts it and even likes it.

https://preview.redd.it/9krlcao3k66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=a12c495df3a0b36914651175cc137e4e284b3de1

-As I said in a previous point of episode 6, we would see the reason why Otogiri likes to be alone and has a particular lifestyle. Now, it's showed to us that he lives alone in a little, disorganized and, better say, miserable place. But, apart from that, it's the framing of the shot when he trashes his cigarette inside the coffee can what interests me. The fact that only the "BL" letters appear inside the shot, and based in the presented evidence about his live and attitude, it seems, not confirmed, that Otogiri might be gay. And not only that, the way they present him and his loneliness, and that his character functions in one point as someone Hirose's into, can be interpretated that Otogiri represents what Nakamura could become if he doesn't "go for it".

-Said parallel continues in the haircuts scene. While Nakamura acts insecure and shy by being cut in a fashionist place, Otogiri seems relaxed and quiet being cut in a more familiar place for him.

https://preview.redd.it/1kyxh5j5k66h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab1ce2c76257c68e2cfed2f5f1ae74276ca2793b

-Finally, it's the last scene of the episode what calls more my attention. The series, in general, has been keeping one dominant POV: Nakamura's. After him, there are a couple of characters who also had thier POV in the narrative: Kawamura and Otogiri, the first one most than the second one. There's also have been little moments where the focalization has been general, or centered in minor characters, like Matsumura, but they're so few that don't impact the story in a meaningful way. The thing is that in this scene, we see for the first time Hirose's POV. It doesn't last long, but it's noticiable when Hirose goes back to the hallway to see again Nakamura, who he didn't recognize, and asks himself who might that student be, and inmediately he touches his hair bangs, which means he realizes the student is Nakamura by remenbering he told him back in Yokohama he would look cooler without them.

Conclusions:

So, to summarize the important points that I intended to interpreteate and that can create a framework in which the final episodes could go through, would be:

-Hirose isn't straight. All the clues showed so far tend to hint he might like boys. This would be confirmed if they adapt the conversation he has with Nakamura in the Hana's manga chapter.

-There are some characters that know, or at the very least, suspect something happens between Nakamura and Hirose, being them Kawamura, Otogiri and, maybe Niou (I don't count Matsumura because it's obvious he knows but I highly doubt he will appear again). These characters could have an important role in solving the main character's relationship.

-There wouldn't be a bad ending, understanding that this would imply Hirose rejecting Nakamura's feeling or, worst, making Nakamura realize he's okay just being friends with Hirose and not saying anything. This would contradict all the tension and expectation the show created (without counting the marketing, twetts of production staff, etc), making the anime dissapointing and wasting the chance to close a series that has been pretty good in general.

-Wheter it ends with Nakamura and Hirose getting together or something more ambigous, by how the show highlighted here and there that Nakamura has to "go for it", there would definitely be a confession situation (unless they announce a second season, which is unlikely at this point).

Thanks for reading this short recap and again, apologies for any mistake made. Any comments, thoughts, opinions will be recieved. If some of the points I presented were made by one of you before, say it and I'll give you the credit. And remember to not lose your heads if what really happens at the ending isn't what you personally wanted. We can be critical without being (too) parcialized to our own likes.

Ok, first of all, damn you chinese user for posting a fake leak. We knew the chance of it being unreal was high, yet, our desire of information overwhelmed us.

Now, about the episode: I think most of us have to do a mea culpa for believing and saying this episode would be the girlfriend one. We did create expectations about something we were unsure of and that's part of the reason this chapter feels useless. And it kinda is. The first part was actually nice, watching Nakamura and Matsumara compiting for a gitf for Hirose and at the end, leaving their goal to help a child in need. It gives dimensionality to both characters and doesn't leave them as only obsessive guys about their love interest.

But the second part, that really felt like nothing (except for the finale). There's no an actual goal to show us how Nakamura gets a new haircut, and I also didn't understand why they did the parallel with Otogiri, unless they give him a protagonic role in the last episodes. The only thing worth of this sequence was the mistery about how the new haircut looks like, but since Hirose already saw it, the impact kinda lost its stenght.

Overall, it's one of the weakest episodes of the show, and that's mostly because where it is in the timeline. There's only TWO episodes left and the surely will be about Hana. I've been worrying how the series didn't advance its plot throuhg the second part of the season (except episodes 9 and 10) but noticing the genre of the anime, I ended up taking it out importance believing they would throw everything in these last episodes. Well, they didn't do that and definitely let themselves the drama to work to in a shorter amount of time.

The thing here is HOW they'll adapt the manga's chapter in the end. We don't know if they will make it fit in one episode and letting the last one to be original, or if they'll will extend the plot for both episodes. This also means we can't be sure if they gonna make Nakamura and Hirose to get together in the end or not (knowing most of us want the first option), so we only have the signs the series has left so far and our minds to predict how the finale it's gonna be.

Having say that, and being frustrated myself, DO NOT LOSE YOUR MINDS. Taking for granted the series will end badly or with an open ending (supposing there won't be a season 2) and giving up on it will not lead us to anything good. As far this subreddit has been with the anime, even with the author's situation, we have been taking it good posting theories, opinions and art, so don't let your dissapointment to overpass this place ambience. That doesn't mean we stoping critizing things when we think these aren't good. Moreover, if the anime ends up in a bad way, let's bring out the scythe, I will be the first one, but it's better to wait what REALLY happens in the series. It's gonna a LONG wait until next week, so let's relax a bit and took some air.

It's kinda hard to talk about this episode while it feels it shouldn't be like that. By itself, I think it was good, better than the last two episodes, actually. While the first third felt a little slowed, the second and the third ones took the stories pace better (mostly because it's the manga's chapther adaptation). The best highlight is how the rest of the anime's cast are integrated in Nakamura's luck travel to be alongside Hirose in the play. This makes the protagonist's world more present in his life and Nakamura himself feels more confortable with the people around him. Besides, they managed to change the stage scene to make it work with the cronology of the series, mantaining Nakamura and Hirose's cute moment in the play.

However... the problem here arises on the episodes that are left. Thinking that they would close the story in one season, I think four episodes maybe not enough to make a satisfactory conclusion. And I say this not really blaming this episode, but the latest one, At least this one developt characters we'll keep watching, while episode 8 did it with one that probably we'll never see again. It's a fact that we'll get to see original content to fill the gaps to end the season, but at the same time, it feels the writers fought very hard to fit the manga chapters in a plot that should end in 13 episodes.

Also, we barely see any advance in Nakamura's relationship with Hirose. He acts with him as a friend (even with the natural nervousness that take talking to your crush), but we are at a point where, if they plan making Hirose corresponding Nakamura's feeling, it doesn't seem that he can make his feelings grow towards the protagonist. I really hope we get to watch a Hirose's POV episode in the future, because keepting the focalization on Nakamura the whole time, makes that any possible ending would feel incomplete. In summary, with the latest episode and, in some part, with this one, it feels they aren't using the time they have in an effective way.

With the leaks there have been telling how the next episode will be, I really hope they use it wisely to develop the main characters relationship and lead it to another narrative peak in the finale. This week's episode made it well, but it's time to the series to be a little serious again.