AWTY 185 - M&S (Sasaki and Miyano)

Normally, so don't get it.

Hello and welcome to are we there? Yet another exploration and education and anime. I'm your anime idiot, patrick dugan.

I am an anime expert, D hollander.

And I'm brenda mccullough, your anime, Burton ernie, who are just two grown men who are good friends, nothing else. Twins, pals, guys being good.

They were roommates.

They were roommates.

They were roommates.

Oh, my God.

Well, I sense a theme.

We're watching run two Manhattan, my favorite anime. I would love to give us a Muppet. There might be one. Sure. Muppet anime. I'll look into it. I'll get back to you.

Pause the show. This is more important.

Muppet. Dear Jim henson, count as a muffin anime. Miss piggy baby is so centre. It's weird. Don't remember that.

Not that I see.

Damn it.

So there's an opportunity.

Write that down.

Write it down.

Tmtm trademark.

This other IP gonzo Isakai.

He pretty much isn't an Isaaci.

He was an alien in that one movie.

Whoa.

Okay.

Sorry. She just got lost and thought in an idea we actually enjoy, I was.

Going down Japanese muppet wormholes. We can't do that. What are we watching this week?

The pascal.

This week we're watching sasaki and miyano, which I had heard of and I think actually Ribbonquest probably mentioned to us on Twitter, shouts out to Ribbonquest. Our consistent interactor on Twitter, the recommender.

Who knows what we like doesn't give us that bad shit. Thanks again.

Thank you for being a savior in these rough choppy water.

All your hard work.

So, yeah, I hear we're dipping back into the gay. Well, do you know the deal?

What's up with that?

Yeah, that's like the one thing I know about this show is that it's two boys and they exchange manga. I'm interested.

What more do you need in life?

Exactly.

Brendan, is this a series you are familiar with?

I've seen it floating around because it's new. So I've seen, like, the episodes coming out and I saw, like I got a promotional image. The image they kind of use for all the episodes and shit. And I was just like, oh, it's given. But the redhead's tall now.

Okay.

And that's really all I know. And from what I hear about it, that's kind of what it is.

Another one.

Another one.

Got to rack them up.

Love our gay redheads and anime.

Oh, hey. Yeah, reiki has red hair too.

I talking to Song the other day about skating infinity. It's not super. It's not your way on ice. Making out on a skating rink in front of an international audience gay. It is objectively gay, though. skate the infinity is very gay. I will die. Absolutely.

I mean, Adam at least Adam and his butler have a weird thing going on.

I mean, sherry and Joe, like, all of them do.

Yeah, they're all I'm sorry, is it a common opinion that people think it's straight?

I'm sure someone would argue it since they never explicitly say, yeah, I think.

It'S that explicitly that doesn't happen. People are like, oh, it can be hand waived. It's like no, it can't. I think people are less arguing that it is straight and more people are arguing that it isn't gay enough. And I'm like, it's pretty gay.

It's pretty gay. Anyway, in terms of anime, that's pretty gay. Your dog again, not a kiss. Like in uri on ice. Flip. Flip my hair. I'm flipping my hair that I don't have. But anyway, this I've heard is gay.

It might also be pretty gay.

I said it's time. And I pressed the button. Pressed to the gay button.

You saw my birthday was coming, the.

Fire alarm and gay anime just shot out of the ceiling.

Match me in the nose.

We got a very unique sprinkler system here.

If there's ever a fire, we're fuck.

We're so fucked.

But it'll be affected.

We'll be in a good place when we all burn alive.

Yes.

Here, release a bunch of manga. It's just paper. It'll help, right?

Oh, God, they're beautiful. Burning, but beautiful.

At least we're dying with them.

You saw my birthday cut up and you're like, I need anyway, I need a ripcord. I need an emergency backup just in case we do end up watching digimon again.

Yeah, just had it loaded up. But let's stop talking about gay anime and watch some gay anime.

Yes. We're watching the first three episodes.

If they hold hands, we're going to lose for shit.

I'm not gay for you.

Literally, I'm not touching you.

Just teasing it out for 25 episodes.

Yes. So episode one, we see a kid getting bullied. And I saw that in the first, like, synopsis, or that's how it opened. And I was like, God damn it. It's somebody being bullied for being gay. But thank goodness that's not what's happening. Just some dumb kids.

It's like the one stray character in the show that's being bullied.

Yes.

This is me when we all hang out.

Yeah. The caveat of being excited for any gay media is just that asterisk of there's going to be a low moment where someone is homophobic to the main character.

You got to expect it. So, yes, kid is being bullied and the miano of the title is seeing it happen. So he doesn't know what to do. He calls a friend. He's like, I don't know what to do. Should I, like, go? Stop it. Then handsome boy comes up and tells him he'll take care of it. susaki, I presume. And then inner monologue. miano confesses that he admires sasaki from afar. And then they jump to three months after the incident and they're walking to school together. sasaki calls him cute and he's like, don't call me cute. I'm insecure about my feminine features. And then miano remarks that he feels like sasaki has been a bit much with the physical contact. And this was the first episode is The weakest of the Three because it jumps from time to time and it gets a little confusing. And this is the one with, like, the most weird remarks from miano in terms of real life things being made into BL manga. So in this instance, miano says something about slash art. sasaki doesn't know what that is. miano decides it's best he doesn't tell him.

I go outside fair, I touch grass.

I don't know what you're talking about.

But at this point I crossed off unlikable main character. I'm an otaku, but he's the most shameful thing. But everyone knows and is cool about it.

But sasaki does know the words moe, UK and semi. Not UK, UK. And those are moe I've heard recently. UK and semi I haven't heard in a hot minute. They'll be explained later. saski asks for monger Rex. He says he's been enjoying a series that his sister is reading, but he wants to read something that miano likes. So miyano offers something up and he says, don't take this out at school and also only read it in your room. But also understand I'm super not gay. I just like gay manga. That's a completely different thing.

I like to admire it from afar in a voyeuristic way.

Doesn't make it better.

So the next day sasaki read it. He says he liked it. miano doesn't want him talking about it in front of other people. But they're alone now and he says he likes that it was a detective story with romance and he liked the character arc. And miano is so excited. And this is where he explains what an uke is. An uke is a submissive one in the relationship. The semi is the dominant one. Sisaki says he likes to end a lot. miyano does too. And he's just going on and on and on. And sasaki is just like fully falling in love, being like, oh my God, he's so cute.

What the fuck? This show really hits the ground running of like there's no misunderstanding, at least for the audience. sausage deep into him.

Very gay.

Yeah.

And he asked literally the second scene where they interact. He starts out by calling him cute.

So, yes.

He asks miano to lend him another. And then later on in the day, he gives him some cookies to thank him for the manga. And Miyano's friends notice and they're like, is he, like, bothering you because he's one of those bad boys that has different colored hair?

When I see someone getting cookies from someone else, I go, hey, back off.

What the fuck is going on over there?

First thought is immediately like, I want cookies, the fuck?

But me and us says, no, he's cool. And then we're introduced to another boy here, ono, who is in sasaki's class. And he asks miano if sasaki it's okay that sasaki is visiting him. miano says it's fine. He's like, well, tell me about your love life here. I know. I hear you've been chatting with that basketball player with the cute smile, and he's like, don't fucking talk about that. We're just roommates. Wait, they were roommates? We said it earlier. And I was like, oh, no, wait, I have to say it later now that you mentioned.

Yeah. He says they're dorm mates, but no one else seems to be at the dorm. So I'm like, Wait, what school is this?

They go to an all boy school, and I guess some people live in dorms and some people live boarding school.

Sort of like, if you live close enough by, you can still travel.

Yeah.

Got you.

So hirono tells me I know that he's the one who told sasaki what class he was in, so he wants to be sure that sasaki isn't doing anything bad. sasaki bursts in the room and hirono tries to get him to leave, but he's just here to return the manga. So miano pushes him from the room so they can discuss. sasaki said he liked it. It's a comedy, and miyano is keeping track of what he likes. Again, sasaki is like, dang cute. And then Sasuki asks about whether miano likes spicy, not spicy stuff, sweet stuff, sweet snacks. But miyano likes spicy snacks because sweets hurt his tummy, but not spicy. Okay, yeah, that's very interesting. So they're walking home and chatting, and then Sausageki is remembering the day that they met. So flashback. He was passing by as miano was seeing the fight, and he could tell that he was, like, considering going to break it up. And he was like, I don't want him to do that. I don't think he can handle that kind of thing. He looks small.

Boy.

He goes up, puts his hand on miano's shoulder, he sees his face, and he's just like, again, what a gay gay. So he goes, breaks up the fight. After that happens, he's like, ouch, I got hit here. And goes up to him, asks where the bullies are. They left. saski is like, hey, where did that boy go? He's like, oh, he went to the nurse's office with his friend and here. And I was like, oh, but he wanted me to deliver this message. And he shows him a text message that thanks to Sasuki for what he did back in the present, sasuki had zoned out. It wasn't just like a fake flashback. He was literally thinking about it. And then the next morning, they're both on the train. sasuke usually takes a later train, but here they are together. miano thanks him for the cookies. sasuke, we find out, is good at baking, but not cooking. His mom and his sister are the cooks, but he makes dessert, which I think is sweet. I love a baker. They get off the train, mi ando comments that the ride seemed shorter because they were chatting. And then, like I said, the time jumps are weird in this one. There's another flashback, I think, because now it's sunny. miano came to visit hirano in Sasuki's class and sasaki goes up to him and kind of, like, stares at him. And he's like, yeah, because at first he was, like, unsure if he was a boy when he was looking at him from behind. So now he's like, yes, he is a boy, but he's just really feminine and cute. So he stares at him. hirono shoes him away. sasaki notices how close the two of them are and he says that he feels anxious. Back to the rainy day. sasaki is waiting it out and miano comes up to him. sasaki didn't bring an umbrella, but since they both take the train, they walk together and share miano's umbrella. Cute. And this was a moment when I was like, when is this? Time is confusing. I'm glad the other episodes are just one time because the way they decided to introduce these characters and how they met is a little bit of a mess.

Yeah. This entire episode is like these two boys being gay together and also remembering the first time they were gay together. It's like, okay, it's a lot of flat. It's a lot of, you know, two weeks prior, three weeks prior to it's.

Like, hey, hey, you're just introducing them to us. And it's not like hidden information. You could just show us this in sequential order.

Yeah.

What a concept. Somebody messed it up in the editing around.

Just put out less layers over the transitions and it'll look like a flashback. I was curious what time of year it was because at one point you do see saski just casually walking around with four layers on. I was like, bruh, why?

When is this so then we see miano and sasaki are chatting near the lockers. Sasuki was super late today. He's drinking a super sweet soda. And miano is like, Can I taste it? And he's like, you don't like sweet things, you know, but okay. Later on, miano brings sausa Key another manga. He also offers him some candy that his friends gave him. They have liquor in it. Oh, no. Little slice of life. Moment joke. S. S. That's what he's in my notes.

I just wrote the first letters, S and at weight.

Oh, fuck, no. I always put an s sausage. washes his mouth out, miano, and brings him the soda he was drinking earlier to get the taste out of his mouth. And then finally, another flashback. And it's the bullies from before beating up society, but it's a different day.

This was really confusing.

Yeah. Because they were not happy that he got in the way of them beating up a kid. And he's like, really not doing good. They really hurt him. So he's just sitting outside. miano sees him from a window and he's like, Are you okay? And he's like, Just don't tell anybody. I'm just going to sit out here. He thinks about how soft miano's hair looks. miano brings him a bandaid, and sasaki thinks about how kind he is. miano asks if he still needs help, and sasaki bursts out laughing. And in his head he's like, I don't think I've ever felt this way before. This is crazy. And then he, like, jokingly asks miano out. It's a joke. Ha ha ha. And then miano goes back to class and then back to this day. Sausiki thanks him for the soda, and he says ever since that first day, he's liked miano. So in the first episode, it's very clear, not just like from him calling him cute and stuff. He says, I like, this boy so cool. wacky start. But that's episode one.

Now that we establish that, I wonder how much longer we can drag it out.

Pretty long.

So starting out, episode two, we see them packing up in class, getting ready to go home. And suskie is like, hey, so we can go together. Catching the same train. Nothing to do with Juan to be near you, but me and O is like, oh, no, I think I'm going to go to the bookstore instead. I'll catch up with you later. And he's like, oh, no, I'll go to the bookstore with you. And all the classmates just, like, make eye contact and are like, okay. So miyano is super embarrassed because this is a shameful activity he is doing. So clearly everyone around him is so upset at the concept of this that surely he must be so shameful. But no, everyone's like, oh, yeah, the manga kids, all right. He's like, no, people are going to see me at a bookstore.

I'm a pariah.

And they all hated me.

Yes, that is sort of how I was summing him up this whole series. So, yeah, they go to the bookstore. saski has to go hide in, like, the other book rack because mia no is too embarrassed to look at. Yeah, we eat with them. So we see them later on eating lunch. And saski comes in and he's like, hey, you know that's super shameful manga? Well, I'm here to get it. And mie ando's like, oh, no. He runs up to him and he, like, hands him the very veiled bag, clearly not hiding anything less. You are being more suspicious, my dude.

Cool. What's more inconspicuous than a big blue bag with no branding on it whatsoever?

So we see the classmate Kirisawa. He's starting to clock like, you two are spending a lot more time together than you should for people not in the same grade. Goes up to the door and is like, handing it off to saski. He's like, hey, so you don't really give a shit about these books. Why are you interested in reading every single one that I own? And saska is just like, Well, I'm getting to know someone. I like, again, extremely ambiguous. That could mean anything.

He shouldn't joke around like this. He's a class clown. He's just playing goofs. Such a kid.

Or that one. And says it loud enough that the entire class hears. And mia knows, like, no, get out, kicks him out. And he doesn't want them to catch on to the thing that everyone is like, yeah, they're together.

Okay, that's fine. saski is going to have a long, loving, romantic marriage with his lovely husband. They're going to retire to the countryside. And miano is going to be like, when's he going to give up this git bit? When's he going to drop this goof that he's committing to for 50 plus years?

At their wedding? He's going to say, you do like me, right?

Are you slurving them? Like, yes, we're being married right now.

What?

You're sure this isn't a prank?

You've really commit to the bit? Yes. Not the loving relationship I thought we forged over the last 30 years.

So, yeah, a lot of this episode is just cutting two different scenes of them getting closer, being embarrassed, all that sort of stuff. So we see me. And again, I didn't think this came out this year because he has an ipod nano. He's just clicking through shuffle. Excuse me?

Shuffle. nano, I believe.

See, it's such old technology. I can't even keep it straight.

I still have an first gen ipod nano. It is, like, older than some of the people probably listening to us, which makes sense.

Yeah.

But you're you yeah, that checks out.

So skipping through sort of just like, okay, what's next? What's a good song? randomly shuffling through. And saski sneaks up behind him, takes off one of his ear pods and puts it in. And oh, it's a spicy audio drama.

Keep that on your Shuffle, where you can't actually pick any of the things you want to listen to.

You know how you just shuffle around between various chapters of audio books? You never know what's going to come up next.

It's fun.

Yeah. For someone as ashamed as he is, he has to have some sort of, like, someone's going to find me out cake because he's bringing so much evidence, this thing he is so ashamed of. But yeah, he's super embarrassed. He's like, oh, no, it's just a different form of the thing you like. And again, just reiterates, this is shameful. This is nothing you talk about in front of people. Even though two kids walk by are like, hey, manga kid.

Hey, boy. Love kid.

Yeah. So here we go into the scene. I'm sorry this was wasted on me. I'm sure others would be delighted to describe this scene. They're just the two of them in a dark classroom, natural setup, where they have Soski is like, hey, want to play a game that we play in the upper class? It's very refined and very sophisticated. It's pocky chicken. So we're going to just lady in the tramp. This paki that's the game.

That's it. That's it.

Listen, as someone who was maybe gay in middle school still figuring it out and a fucking weeb, I did this. I find this extremely relatable. Did I say to my friends who were girls, hey, do you want to play the hockey game? Of course I did.

Yeah. Don't get me wrong. Gay chicken a key part of the middle. See, I just had the homophobic side of that, where it's like, we're going to play gay chicken, but if you don't pull away, we're going to beat you up because you're gay. It's like you proposed the game. What are you talking about?

You are the gay one here.

There's no winning for this. I love that. It was also because miano says that he doesn't like sweet stuff. So it's specifically Pocky, or rather pokey pokey that I guess is supposed to be like, more bitter flavored. And I took a screenshot of it because I love an offshoot brand name. Check that off the bingo card. But it just says, oh, yes. Pocky. Pocky men's.

That's real. They make pocky quote pocky for men. That's like dark chocolate.

What?

No, I didn't know that. Oh, no, that's real.

Is this, like dude wipes where it's like they're butt wipes, but for for men. It's like, what?

I thought that was isolated to America. No, don't do that. Japan, I expected more of you for some reason.

For some reason, after 180 episodes, I expected more for you. I don't know why.

At least to that level of toxic masculinity of, no, I'm not going to eat girl chocolate. I'm going to eat boy chocolate.

I can't eat strawberry. It's pink.

Okay, yeah. So they do pocky chicken, but it's just saski feeding some pocky and eventually goes like, oh, it's weird. I'm going to kiss your hand.

Can I just have it?

But yeah. So this happens. Mi leaves, and sosky is like, I wonder if he's letting his guardian.

My.

Dude, he was a centimeter away from making out with your knuckles. Yes. But he's like, I'm not sure what to do. It's harder to hide that I like him. Again, was that ever a choice you were making?

You're pretty bad at it then.

Yeah. So we see Kirisawa later on teasing me and Oak because he has the pokey. He's like, oh, you don't like sweets when I give them to you, but you'll take them from your boyfriend. And I didn't realize it was to.

Eat a kid that gave him the chocolate with liquor in it. I'm like, Where the fucking high school we're getting liquor chocolate from?

They again think they're being so discreet. It's such a shameful thing. A classmate comes up and is like, hey, me and saske, he's your boyfriend, right? And me and like.

Why would you think that?

And he's super defensive. But again, that boy is like, oh, no, I'm not, like, accusing you of anything. Just cool as long as you're happy. Whatever. And again, the only person who has a problem with this is me and Hell. But, yeah. So super defensive and curious. Like, yeah, no, he's a good guy. He is your boyfriend. That is cool. I like him. He's like, why? Because I was the kid saved from the fight. Wow.

It all happened together.

Check off, nerd check offs. We had to link all these characters together somehow. Not through class, not through not through them hanging out. There has to be some reason. So, yeah, saski arrives and ask if he gets hit on a lot because it's an all boy school. So some boys are dating.

Super okay. We're all fine with it.

Yeah. And he's like, oh, no. Well, you're into boy love stuff. Are you gay? And I was like, oh, no. I didn't get into boy love stuff until after I started going to boy school. As if that is the reason why you are not interested in men. Or this stuff about liking men. He's like, oh, it started as an accident. I read, like, a fanzine of a familiar character I liked, but then it got all sexy. But too late. I was hooked. So we do get a little bit of a time jump here. It goes from, like, fall to February very soon.

But now they tell us now they're like, wow, time flies.

It's been a month now it matters. So they're walking out, and sausage says, like, oh, I left one of your manga. It's in my class. And I was like, no, we have to go get it. What if someone sees a book in school? So they're walking home and they pass. I wonder why. Specifically, February. They had to set this up. Got to get the valentine's romance arc in while they're not dating yet. So they go in and they're, like, looking at a cute little packet of chocolates. And they both well, mieno has the thought, as sasuke says it out loud.

Oh, this would be a good plot.

Device and a romance, huh? They're so on the same page. They're so in love. But they want Saskis like, hey, let me buy you some chocolate, some valentine's chocolate, because I'm trying to hide it. And I was like, no, thank you. So then after credit scene, I had to check because I was like, that is a cute place to stop. They're gonna this is too long. There's too much time left. In, like, four video I'm watching. There has to be something. So, yeah, naturally, we have a very plot relevant after credit scene. So after the credits, it's the night after valentine's Day, and they're going home waiting for the train. And sasky is like, hey, so did you get anything from anyone? And me? And was like, oh, yeah, our class, like, organized the thing. I got, like, 30 whatever. How many classmates I have that much chocolate? saski is like, everyone else is in love with you.

You have 36 boyfriends.

So, yeah, he goes home. They're like.

Okay. Goodbye.

He goes home. saski ignores his family, goes into his room, and he's like, who gave him the chocolate? They're all in love with him. Someone's stealing him away from me. And that's where we end episode two.

If I hear. Yeah, because he says, like, we all exchange it with each other. So I assume all 35 other classmates also got 36 pieces of chocolate. Like, this was weird. This is, like, really forced drama.

Maybe he was just jealous that his class didn't exchange chocolate. You want chocolate?

Shit, man. I mean, he does like, you got.

A participation trophy, too?

Miana doesn't even like sweet stuff. Why didn't he give me all the chocolate? Yeah. So we start off with episode three. Starts with the boys meeting up at the vending machines, and sasaki asks miano if he wants to join him for some cocoa as they talk about manga, the same thing that's been happening the last two episodes. But now it's February.

Yes, they are wearing more layers now.

The layers make sense. So they sit down the side of the building, drink a cocoa, and sasaki drinks and pulls away. And it's like, oh, my tongue. emiliano points out that sasaki is cat tongued. Had to look this up. People who can't handle hot foods or drinks, because he sees sasaki, like, burn his tongue on the cocoa. And miano says he saw a report on TV saying people that are cat tongue are typically clumsy with their tongues. And that would be a good premise for a boy vov mangka. Once again, this is his entire personality, but it is forbidden. And sasaki is like, oh, yeah, we could see if someone whose cat tongue is good at kissing. You want to test it out and fucking make out because I'm in love with you, as I've established a year ago. I was like, nah, what an outrageous bit.

Why would you even suggest that?

How could you even say you don't.

Even like boy love manga as you keep borrowing it all from me?

That's why I checked off unlikable main character for Mihano. Not because he's like, oh, I'm an otaku in the normies, but because he's so fucking in denial. It's insane. It's infuriating for me because I can't.

Yeah, this isn't the typical sitcom. Like, oh, there's a miscommunication. That's irritating. He is refusing to accept any information being given to him.

It's boggling. sasaki offers to test out that theory, and mianna slides away, but then gives him another boy laugh manga before he runs off. And susaki thinks he's like, geez, how many did he have? I've borrowed, like, 30 of these already. It's like, yeah, I have trouble getting my friends to watch one show that I recommend, let alone 30. At that point, I think Susaki's into.

It, let alone 184.

I've done it to myself. It's. Fair and understandable, but if I had someone being like, yeah, here's the 30th spiderman comic. I'm not going to question if they like spiderman anymore. At that point, I'm going to assume that are into it. So Miano leaves and sasaki thinks, like, I almost could have touched him, the boy I love. And he's just it's cue of sasaki because he's just very open about his feelings and he's just very shy and awkward. Miano is infuriating to me because he's just dumb. And in class, miana thinks that what happens. What he said isn't what he wanted to happen. He didn't want to practice kissing. But he can see from an outside perspective how it might have seemed like that. And he gets all flustered and realizes he keeps falling into boy love tropes with his boy lover. And he can never tell if sasaki is joking or if he's serious, even though he openly said he likes him and wants to go on a date with him. I don't get it. And after class, Miano realizes he forgot to give sasaki a volume of the manga from earlier. He gave him volume one, but he said you should read them both at the same time because the story connects. So he goes to sasaki's class for once, and as he's walking in, he sees sasaki still there talking to somebody. He's like, oh, there he is. Let me go run up to my buddy old pal, my chum. And as he's walking in, he hears suzaki talking to a classmate of his. And they're talking about boys love manga. And the other guy suzaki is talking to was like, yeah, why are you into it? Isn't it kind of weird that his two boys were in love? So he's like, I mean, it's unusual, but that's what makes it good. It wouldn't be the same if it was a boy and a girl. Like, it's inherent to the story, and it needs to be that way. And the stories are pretty good. That's why I'm still reading them. And the guy's like, I don't get it. That's strange. Now he doesn't ostracize it that much. He's just kind of like, I don't get it, man. That's kind of odd.

I don't know, man, that's kind of gay, basically.

Yeah. And Miano is surprised with how cool and collected sasaki is talking about it. How he's just able to openly admit, like, yeah, I like boylov manga. What about it? And at that point, when he sees how cool and collected he is, miyano gets all flustered and runs away. And we hear the other guy talking, being like, I don't know. I found my girlfriend has a copy of Boy loft, like manga. She's really into it. And I don't know, I'm just trying to see the appeal. So it's like, oh, so he's not even, like, judging him for it. He's just not familiar with it. And then we see. miana goes back, catches up with eda because I refuse to learn anyone else's name besides the titular characters. And he says like, yeah, I'll give it back to so I'll give him to sasaki next week when I see him, I got two flusters seeing how cool and collected he was. And then he realizes after he says he goes, I guess stocky he is kind of cool. I've always thought he was cool. Yeah.

Am I gay?

I have an encyclopedia of gay manga, but could I myself be gay?

Impossible.

So the next day, the next week, I don't know, next season times weird. Miano is freaking out about not giving him the second volume. I should have just given it to him, but I don't know if it's awkward now because he doesn't have it. He's just kind of in his own head about it. And he worries about someone else confronting sasaki about the Boy Love manga and if other people in the class are giving them shit about it. And then sasaki shows up, he's like, hey, where's that second volume? I want to continue reading this. And Miyano zones out a bit and susaki asks what's wrong? And they're both kind of awkward around each other. saki always having feelings for Miano, and Miano kind of having feelings for him now and kind of like realizing it. So now they're kind of just awkwardly talking to each other, not knowing what to do. And Sahaki says that they should go to the bookstore again after school today because a new volume of manga they like is coming out tomorrow and it might be on the shelves early. And I was like, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. And he has about the volume two of the manga they're supposed to give him. miana gives it to him, he leaves, and then eda comes back in and teases him about like, ah, give him more manga to your boyfriend. And miana threatens to tell his girlfriend about all the Boy Love characters that he ships ida with. And he is like, yeah, she'd probably love that. And that line caught me off guard, mostly because I don't ship my friends with fictional characters. But it also felt like one of the more realistic lines from Usovar, where I'm like, oh, Miano is an actual person. Kind of, yeah.

This strangely, episode three is where they're like, oh no, he can actually interact with others in some sort of socially capable way rather than just cringing at himself.

Yeah. And then we get a month later time skip, and Edo is coming to school with a bunch of gifts for his girlfriend. And he's like, oh, buddy, do you have gifts for White Day? Which I guess is a holiday Japan in March.

I think it's like the girls give chocolate to boys on valentine's Day and then White Days, boys give stuff to girls.

Yeah, it's sort of like the follow up. So you have planning time between got you.

I feel like we've seen some animes that do this. Okay. And miana sees it. He's like, oh, you got gifts for people? And edith's like, no, you would only give gifts on White Day if you fucked up and forgot to do it on valentine's Day. These are all for my girlfriend.

The eda character is a wife guy. Will we ever meet his girlfriend? Probably not.

I really hope not. She goes to a different school in Canada.

She's a mystery.

She's an enigma. And miana said he didn't bring a gift for his classmates, but it's because they did the thing for valentine's Day, so why would he? And he realizes, though, I guess sasaki gave him his gift on valentine's Day, his chocolates, because Miano is struggling with if he should decide to give sasaki a gift on White Day. And they go off and Miano but, yeah, Miano ends up working up the courage and being like, no, I'll give it to him. End of school, runs it over to sasaki's class. So he's like, oh, hey, yeah, we finished the final. So my class like, everyone in my class just having, like, a little party and snacks and stuff after school and chilling. He's like, cool. Can we go off to the side talking? Yeah, sure. And Miano ends up giving him his chocolates. And then after he gives them, he nervously word dumps. Like, everything is like, I don't know. I just thought it'd be cool. You get me on that. And just mumbles his way through his feelings. And sasaki is actually speechless because he is a big dumb himbo in love. And he's like, who else did you give gifts to? I mean, I was like nobody. Just you and that voice. So he's like, I'm special. He gets out of his funky at a month ago, I guess.

Perhaps this boy is getting.

Wait right here. Give me a second. And he runs back to his classroom and has, like, a panic attack when he gets into the classroom. And the blonde friend is like, hey, are you okay? You're, like, hyperventilating. He's like, I got to figure something out. Here's an idea. And he runs back to Miano with just all of the snacks they have for the party. He's like, get to grab bag. Feel free to take whatever you want. Oh, cool.

I thought that was really cute, though.

Yeah, he's definitely trying and wasn't prepared for it.

Yeah, even though he's the one that gave him chocolates on valentine's Day. He's like, fuck no. I always have to give him a gift.

No, this gift is because you gave me a gift already. It's like, no, it's not how boyfriends work. Yeah, Miano takes some snacks, and then the next day or next time period, they're in, like, an assembly, and they're all leaving the assembly hall. And miana sees them. He's like, oh, hey, susaki. But he's like, your boyfriend.

He's like, he shut up.

He's not my boyfriend. It's like, everyone is okay with you dating. And one of them mentions like, oh, yeah, suzaki is a year older than us, so he'll be graduating soon. And that's when mih realizes, like, oh, yeah, we only got a year left in school together. And after that, they're in the hallways, and miana bumps into their blonde friend who was no longer blonde. He dyed his hair black for the graduation photos because it's against school rules, but I guess they're allowed to do it during the school year. And then we see suzaki come up, and his hair is still red. He's like, oh, you didn't dye it back? He's like, nah, why would I? And yeah, the blonde friend says like, oh, yeah, my hair's super damaged from dying a blonde so much. And miana's, he's like, here, you can even feel it. And they feel his hair, and they're like, oh, it's actually surprisingly soft. miana is like, oh, did you let your roommate feel your hair? And he's like, yeah, that's actually the one who told me my hair was super damaged. Me? I was like, thank you for this boy lost material.

Yeah, we were cuddling one night.

I mean, you called me, I slipped up. And I guess soaki shows up. And he's like, no, I didn't dye my hair back because why the fuck one? I look good in red. It's like, fair. And then another one of their buddies shows up, and he's got, like, highlights in his hair. And it turns out this is the guy sasaki was talking to the other day in the classroom about boy love manga. And then while they're talking, this new friend, I just call him Highlights while they're talking, he's like, you're, Miano? I was like, why do you know about me? I was like, oh, sasaki talks about you all the time because you're dating. And some Highlights keeps asking about like he keeps talking about boy love stuff. And he's like, I don't know, man. I'm still not sure. I'm just worried about my girlfriend being into it and that she secretly wants me to be with another guy because she's so into it. And they're like, okay, cool. So you're having, like, a mental breakdown about what your girlfriend may or may not be feeling because you don't communicate with her about this stuff. He's like, yeah, I'm having trouble with that. And they're like, cool, bye. And they all go there separate ways and leave this guy hanging because why.

Wouldn'T they talk to your girlfriend? bye.

This seems like you don't want to.

Talk about a straight relationship.

Once again, this is us when we hang out. But yeah, so they all fail on this guy. And he's like, you guys should all help me out. And they're like, we really don't know you. We're going to the bookstore together to look at boy love manga. bye. Miano and suzaki go and do that before they leave. Highlight says, like, oh, Miano is probably using or thinking about suzaki the same way my girlfriend's thinking about me. About what? Boy love trope he falls into him. I was like, I never actually thought about that. Or never thought about suzaki in that way. I wonder why. I wonder why indeed. Maybe because he transcends the stereotypes. sam's going to the bookstore together while they're looking over stuff. Miyano buys some manga comes up, and sasaki is looking at a couple looking at books. And he's like, oh, what's up, sasaki? He's like, oh, nothing. I just think about how nice this is. Gay. And as they're leaving, sasaki goes to put his hand around miano's shoulder, but bails out before he touches. And then they're on the train home, and mianna starts falling asleep, and his head falls on Suzaki's shoulder. yay. suzaki, very quietly is like, hey, My stops next. I got to go. And it seems like he's kind of what's the word? He's kind of accepting that. He's like, I'll just miss my stop and let him sleep. He seems like he's willing to let that happen. But Miano wakes up quickly, and he's like, oh, sorry, it's your stop. You got to get going. He said, yeah, I'll see you later. And then once miana is on the train by himself, he's like, oh, saki said that he'll see me later, even though, I don't know, this part kind of confused me the way myanna said.

It, but I think while he was snoozing, we see sasaki say something, but we don't hear what he says. And then Miano is like, that's when he snaps awake. So he heard him say it.

Okay. Yeah, I missed that. Yeah. So he kind of says, like, suzaki is, like, going to be graduating next year, so why would he say something like that? So it's like, ah, sasaki is planning their future together.

He confessed. He said, I like you.

He starts realizing what he might have meant. Maybe susaki is gay.

That would be so weird. What are you talking about?

And that's episode three.

Weird that they made us wait until the end of the third episode for the first time that one of these two is gay.

It's weird that they establish it within the first, like, five minutes, with sasaki being like, hey, let's go out together. I mean, it's just like, nah, nah. What? This boy is here. We are we've there yet? R we've got well, yes. Well, yeah.

Gayton check mark. Thank you.

Jake. It off the finger guard.

Yeah. I immediately did not give this show a fighting chance because dee warned us in advance, hey, the dub, their vibe is off. It doesn't really work. And I am not in the mental head state currently to read, so I did not take the advice of watching it the better version. So I watched it all dubbed. And, yeah, there's a lot of good elements and bits and pieces, but the sum of its parts is not as good in my opinion. So that was not good. But yeah, I am broken as a person.

Right. That's why you have an anime podcast.

Yeah, absolutely. And I absolutely despise performative sexiness. So it hits that part of my brain that goes, they're trying to get one over on you. Don't let your guard down. No. Never let the law say someone's trying to sell me something. No. So that is the immediate defensive state I get into when I see like, oh, I'm trying to be sexy. So a series built around that is not for me, this objectively is doing well. It is a well regarded show outside of me. So I'm not going to say like, this is bad, this is just like not a good show because it is doing the exact opposite of what I like by being a show about stuff I don't like. So I'll say no, but for me reasons.

Got you.

Glad it's gay. I'll take anything gay. But that was the nicest part for me.

I really liked it. I understand what you guys are saying about Miano while I was watching it. It wasn't something that bothered me so much. I guess just because it's like I don't know, it's like things you come to expect as an anime fan, I guess, which is like, not great. I should expect more. But I like how explicitly gay it is. I think sasaki's relationship to him is very sweet. I think the not wanting to touch him thing he says, I think it's probably an episode two. He says, like, I don't want to touch him because I know I'll just want to keep being physical with him. And like, I don't know if he wants that from me.

Yeah, I think that will, but yeah.

I think it's really sweet. And I think a lot of again, the bar for gay anime is in the fucking ground. But like, the fact that this doesn't involve any kind of like breach of consent or trauma like that this is just kind of like sweet is so refreshing to me.

Looks at our previous episodes.

Yeah. And you guys were saying earlier that this is twelve episodes at an ova. It's over.

I was just dead joking with how long I didn't actually know how long it was.

Yeah, it's twelve episodes.

Okay. Standard Mike.

Yeah. And I think I'm definitely going to keep watching it because I just really enjoyed it. But we'll see what happens in terms of the will. They, won't they? Because by the end of episode three, miano is finally like, damn, I think I like him. So we'll see what happens. But I really liked it, honestly.

My real only complaint is with Miano, like, I like sausage. I like all of them as characters, except for Mihano.

Yeah. All of them are literally just like, you're gay okay. And he's like, no.

There really wasn't any. Usually there's, like, one side character who's kind of annoying, I guess maybe Highlights was. But I feel like he's a character that's supposed to be kind of abrasive when you first meet him. But then you warm up to him because I think he's in the opening. So I think we see more of them. But, yeah, I really don't have much complaints except for Miano, which is bad because he's half of the show.

Admittedly, talking about the pacing. The pacing is a little funky. But again, when you're not taking notes, it's not as much of an issue.

That's the thing. The flashbacks and stuff in the first episode, I didn't love. It wasn't like, man, that's great storytelling. Yeah. I think because we're being introduced to these characters we could have done that just in chronological order and not done flashbacks. But yeah, I didn't take notes on that episode, so I wasn't paying super close attention. But yet I hate will they, won't they I hate that trope. It's infuriating to me because it is just we've talked about before. It's just almost entirely based around miscommunication. And it's the gilligan's Island of like they built a working radio out of coconuts. Why can't they fix a hole in a boat? It's like, well, then the show would be over. We need this miscommunication of will they want it to continue the plot. No, you can have great plot without this miscommunication. Which is one of the reasons I fucking loved my love story. Because they're like, hey, episode three, they they confess. They're both into it. They're both dating. By episode three. It's like, man, that's good. Or given which I've compared to before already a few times. But that had a few different things going on with it. But it wasn't mostly Will they, won't they? But it's like, yeah, they do end up I don't know. With saski, I get it. He's very flustered. He's nervous. It's clear he's coming to the realization about his feelings for the first time with Miyano being like, oh, he's kind of, like, feminine, like a girl. But he's very pretty. And I can't stop thinking about so it's clear that this is kind of his first foray into this. And I really liked his character. I think he was written well. And how he's so flustered and nervous despite being, like, the cool sempai character. It really was just Miyano for me. And even Miano, just as a character, wouldn't be that bad if he wasn't in this weird denial of being, like, sock. He's playing this weird joke again where he says he loves me. That can't be true if it was just miato being flustered, being like, I don't know how to reciprocate these feelings. I don't know if I will like to be public. If it was a different reason, sure. But because he said it, like, multiple times where he's like, it's all a joke. There's no way he's actually into this stuff. It's just like conscious denial of it, and it's just like, that annoying.

I'm hoping with how they ended episode three that that shift will happen now, but who knows?

Fingers crossed. That's really my only complaint.

Yeah. Because they're really trying to go for like, yeah, he's in denial because he doesn't have the confidence. It's like, okay, yeah, very relatable. We get that. But doing it one note, I'm like, no, it's shameful to like this thing that everyone knows I like. It's like, no, you can make him unconfident in other ways and still be resistant to this love and not accept it. But you chose the one note route with it, which is why it's irritating.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it's not quite the dynamic that doesn't work. It's just them not using enough ammunition to fill out this character.

Yeah. I guess with the rest of the characters being so accepting, though, maybe that's what helped me with it.

Yeah. Like you said, though, it seems like they're getting past that with episode three, so fingers crossed. And if they do, I can see why it's popular, but it just really bugged me on it. So I'll wait for your report.

All right.

Next week birthdays always mess the schedule around, so I go again. This time I figured I'd give a gift to the listeners by picking something relevant and topical for once. I know we just watched one that's, like, really recent, but this is rare for me, so I figured we would watch Spy X Family, the New hotness.

Is that the name?

No, not the new hotness. It's just very possible. I also got excited. Well, people are really thirsty for the mom and dad in this, so maybe can't wait.

Place your bets. Now, what combination of us will be too? So all three?

I thought you ran out. Both.

If there's a show with a hot mom and dad you want us to watch, please, you can send those recommendations are we There Yet@gmail.com? Is our email. Or you can reach out to us on Twitter or Instagram at are we There Yet? On both.

You can find me on Instagram and TikTok at honeyperiod or on Twitter at honey. D eight and honey darts. And Honey is spelled H-U-N-N-I-E. Find me on the Internet.

Cultivating my collection of little guys. Just picking up any little guy I can find. From anime to movies to video games. I need them. They're just good and help my brain. I want the little guys.

Thank you to camille ruley for our artwork. And thank you to Louis zong for them song stories. You can find all of louie's music at Louisong dot bandcamp.com. Thank you, and we hope you'll join us next week as we learn to live with anime.

I'm not touching you.

I'm not in love with you.