[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Bokura Ga Ita episode 3: A summer festival and Yano’s past
This ep scores a bit higher on my angst-ometer scale with Nana getting worried about Yano while we are also treated to a few flashbacks from Yano’s past. The latter is a welcome development since I’ve found it difficult to sympathise with Yano and understand his behaviour until now. Just because a guy acts all cool and stand-offish with a reason doesn’t make it right, after all! Fortunately we find out why he’s the way he is through a dream sequence that goes through his experiences with his past girlfriend.
I must admit I wasn’t wholly content with Yano’s cold attitude towards Nana but this ep goes some way to justifying the way he feels and acts. She’s not aware of it of course, so is still pretty upset with the mind-games he continues to play on her as the summer festival and his responsibilities in the school play loom. Perhaps it highlights what harm can be caused when people inadvertantly hurt each other when they fail to talk…anyway, these are interesting scenes although Nana’s pain is clear and quite tangible, especially considering she’s done nothing wrong at all to deserve the upset she feels.
This adds a darker undercurrent to a show that relies on lightness and the trivial: behind the saccharine artwork and J-pop score (the music’s very Chobits-esque in places) are some much more serious issues such as infidelity, violence and the meaning of happiness. Yano and one or two other characters have very interesting and quite depressing backstories behind them so it will be fascinating to learn more. Yano’s character certainly gains some depth and viewer empathy as a result.
This was another interesting episode that touches on quite dark and serious topics while maintaining the light shoujo-friendly aesthetic. The animation is still in the bargain-bin league but as a character-driven drama Bokura Ga Ita is still a worthy contender. I just hope Yano realises how precious his relationship with Nana is before it’s too late…
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