Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatteiru – 04

(Tsumari, Ore wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)
“Basically, I don’t have a lot of friends”

If theres one thing that I can always count on, its definitely this show ruining any happy misconceptions I had about anime. While I doubt if any of you viewers will sympathize with me, I felt a little empty inside after both watching and listening to Hachiman destroy the image that years of anime had created in my head about “imoutos”.

Because when one talks about the innocent creature known as the imouto they end up on either side of the spectrum — they’re either extremely cute and fuzzy or a complete and total bitch whos insensibility has no bounds. But after seeing through the eyes of the all-knowing Hachiman, it dawned upon me that a third category of “imouto” exists; the normal ones! All jokes aside, I was in total awe after listening to him describe just how emotionless he feels toward everything related to his sister. Maybe my mind has been corrupted by another show with “imouto” in the title but I was expecting a bit more than just when I see her pantsu, Im not even fazed. I don’t know about you but I’d love to see more of Hachiman’s younger sister!

After last weeks stellar episode, I was wondering whether or not the show would be able to keep up with the pace it had set and it was a nice surprise to see that things havent slowed down a bit. Actually, the real surprise this week was how Hachiman handled things with Hayato. Or rather, how Hayato responded and accepted Hachimans methods. Because up until this point, I dont think weve seen anyone acknowledge and accept Hachimans rather cynical way of thinking. Be it because Yui is too busy trying to impress him or Yukino trying to insult him with any opportunity she gets, it always feels like he’s trying to walk up an insanely steep hill. At the same time, Hayato and Hachiman’s new budding friendship brings up another interesting question — what would happen if a popular kid joined the Volunteer’s club? I can only imagine just how much the group dynamic would change with such clashing personalities being stuck together in a small room. Then again maybe Hayato would be able to utilize his passive “The Zone” to bring everyone together!

To round out the post, I want to end on a quick talk on the social commentary that this show provides as a whole. Mostly coming from the view of either Hachiman or Yukino, it’s quite eerie how spot on the two end up being. From commenting on people’s behaviors to how social “clicks” group together — it’s a refreshing yet disgusting reminder of how society forces specific roles onto people whether or not they like it. But in this week’s episode, I thought it was nice change of pace to see Yui trying to bring in something like girl’s talk into play. Besides trying to point out just how bad some girls are in terms of not keeping their mouths shut, you have to love how it’ll unleash certain people’s inner-desires without them even noticing!

And seeing how episode three and four both held up well, I’m excited to see what the writers have in store for us! Honestly though, I’d be content with more of Hachiman’s sister and any interactions where Hachiman and Saika are on the screen at the same time. Because come on, watching Hachiman get all flustered while talking to a guy is the definition of a trap that’s been well constructed!

 

Preview

67 Comments

  1. ewok40k

    This anime is just so brilliant!”100 % cotton”as someone who has been doing laundry for younger siblings since their birth, I can only fully appreciate Hachiman’s disillusionment with pantsu… and imouto’s for that matter.

    • Stranger

      Except when you get to g-strings. “How old is my sister again???”

  2. Duelistdusk

    Oh cruel world… Why does there have to be a trap in every show? Every trap (and I mean the ones which look EXTREMELY like a girl in every aspect) are reason why I feel confused every show about which heroine I want to see the MC end with (if there is a trap included). Because I don’t swing yaoi-style but every trap makes me pretty much want to change my entire aspect about anime (and prehaps life) and just root for the MC x Trap couple. Don’t you agree with me? Here are a couple examples:Example #1:http://images.randomc.net/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2032.jpgExample #2:http://images.randomc.net/Haiyore%20Nyaruko-san/Haiyore%20Nyaruko-san%20W%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2029.jpg And of course, example #3:http://moe.animecharactersdatabase.com/uploads/chars/5408-1350963252.pngI've made my point.

    • Takaii

      HEY. THOSE ARE ALL SHOWS THAT I COVERED. LOOK AT THAT.

      • JayDrink

        I’m beginning to think you’re secretly a trap yourself..Takaii – remove the second ‘a’ and the two ‘i’s, swap the ‘k’ with a ‘p’ and squeeze in an ‘r’ between the ‘T’ and the ‘a’.. COULD IT BE MORE OBVIOUS?!

    • Zannafar

      I recommend reading Prunus Girl if you want to see a nice Guy x Trap couple.

      • Scruffy

        Loved Prinus Girl. The only sad thing is that it has finished. Interestingly enough, when a circle put out a Prinus Girl NTR doujinshi they got hate mail!!!

      • D-LaN

        I’m terribly sorry for accidently downvote your comment >_<Yeah I agree Ruka is one of the best trap of all time lol. Gotta thk S;G for this line too: "*insert desciption*, but he's a guy."

      • moridin84

        I’m not too sure. The fact that the main character cannot help himself from being attached to the trap even though he knows it’s a trap adds a lot of points.

      • Magoiichi

        I couldn’t stop laughing, one of my best friends watched Boku no Pico without knowing what it was and had a similar reaction.

      • agr0n

        I’m going to follow that guy from the video’s advice and not watch that.

    • ewok40k

      Admiral Ackbar Trap of the Year Award nominee, Saika!

  3. Kevin Yamagata

    Hachiman.Hachiman?Hachiman!And my heart skipped a beat.So many great moments from beginning to the end. Surprisingly enjoyable.

  4. Dualash

    I just had to laugh to how Hachiman reacted to the hand gesture XDIn a way, I feel Hachiman has the personality that could attract friends but at the same time he was delt with unlucky circumstances which ironically eventually gave him friends. Hachiman kind of interesting to observe when his own thoughts kind of portray what people want in their youth, yet he also is more aware than most because he initially didn’t have any friends. Truly, the title of anime speaks how Hachiman’s highschool is.

  5. boingman

    Guess that the glasses girl from his past will probably show up later on? I wonder what her character (flaw) is like.Yuuki Aoi (his sister) with her Ben-To voice. Am I the only one who finds that voice grating?

  6. Kyle

    http://images.randomc.net/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2006.jpghttp://images.randomc.net/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2004.jpgSiblings will always do something similar eh? And Yukinon’s interpretation of those 3 guys is simply hilarious!He’s a really nice guy! -HayatoSo he’s slow and indecisive huh/Opportunist who’s always worrying about what others think huh – YukinonLOL

    • J

      I took it more as he was trying to see if he could escape punishment by acting cute like his sister.

  7. Mi-Chan

    I think one relevation was found in this episode, it was that the dog that ended up getting Hachiman into an accident was actualy Yui’s, (we see her in the background), so what did she want to say, thank you? Another relevation is that the texts weren’t probably from the 3 guys but the white haired chick, after all Hachimann doesn’t say he caught the culprit, he just solved the problem.Thank you for your review, this anime might just be the anime of the season for me 🙂 so much origanlity that I think many animes are missing, and even relatable for me. Cheers, M.

    • Kevin Yamagata

      Another relevation is that the texts werent probably from the 3 guys…

      I’m thinking it’s more like cycle. Since both of those three guys want to be with Hayama, it’s inevitable that one of them must not be in the group. So one person make the chain mail for the second, the second person target the third, and the third person attack the first person.

      • moridin84

        It was pretty obviously from the beginning that it was all three guys. Then the girl shows up at the end. Presumably the twist is that it is her rather then the three guys.

  8. legwkio

    It’s kinda scary how much I relate to Hachiman…

    • Cybersteel

      I can relate to any of the three group of guys more.

  9. baseone

    I like how Hachiman fell for Saika, he kinda reminds me of of Kinoshita Hideyoshi of Baka to Test.This show definitely is the underdog of this season.

  10. zeroyuki92

    I am surprised that I laughed much more than I am supposed to be.This is the reason why only girl are allowed to do ‘Tehee’ poseA really solid series, it could even be the top of the season if there are no other epic-tier series like SnK and SnG in this season.Hikki totally carry this show with his monologues, silly actions, tropes reversing and surprisingly sharp actions(when needed). Hey, it’s been a while that I saw a romance comedy show which has the main male as the best character! The other characters are also very interesting so far (most of them are interesting AND relate-able) and have a large room to be explored.Don’t forget : OP by Nagi is also a huge plus.

    • Patsuan

      Totally agree..The only reason I sat through 3 episodes of last seasons Amnesia is because of the OP by Nagi.Love her voice!

  11. Synchronicity

    What can I say. Girl’s talk are….scary stuff. How the hell did a talk about a group of friends turn into….guys on top of other guys?

  12. MgMaster

    Hachiman’s definitely what makes this show.It’s also kinda’rare when the male protagonist in a RomCom is the the most entertaining character(not to be implied that Yukino and Yui aren’t)of ’em all.I’d even call it an achievement!

  13. katsudon

    Oregairu does a great job of capturing how social interactions are really like among groups of people in high school- and the dialogue has been great throughout, it really makes the show. Two things: I loved the s-CRY-ed reference, someone let me know where I can find an attractive guidance counselor that would do that while telling me to re-evaluate my life choices! And can I ship Yui/Yukino? Because Hachiman appears to be too infatuated with our friendly neighborhood trap to notice either of them… =PAlso, guys that are nice as Hayato get friend-zoned in high school, this is the only un-realistic aspect I’ve noticed so far in this show’s breakdown of high schoolers interactions with one another- everything else has been fairly spot on. If Oregairu can keep up this momentum, it’ll be my favorite comedy of the season- cynical male leads that you can relate to ftw! :DAnd yes Takaii, we do need more of his imouto- for one so normal, she’s adorable.

    • Nyaa

      He’s not just a nice guy, he’s a charismatic, good-looking nice guy. No wonder he didn’t get friend-zoned.

  14. It is something that this show brought forward the “normal” imouto classification. Can certainly understand his feelings there. Sometimes alright and sometimes incredibly irritating. I suppose it’s good to have some variety to the other imouto types.I do love how the one person who has the MC’s interest the most is Totsuka. That guy really is one heck of a trap. The cuteness factor in that one is extremely dangerous!

  15. CTT

    There’s someone at my school who had me trying to decide, for a whole semester, whether that person was a boy or a girl. Traps probably exist in real life. As for the show itself, I love it, but I hate that violence against Hachiman from girls and the teacher, no less, is treated as something acceptable.

    • D-LaN

      Why so serious? The whole thing is played for laugh… Ofc its not OK to do tht IRL but this is an anime….. Plus you try talking tht way to your teacher… In my place doing tht can lead to some pretty serious consequences…

  16. Scorps

    Best trap and best imouto. These 2 last episodes were a bliss.

  17. deVacto

    not imouto, not sensei, not kuudere, not tsunderebut trap …#hachiman

  18. rockmanjoe

    Absolutely love this show.

  19. HalfDemonInuyasha

    http://images.randomc.net/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2006.jpgTee-hee! =Phttp://images.randomc.net/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2011.jpgToo bad it didn’t work out. She was cute.http://images.randomc.net/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru/Yahari%20Ore%20no%20Seishun%20Rabukome%20wa%20Machigatteiru%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2032.jpg….STOP IT, JAPAN!!!!! *dies* lol

  20. NKNKN

    …So did anyone else notice the dog owner being Yui?At least, judging from the hairstyle, I’m thinking it’s fairly likely the owner of the dog Hachiman saved was Yui unless they have two female characters with short salmon hair, but then it doesn’t make sense why she wouldn’t have thanked him already. Unless she didn’t recognize him… which is a fairly cliched plot point

    • moridin84

      Yui recognized “Hikki” right away even though he never interacts with anyone in the class and nobody else knows who he is. Yui asked for help from the club to make cookies. Who was she making them for?

  21. Knowngni

    Seriously though. What kind of guy wears spats and shorts that short. Even if you are a tennis player, they arent THAT short

  22. moridin84

    Sai never being seen wearing a school uniform (which would mark him as male, straight out) increases him trap power by 15%!

  23. Jani

    The accuracy of this show is what makes this even more hilarious. I’m super excited to see this field trip next week and more Saika!!!!!

  24. Zhinvu

    Scryed reference FTW! Loved it when Shizuka-sensei was clenching her fist Kazuma style, and even mentioning his second and last bullet attacks.

  25. cyprinious

    My “The Zone” skill seems to be defective!!! HELP!

  26. Enjoy this anime overall more than I thought I would. This episode is pretty interesting to say the least.

  27. Tingster013

    So is the effects making Saikai more feminine or just his(?) looks and expressions? Trap of the season, hands down. Now Hasuta does not look much like a trap…

  28. c2710

    I’m usually up for yuri pair or straight pai but this show’s forcing me to look the other way. I’m all up for Hikki x Saika pair and the 2 girls as the mistresses

    • Giorno Giovanna

      Man, I look fabulous! Little wonder why people would want to be in “The Zone” by imitating me.JOOOOO-JOOOOO!

  29. Yozorita

    I think hayato is in love with yukinon

  30. nohm nohm

    I’m so glad I picked up this show! It’s weird how much of it ‘hits home’.Regarding the story: I’m enjoying all these smaller plot threads, and I’m excited to see them converge. For a fairly light-hearted comedy there are a lot of engrossing and powerful themes and stories at work. Long ramble begins now:1. Based on the allusion to the car accident 1-2 episodes ago, and its explanation this episode, I get the feeling questions and plot points will be resolved bit by bit every episode.2. Which leads me to wonder who wants to thank Hikki for saving their dog. My first guess would be Yui, which might be part of why she wanted to make cookies in episode 2. Going on this, she seems to either like Hikki, want to thank him, or both. It would make a lot of sense for her to have an idealized or unique view on him if he saved her dog- not a lot of people know of his heroic side…yet. Seeing as who she wanted to cook for was kept ambiguous, I strongly believe this theory.3. One of the running themes is obviously that the volunteer club is comprised of people who need problems solved, and who were probably gathered for this purpose. From the little we know, I think Yui thanking Hikki and being open with her feelings (with him as well as her obnoxious girl friends) would resolve her (slightly vague) problem. Hikki too will probably be recognized by his classmates, maybe the school, for his self-sacrificing tendencies: I think him helping out with the tennis match means a lot more than him falling for a Trap. 4. As for ‘Yukinon’ (hehe), she clearly had a lot of scarring experiences earlier in life. She also seems to be unexpectedly motivated in helping Hikki with his loner problem: in the first episode she rather indignantly said that she won’t be able to him if he refuses to change. I thought her choice of words/tone was strangely kind, and I’m interested to see how and why she is invested in helping Hikki and the others. 5. Hikki clearly showed in this episode that he wasn’t always cynical. He had bad experiences in middle school and earlier, but he was excited for high school. He wanted to make friends, but he blames his lack of them on being in the hospital for the first few days. We can already see his conflict with his cynical, self-absorbed views and the entrance of people who see him as a friend. I want to see how this core theme will play out!6. When you think about how everyone was brought together, there is only our old, single guidance counselor to point to. What are her intentions? She is (seemingly) the adviser for the volunteer club, but why did it only have one member at the beginning of the series? Did she intend for it to be the odd, charming group of people it is now? Did she make the club for the express purpose of helping people who don’t know how to go about their lives? What is her connection to Yukinon and how/why did she scout her out first? I think she has a lot better intentions then she wants to let on. 7. Best Trap I’ve ever seen. As a guy I have never been so confused.

  31. Vaans

    After watching this episode, I keep questioning my sexuality a lot.

    • agr0n

      Well for starters your profile picture is a girl and you sound like a guy so maybe you could change that to help with your problem :3

      • Vaan

        Now I’m even more confused. XD

  32. Lost Cause

    You and me both, too much traps in anime last few years.

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