「ラブラブを見せつけよ」 (Rabu Rabu o Misetsukeyo)
“Show Off How in Love You Are”

It’s a good thing that Yuri was drunk with wine and infatuation for his sister. If he had been in a proper state of mind, that whole prelude to the almost kiss would have tipped him off that they weren’t as close as they might seem. Although that is an embarrassing thing to ask anyone, especially your sister. Even so, Yuri was dancing dangerously close to the truth, “wishing he were a spy” and “spies and con-men try to act like good guys”. His main target is Twilight to keep his sister safe-but his sister is already married to said man. Got to love a good irony!

It’s hard to gauge Yuri-is he a threat? Well, being a top secret policeman and in Twilight’s own backyard no less- hell yes. Yet, he’ll buy anything Yor says, even if what she’s saying/doing wouldn’t hold water on close examination. No normal person would buy “I forgot to tell you” as a reasonable excuse for only just finding out about your sister’s marriage. Yor will be the key factor in keeping the Forgers under wraps when it comes to Yuri, so long as Yuri doesn’t start doing some digging on Loid.

While Yuri is jealous of Loid, Loid in some sense is envious of the Yuri and Yor. The way Loid looks at their tight relationship reveals a lot about what he missed out on as an only child (I assume). The Forger family is in some way starting to fill that hole in his heart.

The more we see things from Anya’s perspective, the more I would say that mind reading is not a superpower, but a super curse. She can read Loid’s suspicions of Yor and Yor’s self-doubts about being a suitable wife for Loid. She sees the family she longed for begin to get shaky and can do nothing about it-that’s got to be a lot of stress. It makes you realize how painful it was with her other families. Her power gives her a front row seat to everything slowly fall to pieces but is useless to stop any of that. I hope for Anya’s sake that the Forgers don’t fall apart (and obviously, they’ll be sticking around for quite some time).

It took Twilight long enough to put his guard up-he’s only now suspicious about things he should’ve looked into in the first place. The whole interrogation bit was overboard (Franky really loves acting), though at least it cleared his doubts of Yor. What Twilight hears through the wiretapping is sad. He learns of Yor’s self-doubts and picks up on the jealousy of her co-workers who are like hungry hyenas circling an injured gazelle. The pair’s respective professions aren’t the only thing that’s hidden. They also hide their own doubts and internal monologues, so I’m sure it was eye-opening for Twilight to see that side of Yor. I’m glad that Twilight didn’t ignore Yor’s distress, which he could easily have done since it was undercover knowledge. Instead, he goes to meet her after work, encouraging her to be herself. Very symbolic how that whole conversation took place at a stoplight.

Yor’s insecurities hit kind of hard. According to society’s standards, she is “behind”-at her age, she has only just gotten married while her co-workers have been in serious relationships for a long time (or act like it). She is fed messages about “definitive” womanhood, like how she should merge finances with her husband, be a good cook, and not cause trouble for the family. None of which she does, so she naturally blames herself.

When you don’t fit the mold, you feel inadequate and begin to think that that’s how everyone else sees you as well. In reality, the mold is inadequate, not you. For Yor, she has expanded far beyond the social constructs of domestic bliss, which as Loid pointed out, is just an act (which means the Forgers are putting on an act of an act). Her relationship with Loid has more mutual respect and cooperation than what we’ve seen in her co-workers’ relationships, she can defend herself and her family, and genuinely cares about those close to her-raising Yuri and looking after Anya. She is defined by herself more than her role as a wife or mother in a society that defines women by their family.

Yor’s character is handled extremely well. Her insecurities don’t make her pathetic nor is she defined solely by them. They show her self-doubts side by side with her strengths. Her negative self-talk is followed by holding her own during the mock interrogation. Yuri’s cherished memories of being raised by her are followed by Yor’s doubts on domestic bliss. Both strengths and weaknesses go hand in hand, adding layers to her that peel back to make her more real, relatable.

Preview

10 Comments

  1. I too feel like I’m “behind” on society as a whole, and it’s been kinda driving my anxiety and sense of mortality in a way that’s been really bothersome more than anything. Yor’s family now feels like a personal need of mine.

    Awesome read Usagi.

    1. Thank you! The Forger family is definitely heartwarming with how they accept each other’s strengths and weaknesses (at least the ones that they know of) and really fit well together with all of their quirkiness. I like how Yor doesn’t have it all together, but she doesn’t get it magically fixed by relying on someone else, she has to work through it herself.

      Princess Usagi
  2. My god I’m glad this type of society isn’t the same as the one I live in (though tons of people would love to convince me it is, and in many way it is VERY much the same). The only way a situation comedy like this would work is if these values propelled by society can influence how the characters think. The mangaka definitely did NOT need to place this in a fantastical world resembling oppressive 1960’s Germany with backwards values, and in that sense it only makes the outrageous comedy even funnier because it’s even more taboo here. I feel horrible for Yor for having everything around her seeming to accuse her of just being herself, for Twilight for being denied a childhood because of war, and for Anya for being a victim of a possible science experiment.

    starss
    1. Well, the whole setting is a bit forced although the result makes up for it. (Loid not noticing that Yor is an office lady who moves like a trained ninja is getting silly).

      The society standards where needed to give a reason for Yor to enter this arraignment in the first place. She isn’t married due to her job, but there needed to be a reason for her to want a fake one.

      Still, it’s fun to see them progressing toward being a real family. Even Loin seems to be gaining some awareness that he wants something in that direction.

      Knot
      1. It is a bit ridiculous that what made Twilight suspicious about Yor is not her stealthy attacks but her brother-after having already formed the Forgers with her. Yet, I think that’s the only way the premise could work-if he was suspicious right off the bat, there would be no Forger family as we know them to be.

        Princess Usagi
    2. Each of the Forgers each have their own sad backstory for sure, which is partly why, I think, they are growing fond of one another, because of how playing family fills the holes left in their lives by their respective pasts.

      The 1960’s setting makes a lot of sense for me and not just for the values aspect. It gives the vintage spy flick (cue James Bond or the Man from U.N.C.L.E.) vibes that it carries so well.

      Princess Usagi

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