First Impressions / Ore Monogatari!!

「俺の青鬼」 (Ore no Ao Oni)
“My Blue Ogre”

That was a great series but damn, did it fly by – felt like it only lasted three weeks.

For the record, I like all the characters in Ore Monogatari!!. Yamato is a bit of a cipher so far, but certainly likeable and entertaining, and Takeo is a thoroughly winning protagonist. But whether it’s the intent or not, it’s Suna that I find to be the most interesting of the bunch. Both Yamato and Takeo are pretty straightforward, at least so far (and honestly, that’s such a vital element of their characters that I doubt it will change that much) but Suna has some depth and deception to him. And he’s the bro to end all bros.

All that leads to what I think is the most interesting question about this series – just what kind of show is it? What is it about? I opined last week that things had to change up soon – which they certainly did – but also that it was unlikely Takeo and Yamato would officially become a couple this soon, which seems to have been a whiff. In the first place, full kudos for the incredibly refreshing decision to make the main couple a couple with almost no milking of the situation – while not unheard of in shoujo or romance generally, it’s certainly uncommon. And because Takeo and Yamato are both such nice and amusing kids, a show about their relationship certainly sounds like an appealing prospect.

But is this that show? I also said last week that for me, the most interesting relationship in the series is the one between Takeo and Sunakawa-kun. And frankly, it seems as if Kawahara-sensei (the mangaka) may just feel that way too – it’s certainly the one that gets the most loving detail and deep feels. Hell, a gushing Yamato-chan even calls it out as a bromance – and that’s after the theoretical climax of the episode, the commencement of couple activities between she and Takeo. We’ve seen an obvious transitional milestone here with that pairing, but a less obvious one also occurred in the way this ep celebrated Takeo and Suna’s friendship.

So what happens now? Is this a romance about Takeo and Yamato dating, with Suna in the background? Or does Suna’s rather closed-off heart now (or eventually) take center stage, with the story focusing on his own rather unfulfilled romantic existence? I’ll tell you what, it wouldn’t be easy for any character to overshadow a MC as distinct and unusual as Takeo – he himself is a very refreshing change from the norm, and his own struggles with self-worth have been pretty involving. But Suna has definitely done it. I think the moment when he dismissed his actions in setting the table for Takeo and Yamato was especially great – “Isn’t it normal? Wouldn’t anyone want their friend to be happy?”

That’s the thing – to a person truly generous of spirit, that sort of thing does go without saying – but in real-life, people are weak. They hurt each other even without meaning to, and don’t do as much as they could to help each other out – even friends. But Suna is such a bro that it turns out the reason he snubbed all those girls who wanted to date him is because of the way they treated Takeo (though I still think my conjecture of last week may have some bearing). The nice thing, of course, is that Yamato and especially Takeo realize full-well that Suna did a lot more than the average person would do, so at least he’s not unappreciated. And the more detailed recounting of the Blue Ogre/Red Ogre story was a great way to hammer home the point.

Despite the surprising turn of pairing off the main pairing already, Ore Monogatari!! in another sense still seems very much the series I thought it was. These three are all nice, likeable people that are a joy to spend time with, and that’s the essence of the show’s charm. Kawahara (and Madhouse) have fit an awful lot into three episodes, but the ground is certainly now fertile for some real development – not just for the fascinating riddle Suna, but for Takeo and Yamato as well. Being in your first relationship is a complicated and messy thing, for starters, and we already saw a little bit of role-reversal between Takeo and Suna at the end of the episode. That could easily lead to some tension between them (who knows, maybe one of Suna’s weaknesses of character is that he likes feeling like his life is better than Takeo’s), which could lead the story into all kinds of interesting places. I really don’t know what’s coming, but I’ve been given no reason to doubt that it’ll be a great ride.

 

Preview

44 Comments

  1. i am infatuated with the three right now I can only predict the story is going onto the direction of Yamato as center stage after Suna and Takao. With next week’s title, I’m assuming is her dealing with social issues of having such a great boyfriend.

    azalea23
    Reply

  2. https://randomc.net/image/Ore%20Monogatari/Ore%20Monogatari%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2019.jpg
    BEST CONFESSION EVVVEEEEEEEERRR!!!

    https://randomc.net/image/Ore%20Monogatari/Ore%20Monogatari%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2029.jpg
    SUNA!! Such a bro. So rarely do we get such a truly bro ikemen character

    https://randomc.net/image/Ore%20Monogatari/Ore%20Monogatari%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
    Also, casual introduction of Suna’s sister. I’d bet there’s a story there.

    Ptolemaios00
    Reply

  4. Suna is definitely a bro, and I love this anime adaptation in general, but is shoujo manga so messed up as a genre that being a decent human being something that becomes laudable?

    s_w
    Reply

  7. And now that they’re finally a couple, the BETTER parts (from my point of view) of the manga can starts now! But first:

    “Who’d want to date girls that talk smack about your friends?”

    See that? THAT’s how you turn down confessions like a bro. Turning down girls who confesses to you because your best friend likes them? That’s not bro, expecially if that best friend found out about it later; this would just make your friend sad, sorry & felt somehow owned you something.

    No, you turn down confessions because no bro would dates girls that say sh*ts of your friends. That’s bro.

    Suddenly, the ED song makes more sense now isn’t? Left, the best girlfriend any man could ask for. Right, the best friend any man could ask for.

    & that’s in all honesty, is the compression of what the series is about. Spoilers!

    LGM
    Reply

  9. If there’s one word to describe the second half of this episode it would certainly be bliss.

    I have to applaud Suna for raising the ante on the “Who’s the Bro?” game quite a bit here. I was really surprised, and actually a little scared when I started realising that he was unfolding all the mystery of the situation in front of Takeo. It certainly was a first for me in anime.

    Usually, characters tend to be very reserved and avoid everything that would be pretty standard in a normal human interaction because the author needs to prolong the plot. I personally believe that dragging a story is just a sign of bad writing because it means that you couldn’t drive the narrative properly to create the events and situations that keep your characters from going ahead of your writing and, in consequence end up in a point where you can’t keep the expected length of the story without pulling them out of character. Stories are in some way alive, and they can drive themselves as the characters react to every situation in their own unique way. Sometimes the outcome it’s inevitable.

    Takeo is now probably in danger of loosing that great physique with all the cake and love he will be stuffed with. I hope he can keep up because there’s allot of fun stuff that could come up ahead! -No sad moments, pretty please-.

    projectnoa
    Reply

  17. Random Thoughts:
    ===
    Forget the three-episode-rule, this already blew past the majority of shoujo series that revolve around a love confession until the very end! And I love shoujo! Ore Monogatari!! focuses on romance and bromance!

    You…
    https://randomc.net/image/Ore%20Monogatari/Ore%20Monogatari%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2017.jpg
    you…
    https://randomc.net/image/Ore%20Monogatari/Ore%20Monogatari%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2018.jpg
    and definitely you are awesome!
    https://randomc.net/image/Ore%20Monogatari/Ore%20Monogatari%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2028.jpg

    I didn’t know Kazune Kawahara, the mangaka of Koukou Debut/High School Debut and Aozora Yell, was the writer of the Ore Monogatari!! manga until recently. I understand now. While I only read the first two chapters of Aozora Yell, it’s too bad that Koukou Debut never received an anime adaptation. I’m glad we at least have Ore Monogatari!! here!

    ichigo
    Reply

  20. I may not like shoujo that much since nearly every manga follows the same annoying formula (the same reason why I’m very picky of harem shows), Ore Monogatari really showed me that there are exeptions to the usual cliche fanfare.

    I had high hopes entering this series and those high hopes were exceeded by leaps and bounds.

    Seriously, this is the first time that I feel gay for an ikemen character (which i normally tend to have low view of)! Suna is such a Bro!

    Ginobi47
    Reply

  22. After watching Chihayafuru and continueing to rewatch it every few months, I feel satisfied that the confession happened first thing in the series. I mean, some of us are still suffering from the turning of our stomachs waiting for a resolution to the Taichi’s suffering and Chihaya’s dense mind. (I know that Enzo continued the manga so no spoilers!) but I and some of us are still suffering while waiting! (I mean I was in university, started working, started my masters, finished my masters and a part of me is still hung up!)

    What I mean is, it did feel like the series ended! I have to watch episode 4 now to know the direction!

    Mi-Chan
    Reply

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