ohhhh but it's so fascinating to me to see the ways ray's struggle with the mew vs. sand situation is the perfect mirror to sand's struggle with the boeing vs. ray situation. in so many ways the 2 cases are so similar, but it's the ways in which they are different are what make it so interesting.
both sand and ray started off this series being haunted by 'what-ifs' in their respective love lives. ray was haunted by a love he'd always wanted but never had. sand was haunted by a love he'd once had but then lost.
even just in ray and sand's dialogues, there are clear parallels in the way they talk about the hold the previous what-if holds over them:
right when it seems like ray is about to move on with sand, he finally gets a chance with mew. ray has wanted it for so long that he immediately jumps at the chance without even thinking of the consequences, almost like a knee-jerk reaction.
sand gives ray an ultimatum: it's either me or mew. but i will not wait for you, and i only want you to choose me if it's me that you really want - i do not want to be the second choice.
and so, ray lets go of mew and chooses sand - but then the script flips.
right when it seems like sand and ray are about to start a new beginning, now you have sand getting his (second) chance with boeing. sand has spent so long bemoaning the loss of his "stolen" love that he's way caught off guard by boeing's sudden reappearance and remorse, by sand's expression you'd think it's almost as if he'd unconsciously fallen right back into the headspace he'd been a year ago when it was just him and boeing.
ray gives sand an ultimatum, too: it's either me or boeing. i'll always be second so as long as he's around, so if you want to choose me - then you will also have to let him go for good.
their situations are almost inverses in a way as well. sand asks ray to choose once and for all to avoid being ray's second choice time and time again. ray asks sand to choose while admitting he is in the 'second string' position, yet still wanting to prove that sand is still ray's first and only choice, and that ray has no qualms about blatantly fighting for him.
another interesting parallel: even though ray has definitely chosen sand by the time he and mew have their Talk in ep9, ray still lets mew do most of the talking when they call it quits. it's what seals the deal for ray that he really does just love mew as a friend. you can see it in the way ray's i love you to mew comes out much more self-assured.
similarly, even though sand has 100% chosen ray by the time boeing shows up with the arctic monkey tickets, sand still lets ray do most of the talking to ward boeing off. it's what seals the deal for sand that not only has ray chosen him, but more importantly that ray will stay. you can see it in the way sand's demeanor is so much more relaxed after ray shows up. (mew is even there to give his final blessing to the couple lol)
there's more parallels with these two cases that i could go on about i'm sure, but more than anything i love that it fits with the theme of everything in this show happening twice - and often, it is the character growth that shines through in the differences between the parallels.
