#idaaoki

[apathetic-tortoise]

Ida: Are you actually relaxing or are you just dissociating?

Aoki: *Didn’t hear because he’s dissociating*

[patandpran]

Ida is trying desperately to keep up with Aoki. Where Aoki fell fast and hard, Ida’s feelings have grown gradually and slowly.

This fast and slow pace is reflected in many aspects of their relationship. It manifests in Aoki’s anxiety versus Ida’s seeming apathy. To each other, it appears as if Aoki “cares too much” about what others think while Ida “doesn’t care enough”. The reality, though, is that both of them just have a different way of processing things.

It takes time for Ida to understand things while Aoki jumps to conclusions, another opposite aspect of their personalities that causes tension in their relationship.

But when they find their sweet spot, where they can land somewhere in the middle of how they usually move through life, is when they find the rhythm of their relationship. They make their own pace. Together.

We see this on the date when both of them are able to just relax and really be in the moment during the ropeway ride. Aoki seems to be able to relax slightly and Ida seems to be able to really brighten up and feed off of Aoki’s quick energy.

But things quickly shift when Aoki become frustrated with Ida’s slow reactions, misunderstanding his carefree laughing as mocking instead of Ida finally being comfortable. It took TIME for Ida to open up while Aoki has always been an open book with Ida.

So while their speed of operating in the world is polar opposite, will Aoki and Ida be able to find common ground again and fall back into sync?

[patandpran]

This is so heartbreaking to see.

Not only does Aoki feel like he has to hide his feelings so that Ida can be with the volleyball manager, he even goes so far as to pretend to also want to be with her so that Ida feels comfortable in front of his friend.

Because of his feelings for Ida and based on his more general morals, he wants desperately for Ida to be happy and comfortable. The last thing Aoki wants is to force Ida to feel anything or enter into a relationship that makes him uncomfortable simply because he’s unsure or is too kind to turn Aoki down.

And yet, it isn’t quite fair to put this all of Ida. There’s parts of Aoki that still isn’t entirely comfortable with his feelings for Ida either. This interaction shows how he’s overcompensating to hide his feelings for Ida by being ‘hyper macho’ and using the girl as an excuse for his presence at the volleyball match. He could have just said he was there to watch Ida or the team as a supportive friend but instead he uses this excuse instead, likely confusing Ida greatly.

Aoki also is essentially stating to Ida that he doesn’t feel like he’s ‘enough’ for Ida by saying that the girl got ‘taken away by Ida in a flash’. He’s sharing that he doesn’t think he’s worthy of Ida’s attention or feelings which is the main conflict of this episode.

Aoki’s doubt in himself makes him act before thinking and possibly even confuse Ida more in the process. This kind of reaction comes from a place of Aoki wanting to protect both himself and Ida from pain but causes more damage in the long run.

[patandpran]

This is giving me Romeo and Juliet Balcony scene vibes….

[allovelyhappily]

Aoki —First and Only

[allovelyhappily]

[patandpran]

In this moment, Ida is more open and vulnerable than we’ve ever seen him.

He’s been given a spark of hope which helps him to open up to Aoki. He’s been led to believe that Aoki’s feelings for him were a ‘misunderstanding’ to cover up Hashimoto’s crush and, because of that, quickly bottled up what he was beginning to feel for Aoki.

The challenge for Ida is that he’s never experienced this before - he’s never know what it’s like to be drawn romantically to someone. He’s always been a caring and kind person but now he has someone he wants to care for exclusively.

Ida is still navigating snd defining his feelings - which is why this is all so scary and new for him. This is all a risk so when Aoki reveals that his feelings were always real, Ida is flooded with relief. He can continue to delve further into what it means to have feelings for someone and start a relationship.

This question comes from a place of relief and hope - from a place where both Ida and Aoki can stand on even ground and continue to explore whatever this is between them openly and honestly.

[patandpran]

Aoki hiding behind a tree trunk to hide from Ida as he confesses his feelings is a MOOD.