Unpopular-ish opinion (? At least I think it is because I've seen people ship them), to me, Hinata and Oujin's dynamic feels like that of a grandpa and his grandson.
Like, Oujin is PAINFULLY an old man to me, Mayoru even calls him senile. So whenever I see him and Hinata interact I can just think of a kid trying to take care of their scatterbrained and slightly unhinged grandparent. Like when he lost Oujin at the market? Prime example of how it can feel to hang out with a grandparent sometime.
And I don't know about you guys, but as someone who also has a bad relationship with my immediate family, it's almost a canon event to get extremely attached to another relative. In my case, I got extremely attached to my grandmother. So for me it feels so natural that he would grow close to and choose to hang out with Oujin.
There's also the fact that Oujin's name really reminds me of "Ojisan".
so with the final ward episodes finally being released, there's been a thought that's been rotating in my head, and it's about Rin and Oujin and their views on love !
both Oujin and Rin have misguided intentions when it comes to love, how they see it, experience it, and how they approach it and i think it makes for a very interesting comparison on the two.
Oujin saw someone suffering, grieving the loss of someone they love and attempts to remedy those struggles by helping in ways that he believes will relieve them of that pain. though he was well intentioned, he inevitably lead a man to spending his life in pain and stuck in a place where he couldn't heal.
Rin, though we don't know the specifics on exactly how or why yet, made a pact with a human to share souls in order to continue living, binding them together. Mayoru mentions that Rin was "unsatisfied" with Legacies alone to support him, and consumed Michitaka's heart. Rin clearly displays affection for Michitaka, the human who admires and loves him in return (his reaction to his echo form is evidence enough) calling his heart his treasure, vowing to keep it safe as a display of this love.
regarding how their respective companions also tie into this, with Oujin and Hinata, it's entirely possible that Oujin could find out about Hinata's desire to make everyone disappear, and in seeing his suffering with an absence of love, could make yet another well-intentioned but not thought through attempt to help, feeling obligated to guide him on the right path. which could lead to a lot of problems in its wake should that happen, potentially putting Hinata in danger. Oujin is smart, but doesn't understand what can affect humans and could misinterpret what would be the right course of action/what Hinata wants (because, is he even sure himself?), and Hinata might not agree with what Oujin has done in the past, but with the situation he's in who else does he have on his side? so what could happen could cause some massive problems in the end.
with Rin and Michitaka, oh boy.
Rin describes Michitaka as a "truly gentle soul" when talking of the care and affection the other gives to him. I think this is a double edged sword. while I think Rin does appreciate that level of care, I'm certain he uses it to his advantage in some way. would a kind and caring soul say no to doing anything for you, a being that's weak and in need of support, to prove he's no longer helpless? would a kind and caring soul say no to a soul pact? with that, you have protection, not just physically, but a shield that says "if you hurt me for anything I do wrong, you hurt him, too". he even implies this himself.
Rin and Michitaka are a scary duo. Rin admires and cares for Michitaka, doing anything to keep his heart safe so the both of them can continue living by each other's side. Michitaka is the exact same, protecting Rin by keeping him locked away at home. keeping what he treasures somewhere safe, nodding to a note in his additional info on his character card. the love on both sides is well intentioned (depending on how much), but they're explicitly breaking rules and potentially just using the other for their own personal gain. I don't think it's that the two don't have any love for each other at all, they absolutely do, but it's what's beyond that and how far they can go with it, that's frightening.
okay on a more serious note i really liked those episodes! spoilers utc
i feel like we got a lot of good info and also im already very endeared to oujin. i like him a lot! i of course like hinata too and i really like their dynamic so far. its a nice detail imo that across every duo minus kosei and senri the fact that theyre echos is treated like. super casually. i really hope that hinata gets the opportunity to be a little selfish later because oh my god he seems to deserve it. the eldest sibling syndrome is strong here!! and. rin. rin rin rin rin. ive been hoping for rin content since the project got announced im so happy rn. his voice is so nice and his expressions are so subtle but telling and i already love his personality and its so sweet that him and hinata seem to be on good terms (hinata doesnt seem to know hes an echo?) and the info that him and michitaka are usually together. ohhh i cant wait for the seitoku episodes. rin seems like a strange seemingly absentminded guy who actually knows a lot. he really reminds me of the sea in that sense and i cant explain it. alsoalso back to oujin. i really like his personality so far!! he seems quite straightforward but also a little bit odd.. its very funny to me that he seems so surprised that hinata is chill w the weird shit in the shop and i really like how much care he treats objects with. im not sure how to explain it but like?? idk i think thats a very sweet trait even though i know its largely to play into his echo abilities. i am very curious about these bunny teacups.. are they cute.... i want to see them im going to manifest they get featured in official art
