Written by: Karlo Cervantes | Published on: May 3, 2021
The observant beef stew, the confusing yakiniku, and the lonely dinner
The plot thickens with Higehiro’s fourth episode. A new character enters the narrative and another character does a complete 180. How will Yoshida and Sayu’s arrangement get affected by these added layers of complication?
“Part-time Job” covered Chapters 11-14 of the manga adaptation based from Shimesaba’s Japanese light novel: Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway. (Hige wo Soru. Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou.)
Quick Recap
Here’s what you’ve missed in Episode 3:
A quick flashback on Sayu’s arrangement with other men where she actually gave sexual favors in exchange for staying over.
Mishima and Yoshida went out to watch a movie but Sayu catches them mid-hug which immediately made her feel jealous
Sayu and Mishima had an honest exchange at the park about their situations
Yoshida’s lack of advances and behavior in general is unchartered territory for Sayu as she feels Yoshida is not getting anything out of letting her stay at his place
Yoshida explains his perspective to Sayu and how she uplifted him and his home by just being around
You can check out the full review of the previous episode here.
The Observant Beef Stew
The third episode ended on such a light-hearted note as Sayu begins to understand Yoshida’s perspective on how having her around affected his life in general. That note continued on in “Part-time Job” as we saw Sayu finally taking a step towards independence as she decided to get a part-time job which Yoshida fully supported.
As a new character is introduced into the narrative, it’s too early to tell how she will affect the storyline of the anime. However, from what was seen in the episode, this new character is very observant with everything she encounters but is also very sensitive about touchy subjects and only confronts matters in appropriate moments. This is a completely opposite demeanor and outlook compared to Sayu considering they are about the same age. This also supports the idea that one’s perspective about anything and everything is not solely dependent on his/her personal capability to think. Various things in our environment greatly affect our way of thinking and accumulation of experiences throughout life shape our personalities.
As a viewer, I personally cannot help but to cheer Sayu on as she takes this first step towards becoming independent. It’s a sign that she is actually trying to turn her life around but that’s not to say that she’s been a brat nor a delinquent in any way. She clearly has a good sense of what is right and wrong but, as with anyone in this world, things just happen that knock you off to a different path and forces you to do things to survive.
While the origin of why she ran away is still an unknown, a glimpse of her dark past surely came unexpected. This is something we should all watch out for in the episodes to come.
The Confusing Yakiniku
While we can all be happy for Sayu, Gotou’s I cups strike again as she invited Yoshida for another eventful yet very confusing Yakiniku night.
As much as this entire sequence was confusing and frustrating (especially for Yoshida), we cannot deny the fact that things like this actually happen in real life. A spur of the moment decision is not exactly something we are all prepared for and, most often than not, we often kick ourselves for doing something we might regret in the future. But when the time comes to confront those decisions, we struggle to find the words to justify those actions.
My personal frustration roots from the way Gotou justified her actions as “intuition”. As a logical person, it’s very difficult to understand something without reason. If what she says is true, then we cannot help but root for our guy Yoshida as he finally gets his chance with the woman he has been crushing on for the past five years despite being rejected by the same person a couple of episodes ago.
Nevertheless, this adds another layer to Gotou and her massive I cups. From a third person’s perspective, this has red flags written all over it because of potential ulterior motives. But kudos to Yoshida for not completely shutting her down.
“Part-time Job” was able to deliver the key points from its source material but that also came at a cost of omitting other events as the episode missed out on important conversations and events. In an anime that closely resembles real life scenarios, it’s personally important to include as much detail as possible into those conversations because they add depth and context instead of just capturing the central idea of it all.
However, we do understand that the animation studios are bound by certain limitations to produce the show. That being said, reading the light novel/manga adaptation is highly encouraged.
Episode 5 of Hige wo Soru. Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou entitled “Reality” airs on May 3, 2021 at 10:30PM (JST).
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Sayu takes a step towards independence as she decided to apply for a part-time job which Yoshida fully supported
A very observant new character was introduced but she is also very sensitive when it comes to picking the right moments to speak her mind
Gotou’s actions, despite being very confusing and frustrating (especially for Yoshida), also reflects real life situations
“Part-time Job” was able to deliver the key points from its source material but that also came at a cost of omitting other events as the episode missed out on important conversations and events.
Official Anime Website: Higehiro
Official Anime Twitter: @higehiro_anime
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