#suki na ko ni uso tsuita

[toranekooo]

“that skirt doesn't suit you, you're not cute!” — i lied to the girl i like.

[full-thro4]

HEROINE WA HEIKIN IKA???

[lilac-melody]

Why Shiranami Nagisa is actually a great character

Okay, so, to start off with, this post is not to dissuade anyone from disliking Nagisa. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, so please, no attacking anyone for liking Nagisa or Nagihiyo or whatever. Let's all be normal, okay~?

This is all just my personal perspective and opinion. People commenting hate for him or general discourse will be blocked. We share a fandom space, so let's all get along!

Without further ado, let's begin~

Who is Shiranami Nagisa?

Shiranami Nagisa is a character from the Confession Executive Committee franchise, better known as Honeyworks. He debuted in the CHiCO with Honeyworks song, Gamushara, back in October of 2021, and made his first official debut with his own solo song, Suki na Ko ni Uso Tsuita, in April of 2023, though he made an appearance in the shitty anime adaptation of Heroine Tarumono. He recently just got his second solo song, Kimi wo Kawaiku Saseta no wa Doko no Doitsu.

He is the guy in Honeyworks who is crushing on Suzumi Hiyori.

What is Nagisa's story arc, currently?

We don't have a whole lot of information on Nagisa, to be perfectly honest. From what we do know, however, is that when he was a little kid, he and Hiyori met, and Hiyori defended him from bullies at one point...and one day, Hiyori wore a dress to a wedding and Nagisa thought she looked too cute. And being, what, 4? 5 years old??? He told her that she looked weird in dresses. He continues to grow up alongside Hiyori, doing track with her and eventually supporting her in her decision to go to Tokyo to continue track.

He receives 2 tickets to an Ft4 concert, and as he's a big fan, he invites Hiyori to go along with them. He was not expecting her to show up with two boys in tow, and even worse? The boys were idols. Handsome idols. To make matters even more worse, it's LIPxLIP, and he finds out that she's their manager in training.

Nevertheless, he takes her to the concert, and afterwards, he makes dinner for her and ends up confessing when she talks about how LIPxLIP were there for her when she was at a low point in her life.

Hiyori takes over a day to think it over before deciding she wasn't ready for romance, and apologized to him, before adding she was really happy that he confessed to her, because she truly felt like a heroine.

(Hiyori's song, Heroine wa Heikin Ika, is the entire plot of this.)

The two separate, and for a while, we know they kinda keep in touch but not a whole lot..given that, during a tour, when LIPxLIP were going to perform in Izumo City, the three of them, plus Manager Uchida, runs into Nagisa while they were exploring, and we find out Nagisa is going to their concert (to support Hiyori's hard work). Still, they all part on good terms once they were done hanging out.

You can read the Izumo City Collab Vomic here. I also have the OG video in the post so that you can follow along or check for any possible mistakes~

A year later, when KimiKawaii takes place (it's their second year in high school now), Hiyori comes back home, finally, to visit. She enjoys her time with Nagisa, her family, and her other friends, and leaves, with her and Nagisa seeming...more sweeter to each other than before, as seen when she stops, turns around, and gives him a little wave.

Which is something she didn't do when they parted ways the previous year.

After that, their story is a blank slate, but we do know that the two end up going to the same university in Tokyo together, based on the endings of SukiUso and HeroHei.

That is where their story, at the present time of typing this, ends.

What is Nagisa's relationship with Hiyori?

As I mentioned above, the two go way back to childhood. Hiyori's father supplied(s) Nagisa's father with fish for his restaurant, so the two pretty much grew up together.

Hiyori values Nagisa's opinion of her, as she wanted to dress up all cutely just for him so that she could prove what he said as a small child was wrong, that she was cute in dresses. She supported him when they were in track together and the two often went on jogs.

Nagisa loves Hiyori. He's head over heels, and finds her beautiful whether she's all dolled up or if she's covered in sweat from running.

As such, the two relied on each other a lot growing up and, given they were halfway across the country apart once Hiyori moved to Tokyo, they grew...less reliant on each other, despite their close connection still.

Hiyori thinks Nagisa is a hero who everyone likes, given how popular he is.

While Nagisa doesn't particularly care about other people's attention and just wants Hiyori's attention. He tells her after she rejected him and said that he made her feel like a heroine that she would always be a heroine.

Not to mention, Yamako, Gom, and Shito have stated in an interview for the Nee, Sukitte Itaiyo album that Nagisa's love for her is at 100%, while Hiyori's friendship with him is at 100% and her love is currently rising from 0%. Which we can see the clear difference in how they interact from HeroHei/SukiUso to KimiKawaii. Here's that part from the interview.

Hiyori didn't become conscious of her own love for Nagisa until she was confessed to. Which is normal- it happens.

What is Nagisa's relationship with LIPxLIP?

Nagisa's relationship with the two idols is...rather strained, honestly. While they do become on relatively okay speaking terms by the end of the Izumo Collab, he still despises how they talk to Hiyori. He hates how they call her a "potato girl", and hates how they tease her.

However, while all of that is perfectly valid, he also gets anxious since Hiyori is friends with them. After all, to him, Hiyori is the cutest girl in the world, so who wouldn't fall for her???

As such, he's constantly thinking he has to one-up LIPxLIP for Hiyori's heart, despite Hiyori already stating that she has no romantic interest in them, and they have none for her.

I feel like even if Nagisa and Hiyori got together, he'd still be bitter towards them due to their own treatment of Hiyori, unfortunately, but he'd also be a bit more open to them since she would be "safe" from them lol.

Why people don't like Nagisa?

To get the bitter part out first, there's a couple different reasons why someone would dislike him.

For one, he debuted in 2021, after Hiyori's two novels already dropped, while Hiyori's song, Heroine Development Plan, debuted back in January of 2020. That's well over a year- (one year and 8 months to be exact) from each other's debut.

Not to mention, despite Yamako repeatedly mentioning that Koi Iro ni Sake, the end of the MV was just introducing the Gen 3 characters and was not setting them up, many people believed them appearing side by side meant that they would get together.

Which...even if Yamako never did state this, this argument doesn't make any sense, since it isn't just the canon couples shown.

The idiot trio aren't a poly group or anything. Ken is dating Arisa from the second image, Kotaro married Hina from the second image, and Koyuki gets with a girl who doesn't even show up in this MV!

But I digress.

Because of this MV, many people thought Yujiro and Hiyori would get together...though, in truth, Yamako says that she just wasn't done with Aizou's design yet.

Unfortunately, she's stated this on her private pixiv, which I do not have access to, so you'll either have to take my word for it, or DM me and I can have a friend screenshot her saying this.

As such, many people thought he was too..."last second", and "forced". Especially since Hiyori's already crushed on the (now discontinued) character, Kaido Asuka.

And while that is a pretty fair point, it's safe to say that Nagisa's design just took Yamako a long time to finish, as she had planned for them to be together from the beginning. Did they handle his appearance and his and Hiyori's overall story poorly because of the novels and such? Yes. But it shouldn't be taken out on Nagisa.

Another reason for people to dislike Nagisa would be that they dislike his personality. Lots of people dislike the "childhood jealousy" trope. I would assume that they hated Kotaro too, since his jealousy with Hina was through the roof, and Yuu, at least in the movie "I've always liked you", was jealous to the point of acting terribly to Natsuki and Koyuki. But I'm just assuming.

That, or they hate how he was the reason why Hiyori's self confidence went down about being more feminine. He, however, betters himself and restores her self confidence tenfold after the events of HeroHei/SukiUso. Plus, he was literally like 5 years old, it's not fair to hold that over him.

Especially if the biggest reason why someone dislikes him is because...they ship Hiyori with LIPxLIP, or just one of the two.

Ship what you want- it's all okay!! However, if you hate Nagisa for what he said to her, you should also be holding LIPxLIP accountable for the terrible things they've said to and about Hiyori.

From the novel them telling her to throw away her hoodies because they're ugly, putting a panda bear costume head on top of her and telling her it's an improvement, to telling her she'll be rejected if she doesn't look like a real heroine...they, at age 15, act way worse than Nagisa, who was 5 years old.

If you refuse to look back at the novel, then look at the MV.

Even the anime, they taunt her that she won't be a heroine without her makeover. I'm loathe to get screenshots, but...

Teasing or not, they were aiming to bring down her peppy mood. It's just going way too far. It goes beyond the single thing Nagisa said.

Again, ship what you want, but it's hypocritical to hate Nagisa for that one line when they pull all of this ^ in the span of a single arc. And do more in other arcs.

I really didn't want to talk about this very much, but. It's inevitable, given how many people who ship Yujiro with Hiyori freaked out on JPTwt over Nagisa's latest MV. I'm talking harassing Gom, harassing the vutuber who sang Nagisa's song, screaming, cussing, harassing Nagihiyo shippers...this level of anger and hatred is intense for a honey fandom.

The English fandom isn't much better. Sure, there's way less hate going on, but there's still some people actively going to other people's accounts and attacking them for just liking Nagisa.

Some people have said "but...people only ship nagihiyo because Hiyori's in the way of their uwu yaoi ship aiyuu!". I've seen it from multiple different people.

But isn't that argument also hypocritical?

You only hate Nagisa because he's in the way of your uwu poly ship.

The turns have tabled. Now please stop attacking people who like Nagisa and Nagihiyo. So far, no one has said this ^. So please stop disrespecting other shippers when they're trying to vibe in joy.

I also want to say I will 100% call out aiyuu shippers as well when I see them being toxic to other fans, I think ship wars are fucking stupid. Just live and let live!! It isn't hard!!!

So...why do people like Nagisa, then?

OKAY. We have finally gotten to the POINT of this longass post. Sorry about that~ I just wanted to cover all my bases before diving into this and potentially confusing anyone!

Many people became drawn to Nagisa in his debut MV, due to his refusal to give up when he was doing poorly in track. He had a whole montage of training and fighting to do better, with his friends cheering him on as he was so close to winning first place. He went from dead last to second. That's extremely admirable.

However, he truly began to pop off after the anime began.

People liked him for his kindness towards Hiyori. Sure, anime onlys got a big misconception about him when he first appeared, but they quickly changed their tune after his episode. I think what most people liked is the fact that, even if it was in a moment of desperation, he was honest and upfront with Hiyori about why he told her when they were children that dresses looked weird on her. When he confessed to her and saw her shocked, he quickly excused himself and didn't once push.

In fact, he was about to leave without pushing for any sort of answer at all, but Hiyori caught up with him and gently rejected him, since she had track, high school, friends, and a job to juggle. It would be too much to add a long distance relationship.

And Nagisa respected that. He smiled at her and was unbothered.

He completely respected her decision, and simply told her that she's always been a heroine.

In KimiKawaii, a year later, we can see him wanting to hold hands with her-

But he refrains.

Because he respects her boundaries. She told him "I'm not ready for a relationship", so he refuses to do anything romantic until/unless she's ready.

Some people may have complained that Nagihiyo didn't have much progress in this MV...I disagree. Their interactions are sweeter, and you can tell Hiyori's growing fonder of him. Given this is their second year of high school, it makes perfect sense that he's holding back.

When looking for a partner, of course you want someone who respects your choices and boundaries. The fact that Nagisa refuses to push her, bring up the confession, ask her if she feels any different, is proof that he truly loves and values her.

Hell- he told her not to contact him until she gets the results for her tournament. Why?

Because he wants her to succeed in her goals more than anything.

Likewise, Hiyori is the one who completely supports Nagisa in being a chef. Both of them, not just Nagisa, put each other's dreams ahead of their romance, because they both want the other to be happy.

Nagisa also is the one who actively calls LIPxLIP out on their treatment of Hiyori. Uchida doesn't do much of anything, and their classmates are unaware of what's going on. Of their manager and idol relationship.

Nagisa is, outside of their work, the only one who knows how Hiyori gets treated by them. Even in SukiUso, he has a line demanding they stop calling her a potato girl while hugging her protectively.

Which, to many who adore Hiyori, is honestly a breath of fresh air. Hiyori really does deserve more than to be the laughingstock of LIPxLIP all the time, you know?

Even when she and they are getting along, they still tease her.

It's nice to have someone wholly and fully defending a character who keeps getting kicked down again and again and again. People love Nagisa for that.

He's not afraid to speak out against them in general.

He's a genuine guy. Outspoken. Protective. A good cook. Someone who, despite failing over and over again and just flat out not winning doesn't give up. His spirit is something we should all admire.

And of course, while LIPxLIP tease Hiyori for her appearance, he doesn't. He loves her no matter what she looks like.

And...while we're on the topic of their love...

Why Nagihiyo?

Yes, I had to include this as well. Just for a short little rant.

The reason people love Nagihiyo isn't because they want to shove Hiyori away from the BL ship, aiyuu. (Okay, I'm sure a few shippers do think so, I know I've seen one, there's probably a couple more), it's because their themes are wonderful.

Yeah, we all love childhood friends to lovers. Sure.

But the whole point of nagihiyo is that Nagisa doesn't have to be "Prince Charming" to get Hiyori to like him. He just has to be himself. And likewise, Hiyori doesn't need to dress cutesy and girly to make Nagisa like her. She doesn't need to be a Cinderella. She's a heroine in her own right, and Nagisa was the one who helped her realize it.

The two of them support each other through and through. They don't have to change a single thing about themselves. It's simply a given.

So while yes, his debut and appearance were handled a bit sloppily, he's still coming forward, full force. I hope we get to know him better through more MVs, and I hope that he and Hiyori get the happiness that they both deserve.

Their dreams, their hopes, their love.

Everything.

*Again, please note this is all my opinion and what I've gathered from other Nagisa likers. If anyone else who loves Nagisa has anything else to add, please feel free.

[amodernpersephone]

HEROINE WA HEIKIN IKA Music Video -> Comicalization!

Heroine wa Heikin Ika (ヒロインは平均以下。) is a song by HoneyWorks, featuring Suzumi Hiyori (CV: Minase Inori) who receives a love confession from her childhood friend, Shiranami Nagisa! It is a counterpart to Nagisa's song, Suki na Ko ni Uso Tsuita — and serves as Hiyori's third solo character song after Heroine Ikusei Keikaku and Heroine Taru Mono!

The following panels are taken from the music video and stylized as comics. The translations are heavily inspired by @femme-malewife, with some adjustments and artistic liberties taken by me. Please watch the MV and support Hiyori's blooming love story!

Read the full comic in imgur here!

[tbdfe]

oh great tbdfe tumblr account, opinions on the glitchysilver homescreens

Watashi no koi o higeki no jurietto ni shinaide

Koko kara tsuredashite...

Sonna kibun yo

Papa to mama ni oyasuminasai

Seizei ii yume o minasai

Otona wa mou neru jikan yo

Musekaeru miwaku no kyarameru

Hajirai no suashi o karameru

Konya wa doko made ikeru no?

Kamitsukanaide yasashiku shite

Nigaimono wa mada kirai na no

Mama no tsukuru okashi bakari tabeta sei ne

Shiranai koto ga aru no naraba

Shiritai to omou futsuu desho?

Zenbu misete yo

Anata ni naraba misete ageru watashi no...

Zutto koishikute shinderera

Seifuku dake de kakete yuku wa

Mahou yo jikan o tomete yo

Warui hito ni jamasarechau wa

Nigedashitai no jurietto

Demo sono namae de yobanaide

Sou yo ne musubarenakucha ne

Sou ja nai to tanoshikunai wa

Nee watashi to ikite kureru?

Senobi o shita nagai masukara

Ii ko ni naru yo kitto asu kara

Ima dake watashi o yurushite

Kuroi reesu no kyoukaisen

Mamoru hito wa kyou wa imasen

Koetara doko made ikeru no?

Kamitsuku hodo ni itai hodo ni

Suki ni natteta no wa watashi desho

Papa wa demo ne anata no koto kirai mitai

Watashi no tame to sashidasu te ni

Nigitteru sore wa kubiwa desho

Tsuredashite yo watashi no romio

Shikarareru hodo tooku e

Kane ga narihibiku shinderera

Garasu no kutsu wa oite yuku wa

Dakara ne hayaku mitsukete ne

Warui yume ni jirasarechau wa

Kitto ano ko mo sou datta

Otoshita nante uso o tsuita

Sou yo ne watashi mo onaji yo

Datte motto aisaretai wa

Hora watashi wa koko ni iru yo

Watashi no kokoro sotto nozoite mimasen ka

Hoshii mono dake afurekaette imasen ka

Mada betsuhara yo motto motto gyutto tsumekonde

Isso anata no ibasho made mo umete shimaou ka

Demo sore ja imi nai no

Ookina hako yori chiisana hako ni shiawase wa aru rashii

Dou shiyou kono mama ja watashi wa

Anata ni kirawarechau wa

Demo watashi yori yokubari na papa to mama wa kyou mo kawarazu

Sou yo ne sunao de ii no ne

Otoshita no wa kin no ono deshita

Usotsukisugita shinderera

Ookami ni taberareta rashii

Dou shiyou kono mama ja watashi mo

Itsuka wa taberarechau wa

Sono mae ni tasuke ni kite ne

[koizumicchi]

好きな子に嘘ついた。(feat. Amatsuki) English Translation

好きな子に嘘ついた。  Suki na Ko ni Uso Tsuita I Lied To The Girl I Love

Character: Shiranami Nagisa HoneyWorks feat. Amatsuki Album: 告白実行委員会 -FLYING SONGS- 恋してる ねぇ、好きって痛いよ。〜告白実行委員会キャラクターソング集〜

crossfade kanji from

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T/N: Happy haniwa day! Keep in mind that Japanese and English aren’t my first language. I never claim my translation (attempts) to be error-free. As always, if you’re going to use or reference my translations, please do not claim it as your own and credit me.

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モブキャラなんて言うなよ！ シンデレラに負けない おとぎ話を作ろう

Mobu kyara nante iu na yo! Shinderera ni makenai Otogibanashi o tsukurou

Don’t call yourself a mob character! Don’t lose to Cinderella Let’s create our own fairy tale

好きな子に嘘ついた スカート似合わんって ほんとは他のやつに 取られるのが嫌だったんだ 身長も追い抜いて 声も変わり低くなって 少しは俺を男として 見てくれてるかと意識して

Suki na ko ni uso tsuita Sukāto niawan tte Honto wa hoka no yatsu ni Torareru no ga iya dattan da Shinchō mo oinuite Koe mo kawari hikuku natte Sukoshi wa ore o otoko to shite Mite kureteru ka to ishiki shite

I lied to the girl I love Skirts don’t suit you But the truth is, I don’t want you To be taken away by the other guys I became taller than you  My voice changed and became lower Treat me as a man for just a bit Be conscious of me when I look at you

付き合ってるのって聞かれても 君はみんなに平等で 俺なんかよりもモテるはずの 主人公です

Tsukiatte iru no tte kikarete mo Kimi wa minna ni byōdō de Ore nanka yori mo moteru hazu no Shujinkō desu

Even if you ask me if I’m dating someone You are equal to everyone You’re ought to be more popular than someone like me You are the main character

モブキャラなんて言うなよ！ 顔を見せてほらやっぱり可愛い シンデレラに負けない おとぎ話を作ろう 平均以下なんて言うなよ 好みあるし 文句は言わせない どんなラブストーリーも 決して負ける気がしない 妄想だけ王子様

Mobu kyara nante iu na yo! Kao o misete hora yappari kawaii Shinderera ni makenai Otogibanashi o tsukurou Heikin ika nante iu na yo Konomi arushi Monku wa iwasenai Donna rabusutōrī mo Kesshite makeru ki ga shinai Mōsō dake ōji-sama

Don’t call yourself a mob character! Show me your face; see, you’re cute after all Don’t lose to Cinderella Let’s create our own fairy tale Don’t say you are below average You have taste  I won’t let you complain I never feel like losing  To any love story out there I am just a prince daydreaming

中学卒業 二人離れ離れ 距離にして約800キロ 会いに行く理由を作った

Chūgaku sotsugyō Futari hanarebanare Kyori ni shite yaku 800-kilo Ai ni iku riyū o tsukutta

We graduated from middle school We are far apart for  Approximately 800 kilometers I made up a reason to go see you

待ちあわせ東京駅 スカート履いた君に 照れながらも可愛いって 素直に気持ち言えたけど

Machiawase Tōkyō eki Sukāto haita kimi ni Tere nagara mo kawaii tte Sunao ni kimochi ieta kedo

We arranged to meet at the Tokyo station You, who’s dressed up in a skirt You are adorable whilst being embarrassed Although I was able to honestly say how I feel

肝心な言葉は言えなくて 男友達に嫉妬した 君の可愛さがとうとう バレてしまったようです

Kanjin na kotoba wa ienakute Otoko tomodachi ni shitto shita Kimi no kawaisa ga tōtō Barete shimatta yō desu

I cannot say the most important words I was jealous of your guy friends  Your cuteness has completely Came to light at last

芋女なんて言うなよ! 涙拭いてほらやっぱり可愛い ジュリエッタに負けない ヒロインだよ自信持って 幼馴染特権いいだろ？ 全部分かる親だって安心だ どんな悲劇あっても 決して離したりしない

Imo onna nante iu na yo! Namida fuite hora yappari kawaii Jurietta ni makenai Heroine da yo jishin motte Osananajimi tokken ī daro? Zenbu wakaru oya datte anshin da Donna higeki atte mo Kesshite hanashitari shinai

Don’t call her a bumpkin girl! Wipe your tears away; see, you’re cute after all Don’t lose to Julietta You are a heroine; have confidence in yourself A childhood friend’s privilege; charming, isn’t it? Even the parents who know of everything are reassured No matter what kind of tragedy comes I will never let you go

また会えなくなる前に 伝えなきゃ君が好きだと 「好きだ。」

Mata aenaku naru mae ni Tsutaenakya kimi ga suki da to `Suki da.'

Before I can’t see you again I have to tell you that I’m in love with you “I love you.”

モブキャラなんて言うなよ! 顔を見せてほらやっぱり可愛い シンデレラに負けない おとぎ話を作ろう 平均以下なんて言うなよ 好みあるし 文句は言わせない どんなラブストーリーも 決して負ける気がしない ずっとヒロインだ 目指すは王子様

Mobu kyara nante iu na yo! Kao o misete hora yappari kawaii Shinderera ni makenai Otogibanashi o tsukurou Heikin ika nante iu na yo Konomi arushi Monku wa iwasenai Donna rabusutōrī mo Kesshite makeru ki ga shinai Zutto heroine da Mezasu wa ōji-sama

Don’t call yourself a mob character! Show me your face; see, you’re cute after all Don’t lose to Cinderella Let’s create our own fairy tale Don’t say you are below average You have taste  I won’t let you complain I never feel like losing To any love story out there You will always be my heroine I aim to be your prince

[lilac-melody]

Enoki Junya suki na ko ni uso tsuita 🥰🥰🥰

[lilac-melody]

The Beauty of Parallels and Storytelling

I talked about in this post why Aizou and Yujiro are each other’s most important people, why their non-idol songs (or, rather at least just Yume Fanfare) is theirs and how they help each other overcome each other’s trauma, and I mentioned that I wholeheartedly support Nagisa/Hiyori.

Well I wanna go into deeper detail on that right now.

The Red Herring

Hiyori has 2 novels that were written and released that made people ship the ship for Yujiro/Hiyori- being Nonfantasy and Heroine Development Plan. But I, however, think that it was a red herring. Especially since most of Hiyori’s second novel, which I have translated here, is about her falling in love with the (discontinued) character Kaido Asuka. However, after she writes him a letter and goes to confess (which goes horribly wrong), she is rejected (albeit kindly) and, despite being obviously heartbroken, she moves on.

Though, since Nagisa was still in development since 2020, he was not included in the novel, leaving many to assume that Yujiro would be her love interest. After all, it was after Hiyori was rejected that Yujiro genuinely comforted her, walked her home, and helped her stop crying, and it was Hiyori who saved Yujiro from being seriously injured by a thief at a LIPxLIP event.

Not to mention, she and Aizou both went to pick him up from his home to go with him to a New Years shrine.

While I do not believe that Yujiro was meant to be the love interest for her, it is understandable that many people leaped to the conclusion.

I fully believe, especially thanks to the lack of actual thoughts of romance with them and there was a lack of romantic chemistry between the two, that we were supposed to be shown that Hiyori didn’t need a boyfriend to feel like a heroine- rather, she has her friends who she can rely on, and who rely on her.

The Love Series has a certain way of writing characters who fall in love- even characters who are similar to Yujiro and Hiyori- like Natsuki and Yuu or even Arisa, who is arguably the direct parallel character of Yujiro. (See that post here). They have a couple good moments together, but it’s not nearly enough to conclude that they’ll be endgame.

The Parallels

When Nagisa’s intro song Gamushara released, it was revealed that they- Nagisa and Hiyori, are childhood friends, and they were both in track together in middle school.

If you notice something about Nagisa and Hiyori, and the other canon couple Kotaro and Hina, you’ll recognize that there are strikingly similar parallels.

For one, both Hina and Hiyori fell in love with a light haired and blue eyed male who is out of their reach (for Koyuki being because he was in love with someone else, and Asuka because he was aiming to become an idol with Kanata). They both wrote their crushes a letter. They both got rejected. They’re both sporty and in track, and they both have songs that sing of their love for their failed first love. (Senpai and Heroine Dev)

While Kotaro and Nagisa have both loved the girls since childhood, both talk about how they grew much taller (Nagisa sang a line about it in his song Suki na Ko ni Uso Tsuita) and how they want to be the ones that their crushes can rely on, and both always defend their crushes when one seems to be put down or is insecure. Hell, they even both tell the girls something that leads to them blushing.

“To me, you’re the cutest in the world.” - Kotaro (Hanipre)

“You are a heroine, Hiyori. To me, ya always are.” - Nagisa (Herotaru)

The Anime

“But Lisian! You hate the anime! You say that we shouldn’t consider it canon! Isn’t it hypocritical to use that to say Nagihiyo is canon when you say such things?”

You’re 100% right. I did say not to count the anime as canon. And tbh, I still think that we shouldn’t use it as the baseline for the story. And if Nagisa was an anime-only character, I would continue saying that.

HOWEVER!

I feel like the Asuka events happen early on in the story, and then the Nagisa events happen later on, given that they’re both different and both supposedly canon.

Since Nagisa and Hiyori both have songs in the Koishiteru album (released in summer of 2022) that refer to the episode (Ep 7) that Nagisa makes his full appearance in, I have to begrudgingly admit there are some things in the anime that happened or were just expanded on from the MVs. Not everything- like the Yappa Saikyou/Yume Fanfare concerts, since they already all have context and the anime changed that.

If Nagisa and Hiyori did not have songs addressing what happened from the anime, then I would say that they have a lack of foundation, just another character obstacle for Hiyori to overcome.

Endgame?

However, there’s something interesting about the songs.

Back to the whole “parallels with kotahina/nagihiyo” thing.

Both Hina and Hiyori have songs that sing of their (growing) feelings for their childhood friends. For Hina, it’s Daikiraina Hazudatta (which is also a duet with Kotaro tbf) and for Hiyori, it’s A Below Average Heroine (which doesn’t have an MV yet and it doesn’t appear to be translated yet, but the song is, essentially, her wondering how someone can like her like that, being insecure, and wondering of her own feelings about her childhood friend)

Also, it is revealed in the novels that Kotaro and Hina are hinted to get together in their university days. And here, in the Erande MV, they are obviously adults, in uni, and Hina confirms that they’re dating to her friend.

Now, as of right now, there is no other MV or anything else for Nagisa and Hiyori, HOWEVER! This does not mean that there won’t be.

Shito himself teased that there will be a university arc between Nagisa and Hiyori. When and where?!

In a twitter post, of course!

And who else got together in their uni days? Their parallels, Kotaro and Hina.

This way, Hiyori won’t be so focused on track, but she’ll be doing her own thing and have time for dating, while Nagisa attends a university in Tokyo as promised in his episode, so that he can be with Hiyori.

Will they be endgame? It definitely appears that way, since they’re following the Kotahina story almost to a tea.

The Childhood Friends Trope

In Honeyworks, the childhood friends trope always ends up reigning supreme- with the only exception being for Fuuma/Kazuki, but for Fuuma, he doesn’t end up with anyone. The only Dolce member who is canonically confirmed to be dating anyone is Sara with Uru. (Fuuma’s novel I have translated here and Sara’s novel I have translated here, if you wanna know more!)

There’s Yuu and Natsuki, Kotaro and Hina, and now, Nagisa and Hiyori.

(Bonus: here’s a really cute Fan MV for the three couples!)

So...why the childhood friend trope??

Well, aside from the trope being one of the most popular tropes in Japan, it is, simply put, because when you have a childhood friend, they know absolutely everything about you- your personality, your flaws, your insecurities, your home life, everything.

In the case of Nagisa and Hiyori, the two of them know each other’s goals- Hiyori knows and truly believes that Nagisa will be able to inherit his father’s restaurant, while Nagisa supports Hiyori in everything she does.

Hell, part of the reason why he came to Tokyo to visit her was because he was concerned about her after she failed the track prelims in the anime.

The two have absolute faith in each other and speak as though it’s simply a matter of “when” they meet their goals, never “if”.

While we don’t know Hiyori’s plans for what she’ll be doing after high school, we know that Nagisa is fully ready to support her- otherwise, he wouldn’t be so keen on coming to Tokyo come when he arrives for university.

While Hiyori has talked about Nagisa inheriting his father’s restaurant even when they were little kids, with her defending Nagisa from bullies.

While it’s true that Nagisa is very well-liked and popular at his high school and Hiyori has LIPxLIP who do support her and her dreams, it’s not quite the same as simply and genuinely standing by one’s side, unwavering support, even when you know all of your partner’s life problems and struggles.

There’s a level of intimacy that Nagisa and Hiyori share- to the point where Hiyori is desperate for Nagisa’s approval on even the most minor of things- such as looking cute, and Nagisa is so desperate to show his appreciation for Hiyori that he traveled god-knows-how-far to get to her and cook her at least one meal, something he’s wanted to do since they were little kids.

The two of them make each other happy in ways that others cannot, and stand by each other with complete trust and support- and growing feelings of love, just like Kotaro and Hina’s love story did. It’s a love story that has been unfolding ever since their childhood.

Conclusion

I wholly believe that Nagisa and Hiyori’s story, like Aizou and Yujiro’s story is with Ken and Arisa, are meant to mirror Kotaro and Hina’s.

Even if we do have to wait a while on that promised University Arc, meaning we’ll have to wait for more content for Nagisa and Hiyori, we will eventually have a beautiful closing arc that can only end with another generation opening for the supporting viewers to have and appreciate.