#takami is such a funny guy. it cracks me up bc i Get It

[starthaw]

so for the past year I've been reading girl meets rock! (highly recc - it's very well written, just a shame about the music lyrics censorship... we hate copyright laws ong)

anyhow, this is my rant-analysis about takami and his relationship with hatano as it developed over these months and some predictions for future chapters, because this in particular is one of the more interesting developments imo

please talk to me abt this manga none of my friends care about jrock like this man

from the get go, takami is very clearly meant to be an antagonistic character, or about as antagonistic as a high schooler can be (even in the first ch we're told they don't get along throughout all of high school, lol). as the story progresses it becomes clear that there's a clash in personal philosophies, particularly where the glimpses of takami's backstory seem to hint at rock music being a point of contention. he's obviously good at it, he's definitely practiced a lot, and he enjoys it enough to keep going. but what else does it mean to him? what's the point of all this?

the song he sings in protocol. (ch36) is eve's dramaturgy, which centers on his internal conflict; that is, this role on the stage. why a rock band? why not violin, or baseball, or any other activity? why follow in the footsteps of his (likely to be, and probably unsuccessful) brother?

he bears the weight of social expectations and he greets it appropriately. because he's popular and good looking, it's expected that girls will ask him out all the time, and if that's the case, why should he say no? it's only a matter of course to him. the thing is, life grows meaningless and predictable if everyone is assigned to such specific roles and expectations.

takami's the same in that sense. he thinks of other people in a narrow-minded manner, acknowledging ayame as "another boring normie" (ch21), "just like everyone else". it's all the same to him, and he's given no reason to change this worldview. it's high school for now, sure, but when he has to "grow up", he'll be just like them. he's nothing special in the grand scheme of the world. he can afford not to care about how people think about him, because if everyone is the same and nobody is special, it really doesn't matter what they think. the way he sees it, everyone is bound to be the same, boring normies.

this is why hatano's such an anomaly to him. she's interesting for sure, similarly self aware but internalized in a different way. opposite to takami, she absolutely bombs it on stage (ch15), and she messes up the guitar all the time. she lacks the finesse and skill takami has but makes up for it with ambition. she wants to get better. she wants to play more. she wants a band on the stage, under the lights, with all eyes on her. she wants all these things and even when the world seems to bagger her down, she gets up and tries again.

she's confrontational and headstrong in a way takami can't comprehend. hatano contradicts these self-assumed truths tamaki has and turns them upside down, rejecting his worldview.

when she's knocked down, she fights back to stand up for herself - the biggest surprise of all. japanese society oppresses individuals in favor of the collective, so when hatano embodies the spirit of rock and roll, it renders takami speechless.

takami makes a lot of arrogant assumptions. they're not totally baseless with his limited worldview, but they're typical and immature for someone his age. he's self aware enough to acknowledge skill and respect people's dreams (see ch19 with his thoughts on rin), but when ayame mentions looking at the bigger view, takami is forced to think of himself as "ordinary".

it's because he sticks this label on himself, despite all his skill, that he'll never make it to much at all. he's trapped himself with the box of what a "ordinary" person can do unless he changes his mindset, which, given his internal thoughts (end of ch47)... unlikely to happen anytime soon.

that's not to say hatano isn't ordinary - because she is. she's an ordinary high school student who happens to be a bit passionate about rock music and still learning how to play guitar. but she's special in a way takami isn't, as well as being ordinary, and that's because she can inspire others in a way he can't. she has a spark he lacks, the kind of fire he doesn't seem to have.

it's gotta suck for takami to see that, right? because by all accounts, even if they're both ordinary, he should be better than her, you know? it's what he expects. it's not right otherwise.

that brings us to the latest chapters (ch48) - takami sets the game, the terms, the prize. hatano honestly doesn't have much to lose, but takami is hinging his pride on this.

if hatano loses, takami gets to go back to the same as he was before, and nothing will have really changed. they're both ordinary people in the end, but takami still has something over her. it's to be expected. if hatano wins, though, takami has to change the way he thinks and start to acknowledge her as a genuine equal. it'll force him to re-evaluate his approach as a whole.

tl;dr: he's obnoxiously pessimistic (nihilistic?) and she's annoying optimistic, in spite of how it might seem at first glance. it's wack, I love it.

i think the best ending would be for heartbreak to lose - again, it's within expectations. the skill diff is obvious, and the girls have the least to lose. moreover, plot-wise, the boys have more pressing questions to advance characters development than the girls seem to.

my main reason for thinking this though is because takami still won't be satisfied, even if he won. so what? if hatano is just another high schooler, then what's up with her being so different from him? it'll be more fuel to develop his character further, which is the best way to drive the plot.

in a battle of the bands, protocol. could win easily. but in a battle of character, tamaki would lose to hatano, for sure.