#yuki and itsuomi are so respectful too and they way they have boundaries and communication is SO GOOD

[amethystsoda]

Rewatching A Sign of Affection just makes me 😳😳😳😳🔥🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💕💕💕💕💕🔥🔥💕💖💖💖💖🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥹🥹🥹🥹💞💞💞💞💕👀👀👀😳😳😳😳

[ecargmura]

A Sign Of Affection Episode 2 Review - Love Vs Admiration

This is practically Yuki’s internal turmoil as love and admiration are in conflict with each other. Unfortunately for admiration, love is the ultimate winner. I do like how gung-ho Yuki is regarding her growing feelings for Itsuomi. Usually, shoujo has it that the female lead takes a while before she realizes she’s in love, but for Yuki, she’s already in love and this is the second episode. Love happens in many different ways and seeing how Yuki fell in love with someone who lives in a different world from hers, I can see why she’d fall deeply in love with him.

Yuki’s world has always been a bit secluded. She was born deaf, so she has been to an all-deaf school her entire life; the school was a specialized school as it had pre-school to high school all in one. There were only a few students there, so that lifestyle had been her entire world. When she went to a college campus, she saw how vast the world outside of her boundaries was and longed to be a part of it. I do like that despite being deaf, she still has a lot of agency. Even if Oushi is a bit harsh around her, she doesn’t back down. Even if she is a bit fickle when wondering if her feelings for Itsuomi are love or admiration, she ultimately decides to choose it as love and not dance around the subject for another prolonged time frame. She is truly a very well-written protagonist that isn’t defined by her disability; yes, she’s deaf but that’s not all she is. She’s simply a college student who wants to get an education, have friends and fall in love. She’s not different than the average person.

A new character is introduced. His name is Oushi and he’s Yuki’s childhood friend. He’s so condescending. He seems nice as he learned sign language just to communicate with Yuki as her parents never learned it. Seriously, he learned sign language, helped a random dude out with it and still chooses to be a jerk. Though, some of the comments he makes is a bit mean-spirited. I really disliked the part where he was talking to Yuki about Rin’s conversation with her friends and was judging her friendship. I feel like he likes her but he’s overprotective of her to the point that it’s burdensome. I can already tell that he is not compatible with Yuki at all because he’s the type that wants Yuki to stay within her boundaries, but Yuki is someone who wants to expand them. He has a very bad first impression. This man needs to learn how to respect Yuki as a person.

This is why Itsuomi is perfect for her in a sense. Itsuomi is a backpacker and has wanderlust. He travels wherever and whenever he pleases. Even if Yuki is deaf, he doesn’t coddle her or make her feel lesser. He always does his best to pay attention to her whenever she’s in his vicinity. He even picked up on some sign language to communicate with her. He didn’t have to do it, but he did. This is why Itsuomi is much better than Oushi. While I don’t like how touchy he can be, I do think that he’s just a touchy person in general. If Yuki doesn’t mind it, then I can let it slide.

I love the constant usage of sign language in this episode as it is an important factor to the story because it is Yuki’s main language. Heck, the importance of language seems to be a recurring theme for this story. Itsuomi knows different languages and it’s a sign that his horizons are always expanding. Yuki knows different languages too; she knows sign language and can read and write in Japanese. However, Yuki doesn’t believe that her world is as vast as Itsuomi’s. I really like how important language is because it’s the main factor of communication. The people in this story all communicate in different ways, but they still can be in tune with each other. That’s really amazing.

Anyways, I do want to see more Yuki and Itsuomi moments next episode. Also, this is a bit of a random thing, but the green dress Yuki wore in the beginning of the episode looks so good on her. If you watched this episode, what are your thoughts about it?

[rei-caldombra]

Yubisaki to Renren Anime Episode 6 and 7 Review - A Lovely Blossoming Relationship.

Another great couple of episodes of Yubisaki to Renren! I really like the pacing of the show and all the great character building. We got a good amount of time to see the characters establish themselves and get to know each other before they got together. I don’t think they got together too fast or too slow. These characters and their interactions continue to feel rich and interesting. 

Of course we should start with Yuki and Itsuomi getting together. 

I love how this went down. It’s super sweet, romantic, natural and fits with the character’s personalities. The way Yuki is animated makes her happiness so infectious, they’re doing such a great job at making her expressive. I love her experiencing all these different emotions of being overwhelmed, overjoyed, in disbelief etc. Her asking why twice is such a great choice. The angle of him going on the trip right after they get together is also very novel and an interesting way for their romantic relationship to start. This allowed for the usual situation of people in love having to be apart for the first time to be done in a more unique way. It also serves to make the story feel natural because he decided in the moment that he wanted to confess to her as soon as possible, and that plans that were already in the works would not change that. This shows how he truly is into her he is and how this happening does not suddenly change everything in his life. He’s still going to go on this trip he wanted to go on. Romantic relationships are a huge part of someone’s life but their entire existence doesn’t revolve around that when you take a more realistic and grounded viewpoint. 

This is executed great for building their relationship by showing how much Itsuomi wants this and does not let his trip get in the way of their relationship growing. It's really sweet seeing the extra effort Itsuomi puts in for Yuki while he is on the trip. We are deliberately shown that he is ignoring Emma’s texts while texting Yuki whenever he can. He also is repeatedly shown to be properly learning sign language, and even does so while on the trip. It’s extra cute that he specifically asks her to make videos for him. It’s very endearing and shows that he really does care about her and their relationship. He clearly respects her boundaries too. Once they got together he established that Emma would no longer be staying over at his place, showing how he knows how that can be contextualized, even if Yuki doesn’t. He asked for permission to kiss her and was fine with not introducing Yuki to Shin if she wasn’t ready. On the note of him asking permission, I like that she misinterpreted what he said. The vowel mistake seems like one that would come up and is worth noting how miscommunication can still happen despite the progress. It did not end up being bad in this case but I’m glad it was recognized and is also great because it doubled as a joke. I love that they also established a subtle way for her to communicate to him if she feels uncomfortable. He really is so considerate to her. 

Kyouya in previous episodes said that he could tell how ecstatic Itsuomi was, while Yuki and us as the audience couldn’t. I think this is a scene where you can get a glimpse into that giddiness. He desperately wants his friend to know about his girlfriend and considers this important when he brings it up to Yuki. He wants to show her off and proposes it the first day he has the chance to. I think this shows how happy he is and is very cute. 

We’re getting more buildup of Oushi’s character without a serious conflict seemingly close just yet. I am looking forward to seeing the more dramatic elements but am glad the show is taking its time towards that. It’s obvious that Oushi is going to end up being an asshole at some point. But this time they’re spending showing off his personality makes it clear that the purpose of his character is not just to cause conflict. I like seeing him and Yuki’s seamless interactions as a contrast to her interactions with Itsuomi that require more slow pacing and adapting while Itsuomi learns how to sign. I love the shot of Oushi and Yuki looking at each other with their childhood version in each other’s eyes. It’s a cool visual representation of how even as adults they still look at each other from the lens of their childhood. This seems like it will be important later when we get to the real drama. His protective tendencies may come from still seeing her as a little girl who needs help rather than solely from the angle of him being in love with her. Which I do think is the case but I am excited for the prospect that he will be more than just a possessive person in love. Another potential story beat I thought of is that Itsuomi will hit him with the point that he should not have waited if he has liked her all this time. This would also play into the theme of expanding your world and changing. His view of Yuki may be stuck in place, and he was unwilling to take the chance of their relationship changing for the worse. Yuki likes Itsuomi because he brings her so many new experiences and feelings that Oushi does not. I really like Oushi’s character and am excited to see where it goes from here. 

It’s natural for her to feel scared, but I’m glad she has the courage to keep moving forward into a new situation. A takeaway of the show for all people is that you should be brave and desire to expand your worldview and get new experiences. I hope we get to see more of her talking about herself. Maybe it just happens off screen, but it does feel like she is largely a reactive character right now who mostly follows along with what he says and does. I think this issue makes sense for a person who struggles to communicate in the literal sense and as such does not have a lot of experience opening up about herself. She has also shown signs of believing herself to be a burden and unworthy. I hope Itsuomi notices this and encourages her to talk more about herself, as he has expressed his desire to understand her world better. 

The issue of employment for a deaf person is a good angle to get into. It’s hard enough to find a job as an non-disabled person. Imagine all the normal struggles but the job pool is much smaller due to many places not being disabled friendly. Even if they are open to hiring a disabled person, there is still the language barrier during the interview process. And even if they are disabled friendly enough to give you a chance, you would still have to be attractive enough to be chosen over someone of similar qualifications who is not disabled. It really hurts to watch her struggle for the job. I think most people nowadays can empathize heavily with the pain of job hunting while getting a look into how it can be even harder for disabled people like Yuki. I’m looking forward to this point progressing, hopefully Yuki can find a nice job soon. While I normally would welcome a painful but nuanced showing of what it can be like to be disabled person to work for non disabled people who are not trained to do so, I do not want to see our sweet, adorable Yuki go through that. I’d much rather see her be happy in a comfortable job. 

Side note, I've been casually learning Japanese (mainly focusing on hiragana right now) and I think this show should be more helpful than the average anime for learning characters due to how much text it puts on screen without quickly cutting away. Most of it is informal through moments like the text messages. But we get some bits of more formal language too when she gets her rejection notices. I’ve been getting myself to read the characters as they are shown rather than just focus on the subtitles. Just encouraging y’all to keep in mind this show can be a good learning exercise as well as a great watching experience. 

Not too much to end on, I'm continuing to love this adorable show and its great characters. Thanks for reading!

^This is just so cute, I can't handle it!

[ecargmura]

A Sign of Affection Episode 1 Review - Love Under The Silent Snow

This is actually a really good premise for a romance show! I really like it! It’s unique in that it’s a shoujo set in a college environment when the genre usually prefers high school love stories. The fact that it’s a love story between a hearing-impaired girl and her upperclassman who is a globetrotting backpacker is also interesting! I really liked what I saw in this first episode!

I know that there’s going to be a lot of comparisons to A Silent Voice, but A Sign Of Affection actually differs a lot despite sharing similar premises. Unlike A Silent Voice, being deaf isn’t all of Yuki Itose’s shtick as she has so much personality despite being reserved. While she cannot hear, she still loves cute things like clothes and objects; heck, the story starts with Yuki happy that she got a very cute dress for a good price. She’s not bullied for being deaf, nor is she treated as lesser for her disability. She’s an ordinary college student who just happens to be deaf. She communicates well with her friends and her schoolmates. She has a good relationship with her mom. She’s never seen as pitiful, which is a good thing as stories about disabilities shouldn’t be seen as pity-parties all the time; those with disadvantages can still live happy lives. While it defines her, it’s not who she is all the time. She’s not a poor girl who needs to be constantly saved by an able-bodied knight in shining armor; in fact, he only helped her once and she becomes infatuated that she’s the one going out of her way to get his deets. Yeah, get your man, Yuki! I do like that while her life is peaceful, she still has some ups and downs that aren’t dramatic like how her friend Rin had to explain to Kyouya, the cafe owner about Yuki’s disability, which Yuki catches on about, but doesn’t say anything. She knows that her disadvantages will always have these little minor aspects, and listening to her thoughts really makes me want to give her a hug.

I know that some people might question why Yuki has hearing aids, but cannot hear very well. Hearing aids don’t give deaf people complete hearing, just partial. Maybe Yuki is wearing them just so she can show people that she’s deaf and that it wouldn’t cause misunderstandings. Who knows? Like how people like carrying around devices that give them convenience and comfort, Yuki most likely does the same. Maybe she wears them because she’s comfortable doing so and it’s more of a habit than than anything. I hope this does get explained a bit in future chapters so that viewers won’t have to ask questions constantly.

Itsuomi Nagi is quite interesting as the male lead. He’s a globetrotting backpacker, meaning that he doesn’t like to stay at one place all the time. While he’s a college student, he likes going to foreign countries. Because of that, he’s familiar with different languages. His voice actor, Yu Miyazaki is actually proficient in English and it shows! The way he asked the guy on the train if he needed any help was actually good English, albeit a tad accent on the “need” part. Still, an English speaker like me approves of it! I do wonder if his wanderlust will be a source of conflict or if it’ll be a source of bonding between our leads. Personality-wise, Itsuomi doesn’t seem like a scumbag. However, he is a bit too touchy when it comes to Yuki and that does bother me a bit. Maybe because I don’t really like skinship and I value my personal space. I feel like this guy’s only flaw is that he’s too touchy and doesn’t respect Yuki’s personal boundaries. Other than that, I just hope he’s a nice guy. Please don’t make him turn out to be a red flag. Please…

Rin is actually a really good friend. She doesn’t pity Yuki and treats her like an equal. However, there is still a slight border between her and Yuki at times. She has a huge crush on Kyouya Nagi, the cafe owner and Itsuomi’s cousin. I want to see more of her; maybe her and Kyouya are the side couple that helps Yuki and Itsuomi get together?

However, that Oushi guy though… He gives off weird vibes. He saw Yuki running along all happily and he was like “What’s wrong with her?” I just hope he’s not that one jerk who treats Yuki as lesser due to her disability. He’s gonna be on my shit list if that happens. I can’t wait to see other characters too.

I really love the implementation of snow used in this episode. Yes, the ‘snow means love’ trope is a cliche, but damn it, it works. Heck, the kanji in Yuki’s name literally means snow. She’s her own ‘snow means love’ trope. I do love the symbolism of snow in a way. Snow falls down and it is a silent weather condition, much like how Yuki’s world is a silent one. Snow is also white and blank, meaning that Yuki’s white world can finally be full of color now that she met Itsuomi. Maybe I’m looking into this a bit too much.

The voice actors are so good. Sumire Morohoshi is finally a lead in a shoujo anime. She has a soft voice that works well for the reserved shoujo leads; she suits Yuki so well. Yu Miyazaki is actually a voice actor I’m not too familiar with, but I do like his voice. It sounds perfect for someone like him. Like, he doesn’t sound too young or too old. I also love that he can speak English too. I hope he can speak more later on! Other voice actors in this show are Kaede Hondo, who plays Rin—good choice for a rising star; Ryota Ohsaka voices Kyouya—he always has a nice voice that suits ikemen characters; Takeo Otsuka voices Oushi—I need to see more to evaluate more; Tasuku Hatanaka voices the hair salon guy—wait, what? I never knew Hatanaka could produce a voice like that. I usually associate him with his rather gravelly, gruff voice. That’s so cool. Anyways, I do wonder who else will be in the voice cast of this anime. I’m satisfied with the results.

Overall, I think this has the potential to be a great romance. I can’t wait to see what it has in store. If I really enjoy it once it finishes airing, I’ll definitely buy the manga! What are your thoughts on the first episode?