Thread by @Remmborn, Its super easy to write off Yukino especially in the 3rd season [...]

Its super easy to write off Yukino especially in the 3rd season due to it being focused on 8man and Yui, even if all the actions they are taking are formed by her existence, she manages to be an equal part of it without having to be on screen

The reason her characterization is so tied to her sister, hiratsuka sensei, her mothe, and hayato is because she herself is unaware of the gravity of the risks she takes and how that affects others, which is why as the viewer we need someone from the outside to deliver-

what she herself doesnt fully understand. Shes more selfless than the other two and is fixated on multiple things that overlap in her life, her mothers admiration, coupled with her insecurities as a normal teenage girl, her romances, being acknowedged overall, and wanting-

to become more independent. Shes so disastrously bad at communicating what it is she has a problem with and its that subtlety that i love, because the narrator and protagonist 8man is the only one who is able to derive from that flaw, because he himself fails to do it aswell

Thats why every time they interact its like the people around them are unaware or lost, because they understand and interact with each other on a level that people who arnt a part of that cant fully grasp. Thats why Yui was so adament on trying to be a part of that-

even tho she knew she couldnt, thats why it irritated Iroha when the two declared a competition between the other, thats why Hayato is irritated yet relieved that 8man is here because unlike him who couldnt help her back in America, 8man is fully aware of the shifting pieces in-

her life. Thats why Haruno is so intrigued by 8man cause until then she didnt know anybody that could resonate the same with Yukino, someone that could understand her problems. Shes someone who lives under and everchanging umbrella, who wants to be acknowledged-

and indepent but will take it to the extreme, who excels at tasks among her peers but fails at the simplest things, she struggles under the very idea of being useless so she made herself as strong as possible. Shes built with insecurities that shes faced since she was young

Hiratsuka sense was keenly aware of the type or person she was and thats why she was so confident in 8man, because he was the only person that could break through her shell. Shes a person of so many nuances that its a crippling flaw in her existence and i relate to that

to know what you want but at the same time struggle to communicate what u dont, to take everything to the extreme, to struggle to maintain a level of “normal” its always one end of the spectrum or the other.
Thats why i think shes better written than Yui personally, simply-

preference ofc, Yuis character is more layed out for the viewer throughout the story because we see her perspective, as a girl who has selfish ambitions and has to overcome that to become a better person, eventually maturing into someone more selfless.

Yukino is always portrayed as an enigma, we rarley see her Home life unless the viewer (8man or Yui) is directly interacting with it. Its untrenched territory because of the nature of the narrator 8man, he is someone whos so infatuated with her that he blocks of-

her own perspective presented to us, its something he cant cross because of how he views her, the anime doesnt really show this side but hes completley enamered with everything she does, her actions, her attempts at growth even if its a lost cause, he still admires-

and is star struck by her, he often describes her in the LN as a beauty with extremely key subtleties, such as the shine on her lips, or the way her hair flows, or even the way she walks. Im not exactly sure where it is in the anime that certain characters noticed-

this attentive perspective he has on her, but the main cast all do get a grasp of this. Hiratsuka sensei, Haruno,Yui,Iroha and Hayato all have noticed, which is why as the story goes on Yukino doesnt even have to be onscreen to be relevent

because eventually 8man carries the very idea of her, whats so jarring to me and honestly one of my favorite aspects is the nature of there relationship at the start compared to now. She was seemingly disgusted by him and he seemed to hate her for simply being in the limelight-

but as he got to know her more, about her past he came to understand her own troubles shes had in the past, how she herself is just like him, and likewise with her.

at the end of season 1 is the first glimpse we get at this, she rejects the idea of them ever being able to become friends, because they are too similar, because them maintaining something as friends would be almost impossible

which is why at the start of s2 shes openly more flustered by him, having this more deeply weaved understanding of him, who he is has brought to light a new feeling, the way she treated him at the start of the series contrasted with her being thrown off by him entirley.

Which is why here shes so aggrivated with the way hes started to do things, throwing away his own self worth for the sake of others, no matter how far it hurts him

i laid this out weird sorta so excuse that, but the nature of her being so selfless, the actions she takes influenced what he wanted in return, his big “Genuine Speech” which is why (i really am not trying to throw shots its just the 3 are so intertwined) Yui wasnt-

right for him because she wasnt “genuine” in his eyes.
This is why Yukino runs away after, cause of these 2 people who are so perfectly mirrored, one of them has finally vocalized what they want.

Obviously this all leads to the whole conundrum of breaking off their relationship multiple times, “saving” each other etc
but this episode is what it all lead to. 8man whos completley different than he was at the start of the series, finally is able to put into words what he-

wants, and in turn, so can Yukino.
This episode called back to the prospect of them being anything “less” being impossible, this time 8man vocalizing it instead of Yukino.
He wants to be involved with her because if he lets her go hes confident he cant get back this girl-

who hes so infatuated with. Hes fine with her messing up his life, and she is fine with him doing the same.
Thus, their relationship, semi put into words, i glossed over some things for the sake of reading the thread tho so, like who u want i just wanted to explain her character

done

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