Without too much surprise, the upcoming plot is a machination of Hiratsuka-sensei. "To learn how to live with people in different cliques; learn how to deal with them smoothly without fighting or ignoring them." In other words, learn how to practice some basic human skills. Leave it to Sensei to strongarm her students into growth. Thus, the trio and Hayama's group will assist at a middle school summer camp for a few days.
(An aside: yet another perfect example of Oregairu's slice of life honesty: the opening scene is exactly how people deal with unwanted texts. It also illustrates how close siblings interact. I wish I had something more profound than pointing and saying, "Look! This is great!"
Oregairu has up to now presented what human nature often does with social interaction. Thus, no matter the ages, general patterns are going to emerge. Those might shift over time, assuming one actually grows up, but though the standards for judging success and failure change as one gets older, the same general idiocy prevails. Nothing prevents someone from being a superficial airhead at forty, the same way nothing prevents another from being an isolated cynic at nine. Yukino notes this explicitly when she explains to Hachiman, "There's no difference. They're human, all the same."
The catalyst here, however, is the influx of new faces; specifically, younger children. The highschoolers are in some fashion responsible for them, and this often has the effect of growing people up, In fact, one could argue this is generally what makes you grow up in the first place - responsibility. A boy becomes a man when he assumes the responsibilities of a man. Thus, a whole new dynamic will be introduced between the Hachiman-Yukino-Yui trio and the Hayama group.
The new dynamic affects Hachiman and Yukino first, illustrating that both of them are on the same wavelength, practically reading each other's thoughts. A group of middle school girls finds a snake and adores the helpful Hayama, while one girl stands apart and alone. This persists, so Hayama speaks to her (name: Rumi) and tries to re-introduce her to the group. Predictably, it's a dismal failure. Hayama has probably always been well-liked, so he's not exactly an expert at dealing with loners. He doesn't speak their language. Yukino and Hachiman do, so any solution (if there is one) will almost certainly have to come from them.
Unfortunately, neither Hachiman nor Yukino are able to provide any wisdom for her, though she not unexpectedly seeks them out (loners attract other loners, after all). They are isolated, and so is she; it would be strange for, say, Yukino to give successful advice on solving the same problem she herself has - being socially shunned. Now, however, all the group has noticed this dynamic, and they try to solve it all at once. Hachiman's unspoken opinion is that being lone is fine - it's the shunning that's the problem; Hina's suggestion is for Rumi to devote herself to her hobbies, since one finds friends through mutual interests.
This isn't such a terrible idea, but Hayama disagrees. The solution, according to him, is to make everyone friends again. This immediately prompts a cynical, superior smirk from Hachiman, and Yukino shuts it down in the only way she knows how - cold, blunt, and brutal. Yumiko can't stand that side of Yukino and starts a fight, which illuminates something important. Komachi observes that Rumi has a strong personality, which makes integration difficult. Hayama agrees; it's as if she's disinterested, or disillusioned. Yumiko counters that she's not disillusioned, she's looking down on everyone, which is a sure-fire way to alienate them and make them resent you (I can't really stand Yumiko, but I've gotta hand it to her - she is absolutely right about this). She links that to Yukino's behavior (this is a terrible idea, Yumiko; there's no way you'll ever trump Yukino in an argument), and that goes over about as well as you'd expect. According to Yukino, "You simply feel you're being looked down upon because you're aware that you're inferior." This is about to start a real fight of Vingananee proportions, and would have, were it not for Hayama's intervention.
Thus nothing gets resolved, but that night brings out one of the best conversations between Hachiman and Yukino to date. The latter "Spent thirty minutes refuting her (i.e. Yumiko's) arguments and made her cry." One can only imagine what was said, and it's genius directing move that we didn't see it. Yukino doesn't know her own power with words and tears make her uncomfortable. But outside in the dark, she feels totally comfortable telling Hachiman about her relationship to her family ("I'm just a replacement"), her desire to help, and even whether or not she and Hayama have a history together. That sort of transparency is remarkable, and belies her claim that Hachiman is not her friend. He understands her quite well, and vice versa. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say the two are now close friends.
The new insight into Yukino's character - she sees herself as a mere replacement for her sister - makes me terrified to imagine what kind of twisted family dynamic is at work in the Yukinoshita household. Given her close-lipped nature, though, it'll probably be awhile until it gets more fleshed out.
(An aside: yet another perfect example of Oregairu's slice of life honesty: the opening scene is exactly how people deal with unwanted texts. It also illustrates how close siblings interact. I wish I had something more profound than pointing and saying, "Look! This is great!"
Oregairu has up to now presented what human nature often does with social interaction. Thus, no matter the ages, general patterns are going to emerge. Those might shift over time, assuming one actually grows up, but though the standards for judging success and failure change as one gets older, the same general idiocy prevails. Nothing prevents someone from being a superficial airhead at forty, the same way nothing prevents another from being an isolated cynic at nine. Yukino notes this explicitly when she explains to Hachiman, "There's no difference. They're human, all the same."
The catalyst here, however, is the influx of new faces; specifically, younger children. The highschoolers are in some fashion responsible for them, and this often has the effect of growing people up, In fact, one could argue this is generally what makes you grow up in the first place - responsibility. A boy becomes a man when he assumes the responsibilities of a man. Thus, a whole new dynamic will be introduced between the Hachiman-Yukino-Yui trio and the Hayama group.
The new dynamic affects Hachiman and Yukino first, illustrating that both of them are on the same wavelength, practically reading each other's thoughts. A group of middle school girls finds a snake and adores the helpful Hayama, while one girl stands apart and alone. This persists, so Hayama speaks to her (name: Rumi) and tries to re-introduce her to the group. Predictably, it's a dismal failure. Hayama has probably always been well-liked, so he's not exactly an expert at dealing with loners. He doesn't speak their language. Yukino and Hachiman do, so any solution (if there is one) will almost certainly have to come from them.
Unfortunately, neither Hachiman nor Yukino are able to provide any wisdom for her, though she not unexpectedly seeks them out (loners attract other loners, after all). They are isolated, and so is she; it would be strange for, say, Yukino to give successful advice on solving the same problem she herself has - being socially shunned. Now, however, all the group has noticed this dynamic, and they try to solve it all at once. Hachiman's unspoken opinion is that being lone is fine - it's the shunning that's the problem; Hina's suggestion is for Rumi to devote herself to her hobbies, since one finds friends through mutual interests.
This isn't such a terrible idea, but Hayama disagrees. The solution, according to him, is to make everyone friends again. This immediately prompts a cynical, superior smirk from Hachiman, and Yukino shuts it down in the only way she knows how - cold, blunt, and brutal. Yumiko can't stand that side of Yukino and starts a fight, which illuminates something important. Komachi observes that Rumi has a strong personality, which makes integration difficult. Hayama agrees; it's as if she's disinterested, or disillusioned. Yumiko counters that she's not disillusioned, she's looking down on everyone, which is a sure-fire way to alienate them and make them resent you (I can't really stand Yumiko, but I've gotta hand it to her - she is absolutely right about this). She links that to Yukino's behavior (this is a terrible idea, Yumiko; there's no way you'll ever trump Yukino in an argument), and that goes over about as well as you'd expect. According to Yukino, "You simply feel you're being looked down upon because you're aware that you're inferior." This is about to start a real fight of Vingananee proportions, and would have, were it not for Hayama's intervention.
Thus nothing gets resolved, but that night brings out one of the best conversations between Hachiman and Yukino to date. The latter "Spent thirty minutes refuting her (i.e. Yumiko's) arguments and made her cry." One can only imagine what was said, and it's genius directing move that we didn't see it. Yukino doesn't know her own power with words and tears make her uncomfortable. But outside in the dark, she feels totally comfortable telling Hachiman about her relationship to her family ("I'm just a replacement"), her desire to help, and even whether or not she and Hayama have a history together. That sort of transparency is remarkable, and belies her claim that Hachiman is not her friend. He understands her quite well, and vice versa. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say the two are now close friends.
The new insight into Yukino's character - she sees herself as a mere replacement for her sister - makes me terrified to imagine what kind of twisted family dynamic is at work in the Yukinoshita household. Given her close-lipped nature, though, it'll probably be awhile until it gets more fleshed out.
