Komachi gets to play matchmaker, either exasperated or pleased at how obstinately Hachiman is ignoring the signs from Yui. So against his will, he's on a date, under the cover of buying a thank you for his little sister from Yui. But even Hachiman isn't dumb enough to fail seeing his sister's plot. Instead, he's actively resisting the temptation around Yui - the temptation to see fate or destiny revealed in coincidence. As he so eloquently puts it, "I do not believe in coincidence, fate, or destiny;" precisely those things that so inspire teenage infatuation.
According to Hachiman, 80% of the male population is prone to the speculation, "Is she into me?" Thus, he says, he shall remain cautious, endlessly repeating to himself, "No way in Hell." Is he being wilfully obtuse, or is it really so hard to recognize when someone is falling in love with you? The viewer recognizes Yui's attraction immediately, but perhaps they are simply exemplifying Hachiman's talent of seeing more clearly into others' than his own relationships. So predictably, when running into Yui's friends, Hachiman immediately compares himself to the more popular, more likable (let's be honest here) Hayama. This reinforces his instinct to withdraw, as he inwardly repeats his Nice Girls monologue. Thus, the first half of the episode is Hachiman ignoring the obvious on purpose.
Enter Haruno for the second half. She can always be counted on to stir things up, though it remains to be seen whether she will stir things up the way Sensei does (pushing Hachiman towards growth) or in less positive ways. Without too much surprise for the viewer, she starts talking about Hachiman and Yui's relationship and the problems it will create for Yukino, who she reveals is not good at either compromise or negotiation (thank Haruno, but we already knew that), especially with her mother; and now that Hachiman and Yui are on a date (Yui gives the standard anime "It isn't like that!" protest, but it's clear she's lying through her teeth), "Things won't go Yukino's way yet again."
Haruno is so superficial and false it's almost impossible to get a read on her. Her armor, as Hachiman recognized, is amazing. She's a social loose cannon. Yukino sees herself as simply a replacement for Haruno, and in Haruno's words, Yukino has always sought to match and chase after her older sister. Then, after Yui explains all the reasons she loves Yukino, Haruno explains why that turns into jealous resentment. "I hope you're different," she says, but it's impossible to know if that's the truth. More probably, everything that comes out of her mouth is simply said to see what will happen, like Hannibal calling Garret Jacob Hobbs. I do not trust her.
Case in point: Haruno asks Yui and Hachiman if they'd like a ride back in her family's car - you know, the one that ran him over. Discerning that Yukino never told him, she asks him to "not hold it against her," knowing of course that he will obsessively dwell on just that. Or simply just wondering what he will do after all this has been made explicit. Of course, Hachiman waves it off, claiming that he does not dwell on the past. Good to know he can lie through his teeth.
Perceptive Yui knows something is wrong, but is unable to do anything about it. Yukino is the elephant in the room right now. Hachiman claims he wants to avoid what Yukino doesn't want to touch on (why she lied about not knowing him, for example), and according to Yui, "if you miss the right time you can't say it." This is fine, according to him, because knowing less means you have less to worry about. This strikes Yui as wrong, because she wants genuine friendship; to know another fully and be known in return. She tries to use this as a springboard to get through (or leap over) Hachiman's carefully constructed walls, but his talent lies in losing, so he is able to avoid hearing that she is falling for him.
Yukino, upon their reunion, actually seems as if she has something to say to him, hearing about his encounter from Haruno - I can only guess how that went down, but I'm glad we were not privy to it - but Hachiman shuts it down, retreating even further into his fortress, because he is furious with himself for expecting Yukino to be totally consistent: "The Yukino that I've known, always beautiful, unable to lie, honest, always standing on her own two feet, without anyone or anything to support her; I'm sure that I held Yukino in admiration. I chose to expect things out of her. I chose to force my ideals on her. I chose to feel like I understood her. And so I chose to be disappointed. As much as I've told myself not to, I still do it. Even Yukino lies. I can't accept this basic fact. And so I hate myself."
What a great monologue. Classic clearsightedness joined to his familiar fortress mentality. Hachiman could have listened to what Yukino had to say, but had already decided what he was going to do before school started, just as he did when he tried to destroy his friendship with Yui. A minor betrayal (if we can even call it that) reinforces his original intent to close himself off from other people at the slightest sign of risk. Yukino disappointed him once; you could even read it as her taking advantage of him. Like Shinji, he is afraid of that sort of pain, so he hides. He is afraid, or even a coward.
What has already happened, however, is irreversible. For the first time in his life, he has (or at least, in Yukino's case, he had) good friends. Yui is still there, and her presence is bound to effect something. There is also Sensei, who is unlikely to stay away from her charges for long. Hachiman has experienced some of the thrill of understanding another and being understood, so his retreat is unlikely to last very long. He will not be able to help himself.
According to Hachiman, 80% of the male population is prone to the speculation, "Is she into me?" Thus, he says, he shall remain cautious, endlessly repeating to himself, "No way in Hell." Is he being wilfully obtuse, or is it really so hard to recognize when someone is falling in love with you? The viewer recognizes Yui's attraction immediately, but perhaps they are simply exemplifying Hachiman's talent of seeing more clearly into others' than his own relationships. So predictably, when running into Yui's friends, Hachiman immediately compares himself to the more popular, more likable (let's be honest here) Hayama. This reinforces his instinct to withdraw, as he inwardly repeats his Nice Girls monologue. Thus, the first half of the episode is Hachiman ignoring the obvious on purpose.
Enter Haruno for the second half. She can always be counted on to stir things up, though it remains to be seen whether she will stir things up the way Sensei does (pushing Hachiman towards growth) or in less positive ways. Without too much surprise for the viewer, she starts talking about Hachiman and Yui's relationship and the problems it will create for Yukino, who she reveals is not good at either compromise or negotiation (thank Haruno, but we already knew that), especially with her mother; and now that Hachiman and Yui are on a date (Yui gives the standard anime "It isn't like that!" protest, but it's clear she's lying through her teeth), "Things won't go Yukino's way yet again."
Haruno is so superficial and false it's almost impossible to get a read on her. Her armor, as Hachiman recognized, is amazing. She's a social loose cannon. Yukino sees herself as simply a replacement for Haruno, and in Haruno's words, Yukino has always sought to match and chase after her older sister. Then, after Yui explains all the reasons she loves Yukino, Haruno explains why that turns into jealous resentment. "I hope you're different," she says, but it's impossible to know if that's the truth. More probably, everything that comes out of her mouth is simply said to see what will happen, like Hannibal calling Garret Jacob Hobbs. I do not trust her.
Case in point: Haruno asks Yui and Hachiman if they'd like a ride back in her family's car - you know, the one that ran him over. Discerning that Yukino never told him, she asks him to "not hold it against her," knowing of course that he will obsessively dwell on just that. Or simply just wondering what he will do after all this has been made explicit. Of course, Hachiman waves it off, claiming that he does not dwell on the past. Good to know he can lie through his teeth.
Perceptive Yui knows something is wrong, but is unable to do anything about it. Yukino is the elephant in the room right now. Hachiman claims he wants to avoid what Yukino doesn't want to touch on (why she lied about not knowing him, for example), and according to Yui, "if you miss the right time you can't say it." This is fine, according to him, because knowing less means you have less to worry about. This strikes Yui as wrong, because she wants genuine friendship; to know another fully and be known in return. She tries to use this as a springboard to get through (or leap over) Hachiman's carefully constructed walls, but his talent lies in losing, so he is able to avoid hearing that she is falling for him.
Yukino, upon their reunion, actually seems as if she has something to say to him, hearing about his encounter from Haruno - I can only guess how that went down, but I'm glad we were not privy to it - but Hachiman shuts it down, retreating even further into his fortress, because he is furious with himself for expecting Yukino to be totally consistent: "The Yukino that I've known, always beautiful, unable to lie, honest, always standing on her own two feet, without anyone or anything to support her; I'm sure that I held Yukino in admiration. I chose to expect things out of her. I chose to force my ideals on her. I chose to feel like I understood her. And so I chose to be disappointed. As much as I've told myself not to, I still do it. Even Yukino lies. I can't accept this basic fact. And so I hate myself."
What a great monologue. Classic clearsightedness joined to his familiar fortress mentality. Hachiman could have listened to what Yukino had to say, but had already decided what he was going to do before school started, just as he did when he tried to destroy his friendship with Yui. A minor betrayal (if we can even call it that) reinforces his original intent to close himself off from other people at the slightest sign of risk. Yukino disappointed him once; you could even read it as her taking advantage of him. Like Shinji, he is afraid of that sort of pain, so he hides. He is afraid, or even a coward.
What has already happened, however, is irreversible. For the first time in his life, he has (or at least, in Yukino's case, he had) good friends. Yui is still there, and her presence is bound to effect something. There is also Sensei, who is unlikely to stay away from her charges for long. Hachiman has experienced some of the thrill of understanding another and being understood, so his retreat is unlikely to last very long. He will not be able to help himself.
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