© pom・JOYNET/LINE Digital Frontier・”Senior is a Man” Production Committee
One of the most critical parts of a relationship—and one of the easiest to forget—is communication. When we get caught up in our feelings, lost in the waves of human emotion, it’s easy to avoid others, hide, and allow our worst fears to deflect. However, as we’ve seen, Saki’s seniors dragged her into this world, and that’s rarely the right answer. Humans are social animals and sometimes need a little help expressing themselves. That’s why it’s so cathartic when Saki finally accepts his friend’s guidance, and why it’s so sweet when Ryuuji and Makoto sit down and express their feelings for each other.
Granted, that doesn’t mean these issues have been resolved, but the two can finally have friction without hating each other. Instead, they could actually…become friends? Or more? It’s not entirely clear yet, and it doesn’t need to be clear yet. This was incredibly refreshing and led to a very special episode in which their relationship unfolded with Others. Makoto was able to re-embrace his old relationships before coming out and rebuild some of the social life he once had. Ryuji witnesses the birth of a relationship that defies the typical social baggage he has always known. These are small moments, but they’re only possible because Saki forces the pair of self-sacrificing vagabonds to speak, and it’s a wonderful sequence.
Then there’s Saki’s mother. As much as I appreciate how protective Aoi’s mother is – even without knowing the details, Aoi’s mother’s departure left a lot of scars, and it would be natural to protect Saki from it all again – I think if they wanted to meet again , this is a good idea. Saki’s dad didn’t take on the emotional burden of being a parent, and if her mom had the ability to start doing that, it would be worth at least a try. I wish we knew more about why she left and what the two were going through. Still, I really appreciate the way the story attempts to gradually reconcile.
Finally, we have to deal with Makoto’s mother, and I’m conflicted. Her disdain for Makoto’s gender nonconformity seems to have strictly personal reasons, and there are many pitfalls that come with them. Assigning specific personal motivations for bigotry is an annoying way to simplify and eliminate bigotry. People rarely use logic to accept these beliefs and rarely use logic to get rid of them. The show was good enough to earn my trust in the show, but I was hesitant when we got to the finale.
grade:
Senior is a man Currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
