It's Not Anyone's Fault That It Rains"
How ironic that it should be a series like Sakurasou that would hit the exact point I've been trying to make about the themes in Eureka Seven: New Order and Astral Ocean, albeit in a different context.
For the first time since the first cour, the drama in
Sakurasou has actually managed to do what it's been trying to do along: leave a
proper impact. That's not to say all of the drama has been lackluster lately, but for the most part it's been driven by forced stupidity on characters like Sorata, who aren't normally idiots. It's been a little frustrating to watch, especially when the great comedy was removed for the sake of pushing that drama to the forefront. That was not the case this week. Even without the laughs, this was far more poignant than anything else the series has pulled since its original dramatic entry, and it was done, for the most part, quite well. You can argue that it was a bit over the top, what with all the not-so-subtle rain and the
exaggerated movements, but the idea was imparted clearly and powerfully: life is not fair. No matter how hard you work, no matter how much effort you spend,
things will not simply go your way, if only because life is far too complex and cruel to make things that convenient for you.
The residents of Sakurasou have been painfully forced to stare this truth in the face. Nanami has failed and
bottled up her pain, terrified to admit that she's wasted two years of her life only to reach failure; Sorata has lost out to another music game, one that was less interesting and probably chosen for financial reasons; Sakurasou failed to collect enough signatures to rescind the decision to demolish the dorm; and
Mashiro has realized that the only way to save it is to leave for everyone else's sake. As hard to face as that is, the point is
not that life is full of wasted effort. To quote loosely from
Eureka Seven, "Don't ask for things, get them yourself, else nothing will be given you". Contrary to popular belief, this isn't talking about the final result of achieving one's goals; what this quote really tries to impart is the importance of
effort, of doing one's utmost to try to achieve those goals, because no one, especially not life, is going to do it for you. Thus, there is no such thing as wasted effort because even if you fail, the journey of getting to that point is what matters. Life will undoubtedly interfere but if you have done everything you can, then you have redeemed that effort in the knowledge that as a human being, you fought to the last.
And that's exactly what Sorata tries to tell Nanami here; they both did everything they could, and life screwed them over, but that
doesn't mean she wasted her time. It also wasn't selfish of her to do the things she did, even if it was only to boost her self-confidence; it's only natural to want to live without regrets, even if that's impossible in practice. Unfortunately Sorata himself still hasn't been able to come to terms with his own efforts and failures, and worst of all, the
universe kicks him while he's already down. All the resentment he has against the unfairness of life is made that much worse when Mashiro once again seems to be life's favored child. With no effort whatsoever, she's been offered a job by the company that rejected him when all she was trying to do was help his pitch. It's too early to tell if this will return us back to
baka Sorata or not, but Mashiro clearly holds quite a bit of guilt about the whole affair. I think the drama surrounding her departure will be the final push in getting Sorata's feelings for her properly established, though it could be a while until that happens; he still has to deal with his inner turmoil towards her and his own troubled heart.
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