Yuri is My Job! – Episode 9

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we are returning to the exclusive halls of Liebe Girls Academy, where dark clouds are currently gathering across the shimmering, verdant fields where our ladies practice their polo and dressage skills. Having attempted to disarm the threat Kanoko represents for Cafe Liebe, Sumika has discovered there is no reasoning with the girl, and that Kanoko’s passionate feelings for Hime have set her against the Schwestern system altogether.

Kanoko’s feelings are understandable: she’s only attached to this cafe because Hime is here as well, and her sole desire is to halt whatever transformation she believes is carrying her friend away from her. Hime is actually growing into a more well-rounded, socially earnest person, but Kanoko desires a monopoly on Hime’s sincerity, and will do everything she can to achieve that. It’s a selfish, one-sided love, but it’s certainly a common motive. On the other hand, I am quite intrigued to learn why Sumika is so attached to this cafe, what it represents for her, and how it reflects her ambitions and self-image. Let’s try and divine how our gyaru senpai really feels as we return to Yuri is My Job!

Episode 9

“The One and Only.” Presumably referring to Kanoko’s desire to monopolize Hime’s attention. It’s hard to feel particularly sympathetic towards Kanoko’s perspective, because what she wants isn’t even good for Hime. It’s a selfish sort of love, a desire for Hime to stay forever remote from earnest contact with others. Healthy relationships change us for the better, drawing out and celebrating capabilities we didn’t know we had – in contrast, Kanoko wishes Hime would continue to embrace her most antisocial tendencies

We return right where we left off, beneath the fabled arches of WcDonalds

“Give up on Hime-chan.” Sumika’s words are harsh, but they might actually be what’s best for everyone. Hime clearly doesn’t have any romantic feelings towards Kanoko, Kanoko’s own feelings are obsessive and unhealthy, and it’s doubtful that a bandaid-ripping confession would do anything but foster distance between them. Kanoko needs to let it go

“Tachibana-san, you’re the type that interferes.” Kanoko’s words emphasize how she sees her own intrusions as a natural state of being, while anyone who counters her perspective is “interfering.” It’s a similar framing to how Hime referred to anyone who disrupted her facade as a “bad person” – both of them unconsciously assign an inherent righteousness to their desires. Presumably that’s part of what Kanoko likes about Hime, one of the attitudes she’s unhappy to see Hime discarding

Having assigned Sumika this title, Kanoko refuses to engage with her further. Though Hime responds with feigned friendliness and Kanoko with silence, both of them put people in boxes and then disregard their perspectives

Long shots emphasize Kanoko’s sense of isolation within this public setting as Hime doesn’t answer her call

We cut back to Kanoko’s first impression of Hime, seemingly back in middle school. The sound design emphasizes Kanoko’s emotional distance from her classmates, with their lighthearted chatter smothered by cool electronic tones as Kanoko tunes them out

“I hate them all.” Kanoko has no interest in their social niceties, and treats them with intense contempt

“I have my own space. A place of my own, away from prying eyes.” Adolescent loners all basically have to come up with their own answers to these fundamental questions, answering “why can’t I find the same happiness in socializing as my classmates” in their own ways. In truth, the forced consensus of adolescent social groups will leave a lot of people feeling isolated, but that’s not really a convincing or comforting answer in the moment. The situation can easily foster a sense of resentment or superiority, if only to justify your own personality and isolation

Hime discovers her in her sanctuary, but says only “oh, so there you are”

I like how the background chatter has made it clear for some time that her classmates are compiling a congratulations video for their teacher’s wedding, but Kanoko herself is surprised when asked about it. Her own internal monologue of contempt completely drowned out the voices of her classmates

Hime draws her into the conversation, saying it’s a “class-wide event”

From then on, Hime would visit her at her private lunch spot every day. A funny consequence of their very divergent, yet equally limited perspectives on socializing. Kanoko disregards everyone because she has no desire to get to know them – she has judged them based on their public performance of camaraderie, and believes that is all there is to them. Hime is only able to break through that judgment because she is so determined to be loved by absolutely everyone, even a loner who intentionally isolates themselves from the rest of their classmates. It is thus Hime’s fear of being even slightly unloved that breaks through Kanoko’s shield against genuine intimacy, with one unhealthy response to social judgment neatly countering another

“I mean, you’re the only one who’s not doing anything, so please?” Of course, Kanoko’s rejection of her classmates isn’t based on nothing. As a socially anxious outcast, I’m sure she’s accustomed to being stuck with tasks that her classmates know she’s not confident enough to argue against. Adolescence is something of a battlefield, it’s just that our perception of even greater hostility makes it harder for us to find sincere connections

“Ask us anything if you need us.” This writer is very good at capturing the particular insincere undertones of adolescent consensus-building, which is of course quite important for a show with Hime as a protagonist

“If you don’t like something, you need to say so. Otherwise we won’t know,” Hime tells her frankly at lunch

“There’s nothing I particularly dislike.” Hah, what a non-answer. As always, Kanoko is just seeking the fastest route out of this conversation, even if that will make more trouble for her later

Then Hime-san refers to her as a “good kid,” unwittingly striking her at her weakest point. Kanoko sees her actions as a rebellion, Hime sees her as just going with the flow

Her classmates tell her to stop working when her piece is “good enough,” seemingly not even particularly interested in the project they assigned her. Shades of Mitsuki here, with Kanoko similarly despising her classmates for their lack of commitment to anything. Thus she takes it out on the board itself

Instead of just declining the work in the first place, she takes out her frustration on the finished result. Hime proven right. And Hime actually sees her do it, but says nothing, keeping her secret. Of course – why would Hime reveal Kanoko’s true self, when her most traumatic memory is of Mitsuki revealing hers?

Then Kanoko recalls Hime’s statement that “if you don’t speak out, it’s like it never happened,” and realizes she doesn’t want to sweep this away. She wants to declare her resistance to the norm, and thus takes credit for destroying the poster

Of course, Hime doesn’t want to see Kanoko self-immolate socially, so she actually counters Kanoko’s confession, providing an alibi for her. Sincerity in moderation, Kanoko!

“How do you have the rooftop key?” “I borrowed it for the video. They trust me.” A pointed metaphor here – Kanoko can choose to continuously reject the social conventions of her classmates if she wishes, but that path will only ever lead her to a locked door. By mastering those conventions while secretly not respecting them, Hime is able to rise beyond them to reach the sky. Kanoko’s actions are still defined by the convention she is rebelling against, but Hime is free

“Mamiya-san, you suck at using a facade.” Harsh but fair. For both Kanoko and Mitsuki, it was easier to frame using a facade as something contemptible than to accept that it was simply a skill they were not very good at. All of us temper our natural instincts all the time, softening our least charitable thoughts and considering the feelings of our current company. That’s not “deception,” that’s just learning social grace – after all, the “you” that chooses what specifically to say is the conscious you, which you can presumably agree is as much “yourself” as your immediate, unconsidered reactions. Embracing that filter isn’t cowardice, it’s just social competence

Hime reveals she was actually worried about Kanoko, seeing her silent acceptance as its own form of frustrating “good kid” performance. Is simply not voicing your thoughts any more sincere than playing along with the crowd?

“Shiraki-san, you’re so different from usual.” Kanoko’s isolation from the rest of her classmates actually gives Hime the opportunity to be herself, since Kanoko is no threat to her

“I couldn’t help myself. You reminded me of her.” Hime’s fundamental kindness is clear in her refusal to abandon people like Mitsuki or Kanoko, alongside her secret desire to be loved for who she really is

“Let me take a break from my facade when it’s just you and me, okay?” Easy to see how Kanoko wouldn’t want to give this special relationship up, particularly since she hasn’t really changed her ways in the meantime

“Is this what being drawn in is like?” Kanoko, you’re not gonna believe this, but

“Make sure you vent if you need to, okay?” As we cut back to the present, we see Hime still encouraging Kanoko to express her true feelings

Mitsuki comes across her out in the square, but Kanoko swiftly flees. As always, she sees being recognized by others who aren’t Hime as a natural imposition, an encroachment on her private space

“If you can keep it up, maybe you won’t need me anymore.” Hime sees Kanoko as a project, Kanoko sees Hime as everything

And Done

Woof, what a mess! It wasn’t exactly surprising to see how Kanoko’s initial isolation naturally transitioned into a total obsession with Hime, but what really stood out to me was how little she has changed in the years since. While Hime has clearly been trying to help Kanoko socialize more successfully with others, Kanoko’s only takeaway has been “Hime is my savior, and no one can ever come between us.” While even the brittle, bristling Mitsuki found a place where her personality could shine, Kanoko has only sunk further into dependency, maintaining her total contempt for others as she nestles up against Hime’s shoulder. The ending she seeks is an unhealthy impossibility, a fantasy provoked by her adolescent disdain for everyone who doesn’t instantly understand her. Fortunately, it seems like Sumika actually does understand her, unflattering obsessions and all. And now I’m more eager than ever to see Sumika’s side of the story!

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