wafflesex:

Let me briefly talk about this from episode 2:

where Sousuke confronts Haru and blatantly tries to protect and defend Rin. What are we really seeing here? Are we seeing Sousuke defending Rin or Rin’s dream? And for that matter, does Sousuke even really know what Rin’s dream is now? We know he saw his best friend swim with the Iwatobi kids at regionals, but at that point it’s safe to assume Sousuke knows next to nothing about how Rin’s dream changed since they last met.

Having said that, I have to wonder about what Sousuke’s role will be this season. It’s pretty obvious, though, that he’s one hell of an enigma. Think about it.

What is Sousuke Yamazaki trying to accomplish?

For all of his high school life he’s been attending a prestigious school in Tokyo, well renowned for its superior swimming team. He ranks in the top ten best butterfly swimmers in the country. He’s already accomplished enough to be scouted on a national level.

So what the heck is he really doing transferring in the middle of winter to Samezuka Academy?

Rin himself questions this and, personally, I think Sousuke’s reasons are complete BS. If the conversation he has with Haru is any hint, then we should know by now that Sousuke definitely holds ulterior motives for being at Samezuka, mainly concerning Rin. And really, I think that’s just it:

Sousuke isn’t there for himself. He’s there for Rin.

And as we can see, he’s going to make absolutely sure no one jeopardizes that. Sousuke is like a wall. Physically and emotionally he’s intimidating in every sense of the word. And quite frankly, only two episodes in? He poses a very direct threat not only to Haru, but for Haru’s team as well. Consider this:

When Rin and Ai worry about not being able to swim at the relay, Sousuke casually says he’ll be able to swim two legs of the race by himself, both freestyle and backstroke, which I personally believe he’s more than capable of. Furthermore, as I previously mentioned, he’s undoubtedly a powerhouse all his own with the speed and natural strength to back him up.

… And yet he loses to Haru in the relay?

This isn’t the face of someone who’s aiming to win. This is the face of someone who’s aiming to chase. Just as he did in the hallway, here Sousuke’s once again intimidating Haru. Because he wants to break him down, he wants him to know and understand he is a threat, a force no one can reckon with, and that so long as he’s around and Haru is not, Rin and his dream will succeed.

In other words: he purposely lost this race just to get under Haru’s skin.

So what does this say for the future of Eternal Summer? Well, Sousuke definitely is a multifaceted character—someone who’s going to disturb the waters (so to speak hahaaa)—and at this point I can’t be certain which side of him is “real,” though if I had to guess, what we see when he’s with Rin may be close to it. Having said that, how else will he go about trying to “protect” his best friend? To what extent is he willing to go? And for that matter, if and when he learns of how Rin’s dream has changed, will Sousuke, the one person who understands Rin more than anyone else, even be able to comprehend it at all?

This is a boy who has his life planned out. When he graduates he’ll head off to train for being on a national team. He’ll study and work hard and hopefully will continue to succeed.

And in contrast we have the Iwatobi boys, all of which have yet to decide on exactly where their future will take them. Could they perhaps come to learn from Sousuke’s headstrong attitude or maybe it’s Sousuke who will learn a little something about freedom from them?

I guess we’ll just have to stay tuned.

I was gonna write about Sousuke but this pretty much covers everything.