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.
Nagisa: I’m getting kinda excited! Hey hey, Rei-chan—you wanna try swimming the Breaststroke leg? Rei: As if I could; I can still only swim Butterfly! Nagisa: Awwwww c’mon don’t say thaaaat~ You know you’re not the same as before, right? I’m sure you could swim any stroke now! Sera: It’s been a while. Rei: Sera-sempai…! Sera: Hey, Ryuugazaki…you have any interest in returning to the Track team?
NO WHY IS THAT NOT REI’S BROTHER I WANT TO SEE REI’S BROTHER FUUUUUUUUU
SERA IS CUTE THOUGH. maybe having a name will mean he shows up more! (especially if he’s the shadowed figure in the OP.)
You know as much as I love Rei and Team Iwatobi can I just say that I’m happy that they remembered that he did track? Like remember in the first season when they went to his room? He had all sorts of trophies from being on the track team, which means he was good at it, so I’m happy that there’s someone like, “Hey… so… wanna come back to the team?”
Like I imagine the track team would’ve been upset about losing him if those trophies are speaking about his skills (and you can tell he was good at it, whenever Iwatobi jogs together he’s barely even winded, i.e. the episode where they were doing the ocean training – he may have needed a kickboard to swim but when they got out the water and sprinted on the beach he was fine, even after being in the water all that time). I’m glad the series is like, “This is going to be a thing he needs to think about.”
I mean Rei was so selfless last season, giving up his spot for Rin, if that’s something Sousuke remembers I bet the track team knows about it (the entire school probably knows because the team was disqualified, which may be effecting how they don’t have members because they didn’t advance any further). If you think about it, if Sousuke thinks Haru ruined Rin’s chances (“Don’t ever get in Rin’s way again,”) I wonder if the track team feels the same way. "So you left our team to join this team and you didn’t even get to swim, they let someone else take your place.“
Do they know the whole story? No. Is it a valid point to make? Kinda, yeah. Rei left something he was good at to join this team and, in the end, he gave that up, too. Sure the team needed that and it was sweet and all, but man, that had to sting a little bit. Now with the track team approaching him, it has to be hard to just flat out say, "No I love these guys,” especially when, as fun as it is to see them all interacting with one another… the swim club is in trouble. They have no new members and two of them (Mako and Haru) have to think about graduation. You need four members at least to have a club, but two of them won’t be around for too much longer and no one else seems interested.
So, “Do you want to join the track team,” probably sounds pretty good right now.
Like I can GUARANTEE YOU that sousuke fell back from the group on purpose just so he could make his stupid brooding tough-guy entrance. you want to know where sousuke is? Probably waiting in the bushes outside, thinking about how cool he’s about to look walking in by himself
I ship it?
This is so canon it hurts.
This is the story of a geeky anime/gaming gal by the name of Chibi. Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for... some sort of ride? Oh! I love to write, and I also love doing crafty things. I go to conventions with my partner and sell woodburned things, clocks, mirrors, and more! So expect to see those on here too :)
