Of all those options, there's only one that supports and cares for Hachiman, yet doesn't try to interfere with him, deceive him or cut him off from his friends. In the few times she talks to him, she is also the most honest, sensible and reasonable.
Such perfect stability would not make for an interesting story though. You would expect it would be predictable.
Have you read any of the anthologies with stories about the other characters?
Didn't we all guess from episode 1 scene two that Hachiman and Yukino would get together? If I just cut from that scene to season 3 last episode final scene I would be satisfied, right?
No way. The way the story unfolds is very clever, even after watching all the episodes and reading all the light novels, there are still gaps in the story and curious hints. There's a lot of loose ends, depending on whose perspective you take. So sometimes reading the spoilers can be really funny, especially after translating from the original light novels, which retain a lot more ambiguity than the English translations. Once things are translated, everything becomes more "concrete" It's hard to fully translate some of that ambiguity. So, the spoilers don't matter. I'm looking forward to watching all seasons properly someday.
So I've heard!
Actually... about Yukino.
Because of something in Ponkan8's illustrations,
I'm still not convinced.
Also from the Afterword of Vol 14...
"This concludes, "My youth romantic comedy is still wrong."
I'd like to tell you, but it will continue for a while.
(tx8r: ...what I love about Japanese stories...)
Let's talk about my future Guile.
In the future, we plan to publish a collection of short stories first.
The time is still undecided, but I'm eagerly preparing while thinking that I wish I could write various stories.
Then, "After all, my youth romantic comedy is wrong." Anthology novel has been decided to be published!
Already ... I've been asked by those writers I really like ...
I'm really happy ..."
So ... yay!
This was, of course, written back in 2019.
The Confession episode was pretty good, got the spirit of the Hachiman "seizing the day".
Yes. It's all over.
Yep they are 3rd years at end of Vol 14.
Short continuation? Yes... according to the post it note at the back of Vol 14:
"I will think about the future when it calms down again, but for a while, I would like to watch the growth of Hachiman and others and draw their world once in a while.
However, the schedule is undecided."
Yes, WW will write something new. Because he's a writer.
The last scene after credits in anime ep. 8 is the first prologue from volume 14. So you can imagine how much LN material is missing from the anime. I'm looking forward to the "cooking with Gahamama" scenes. The book contains a lot of conversation with double entendres, if you read between the lines. One insight from those conversations is that up until Gahamama asks (in)directly, Yui had the wrong idea about what Hachiman really likes.
Hachiman does the Hachistrawman thing best, but he's learned a whole lot of new skills. Now he's got returning favours, guilt trip, dangling a carrot, social introductions, limited selection options, playing one against the other, risque banter, back-channel communication, double agent, opt-out option, formal bowing and encouraging compliments.
Rumours say WW is writing another 6 chapters as some sort of re-examination of whats gone on. Could be true. Poor guy's probably stuck indoors unable to people watch from his favourite cafes.
I'm now about halfway through translating volume 14.
I found the light novels have a lot more detail on the side characters. In particular, there are some one-liner hints about their past relationship with Hachiman, but these are usually very vague. There are also the 0.5 volumes which aren't critical to the main story line but have a lot of things that make you go "Hmmm.". Volume 6.5 dives deep into Sagamins redemption, and 7.5 which mostly looks at fun stuff Hachimans friends do together. Friends being Hachiman, Yukino, Yui, Komachi, Totsuka, Ms Hiratsuka and the ice king... I mean Zaimokuza.
I'm translating Volume fourteen myself. Got sick of all the spoilers.
I've watched up to Episode 4, and overall I like the plot development so far. The story has progressed through glimpses of crucial scenes but not all the dialogue has been revealed.
So the directions and weights of the relationships within the triangle are still very vague. Either they don't know themselves, or, they do now but all three are hiding their feelings from outsiders who want to know.
Ms Hiratsuka gets the best response in episode 4 when she waits on the phone for Hachiman to say his reason for helping.
From the Anime it seems that the trio are now really being tested by outside forces.
Also, I just wonder what's in Hachimans' pocket?