Though with some exceptions, one thing that Oreimo has done right from the very beginning is getting us to feel, “Hey, I’ve been there, too!” This week did that for me better than most as Saori’s back story was animated.
Though there have been hints of this, of the friends in her circle, Saori is possibly has the largest difference between the image she shows he world and who she truly is. She even hides from her friends, as attested by Kyousuke’s exclamation when wondering who she was! The hiding, in this case, is connected to a sister that goes in and out her life without warning, and who upon the last time she left, took away the group that Saori had come to cherish.
I was reminded of my own such group. Back in the days of AOL, when chatrooms were the rage, I was part of a “circle” called Witless. Consisting of about a dozen consistent members, it was a special place for me. I was nondescript member and might not even be remembered by some in the chatroom now, years (and approaching decades!) past, but I cherished the time deeply (I’ve written on this before).
During a couple of months one summer, I was without a computer or Internet connection. When that was returned to me, I came back to AOL to find that Witless was gone. Members had drifted apart and the place we created no longer existed (meaning that no one bothered creating it day in and day out). It made me really sad, as the friendships there, which felt so mature and gratifying, had grown more important to me than most of my relationships in “RL.”
Sometimes, very significant items in our lives are taken away from us. It happens to us all, and it can sting. Reflecting on comings and goings, the Teacher of Ecclesiastes writes that toiling, among other things, is “a chasing after the wind.”
It’s true. Things come and things go. People come and people go. And yet, two things always remain in our lives – ourselves and God. And even we change, so that we are not the same now as we were 10 years ago – 5 years ago – or even one year ago. Yet, God remains unchanging.
So as our circles dissipate and we experience loss in some form, we can rely on this – God is true to his promises, He will always love us, and He will never take his love away, because he never changes. And I can think of little else more comforting than that.
I can definitely connect with identifying sometimes more with relationships online. I’ve had a similar experience in that a few people that I had considered some of my closest friends ended up becoming no longer available on a permanent basis. It was probably one of the saddest moments of my life as I had to forcibly say goodbye to a number of people I had shared part of my life with, but my faith in God is what ultimately carried me through and pushed me on with my life.
I loved this episode and this post as well.
Thanks for the kind words, as always, JP. 🙂
It’s strange how we’ve evolved into having these friendships that are RL and online – they both valuable in their owns ways, but have such different dynamics and meanings and so forth.
Yeah, online bonds can be so tenuous. I’ve left behind several communities myself, as life changes.
I didn’t really expect Saori to have this origin. I mean, I knew there was a gap between her otaku and public sides, but it kind of felt like an origin of someone who would resent otaku more than be one. I like her as a character, and she’s probably the only female otaku in the series who you can like wholeheartedly. This series though keeps throwing me curveballs, and I can see why you struggle with the second season.
I agree with you – I found her reaction a little perplexing, though maybe that’s because I still didn’t know much about her at episode’s end. We just right into her time with that little group, without knowing much about her background at all.
Still, I loved this episode – I definitely Saori’s character more now.