I LOVE OUSHI SLANDER

I think part of it is a combination of anime onlys who realized he’s her tsundere childhood friend so they automatically started to root for him and people seeing themselves in him.

I see a lot of Oushi fans angry at Yuki and saying she picked the pretty boy over the one who was there for her. They’re totally blinded by how he actually behaved. Every time she goes out he questions her and he even follows her. She’s never smiling or blushing with him. She always has an annoyed face or is uncomfortable.

And if they had read the manga they would have seen that the author literally says it’s the pure love story of a deaf girl and a traveler. It’s Yuki and Itsuomi’s love story. Oushi is a side character.

THANK YOU! his fans aren’t getting that he can’t earn or deserve her love just because it’s been years and he’s present in her life. they completely skip over how she doesn’t consider them close nor talk to him regularly, so other than being childhood companions… they are practically strangers??

when she finally does something brave and pursues her first love, oushi takes it out on her by being touchy/trying to baby her. on top of that, she’s then weirded out by how nice he’s acting because it wasn’t normal. like do you see how awful that sounds?? they included all these scenes in the anime so far except for the last point, BUT we gotta stop romanticizing men being mean to their crushes. grow up, get brave and honest, then get it over with ffs

yuki and itsu complement each other perfectly, and light up each others worlds. she does not need to be with someone who’s mean to her, emotionally constipated, and shuts her out from the world because of her disability

I literally just came here to complain abt this omg. Also a lot of people saying Itsuomi is clearly a red flag and wanting Oushi instead.
I'm also watching the anime and even ignoring the manga it's SOO obvious how shitty he is to Yuki, i mean she literally described him as someone who only says mean things to her, he never had her number even after all the years he has known her, he loudly said deaf people shouldn't be outside and independent, even tho he's her childhood "friend" he mostly ignores her all the time, and the list keeps fucking going
I DONT GET THE ANIME FANS

I love it too because it shows how ableism can come from a kind/caring place. Like it's not only about mustache twirling villains being mean and bullying. He's trying to look out for her, and in the process infantilizing her and wanting her to shut herself off.

In contrast Itsuomi asks "invasive" questions but is clearly interested in how she thinks, how she sees the world and comes from a perspective of someone truly curious about her and wanting to understand.

Oushi is not a bad guy, but she could never fall in love with him, because he never acted like she was a proper person, and because he never made her feel happy. People who (apparently) like him do not understand that just because someone is pining for you for years doesnt mean you owe them your affection. If you want love, then maybe act lovable and communicate that instead of being demeaning and negative all the time lol. Reminds me of a lot of nice guy talking points tbh.

ANIME ONLYS ARE SCARING ME. she very clearly doesn’t view oushi romantically, and he’s never made it obvious or tried to pursue her all this time. there’s nothing TO see about him as a partner for yuki, itsu is the one who bridges her to the world and motivates her to become her best self. there are no red flags either with itsu are they blind?? all he’s done is show yuki he’s romantically interested and everyone sees he treats her differently and special… never thought id see genuine curiosity and affection be misinterpreted this badly

yup! it was an important aspect to their dynamic and it raises a lot of awareness about the intention of care vs how it harms the person with a disability. he’s not a bad person, but he needs to grow and unlearn his prejudice about deafness. the amount of love he has for yuki can’t excuse how overbearing his ableism is. i so badly agree with you, it’s giving nice guy finishes last… oushi had so many chances to try and be closer to yuki, confess his feelings, be actively involved in her life, be a good person to her, BUT HE DIDNT. bro fumbled and then blamed it on her?? begging my fellow readers not to fall for the asshole!! fall for the kind, understanding person who betters your world!!

i admire itsu for his curiosity and willingness to ask questions! he’s not ignoring her disability and tries to accommodate/learn because he cares and loves her. he applies what he learned to make her life easy NOT to shield her from the world (oushi)

well to be fair to oushi I think fans preferring him over Itsuomi are giving nice guy energy more than him lol, like he clearly has issues and is aware he's not treating her nice, though him feeling threatened by Itsuomi has propelled him to try being more direct (too late tho unfortunately for him lol). He is not assuming she owes him anything, he does though feel betrayed because he thought he understood her the best after the effort him put in communicating with her, and is now having to get that illusion broken.

What's cool about Yuki is how much she's willing to put herself out there and at the very least make a leap of faith through her own effort. In contrast, he is a character defined by his fear to an extent. Just like how he nags Yuki about how she can't have a normal life or can't go to a mixed school or can't have non-hearing impaired friends who will treat her equally or can't have a guy falling for her because he most likely will toss her aside when he's done, this fear is in him too. He's afraid of being shot down and of being vulnerable, which is why being naggy and mean is easier.

Indeed Itsuomi is such a breath of fresh air as a lead! He has such a good connection with Yuki because of the way he is used to meeting people where they are at through his life experiences, and also because his non-Japanese attitude makes him have a more physical and touch oriented expression of affection which, apart from obviously bridging a lot of gaps in communication between him and Yuki, also is an assertive way to put yourself out there. His way of communicating is in a way the opposite of Oushi, who hides behind his words at the beginning. (The scene where he rests his head on her shoulder is interesting in this aspect).

Honestly very good characterization all around, it's clear this mangaka has greatly matured and I'm sooo here for it. Also the lack of immature drama is so refreshing! (ok sorry for the rambling i was kinda thinking and writing)