Review of Sing "Yesterday" for Me

"We overthink things and look back at yesterday, but still, our silly lives go on" STORY: 7 Yesterday wo Utatte is about growing up. And here's the thing: growing up takes guts. Being an adult is about VOLUNTARILY taking up more and more responsibility. For example, when you get a better job, that means your decisions have a greater impact on yourself, on your workplace and on the lives of those around you. Same for a relationship: in a way, you end up becoming responsible for the other person's feelings (not in the sense that you can control them, but simply that your actions may deeply impactthem. Please don't get me wrong).

Unfortunately, most people nowadays are simply afraid to take up that kind of responsibility. Because its really kind of a burden. You have to bust your ass, work hard, take risks, spend a LOT of time, and you'll probably still fuck up more than once along the way. And those fuck ups hurt, not only you but also those around you. And its kind of scary.

But, as it turns out, that's what makes life meaningful after all. Its not your mistakes, your past or your feelings that define you, but the decision to try and do your best with what you have and know right now.

Its that simple, but we seem to keep overthinking it and making things more complicated than they should be.

That simple realization is what drives this show's plot. And I LOVE that idea. I just have the impression that we could've received a lot more out of it.

- MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD -

Rikuo, the main character, is basically stuck. That's the best way to describe him. His love life, his career, his emotional maturity... he doesn't have much going for him. Mostly because he's not trying at all. With some help from his work colleagues and his friends, he realizes that if he tries hard enough, he can maybe do something about it and find some meaning in life.

First, he tries confessing to his college crush, Shinako, but that doesn't end well. Turns out she's also stuck to some shit in her past. And, to make everything even more of a mess, this crazy girl Haru shows up, and guess what: she has been in love with our MC since when she first saw him, and she's not shy about that at all.

So that's the plot: this guy who's basically a manchild decides to grow up, but quickly finds himself in a pretty complex emotional situation, this weird and unconfortable love triangle.
And, of course, he handles everything like the adolescent that he still is: VERY, VERY POORLY. Although he's clearly not over Shinako (who's a pretty big mess just by herself), he also can't reject Haru. At first glance, because of her (borderline creepy) persistance. But as things progress we notice that he's also selfish and actually enjoys the attention.

I really found the premise really interesting, and the ending was also pleasing. But, I had some problems with what's in between. The pacing is kind of slow, and although the premise is good, lack of depht and development on the supporting characters make the story feel way unrealistic and unrelatable.

CHARACTERS: 6
Rikuo for me is the best character of this series. Although he is a purposeless manchild in the begining, I feel like he gets some real development, starts facing his lazyness and searching for some real meaning in life.

For some reason that I can't really comprehend, I feel like there was a general expectation that he'd be a perfectly reasonable and mature guy from the get go. People seemed surprised to see him handle everything immaturely. But I think that's what the show's about. Showing how cringy, unbearable and destructive an immature grown up can be, to himself and to those around him. If you start paying attention, you'll be surprised at how many Rikuos are around you, or maybe you'll even find out that there's some of him still inside you. That deep part of you that is still childishly selfish and insecure...

But finally, after a lot of try and error, he has some really deep and mature insights and ends up taking some actions wich finally resembles that of an adult.

I really don't know how to feel about Shinako and all that delaing with her past thing. I mean, I don't want to be insensitive. Losing a childhood sweethart who was also pretty much family must be tough. But the author makes it feel so fresh, like she has just started trying to deal with it, you know? Maybe its me, but I couldn't really relate to that. I guess his younger brother always being around and also being blatantly obsessed with her doesn't help either. But man, its just a bit too much for me, idk.

Same thing for Haru. Her unconditional love at first sight and her stalking habits are creepy, at best. But also, her persistent and strong personality is what keeps pushing Rikuo to confront his feelings toward Shinako, and sometimes even second guess them.

I just feel like they could've taken a more real and relatable approach towards our two female MC's, while still maintaining their role in pushing the plot and making our main guy grow some balls.

CONCLUSION: 7

Even with all those flaws, I really think Sing "Yesterday" for me still does a nice job overall in conveying their message and being enjoyable. Its a show about growing up, and learning about maturity and responsibility in relationships even amidst all the confusion and pressure of early adulthood. And things can go south really quick, speacially if you still have the mindset of a teenager.

Although sometimes the characters sometimes seem generic and fail to connect with the viewer, the smart plotline played out by an atypical and flawed MC is enough to get you involved and to keep you interested for those 12 eps.

Thank you for reading.