A Sign of Affection (Yubisaki to Renren) is so far a delightfully fluffy and sweet romance story that happens to be about a girl who is hearing-impaired. I was hoping for a little more commentary on the difficulties of this disability, but I’m also enjoying the more educational spin of watching Yuki be functional and effective at communicating.
There are so many cute and lovely scenes in this anime and we’re still early in the series. There are also some funny moments. My favorite instance from these episodes is the part where Itsuomi tries tickling Yuki. She turns bright red and gets flustered. That’s one example of the kind of cute fluff you will see all over this anime. Now, let’s get into the reviews for episodes 4 and 5.
Episode 4: What Kind of Voice?
Emma is rather annoying. This episode made it clear that she likes Itsuomi and is trying to “put herself out there” so he will sleep with her. It’s fine to have a character who will compete for Itsuomi’s affection, but I was hoping said character would be more relatable. What annoys me about Emma is that she seems entirely self-centered. She doesn’t seem to care how Itsuomi might feel, and she doesn’t realize Shin likes her.
Maybe Emma will become more sympathetic with time, but I don’t think she was written to be super likeable. Her friend Shin, on the other hand, is very easy to appreciate. For one thing, I love his cute character design and gentle way of speaking. For another thing, he’s obviously a kind-hearted person. Even though it might be better for him to distance himself from Emma, he keeps her company and supports her. I know what it’s like to be in that situation, so I have empathy for Shin.
Although Emma might be somewhat irritating, Oushi is far more difficult to tolerate. When he ran into Yuki on the train, he was a complete dick as usual. I don’t care what kind of relationship he thinks he has with her – he still has absolutely no business touching Yuki (even platonically) or expecting her to talk to him. Oushi is an asshole. I enjoyed the little confrontation with Itsuomi because it made Oushi so pissed off.
The group’s trip to Costco (or “Costaco”) was highly entertaining. I loved when Yuki held the giant Tiramisu that made her look small. It was also a beautiful moment when Kyouya told Yuki that Itsuomi spoke to her in a gentle, affectionate voice. Everyone had fun at the Costco, including Itsuomi. He can be extremely charming, especially when he smiles. This series is so cute and sweet!
In the last minute of the episode, Yuki bravely asks to go to dinner with Itsuomi. He says he’s going home, but invites her over to eat at his apartment. Things are going well for Rin, who got to go on a drive with Kyouya – and now things are progressing quickly for Yuki as well. To be continued!
Episode 5: The Answer
Yuki goes to Itsuomi’s apartment, where the two of them share some pizza and then hang out. There were several very romantic moments, like when Itsuomi leaned against Yuki while they sat down side-by-side. Itsuomi feels incredibly comfortable – he said “sleepy” – around Yuki, but she’s so nervous and excited she can’t share in feeling. This is reminding me of when I was Yuki’s age – nineteen exactly – and experiencing time and space alongside my first boyfriend. It was a magical era in my life.
It was great to learn more about Yuki and Itsuomi. They talked mostly by writing out messages on the pizza box and then in a notebook. Also, they practiced a few words in sign language. One interesting thing we learned about Itsuomi is that his family lives in Germany. Additionally, he’s 22 years old despite being a sophomore – not because of academic troubles, but because he keeps taking time off abroad. I imagine you can’t do many credit hours when you’re constantly traveling.
We learned that Yuki’s family doesn’t use sign language with her much at all, which explains why she defaults to writing out words on whiteboards and phone screens. Yuki feels comfortable enough with her family to do some verbalizing. Funnily enough, not long after mentioning this, Yuki accidentally laughs out loud. (The laugh was prompted by Itsuomi putting on a goofy foreign mask.) Although Yuki felt a little embarrassed to reveal her voice, Itsuomi told her it was cute.
Unfortunately, the romantic moments were cut short by the arrival of Emma. She behaved even worse than usual. When she saw Yuki coming out of Itsuomi’s apartment, she loudly told Itsuomi thanks for letting her stay over. It was a lie meant to drive away other woman who might be trying to get with Itsuomi. Yuki didn’t hear the loud exclamation, but she did see Emma returning the key to Itsuomi. She went home feeling depressed and wondering what her significance is in Itsuomi’s eyes.
Despite Emma being a bitch, things turned around again the next day. Yuki came over to Rin’s and vented about her feelings. Rin called Itsuomi over and then left for the convenience store to give him some time with Yuki. Earlier, Itsuomi had basically asked what Yuki was comfortable with him doing. Her answer was cut short yesterday. So, she took Itsuomi’s hand and signed “zenbu,” meaning “all/everything.”
Besides the obvious meaning of answering the question, this simple word had other significance. Yuki was saying that Itsuomi means “everything” to her. She’s deeply in love. Much to her delight and wonder, Itsuomi responded by gently kissing her hand. It was a very beautiful and sweet moment. That’s where episode 5 ends. Thanks for reading and have a great day.
~Thank you for reading~
Anime Rants 
Oushi is striking me more and more as one of those would-be “hearing saviors” of deaf people. Like, they think of a person being deaf and can only see the downside, the loss, the handicap. They come onto the scene all set and ready to watch over the helpless little deaf person who surely cannot possible function in society without them acting as a noble bridge. The condescension in that is mind-blowing. So here we have Oushi who has known Yuki since they were little and learned sign and is set on keeping Yuki safe, like a little bird in a cage. But the little bird is flapping, resisting, trying to fly, all unruly, and it irritates him.
Itsuomi, by contrast, is encouraging Yuki to fly as naturally as he breathes. He’ll protect her, yes, and shield her, but in a way that enables her instead of caging her. Such as when she clearly had enough of Oushi at the station, and he simply blocked her view of him. During which, Oushi still tried to assert his role as her protector, “don’t grab her from behind,” but, too late, she’s already given him approval. I love that.
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