Were you aware of Adachi’s feelings?
出典 : Amazon.co.jp
One of the most important points to discuss about Shimamura and Adachi’s relationship is whether or not Shimamura was aware of Adachi’s feelings.
If we accept her monologue honestly, it seems that although she is aware that he has strong feelings for her, she doesn’t seem to be aware that he has romantic feelings for her, at least until she confesses her feelings to him in “Flight” in volume 6.
On the other hand, although she was surprised when he confessed, she didn’t seem to be extremely upset or confused, and was calmly accepting the fact that a girl confessed to her.
If you say that’s Shimamura, that’s all you can say. …… This series of Shimamura’s reactions can’t be said to have been completely unexpected.
In fact, I get the impression that Shimamura was unconsciously or subconsciously aware of Adachi’s feelings, but her rational mind stopped her from doing so.
This is because Shimamura’s understanding of Adachi is quite high and boasts tremendous accuracy.
After they start dating, Shimamura quickly realizes that Adachi wants to be “special” to her.
Wanting to be special to Shimamura is something that Adachi has been thinking about since the first volume.
How is it possible that Shimamura, who can guess Adachi’s feelings so accurately, is oblivious to his romantic feelings?
Taking that into account, Shimamura must have at least been aware of Adachi’s feelings.
If she didn’t, then it’s natural to assume that she unconsciously put on the brake that she shouldn’t notice.
In volume 6, which contains this confession episode, there is an episode where Shimamura goes back to her grandparents’ house.
There, she reunites with her old dog, Gon, whose death is imminent, and faces the future that will surely come when Gon will be gone.
At least part of the reason for Shimamura’s annoyance with relationships and her lack of attachment to things seems to be related to this episode.
In other words, it can be interpreted that she has more fear of loss than others, despite her appearance.
At first glance, Shimamura is portrayed as insensitive, but in reality, she is very sensitive to the feelings of others, especially when it comes to the things she likes.
If Shimamura is hiding such a persona, it could be interpreted that he was putting on the brakes to avoid noticing her romantic feelings in order not to lose his relationship with Adachi.
On the other hand, having seen Adachi confront Gon and take action to change something, even if it was clumsy, it could be interpreted that he accepted Adachi’s confession because he too was not afraid of change and wanted to move forward with the relationship.
While there are many monologues, it is difficult to completely understand Shimamura’s true feelings, as she does not reveal herself even to the reader.
Still, we can feel that she has strong feelings inside her heart in a different way than Adachi.
Summary
In contrast to Adachi, who is so easy to understand, Shimamura up until volume 5 was a really difficult character to grasp.
The anime will probably portray Shimamura as she was then, so I can’t wait to see how she’ll be portrayed in the anime!
