Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue - Mid-season thoughts - Eps 5-8

Note: This mid-season thoughts contain spoilers!

Another 4 episodes has passed, and wow, it really does not disappoint (yay).

This anime has become more than just about the main character's (Subaru) and the cat's (Haru) interactions. It has become a full depiction about how a pet has not only changed someone's life (the owner) for the better, but how it can also positively impact the relationships that Subaru has.

Once again, I have to praise the use of having both Subaru's and Haru's point of view in every episode. It really highlights how both of them view the exact same situation differently, and the misunderstandings created and then resolved really add depth to the development of relationships.
The time when her brother (Hachi) tells Haru that "Haru" was probably her name rather than Subaru always saying "food" as she initially thought. This realisation deepened their relationship; Haru realises that the word is more personal, and she has gone closer to becoming a part of a family as Hachi expresses.

The show also did not fail to neglect the other characters. Episode 8 introduces us how Subaru and his best friend Hiroto first met. This really gave us a more in-depth understanding of why Hiroto is still his friend and not just because of 'plot reasons'. By doing this, his interactions and why his friend stayed his friend made more sense. This also contrasts Haru's first encounter with Subaru, and how humans and cats really have different priorities when meeting new humans.

Aside from the flashbacks for Subaru, Haru's background is also shown. Which again, adds depth to the cat, as I always had the impression that cats just laze around not doing much. All the hardships, her duty of protecting her siblings from harm and looking out for them in the past really contributed to why she acts the way she does now, and how her natural instincts are to protect even though we know she really has no way of protecting Subaru, but this simple instinct shows how Haru already thinks of Subaru as family and is honestly a really touching moment when you realise this.

Overall, I am really glad that the studio of the show did not neglect explaining how the characters became how they are now. These scenes contribute greatly to empathising with the characters, and genuinely helps me get more invested with the show and like it even more.

It was also interesting to see how well Subaru and Haru's personalities complement. They're are both true introverts at heart, but are both starting to see the beauty of having people they care about around, and are truly more happy because of it. Subaru is slowly opening up and becoming more comfortable with people and more accepting of change, while Haru is slowly starting to understand that she is not in danger all the time anymore, and is in a place where she can feel safe. Both characters are in a better place after having met each other and that is truly something heartwarming.

Although a concern of mine is the repetitive nature I feel is starting to happen, it feels as if people just like to barge into his life (literally by crashing through his front door (or backdoor *cough* Hiroto)), and it happens almost every episode which was funny to begin with and shows Subaru's life unraveling, but is starting to become a repetitive character entrance.

All in all, I still genuinely like the peaceful nature of this anime, it really shows the industry that a wonderful story does not need to be complex, but just requires likeable, believable, and in-depth characters to truly make an anime series enjoyable to watch. Hopefully, we will get to see more bonding moments just between Subaru and Haru soon, as the excess number of people have really distracted us from the two main characters.

- SomDude