Yahari Ore No Seishun Love Come Wa Machigatteiru Volume 14

Watching Hachiman, Yukino and Yui suppress their feelings and not being able to talk out their bug frankly was tough. If y'all read my summaries of volume 12 and book xiii, yous'll understand what I mean. The fact that this was all taking identify over the course of years made information technology more agonising.

Volume 14 finally brings closure to these characters. Finally, afterwards all these years. In this blog post, I volition spoil everything about information technology, so strap yourselves in for a wild ride!

The book is roughly divided into two parts. I like to think of the first role as "the bad end" like what you'd observe in a visual novel. With the Service Club disbanded, Hachiman and Yukino gradually start to drift apart, only life goes on anyhow. Hachiman thinks to himself, "I'm sure that one day the altitude between us won't experience strange to me. We become close, and at the terminate of it, we drift autonomously. I'm certain I'll get used to that."

At the terminate of volume xiii, Yukino told Hachiman, "My wish is for yous to grant Yuigahama-san's wish." So Hachiman calls Yui to a park and asks her what she wants. Yui says vaguely that she wants "everything." When Hachiman presses her for specifics, she finally comes upwards with two suggestions: aid see the prom through and throw a party with everyone.

"And after that… afterwards that, I want to grant Hikki'due south wish."

Because Hachiman doesn't actually know what he wants but yet, he finds this whole "wish-granting" thing hard. Simply for now, he decides to make good on his promise to Yui. He ropes all the side characters together and they all hang out at karaoke.

The karaoke scene is 100% the realest social interaction that is written in the book, and it reminded me a lot of the kind of story Oregairu used to be in its early volumes, when comedy was a bigger focus. Zaimokuza and the Games Club guys have no idea how to talk to Yumiko and her gang, and then it's all very bad-mannered. They cease up having a good time when Hayama joins the fray to smooth everything over with his impeccable social skills, only Hayama and Hachiman dislike each other, and then now things are bad-mannered for Hachiman.

When Hachiman briefly goes out to grab something from the beverage bar, Yumiko has her offset existent conversation lonely with him. She flat out asks him, "How do y'all experience about Yui?" When Hachiman doesn't really answer, she continues, "I'chiliad non really your friend and I don't care well-nigh you either style, but I do care about Yui. And so don't one-half-donkey things with her, okay? It'll piss me off."

Unfortunately for Yumiko, Hachiman "half-asses" things with Yui for the rest of the book. She never actually confesses her romantic feelings to him and then he never explicitly rejects her, and they take barely any scenes together in the second half of the volume. They do accept a cute scene together where they go shopping and do some cooking in chapter 3, though. Hachiman momentarily wonders what would happen if he granted each and every one of Yui'southward wishes, and and so concludes that it's an incommunicable fantasy. Pitiful, Yui fans.

On the other hand, things aren't looking good for Yukino either. The preludes interspersed between the early chapters of the volume reveal that after Yukino broke things off with Hachiman, she went to Yui'southward business firm and admitted that she likes Hachiman. She immediately regrets this, because by saying the words out loud, it became something that she felt that she could no longer take dorsum. She cares about Yui that much, knowing that they share the same wish. And so even after admitting her feelings, she continues to suppress them, hoping that the twenty-four hours volition come when she can grin and put it all behind her.

In response, Yui says that she's greedy and wants everything – the good times and the heartbreak as well – which was her style of maxim that she's willing to accept an issue where Hachiman doesn't choose her as long every bit they all notwithstanding get to be friends. But Yukino is determined to end things, and she holds onto that resolve right until the mean solar day of the prom.

"Please, Hikigaya-kun… You accept to grant her wish."

When the final vocal plays, Yukino looks at Hachiman and silently waves her hand. She murmurs those words, and Hachiman understands.

…But is this really the outcome that he wants?

The prom was Yukino's adventure to prove herself to her mother that she tin can handle responsibility and succeed the family unit. As far as her mother is concerned, Yukino handled things admirably. Simply Haruno suddenly throws a spanner in the works, saying that she tin't accept this outcome. She can't take how Yukino has decided to stand up to her mother so abruptly without giving a reason for whatever of it. What made her change and so suddenly? Perchance at this point, Haruno is just as tired of Yukino dancing around her feelings as we the readers are. She says as much to Hachiman, claiming that as far equally Yukino's wishes are concerned, the result of the prom was nothing but a consolation prize.

Subsequently the prom, Hiratsuka-sensei takes Hachiman to a batting middle and has a conversation with him. She offers Hachiman some advice: When it comes to conveying how you feel, you lot don't have to boil things downwardly to a single discussion. Say as many words as you demand and show information technology through your actions. She tells him that he'll be okay, even when she's gone. "You're my greatest student," she says.

And it's during this conversation that Hachiman decides that although he's fine with things ending, the way it ended is wrong. If they got this far through circling around each other's feelings and being too scared to hurt one another, then their relationship has become twisted and fake. Hachiman decides that he'll end this screwed-upward youth that he himself was responsible for creating.

A few days afterward the prom, Hachiman meets up with Yui and tells her what he'southward thinking. He doesn't want his relationship with Yukino to fade into mere "acquaintances." He wants to become closer to her. If she is actually unsatisfied with her "consolation prize" because of him, he'll take responsibility–

Hachiman abruptly realises that he'due south saying something quite lame and hastily apologises. Yui says she has no thought what exactly he's trying to say, but she has a vague idea. She reiterates for Hachiman that she wants "everything" and encourages him to go for it. When she gets back home, she smiles and laughs, but she as well cries.

"I couldn't tell him after all," she thinks. "The words wouldn't come out. I couldn't say the simple words 'I love y'all.' This feeling that came before all this, that supersedes all of this. This impossible feeling. It was the first time I fell in love. It'southward the start timenosotros vicious in love."

(This is the first time the word 'honey' is mentioned explicitly in the text, by the way. It'south on folio 345.)

Hachiman so launches his plan: Prom 2.0. The previous prom was just for the seniors. This fourth dimension he wants to exercise a joint prom between Sobu High School (his school) and Kaihin Sogo School (Tamanawa and Orimoto'due south school). He makes Zaimokuza and the Games Guild kids update the site for the dummy prom to announce this as if it's an official matter in gild to force the schoolhouse's hand. It'southward honestly a stupid and scummy plan only somehow he gets abroad with information technology because Yukino sees the hidden intent and decides to accept responsibility for it. And because Yukino has proven her worth already, her mother concedes to her.

Yukino is pissed off with Hachiman afterwards, though. She asks him, "Why did you do that?"

Hachiman tells her frankly, "It's the only way I could get involved with you." Now that the Service Club is gone, there'due south no pretext for them to come across each other anymore.

Yukino is stunned. She asks Hachiman why he'd go to such lengths, and he tells her, "Y'all told me to grant her wish. It was to spend idle days with you later school, she said."

"In that example, you didn't have to get out of your manner to do all of this."

"I did. A familiar face, acquaintances, friends, classmates… Call it what yous like, but I have no confidence that I'd be able to maintain a relationship like that." He hesitates as Yukino shuffles a few steps ahead of him, and then says, "If I let go of yous now, I'll never be able to catch hold of you again."

He reaches out and puts his hand effectually her wrist.

"Y'all might not want this… but I desire to continue being involved with yous. It'south not out of obligation, it's my own will." A pause. "So give me permission to mess up your life."

Yukino is understandably dislocated and asks him what he means. He explains that while he doesn't have the power to change her life in a big way, if they get involved with each other, they'll exist stepping on each other'southward toes, so her life will probably terminate up being a chip messed upward. In exchange, he promises to give her everything he has.

They proceed talking, and the more Hachiman says, the less sense he makes. They both acknowledge that he is spouting the first bullshit that comes to mind. But that's fine. Fifty-fifty if his words brand no sense, he'south saying these things because he wants to convey his feelings. And that desire, higher up all else, is what gets across to her.

Finally, Yukino caves in and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Please requite me your life."

Those are rather heavy words, equally Hachiman remarks, but he accepts them anyway. Words can't capture the feelings, but they go beyond through the warmth of their touch.

The balance of the book is an extra-long coda. After sorting out the logistical difficulties, everyone in the extended bandage gets together for the articulation prom. Hachiman gets to say his last good day to Hiratsuka-sensei and reflect on what a long year it's been for him. And Yukino actually manages to say, "I similar you," to Hachiman's face. They have difficulty describing their relationship to others, only "partners" is what they manage.

As for Yui, she hasn't entirely given up on Hachiman. Iroha, much like the rest of the cast, has pretty much figured out what went down between Hachiman, Yukino and Yui. Iroha tells Yui, "You know, in that location'south no police against liking a guy who'due south got a girlfriend." (She asserts that she has no feelings for Hachiman herself, only well, if he came after her, who'south to say how a girl would react? Just no fashion would she actually expend any effort.) She besides says, "It's okay for girls not to know when to surrender. That's their privilege!"

Yui thinks that Iroha is talking nonsense, just she'due south still kind of touched anyway. With renewed energy, she dashes towards the place she wants to be.

And that place, of course, is at the side of her best friend and the boy she loves.

When the new school year starts, Hiratsuka-sensei is gone, but Yukino decides to reinstate the Service Gild anyway. At starting time, it'southward but Hachiman and Yukino, but soon plenty, Yui, Komachi and Iroha join them. The last scene has them all gather in the empty classroom where they run into for the Service Social club. This is where Yui makes her request:

"There's a person I like, and at that place'due south someone who's kind of like a girlfriend to him, and that person happens to be my best friend… just I want to be friends with them forever. What should I exercise?"

Yukino invites her to stay. Yui's request may take a long fourth dimension to fulfill. Yui looks straight at Yukino and says, with an honest express mirth, "Yes, it might take a long time. It might not end today, or tomorrow, or the twenty-four hours after… I think it'll proceed forever."

"Aye… I think information technology'll go on forever." Nevertheless, Yukino accepts her with open up arms.

Meanwhile, Hachiman watches this scene and comes to the conclusion: "My youth romantic comedy is wrong, equally I expected."

And that's information technology. That's the finish of the story.

If Oregairu'south final volume ends with a title drop I will flip a table lmao

(Please don't confirm or deny whether this is the example)— 🐸🐸 Frog-kun 🐸🐸 (@frog_kun) Nov 23, 2019

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Jokes aside, what a rollercoaster ride that last volume was! I experience bad that the contents leaked a few days earlier it actually came out, though. The story is structured in a way that in that location's 18-carat incertitude that anyone will actually act on their feelings for the starting time 300 pages. For a while, it really seemed like the future that lay ahead for Hachiman and coiffure was this depressing fanfic. God, I'thou glad they averted that future.

It's been eight-and-a-half years since Oregairu started, and now it'southward finally ended. It'southward not an exaggeration to say that it was the defining high schoolhouse light novel of this decade.

I was the same age every bit Hachiman when Oregairu starting time began in 2011. Although I wasn't reading light novels at that time, when I experienced the anime in 2013, information technology was the outset time I felt similar I saw my ain high schoolhouse experience reflected in a work of media. I'd always felt somehow alienated by the teen experiences depicted in English YA literature. Oregairu was what got me to read light novels in earnest; I wouldn't be where I am today without information technology.

After I became an adult, I stopped beingness so invested in Oregairu. Or rather, it stopped mattering to me where these kids ended up. I wasn't that curious almost the romantic resolutions; I but knew with confidence that they were going to be okay when they grow upward.

In the afterword of the 14th and concluding volume, Wataru Watari writes: "It was so long ago when I was in my second twelvemonth of high school, but now it feels like my second year of high school has finally ended. It was the longest twelvemonth of my life."

You've washed well, Watari. You can graduate now with no worries in mind. Thanks for everything.