"I Want to Return to That Day" thoughts

My own thoughts on the movie.

What I am presenting here is, please understand, my own opinion. If you disagree with my thoughts, that's ok. No problem. I'm not saying I'm right or I'm wrong; just that this is what I feel.

I was and still am very upset at the movie. Very, very upset. To recap briefly; Kyosuke finally breaks completely with Hikaru after Madoka reveals her jealously because Kyosuke and Hikaru kissed.

There are some specific problems I have with this. I will grant that Madoka had been going through great difficulty for several years acting like she wasn't really that interested in Kyosuke so Hikaru could continue her relationship with him. Who was at fault here? Kyosuke, because he refused to ever make a decision, especially early on. The longer Hikaru thought she was Kyosuke's true love the more difficult the citation grew; if Kyosuke had said something early on it would have avoided problems later.

Of course, he didn't. Madoka, however, also has to share some of the blame. Granted, she and Hikaru were like sisters; their relationship was undoubtedly a deep one. Yet again, though, if she had said something early on the problem would not have escalated.

(1) Madoka was jealous of Hikaru and Kyosuke kissing. Now, this is the same girl who had no problems with someone having esper powers. This is the same girl who apparently has no problems with same-sex relationships (at least girl/girl; probably she also had no problem with boy/boy relationships). All of a sudden her jealously is so great that "something" has to be done. I feel that this is a little contrived.

(2) The manner in which Kyosuke broke with Hikaru. Did all three sit down together and try to explain things? No, Kyosuke went on his on and told Hikaru their relationship was over, totally, and she was not to be around him anymore. Afterwards he gave a performance of hard-heartedness that would have made Scrooge proud. Yes, Hikaru reacted in an incredibly over-emotional fashion. Yes, there was almost a "fatal attraction" kind of reaction on her part.

Yet she had felt for years that he had really been her true love, and that her feelings for him were matched by his feelings for her. Suddenly she is basically told to get lost. I think the scene of her waiting for him at night by his stairway in the rain is one of the cruelest scenes in anime that I have ever seen.

To be realistic, cutting someone off like that totally is not something that most people can do. Their relationship had gone on for years and, in my opinion, Kyouske's "solution" was cruel and so difficult to do that I really feel he would pay a very great emotional price later for that act. Trust me on this one. I've been there. (not exactly the same event, though.)

(3)The deepness of Madoka's relationship to Hikaru. This was quite obvious during the series (and in the tankobons). Madoka would have had to cut all her feelings off for Hikaru just as Kyosuke had done. Again, this would be an incredibly difficult thing to do. Not impossible, just incredibly difficult.

This brings up the question of some kind of relationship continuing between the three of them even once the sexual barrier was broken. Madoka and Kyosuke were bound to have sex sometime. This includes a physical relationship. I think Kyosuke would have gone along with this (most men would). I actually think Madoka would have gone along with this (even a Madoka/Hikaru physical relationship I think was possible), this based on Madoka's acceptance of same sex relationships (as established in an episode on one of the laser discs, if I remember correctly).

This leaves Hikaru. One the negative side of things working is a statement she made to Madoka when Madoka was visiting Hikaru in her own room, and that was along the lines that anything that reminded her of her "darling" was hers. Hikaru also would get extremely upset whenever Kyosuke would do anything that would seem to indicate he was interested in some other girl. There was also nothing established to indicate an acceptance by Hikaru of any girl/girl physical relationships.

On the other hand, she was truly in love with Kyosuke. She also considered Madoka a bigger sister and loved her in that way. Hikaru was also an artistic type (she could sing, dance, perform, etc), and in general (please, this is not an attempt at a stereotype), artistic people seem to be more accepting of non-traditional relationships and behavior. I think she would eventually have agreed to a physical/love relationship amongst all three.

This is only a feeling that I have, of course. I am not necessarily an expert on relationships or on Orange Road.

There is one potential problem that was never addressed in the series, however, and that was the age difference in relationship to schooling. Granted, Madoka and Kyosuke ended up going to college in their own city, but there was always the possibility that they would have moved elsewhere to go to college. When they entered college Hikaru was a junior at the high school level, and that along could have ended up causing a breakup in the trio.

Anyhow, those are just my thoughts. You're welcome to your own.

Peace.