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Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 12 – Quick Summary
In Engaged to the Unidentified episode 12, “Do You Understand? I Understand,” Kobeni could not shake off the shock of finding Hayuka and Mashiro missing. Not only had their tidied their room before they had left. They also took their books and clothes! Worst of all, the text that Hakuya offered no explanation – just a note that he and Mashiro had left for home! Should Kobeni just get used to the new quiet in her home?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 12
She’s supportive, she’s bright, and she has the happiest voice! Capture from the Blu Ray.
The world would be a better place if there were more people like Mayura in it. She’s about the best friend that Kobeni could ask for, and she proved it with my favorite quote.
Mayura started the conversation innocently. She called to ask how Kobeni’s date with Hakuya had gone. That’s when Kobeni let her know that Hakuya and Kobeni had both left!
Mayura did what good friend would do. She hightailed it Kobeni’s house. She listened to her friend as she described how helpless she felt about the situation. This could not have been surprising to Mayura. After all, Kobeni, as sweet as she is, found it hard to seize the initiative.
So, in her bright and happy voice, Mayura asked if Kobeni knew where Hakuya lived. Admitting she did, Kobeni still hesitated to visit. She came up with all sorts of reasons she should stay home – including a worry that they left for a specific purpose that involved something being wrong with her.
“You two are engaged,” Mayura said (04:29). “There’s nothing strange about visiting his house, right?”
Not only did she give Kobeni the encouragement she needed. She also gave her permission. We all need a friend (or two) like Mayura!
Favorite Moment from Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 12
Kobeni warmed up to the possibility of having a fiancé! Capture from the Blu Ray.
Setup: Kobeni’s Fever Dream
Kudos to the animators and director for the opening scenes. You know – the ones where we saw how empty and quiet Kobeni’s house had become in the absence of Hakuya and Mashiro. The scenes looked not only quiet, but cold, emotionally muted, and flat out lonely. It was an excellent way to start the episode.
Talk about knowing the stakes!
Kobeni spent almost all the series stuck in neutral. She’d never been a decisive young woman, though, in fairness, she had few major decisions to make. But this series made her confront first an engagement she’d not known about, then the young man to whom she was engaged. On top of that, she had to unravel the mystery involving her illness and an event in their shared past.
Kobeni’s dream helped her understand her feelings. Capture from the Blu Ray.
Kobeni’s fever dream was her facing all of that. Her dream showed her that she didn’t want to be alone. Moreover, it suggested to her that she didn’t need to be alone.
When she awakened from the dream, she took a backward step (a literal step, not something metaphorical!). The snow crumbled beneath her, and she found herself falling. Honestly, I loved the moment where Hakuya grabbed her, and everything leading up to it.
Yes, I love the trope of the love interest sensing when the woman he loves is in danger. It’s old fashioned, likely sexist in some way, and something so hard-wired into my brain that no amount of social condition is driving it out. So, there it is. I love that trope.And yes, I loved when Hakuya caught her by the wrist and said (14:47), “This time, I wasn’t too late.”
Delivery: Kobeni Opens Up To Hakuya
That whole narrative loop closed with a satisfying “snick!”
It also set up my favorite moment. Kobeni had just wondered, as she and Hakuya sat away from the edge of the cliff, if this was like when he had rescued her last time, when he’d had to stay beside her until they’d been rescued. He decided to show her that no, things were much better now. He scooped her up and gave her the biggest smile we’ve seen from him all season.
Clearly, she liked that smile. I think it gave her some courage, or maybe it combined with the rest of what she’d lived through since we first met her. Because she questioned him about his injury. He told her he hadn’t wanted her to know about it because it would have upset her.
Hakuya wanted to show Kobeni that things were different this time. Capture from the Blu Ray.
Kobeni responded in a way that would have been unthinkable at the beginning of the series.
“Of course it would!” she said (16:00). Her conviction surprised Hakuya. “I’d be worried, and shocked… and filled with regret. But I wish you hadn’t kept something that important from me… That’s right. You don’t have to hide things from me. I-I mean, you’re my fiancé, right?”
Seriously, can you imagine Kobeni saying something that clear, something that up-front – something that honest – about her feelings? I think it’s a sign of good plot and character craftsmanship that the series’ resolution came together in that single bit of dialogue. Kobeni grew, not by leaps and bounds, but by realistic increments.
I’ve enjoyed sharing this series with you. It’s exactly the kind of thing I needed to get me ready for the coming year – when I take a decidedly different approach to dealing with the real world. Well, okay, not a completely new approach, but a new take on an old approach.
What did you think of Benio showing up in a helicopter at the end? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 12: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Christian Anime Review: Review: Engaged to the Unidentified, Episode 12: You Understand? I Understand
- Metanorn: Mikakunin de Shinkoukei – 10-12 [END]
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 1: It’s Important to Start Off on the Right Foot
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 2: It’s Not Bad Having a Loli Sister in Law
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 3: I Can Feel the Love Comedy Waves
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 4: That’s Just Her Being a Pervert
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 5: This Woman Has Given Birth?
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 6: I Know! I’ll Fill It with a Sister-in-Law
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 7: That’s One Thing, This is Another
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 8: Only a Little Sister Can Soothe Sadness Over a Little Sister
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 9: How Humiliating, I’m So Embarrassed
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 10: I Looked Up the Term ‘Lovey-Dovey Phase’
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 11: Enjoying the Handkerchief
- Engaged to the Unidentified Episode 12: Do You Understand? I Understand
Yes, this series had such a sweet ending! You’re right, Kobeni really does have a great friend. I had totally forgotten how Mayura helped Kobeni take that one step forward that she really needed to take. I also loved when Hakuya managed to swoop in and save Kobeni just in the nick of time! Hmm, I’ve seen quite a few examples (mostly in novels) in which the female character senses when her true love is in danger, so I’m not sure if that trope is actually sexist or not. Can a trope be sexist if all genders do it? I’m not sure. Maybe? Lol, sorry for getting stuck on that, but that’s a really fascinating question in story telling, and it certainly has me curious. I’m going to have to research it!
Mayura was so unassuming, yet so actively supportive! That really stood out when I rewatched the series to review it.
I’m not sure if a trope can be sexist if all genders can do it. That’s a really good question. It’s something that’s been bugging me, for the reason you mentioned: story telling. As I’m trying to write, I’m constantly worried that I might be accidentally sexist, or insensitive, or something that would upset a reader.
Am I trying to be politically correct? Good heavens, no! I’m just trying to write in a way that’s realistic and engaging. But even then, questions like this slow me down. If I have a male character save a female character, is that the damsel in distress trope? I can take steps to make her less damsel-like, but still.
Should I not worry as much about it? Well, maybe, but if readers dislike it enough, they’ll talk among themselves, and I won’t sell novels.
The best approach I’ve come up with is to write realistic characters and be as aware of the tropes as I can so I can write to them in an exciting way, or tweak them into something more interesting.
If you find out anything in your research, I’d love to hear about it!