The hugely popular light novel, Are You Really the Only One Who Likes Me? is set to be made into an anime in 2019. This is a work that I would highly recommend to anyone who is tired of ordinary light novels. At first, it seems like a typical romantic comedy, with the two school idols acting like they like the protagonist. However, the two of them actually like the protagonist's best friend. The protagonist is actually a mob character in a romantic comedy... This light novel has attracted attention as something that doesn't quite become a romantic comedy, and you can't help but want to root for the protagonist. In this article, I will introduce the "bullying" and "reconciliation" of the protagonist, which are the key developments in Are You Really the Only One Who Likes Me?. In fact, the protagonist is subjected to severe bullying by everyone at school. What is the truth behind this? Let's take a look.
Before Joro was bullied
First of all, the premise is that the main characters Joro (Kisaragi Umezu) and San-chan (Oga Taiyo) are best friends. Himawari (Himawari) and Cosmos (Akino Sakura) like San-chan. And the library committee member Pansy (Sanshikiin Sumireko) likes Joro, and San-chan likes Pansy, so it's a pretty complicated story.
What will Joro do?
At first, Joro supported Himawari and Cosmos' love. However, after learning about San-chan's feelings, his feelings became complicated... Joro was worried that no matter what happened to anyone, the relationships between them could be ruined, so he persuaded Pansy to "go out with San-chan." However, Pansy likes Joro. Pansy seems shocked that the person she likes told her to go out with another man. However, Pansy was not discouraged by that.
The two who found out about San-chan's feelings, and until the bullying began
Then, at the same time, San-chan tells Himawari and Cosmos that "the person I like is Pansy." He adds that he consulted Joro and got advice from him... Naturally, this makes the two angry. "Weren't you supporting my love with San-chan!?" is the scene of chaos. However, even if they ask, "Why didn't you tell me?", it was not a situation in which he could say anything. However, even if he tried to tell them, both of them were angry and would not listen to Joro. In the end, Joro was cut off unilaterally.
Cheering on San-chan
Himawari and Cosmos decide to switch to a stance of supporting San-chan's love. Then, San-chan, Cosmos, and Himawari head to the library during lunch break. They are going to see Pansy. However, the library during lunch break is where Pansy and Joro meet every day. They run into each other.
The strained relationship develops into bullying!
It's only natural to think, "Why are you here!?" He had told Cosmos and Himawari that he wanted his lunch break to himself, so it would be a disaster if they found out he'd been secretly meeting up with a girl. And the girl in question was Pansy. Naturally, San-chan was surprised and thought, "And yet she knows how I feel?" The three of them made a big fuss and started blaming Joro, but Joro had always been supportive of everyone, and was particularly supportive of Himawari and Cosmos. But the fact that they only saw him as a useful tool makes him explode with anger.
Pansy's bombshell statement
After Joro spoke passionately about how he had been supportive of the two, Pansy made a shocking statement: "Then why did you tell me to go out with Ooga-kun?" This was not good in this context. Upon hearing this, San-chan hit Joro with all her might. Joro, who had completely lost trust as a person, was looked at coldly by the three. This was the start of the bullying of him throughout the school.
The escalating bullying and San-chan's betrayal?
The incident spread throughout the school. Joro's name spreads as a scumbag who framed two school idols and the ace of the baseball team, and he is bullied by the whole school. His textbooks are scribbled on, his shoes are tacked with thumbtacks... Of course, he's also fired from the student council. However, even in the midst of all that, only Pansy continues to treat Joro the same.
San-chan's betrayal?
After the incident, San-chan goes to the library to appeal to Pansy. Then Pansy asks him a shocking question: "Why did you try to trick and frame Joro-kun?" In fact, Pansy knew everything from the beginning. In fact, the mastermind behind this whole incident was Sun-chan.
The Truth About Sun-chan and Bullying
In fact, Sun-chan had noticed that Himawari and Cosmos had feelings for her. Therefore, Sun-chan planned to get Joro to cooperate with her love affair, then confront them with Joro at the same time, so that he would lose their trust in her in a situation where he would not be able to deny it. However, since they refused to cooperate with her love affair, she went on to the next plan. She wanted to get Cosmos and Himawari to cooperate with her love affair, and create a feud between them and Joro, who still wanted to cooperate with their love affair. However, Joro and Pansy were alone in the library, so she thought it was a great opportunity and took that approach.
The meaning of Pansy's words
So why did Pansy say something that would ensnare Joro? By pretending to be Joro's enemy, she wanted to prevent San-chan from realizing that she was actually on his side. If he knew she was on his side, San-chan wouldn't come to the library. She wouldn't have to show her true colors like she did this time. She's a great strategist, isn't she?
Why did San-chan bully Joro?
Why does San-chan hate Joro so much? In middle school, San-chan had a crush on a girl. However, the girl liked Joro. What's more, she asked him to help them get along. At the time, San-chan looked down on Joro. However, he said that it was quite humiliating to act as a bridge between the girl he liked and someone he looked down on. That's why he said about this incident, "I got her," and "It feels so good to see her suffer the same fate as me." Hearing this, Joro was also shocked. When Cosmos and Himawari came to him for advice, he didn't think anything bad of San-chan.
San-chan's dark side is revealed!
San-chan also laughs about Cosmos and Himawari, saying, "They're so simple," "They made me laugh so hard," and "No matter how hard I try, there's no chance of anything happening." Pansy was angry at this. And Joro also appears here. And he vents his anger on San-chan.
Apology and reconciliation for bullying
"Think about how those two feel!" "Apologize!" Joro yells, grabbing San-chan by the collar. These are words from the heart. Then, during homeroom, San-chan tells everyone everything. He spills all about his grudge and how he had lied to them. In fact, this was an act of competitiveness. If someone who he considers to be inferior to him says, "I don't care, just apologize to those two," and he does it, he will be admitting defeat. So, to protect his pride, San-chan apologizes to Joro. Although Joro worries that San-chan will become the target, the bullying against him ends here.
Summary of bullying and reconciliation!
The "bullying" is a pretty heavy plot. After this, they properly reconcile with Himawari and Cosmos, but it's a plot that makes you nervous just watching! I'm looking forward to seeing how it will be portrayed in the anime!
