The first time when the guy appeared is when I heard angels sing. Or more accurately, the crack intensified when he meets Umeda once again, and we get all these sparks (though not in the form which AkihaxUmeda fans were thinking *g*). There was never a scene with him which I didn't laugh at out loud, which I adored and sparkled to pieces, and hell, if I wasn't so hung up over Ryouichi and Umeda, this would've been the couple I would ship.
That was what I had thought a while back, but thinking about it now, the suggestion of AkihaxUmeda did come first, which allowed me to explore this couple without any bias involved (translate: OMG RYO/UME OTP). I just couldn't get the romantic vibe between them nor could I summon enough enthusiasm for this couple as much as I adore them both individually. I DIED at the conversations between them, but unfortunately, that was about the only thing they did for me.
In terms of the actual storyline, however, I'm not sure what to think. Regardless of my personal preferences, I believe they are extremely compatible with each other, with the whole SENSEI, I LUFF YOU and GET OFF ME, YOU MORON exchange that seems to be the ongoing theme between them. First, talking about this first layer, I've always seen that theme between Akiha and Umeda as comedy and fan service exclusively for fans, which I'll elaborate more before Akiha fans shoot me. *grin* Almost every scene with them together ensues hilarity and ends up with hysterical results when Umeda frantically rejects the guy's advances. Umeda tosses the garbage that is Akiha out of the window - simply priceless. And yet, Akiha never gives up, not at all, if anything, he seems undaunted, and comes bouncing back for more, and the whole cycle repeats. :)
To me, I'd much prefer it this way, because to have Umeda stonily staring into Akiha's eyes and quietly state," I'm serious, don't ever touch me again" would completely kill the comedy the two offer in Hanakimi and to the readers, possibly throwing in more angst and bloodshed when the manga wasn't even about the two. Of course, this could happen should Nakajo sensei work on another story on this, so I'm not saying this isn't possible. *_*
Before, there was Umeda's little adventures with different men, and even that was a different form of hilarity, which is to spark Mizuki's priceless reactions, and to show the lecherous side of Sensei. With the introduction of Akiha, Umeda's scenes with him explode. *grin* Which may explain why Umeda's perverted streak isn't shown anymore; dude, we've got enough crack on our hands as it is. ^_~ I perceived the whole Akiha/Umeda exchange as the usual happenings in Hanakimi (i.e, Nakao chasing after Nanba, Himejima's delusions, Nakatsu's constant worrying over his sexuality and Kujou's 'special 'treatment to Kadoma) since the manga sheds little light on where and how they stand with each other when the highlight is only on them (Kijima and Umeda have this edge).
Akiha and Umeda evidently have sex a few times, though I didn't take that seriously at all mainly for the reason that the reactions that came with it were too outrageous for me. Naturally, this doesn't exclude the fact that they did do it anyway - but their relationship remains unchanged, and that these times with Akiha doesn't seem to matter that much to Umeda, as much as I've attempted to see from every angle. How these two are together, when Umeda's not snarking, when Akiha's not pouncing, is a little vague, because even though they are both special in their own rights and they individually offer so much to the plot, since when are they not comedy when they're together? Thinking about it now, the only time when I've seen where Umeda and Akiha stands when it's not fanservice is when they were talking about Mizuki - and Akiha demonstrates his point of Umeda caring *that* much for her by kissing him and letting him know how much his guard was down at that time.
This is one of the very few scenes that I found conveys so much more than Umeda's typical reactions did. Umeda's reaction to that sequence was certainly very interesting: he was actually alarmed that he let Akiha kiss him. This reaction is definitely more toned down than what is usual, but ironically, it reveals so much because Umeda and Akiha's relationship, at that moment, completely abandoned comedy and took part with the development of the story at last, and an important point too, since it's meant to point out Mizuki's hold on Umeda. Another small conversation also followed the same route, one where they talked about Mizuki which led to Akiha's dislike of women who smokes. Here, Umeda is shown to at least tolerate the guy (even must've cared for him a little to be asking such a thing, all right, Umeda!) so Akiha isn't totally hated at all. Throughout the latter half of the manga, Umeda evidently calms down, and retaliates back, no longer allowing himself to be caught off guard anymore. Though you could perceive it as a testament to a growing friendship, that Umeda got used to Akiha and decides to hell with it... I prefer the latter myself.
However, he, to me, stands on the same level where the rest of the characters are, because where Umeda's heart is concerned, Akiha couldn't reach to the level where Ryouichi was, and still is. Despite how that came out, it's not all 'OMG RYOUICHI X UMEDA LOVE FOR LIFE, AKIHA BLOWS!' for me. ^_~ To be honest, I find the prospect of AkihaxUmeda not to be too far from Nanba and Nakao mainly because I drew so many parallels between these two pairings: that a new angle was provided when when Nanba rejected Nakao. I suppose it's to be expected, when the story shifted to Nakao for a short while, and I mean really focusing on the guy, not just flaunting his self at Nanba. That scene showed me that comedy is good and all, but the story comes first, and all good things must come to an end. But, if Umeda's feelings aren't meant to be returned, then I hope he would at least let Akiha into his heart.
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