[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Obviously, I don't like the premise, so I won't bother talking about that. I'll talk about the execution. While it's infuriating to see Sakura constantly toying with Aguilera's feelings of despair, which I'll have more to talk about next episode, the main reason I found this particular episode of the two so painful to watch was how much Tamaki gets punished for his earnest efforts to help. Being Tamaki is a thankless job. He's truly devoted to Aguilera, but he always has to compete with Sakura for attention, a battle he cannot win. And when he does manage to get a few seconds with her before Igarashi Invincible shows up, Aguilera treats him like dirt. Why would anybody want to watch Tamaki suffer like this over and over again? It's just depressing!

I don't really feel bad for Tamaki. I think that the show could have taken him to a place where he felt more possessive of Aguilera and resentful of her interest in Sakura, but I never felt like there was ever a risk of him going into full Nice Guy(TM) mode. He credits Aguilera with helping him find a sense of happiness and purpose and now his primary concern is seeing that she finds what she needs herself. I can see where he can look like he's kind of the show's butt monkey (you know, when Daiji's not filling that role), but I feel like he's content with his role as Aguilera's main booster. The main problem I see for him is that he has to deal with Sakura being really thickheaded.