Revisiting: Rumbling Hearts 君が望む永遠

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien 君が望む永遠 serialized in North American as Rumbling Hearts: Kiminozo is an anime adaptation of a visual novel of the same name.  Rumbling Hearts follows main characters Narumi Takayuki, Mizuki Ayase and Haruka Suzumiya, who’s  lives get flipped upside down have a tragic accident.

For starters, my first introduction to this series was back in 2007.  I purchased the first volume via the Funimation website. And as much as I enjoyed this anime.  And the fact this was unlike anything else I’ve watched in the animation world. (at the time) These people irked the fuck out of me.  I was applauded and at the same time, sympathetic.  I mean how would you feel after finding out that your best friend been sleeping with your shorty while you were in a coma for three years. I’d imagine devastated or really heated. On top of all of that, she was the one who introduced the budding couple. So I really felt for Haruka.

This time around,  I was equally as pissed off if not more so pissed. But I really wanted to put my hand them. And it’s crazy because I’m not normally a violent person.  But it’s kinda hard to watch this play out and not feel anything.  A lot of what I was feeling was due to fact that I was processing the information in a totally different way.   Then you get to the point where you realize, they were doomed before the journey even begin.

Got some more insight into what type of person she really is.  A level of understanding comes along with that. And while I  don’t think she purposely intended to hurt Haruka, The start of her relationship with Takayuki was utter fuckery. She sort of took advantage of a depressed man.  Granted, she was looking after him for quite a while and when all else seemed to fail   She used her body.  Whether or not that was meant to rile up something in him or feed the neglect she was feeling. It happened.  She was clearly lonely and I was able to see more of her humanity this time around.  The fact that she gave up on swimming to be with this man pissed me off.  Not only did she steal her best friends man but she ends up sleeping with Shinji a former classmate and Takayuki best friend.  Whom she was also friends with.  And then tried to blame him for the shit.  She wrecked a lot of lives. Mizuki is a scuzzball.  Plain and simple.

Takayuki is a fuck boy. Everyone in the series constantly says how nice is him.  To be honest, he does some nice things but a lot of what he does is for self-preservation.    This guy cheated on his girlfriend, Haruka with her best friend.  But unlike Mizuki, he feels no remorse what so ever.  I understand why he doesn’t regret it because Mizuki protected him during his lowest point (mental illness).  She pretty much saved him.  But damn!  Still not feel any guilt what so ever is cold as fuck.  As much as I want to give him the benefit of doubt he’s also a scuzzball. He also ran thru two of his friends.  There is no redemption in that.

Haruka ….I still feel bad her but she also confuses me.  And even though, she has in her mind that her friends grew up without her like in the book Mayu Gift, she displays a level of maturity that neither Takayuki and Mizuki possess. Just like Mayu, she two decided it was best to let her friend go. Initially, I thought that this specifically related to Takayuki but I learned that she also set Mizuki free of her shadow.

Originally,  I thought that she only mad towards Mizuki and she was completely ignoring Takayuki involvement in their relationship. And that pissed me off too. But in actuality, she didn’t blame either party.  They just grew without her.  How could someone betrayed by their closest people believe this so easy?  Come to find out, she was struggling with it until the end.

Younger me would have written her this off for being weak. But this wasn’t signs of weakness at all.  Being able to forgive and give her blessing is possibly the bravest thing she could have ever done.

The highlight of this entire series has to be the get back. No matter how bad things are, they can always get better if you keep pushing.

And how the book Mayu’s Gift pretty much outlines Haruka story.

On top of all the drama. The soundtrack is pretty dope

So what are your thoughts? Let me know.