Kids on the Slope and Romance- Sometimes girls just aren't romantic

Kids on the Slope presents the sad case where the two males have a more romantic relationship than the real love interest of the series.

Ritsuko – The Villian of Kids on the Slope

In Kids on the Slope Ritsuko handles her relationship with the two boys so badly. First, she dismisses Kaoru without thinking it through. She moons over Sentaro to the point where Kaoru finally gives up and tries to get the two of them together. When Ritsuko does not have Kaoru waiting in the wings she suddenly realizes that she has feelings for him. When Ritsuko starts to make something for Kaoru, but still shows no signs of feelings for him, she gets mad at him for trying to push her towards Sentaro. How was he supposed to know that she had suddenly changed her feelings? He cannot read her mind. She expects too much from him when she cannot even decide her own feelings.

Ritsuko gives Kaoru the gloves, but not in person. Giving them to him by leaving them somewhere and not even leaving a note about her feelings. This makes Kaoru question her intentions for the mittens. When Kaoru comes out and asks her why she gave the gloves to him and not Sentaro, Ritsuko doesn’t even give him an answer. Ritsuko even has the nerve to ask if Kaoru even likes her anymore, when she is the one who never made her feelings clear. Kaoru has made himself clear time and again. He even comes out sick to tell her how he feels and she is still just cold to him. Kaoru goes out of his way for Ritsuko, but she rejects him in various ways or is cold to him. Ritsuko undermines the relationship by not becoming clear about her feelings and then blames it all on Kaoru. It made me so mad to see this.

Then we have how Ritsuko treated Sentaro who she supposedly loved all this time. Sentaro comes out to honorably tell her that he is sorry he did not notice her feelings and cannot return them. Ritsuko makes him look like a fool by acting like she never felt that way to begin with. Ritsuko could have just told him that she no longer felt that way, but no she has to make him look foolish.

Kaoru and Sentaro

In Kids on the Slope both Kaoru and Sentaro make a grand romantic gesture of making sure that the other guy is happy. Kaoru several times goes out of his way to make sure that Sentaro is happy. He endangers his relationship with Ritsuko helping Sentaro to ask out Yurika which leads to misunderstandings. Also he gives up Ritsuko to Sentaro so they can be happy.  Kaoru makes a fool of himself to try to keep the painting that Yurika made of Sentaro. Sentaro also goes out of his way to try and get Kaoru and Ritsuko together so Kaoru will be happy. One of the most romantic things someone can do is give someone up, so that they can be happy even if it hurts them.

Also when Kaoru finds out about Sentaro joining another band he is extremely jealous. Enough that he causes a scene and runs off. This seems a bit extreme for just having a band split up for a little while.

Then there is the comment Kaoru makes about Sentaro taking his breath away.

 In Conclusion

It is not that I want Kaoru and Sentaro to hook up in Kids on the Slope, I just think that they are a better example of romance than anyone with Ritsuko could be. The contrast between the two relationships is so drastic. Ritsuko comes off like she is just playing around with poor Kaoru’s heart. I know she is supposed to be young and unsure of her feelings, but even after Ritsuko knows what she wants she is still cold towards Kaoru for no reason. She blames all their problems on him, when they would not have had any problems if she knew what she wanted to begin with. Hopefully at the end she will finally start to show her feelings in a more appropriate way. Right now it feels like she does not deserve Kaoru at all.