You probably still remember the franchise Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runawaythat story where Sayu Ogiwaraa high school girl who ran away from home, she asks the office worker Yoshida to put her up in his apartment offering her sexual services In return.
Well, the original light novels are supposed to have ended in June 2021 with the publication of the fifth volume in Japan, but the author has continued to expand the story ever since. That’s where the volumes come in.”Higehiro: Another Side Story“, which complement the original story by narrating what happened in the time jump shown in the fifth original volume.
In case you don’t remember, the fifth volume ends in exactly the same way as the anime, with Sayu and Yoshida meeting again a few years later after she finally mends her relationship with her mother. However, the most recent additional volume, titled as “Higehiro: Another Side Story – Airi Gotou Part 2“, has greatly confused fans because it seems to expand this ending and name another winner.
Since there is no official translation yet, fans have been basing their conclusions on the artwork and synopsis of the volume in question. However, it is clear that the synopsis is not going to reveal the most important details of the plot, so we we will use a review written by dedicated Japanese fans to confirm the changes made to the original story.
Thus we came to a well-known Japanese portal that wrote the following review:
- The timeline syncs up with the end of the last main story volume (the fifth), where Sayu reappears in front of Yoshida and the time finally comes for him to resolve his feelings for the two women. After all the twists and turns, it was Gotou-san who Yoshida chose as the person he would walk with for the rest of his life. The reason why he chooses Gotou-san is clearly explained, so there shouldn’t be any complaints about it. Although personally I would have preferred Sayu to win, after all I am a fan of stories where the main characters get together. Well I understand then why this ending wasn’t included in the main story, it was too hard for Sayu. I didn’t think that the story would end with the end of the extra story dedicated to Gotou-san. Will the majority of the fan base have been satisfied?
As we can tell from the wording, Sayu was not the one who won the romantic battle! In the end, it was Airi Gotou, Yoshida’s boss with whom he had always been in love, who was victorious. But now comes the key question, is this the true ending or is it just a path dedicated to this particular character?
To find out if this is the true end or the end of an alternative route, simply check a Twitter post made by the official account of the franchise. The same day this new volume was released, the account wrote: “It has finally been published today! The continuation of the fifth volume of the main story! Higehiro Gaiden is finally complete!».
It should be remembered that the Japanese term “Gaiden” refers to a canonical spin-off, that is to say, that it occurs in the same original time line and that it serves as a complement. The publication mentions that “Higehiro Gaiden” is complete since this was the last volume scheduled to be released, and makes it official as canonical by officially naming it “continuation of the fifth volume.” In short, Airi Gotou’s victory is canon. Too bad Sayu fans!
But it was clear that the fans who supported the relationship between Yoshida and Sayu (even before she came of age in the story) were going to have something to say about it:
- «If this is how it ends then I’m not a fan of it. I prefer the end of the fifth volume. I don’t think it fits with the development of the main story».
- «The story is fine with the fifth volume as the ending, but the author still wanted to mess it up somehow. disappointed, really».
- «I’m disappointed too, honestly. After the whole story of Sayu and Yoshida, after everything they’ve been through, do they give it all to a minor character at the end? That’s bullshit. Sayu and Yoshida, that’s my end!».
- «Those who believe that the fifth volume ends with Yoshida and Sayu as a couple are completely wrong. There is no declaration of love, they just meet and go to eat at Yoshida’s house. They are not even shown holding hands or anything, you were the ones who made up that they were a couple at the end».
- «Of the few times I see a plot twist like this and more than one side story and not in a volume as such, usually the side stories, at least from what I’ve read, don’t drastically affect the normal volumes but are extra events in the history. For my part, I’m glad for Gotou’s ending, but it also feels so strange that a story so focused on Sayu and the protagonist ends in this way, since objectively I felt that the main story and the novels did not give enough development for that conclusion and even gives me the impression of a forced turn. In the end it’s my opinion».
- «Normally I’m fine with alternative routes, but not in the case of this series. This series clearly revolves around Yoshida and Sayu as they are the main characters. But with this “side story”, it seems as if the author has thrown away all the chemistry and relationship development between them that goes on throughout the main story.».
Fountain: Bugyo Blog
