#hisaeri

Shipruary day 16: Hisaeri (Erina x Hisako)

I meant to post this yesterday oops— ^^’

This post is just a general analysis of why Shokugeki No Soma’s Ending 2: Sacchan no Sexy Curry is clearly a reference to the existing relationship between the series’ main female lead Nakiri Erina, and her girlfriend loyal secretary Arato Hisako. 

Purely going off aesthetics, this is one of the few intro or outro songs in the series where the main protagonist, Yukihira Soma, is almost never seen or featured; instead the song begins with Erina traversing through a field of tiny white flowers on thin stems, which look awfully similar to Achillea millefolium, i.e. Yarrow flowers. 

Yarrow has traditionally long been associated with healing, new beginnings and more recently, love. It also has strong ties to Chinese Traditional Medicine, this is interesting since Hisako’s specialty is medicinal cooking. 

Most likely, this was done to symbolise the beginning of Erina’s redemption arc where she learns to let people in through her interactions with the main cast (possibly foreshadowing her seeking refuge at Polar Star) of the anime. What I found particularly interesting, however, was how she passed by everyone else and only stopped at the end, where Hisako was standing and waiting for her. This alludes to Hisako being the only person she can rely on– the only constant in Erina’s life. 

This is followed by a series of moments that these two spend together - cooking, playing, bathing - all of which we see through the eyes of one very stir crazy Sadatsuka Nao, further fortifying the previous argument that these two are always together, regardless of the occasion, and might even be one another’s only friends, prior to the anime beginning. 

This already holds enough evidence of a special relationship between the two, but now let’s go on to take a look at the lyrics of the song itself.

The first two lines literally translate to the following:

Dicing up the springtime with a silver knife, Which flavour of boredom did I dine on today?

It goes without saying that this is a clear reference to Erina’s God Tongue ability, due to which new tastes quickly lose their lustre, and the countless gourmet tastings she’s been subjected to since she was a child. Following that:

In a remote place like this, I was so happy to finally meet, Someone stronger than me.

“In a remote place like this,” relates to Erina’s period of isolation after her mother fled and her father was exiled, once she’d only just been rescued by her grandfather. Only after this did she meet Hisako.

We played with the same toys, separately - Days of gaining experience points and levelling up! I even achieved my own unique finishing move, But I'm still unable to fight...

After Hisako’s humiliating defeat at the Autumn Elections we get a glimpse into the lives of Erina and Hisako when they were younger. In the anime, they make it a point to emphasise how there was noticeable distance between them, even as children, and how Erina wanted nothing more than to close said distance, but was bound by her societal role to accept things as they were. 

The chorus then went on to say:

Don't grow up, Sacchan! Don't dye your hair brown, Sacchan! Don't get a boyfriend, Sacchan! My precious... my precious...

Admittedly, this threw quite a heavy wrench in my original analysis as I sat up and scoured the shokugeki wiki in hope of identifying this mysterious “Sacchan”. Some people thought it was Sadatsuka Nao, some thought Sacchan was Erina, and some just shrugged because this is an ecchi anime about food and did it really matter? 

After running through the full version of the song, I found my answer in the form of a stanza that hadn’t actually been included in the original ending. It was as the following:

So there was no Sacchan– just a Sachiko. Who was Sachiko? The name appears only once, in the manga that Erina was reading during the second season, right after Hisako’s resignation and during the Mimasaka arc, i.e. the shoujo manga she’d borrowed from her friend to come to terms with romantic aspects of her life. The main heroine is dubbed Sachiko.

Was the name just a coincidence? But more importantly, who was the metaphorical Sachiko of this piece? The symbolic main heroine of Erina’s own life?

I compared the Japanese written words for Sachiko and Hisako and noticed something interesting.  

The two names, Hisako ( 緋 沙 子 ) and Sachiko ( 幸 子 ) share the same Kanji, ko (子); particularly the spelling of Sachiko that means happiness. 

It maybe a bit of a reach but I think this is a subtle nod to Hisako being Sacchan, and an indication of how Erina really saw her friend during their time together growing up - as someone who would grow up and leave her behind (again possibly foreshadowing the Stagiaire arc, where Hisako left her on her own). We also can’t forget how Erina was unable to stand up to her father in the very beginning of the third season, when Hisako was concerned, and was fully prepared to live without her as though she’d been expecting this to happen at some point.

This just makes it incredibly sweeter (during the ending sequence) when it is Hisako who is waiting for her by the edge of the river; Hisako who will not move on without her, even when the rest of their friends keep growing and changing and Erina herself can only walk in the opposite direction. 

The song is her love letter to Sachiko who she desperately tries to keep with her, her very first friend, her happiness– only to find that even though she cannot stop her from going; at the end of the day, Sacchan will always be waiting for her on the other side.

[note: Erina shows growth from this mindset in the third season, during their Advancement Exams where she tells Hisako that she’s allowed to leave and do stuff without her.]

TLDR: Sacchan no Sexy Curry is a love letter from Erina to Hisako, you can’t change my mind. They’re lesbians, your honour.

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🍩 | their favourite snack to eat together

It’s gotta be tea and scones for these two. Hisako is partial to green tea, but she will always brew a pot of Earl Grey for Erina’s sake. Erina bakes the scones, fluffy and buttery and slathered with clotted cream and blackberry jam. Just the scent of them wafting out of the kitchen makes Hisako’s eyes roll back. 

🥂 | what would happen if they got drunk together

Thank you to everyone who joined Shokugeki no Soma Secret Santa 2019!

I know it took... way too long before I said this but I’m really thankful for everyone who joined! This is a thank you gift [for joining of course] and also an apology kind of thing for doing this so late and the bad handling last year. I do hope that even if it’s late, you all still like it though! Thank you for making this event possible!!

SouMegu for @artisticcatari and @crystalconfections!!

MarYu for @polar-stars!!

Sorina for @hanzome-hasashi!!

Rindou for @mnemosyneslunarian!!

IbuRyo for @smokeprincess24!!

TakuMegu for @taku-megu!!

HisaEri for @seicchan-art!!

IsshiNene for @isshinene!!

EiGumi for @artofmegu!!

I adore them! Here’s some HisaEri goodness for you, anon.

Erina’s always been a very disciplined person– but she’s a natural night owl. Early riser Hisako loves it, though; there’s something endlessly tender about waking up your girlfriend with kisses, and coffee in bed. 

They’d always shared their confectionery practicums in Tootsuki, so baking together is a bit of a long-running tradition with them– it’s the only time either of them can really enjoy cooking with another person without feeling competitive in any capacity. 

Erina makes the first move! Which is why I think they become really easygoing around each other once they spend some time dating. There’s a playfulness to their relationship that wasn’t there before.

Hisako adores old bookshops. She and Erina love wandering around and discovering them. Hide and Seek ‘tween the shelves, anyone?

They both get cold really easily. Their friends think it’s the funniest thing in the world when they’re walking around together in the wintertime, overdressed with gloves and scarves and hats. 

They love gift-giving. Erina always adds a jar of uber rare tea leaves with her main gift– which is why Hisako’s tea collection now spans across the globe. Erina adores stationary. Hisako always tries to get her something ridiculously high-end for special occasions, but cutesy pieces are regular, non-occasion gifts. 

Between the tea and the baking and Erina’s liking for scented candles, their apartment literally always smells nice.