Karma and Okuda? People holding hands in chapter 179? If you look, there is Karma waiting for the train, so that means that the two people are Karma and Okuda. I think they were already a couple in the 'Class E', but thet kept this secret. In fact in the previuos fanbook is stating that they have a relationship out of the Class E. Okuda is a pretty girl, but she hides her appearance and only Karma noticed this. On the other hand Okuda noticed that a Karma isn' t a simple human being.
So let me start by saying that you’re incorrect. Karma wasn’t waiting for the train at all. He was standing in front of the METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry) headquarters, which is where he’ll be working after graduating. You can tell by the stone plate at the front entrance with the words engraved onto it.
and the actual METI building
It’s not the train station.
Another thing: keep in mind that both Karma and Okuda didn’t make it to the reunion/clean-up. In the panel with the two people holding hands, one of the people mentions that everyone has already gathered – “everyone” being the Class E students who made it out to the cleaning session. If the two people really were supposed to be Karma and Okuda, wouldn’t it strike you as odd? It doesn’t make much sense that Karma or Okuda would be talking about everyone already arriving at the school if neither one of them is actually going to be there.
One other point about the hand-holding panel that I want to point out is something that’s lost in translation. In Japanese, both speakers speak using plain speech.
That means neither of these people are Okuda since, in the original Japanese, Okuda speaks in distal (-desu/-masu forms), otherwise known as “polite” speech. People that are of equal standing or rank (e.g. students in the same grade in school) tend to use plain speech with one another, and this is also how the Class E students speak to each other. The only exceptions to this are Ritsu and Okuda. For Okuda, this is true even with the people she’s closest with; whether it’s Kayano or Karma, she speaks to them using polite-style speech. You could make a theory that time has passed and Okuda has dropped the formal speaking pattern with her friends, but there’s no solid evidence she’s done this.
We can all speculate till the cows come home, but we’ll probably never get 100% confirmation on whose hands those were. Honestly, I don’t care whose hands those were because Matsui did it to mess with us and it’s never going to be revealed.
Karma and Okuda are really close, but buddy, I highly doubt they were dating each other while still in Class E. That goes for everyone else too. They had more important things going on, like, you know, assassinating a super being that might blow up the world. Hell, Karma ignored everyone’s messages over winter break after Korosensei revealed his past to them because he wanted to think things over on his own – whether Korosensei should be killed or not. That’s quite telling of how focused Karma was on his objective. I hardly think being in a relationship was on his mind at all throughout the entire year.
If the previous fanbook you’re referring to is Roll Book Time, then no, there’s nothing stating that they have some kind of “relationship outside of Class E.” It gives us a good sense that they’re actually quite close, but it never implies they’re dating or that they have romantic feelings for one another.
As for Okuda’s appearance, the implication by canon is that she’s not exceptionally pretty. Just look at the “Girls You’re Interested In Ranking” that the guys did during the school trip (chapter 19). The votes all went to Kanzaki (4), Yada (3), Kurahashi (2), Kayano (2), and Kataoka (1). Karma casting a vote for Okuda was met with surprise by the guys.
There’s a lot of info from the manga and official supplementary material that suggests Okuda is easily left out of conversations because she’s shy and has weaker language (and social) skills. She also has a habit of being so focused on her hobbies that she forgets the world around her. Okuda’s not a head-turning natural beauty like Kanzaki who, although also quiet like Okuda, attracts attention because of her looks, even if it’s unwanted at times. So, I don’t agree with the idea that Okuda is secretly a bishoujo behind her braids and glasses because everything suggests that she’s somewhat plain and often forgotten. Basically, Okuda’s a bit of a wallflower.
But like I said, Okuda is charming in her own way. Karma never noticed her for her looks, but her talent in science. To be honest, I’m happy that Karma’s initial interest in Okuda was because he saw her scientific knowledge as an asset to his mischief-making and not because of conventional attractiveness. It shows how childish Karma can be, but also how he sees beyond people’s appearances and most importantly, although it was coincidental, he took an interest in Okuda for something about herself that she’s proud of.
Okuda has never made any friends prior to joining Class E because she’s been so engrossed in her little scientific world and neglected honing her social and communication skills. Her overt honesty along with her inability to lie were also presented as simpleminded and foolish, pointed out as weaknesses right from her introduction (chapter 7).
Okuda’s love of science has never helped her make any friends, but given Karma’s love of pranks, he took an interest in her precisely because of her aptitude in the subject. Not only that, but Okuda’s kind yet honest-to-a-fault nature is, conversely, a positive for Karma. He feels at ease telling her anything precisely because she’s so ridiculously honest. If anything, I think a guarded person like Karma who finds it hard to trust others would appreciate that kind of honesty more than most people.
I think it’s sweet, in a way, that the things about Okuda which might have hindered her in forming friendships (whether it was being too focused on science, or shortcomings like being honest to a fault) are actually some of the main reasons why Karma shares such a good relationship with her.
As for what Okuda sees in Karma, I’ve gone over it before.
I honestly do think Karma and Okuda are each other’s best fit and that the nature of their friendship translates well into a relationship. It’s hard for me to even entertain the idea of pairing them off with anyone but one another because to me, that feels inherently OOC. That sounds extreme, I know, but I am that stubborn about them and that serious about character interpretation.
That said, let’s be reasonable here. The only pairing that is canon is Karasuma/Irina. All the implied student pairs were left in limbo. That goes for Nagisa/Kayano and Maehara/Okano, much less Karma/Okuda. The first two are at least framed in a potentially romantic light, with Kayano having feelings for Nagisa, and Okano for Maehara. But Karma and Okuda? Their relationship has never been portrayed as explicitly romantic in nature. They’re friends just like Karma is friends with Nagisa andSugino.
I’m going to end this long-winded answer by saying be supportive of what you like, but be logical and reasonable.Don’t disregard facts or make up new, illogical ones – no matter how much you ship something.
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