It’s not a damper on my viewing experience, but White Album’s use of on-screen text to convey Touya’s emotions and thoughts is rather pointless. Many of his thoughts are easily shown through his facial expressions and memories, and the displayed words simply communicate the message in a more obvious manner. Let’s look at some examples:

In this particular scene, Touya calls Misaki to see what’s up. On his mind are the cake and Akira, but he’s unable to bring it up at all. Instead what goes through his mind is the note that Rina left in the Browning book. But the point of this example is the on-screen text. Here it says “The cake, right?” but we can infer that Touya’s thinking about the cake from what’s shown only a second or two after: a plate with the remnants of the cake and Rina at the cafe. This scene’s on-screen text didn’t add much to the viewer’s understanding unless you’re really stupid.

Touya and Yuki finally meet after being unable to find each other the whole day. It’s a bit late to do anything, so Touya offers his apartment as a place to hang out. Yuki is unaware that Touya lives around here; she assumes that Touya still lives with his father. The on-screen text in this case is “Yuki didn’t know…” but even in this situation, there isn’t a need for Touya’s thought to be shown to us through text. The scene immediately after is a flashback in which Touya is angry that his father is kicking him out of the house. Given that Yuki asks, “You live around here?”, we can tell that Yuki doesn’t know Touya’s living on his own.

This segment is from Touya’s perspective, so it’s arguable that the on-screen text is required to show Touya’s thoughts. Touya is about to leave after walking Yuki home, but she asks if he would come in her apartment. She says that she wants him and that it cannot wait. For the majority of this part, Yuki is the only one shown. On-screen text could have been avoided by displaying Touya. A simple expression may have communicated his confusion and questions without needing this text on both sides of Yuki’s adorable head.

Yuki’s manager offers herself to Touya as a replacement to Yuki. At the end of their date, Yayoi plants a kiss, one that Touya’s thoughts describe as “heatless, doll lips” (D-R subs of White Album 05). Judging by how Yayoi is portrayed before and after this scene, as well as Touya’s expression as she pulls back, I think it’s safe to say the viewer can conclude she is a rather cold, heartless character that wouldn’t radiate warmth in anything that she does. Her appearance emanates “serious business” and an uncomortable aura. It’s not a surprise that her lips are rather dull and devoid of real feeling.

The on-screen text isn’t bad; it does a decent job of letting viewers know what’s going on in Touya’s head. However, it’s not something necessary beacuse it’s easy to tell what he’s thinking from visual clues and dialogue. Perhaps it’s helpful for the rest of you, I don’t know.

This post is tagged criticism, white album