In November this year I stumbled upon a blog I had encountered once before, but forgotten the name of (it’s excellent and I highly recommend following it!). On it, I discovered a well-written piece about Kokoro Connect and the main character Iori Nagase called “Kokoro Connect: A Glass Half-Empty”.
I found reading this fairly engrossing, as it was the first time someone had discussed the series from Iori’s perspective and shed light on something that may had gone overlooked. The text itself was so interesting it spurred me to rewatch the final arc of Kokoro Connect, which I initially had problems with when released.
Without delving too deep into specifics, the final arc is called Michi Random and its main idea is transmitting emotions between the main characters. A simply idea at first glance, but it allows room to understand the inner thoughts of each member of the cast. It is in this arc we see the facade of Iori break down, something that was hinted at from early on in Kokoro Connect.
Many, I included, could not fully understand this shift in tone, however, and found it jarring. Rewatching this particular arc, however, I can now see where Iori is coming from. I can, to a degree, relate to her issues and no longer find the change sudden. After having gained a new perspective I today see her in another light, which is amazing in itself. Her behavior throughout all arcs now felt more organic with good reasons as to why. All thanks to a little blog post.
It should be noted I that it was very difficult for me to actually finishing Michi Random – so much I had to take a break halfway through. I was at one of my lowest points in recent time and seeing all my bottled up feelings viciously unleashed on the computer screen in front of me felt terrible. It did not either help that I ended up skimming through earlier episodes and saw a nervous breakdown, something I had experienced myself as of late. Once again, I saw Kokoro Connect in a different light than I once had.
I could now understand Iori Nagase.
Anime Viking 
I didn’t read the post initially because I haven’t watch the anime myself. But after seeing it, I have to say, Iori’s problem pretty much perfect encapsulation to my problem. Every time something stress me out, I couldn’t adopted a cheerful facade because i think its just ignoring the problem and it just makes my stress piling up, so i always prefer solitude and be negative. But it also makes my studies failing and I also ended up hurting my friends. This is something that’s been bugging for years 😦
Iori puts on a cheerful facade; it’s just that it reaches a breaking point. Kokoro Connect is not the best, but I recommend it.