White Day and Valentine’s Days are Yin and Yang

In the United States, Hallmark sells cards and gifts for almost every holiday…except White Day. To be fair, it is not an American holiday. Until 2017, I did not know it existed. Naruto Spinoff: Rock Lee & Ninja Pals created an episode called “White Day, Destroyer of Alliances!” that showed me how important it is. White Day is a holiday that occurs exactly one month after Valentine’s day.

Truthfully, White Day was started by a candy company in the late twentieth century. At first, it was named Marshmellow Day. That fluffy treat isn’t the only gift option.

The gift pressure is on…for some people. Traditionally, it is a day for men that received gifts on Valentine’s Day to respond. Edward Eleric would view this holiday as an an equivalent exchange.

Some of the characters in Rock Lee & Ninja Pals have mixed feelings about this commercial holiday. Some friends worried about the girls that do no get responses. These ladies declare their love and wait a month for a reply. Plus, miscommunication is a factor here.

It is culturally acceptable for girls to give treats that symbolize friendship. Not love. Popular men maybe bombarded with gifts on Valentine’s Day. The same can be reversed for White Day. Popular women may receive gifts from men they did not acknowledge on Valentine’s Day. So…how do you stop this holiday from coming?

“White Day, Destroyer of Alliances!” Episode 49

In the anime, White Day items are taken or vandalized. It’s hard to hide a large quantity of treats without looking conspicuous. Sweet clues pop out throughout Episode 49. Other items were dyed black. This was not a thoughtless action.

The vandalism symbolized Black Day. It is for people that do not recieve response gifts for their decloration of love on Valentine’s Day. Although White Day is celebrated in several countries throughout Asia, South Korea is the only country that celebrates Black Day. This inclusion from a Japan based anime is interesting to me.

If you didn’t get anything, you can’t give anything

Overall, Rock Lee & Ninja Pals is an action/comedy. There are logical and humorous reasons for the attack on love. In a way, the culprits are anti-heroes. Well, they might view themselves that way. Meddling with love never ends well.

Did you know about White Day?

For a full summary of Episode 49, go to Fandom Rock Lee Spring Time of Youth Wiki.

Want to watch it? Check out Naruto Spin-Off: Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals on Hulu and Crunchyroll!