WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Rust-Eater Bisco Season 1, Episode 9, "I Love You," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Episode 9 of Rust-Eater Bisco shocked viewers who are unfamiliar with the source material after killing off its titular lead. While many may have been expecting a character death, Bisco was not at the top of the list. On top of subverting fan expectations with Bisco's death, this episode made another massive revelation. From their first interactions on screen, some have been speculating about the depth of Bisco and Milo's relationship. One line from Episode 9 all but confirmed that their relationship is anything but ordinary.
In their final moments together, Milo tells Bisco that he loves him over and over again, both out loud and to himself. In the English language, love has a lot of connotations. Someone can be loved as a family member, a friend, a romantic partner or other ways. It can easily be misinterpreted as one when the speaker truly means another. In Japanese, however, there's one phrase that leaves no room for questioning the speaker's intent: Aishiteru.
Written as 愛してる in Japanese, "Aishiteru" has an extremely romantic connotation. In fact, it implies that the relationship is not only romantic but very serious. The term is used for such a deep love that even couples who have been married for years have not said it to each other and may never do so until one is on their death bed.
The word is more commonly used in songs, movies and other forms of media, but even then it is largely in a romantic setting. Another well-known instance from anime is in Neon Genesis Evangelion, when Kaworu tells Shinji that he loves him by using "Aishiteru" in Episode 24. There is a lot of discourse around this line, even within the series itself. In the original version of Evangelion, Shinji returns Kaworu's feelings -- and this fact is used against him. In another version, Shinji doesn't reciprocate and avoids falling into the trap he did in the original. When translated into English, only one dub allows Kaworu to say "I love you" to Shinji. No matter the iteration though, Kaworu says "Aishiteru" in the Japanese dub.
Shinji and Kaworu's relationship is viewed as fans to be gay-coded because of their interactions, especially this line. The same can be said for Milo and Bisco. From their first meeting, Rust-Eater Bisco has used a number of tricks to imply that their chemistry is more than platonic. Even when opportunities to be with women arise, the only emotion they express is embarrassment. The two are fiercely protective of each other, to the point that they're willing to leave their partner behind and face what's ahead alone. Both Bisco and Milo think it's better that only one of them risks their life, but the other always comes running.
Most of this is subtext -- especially considering that the story is pushing Pawoo as Bisco's love interest -- but Episode 9 has more than the previous eight combined. In his dream at the very beginning, Milo's focus is on Bisco more than Jabi or even Pawoo. When he wakes up, it's thanks to Bisco tending to his wounds. They hold hands while Bisco speaks to him softly and Milo seems panicked at the prospect of one of them dying. Even so, Bisco sets out on his own again for the sake of protecting Milo.
Bisco and Milo without question have the deepest relationship between any two characters in Rust-Eater Bisco, and this is supported by the creator's vision. Shinji Cobuko, the author of the original light novels, prioritizes the theme of love in his work despite the series being an action adventure. In an interview with Anime News Network, he says, "When humans decide to stake their lives in order to face something, I think it's their most shining and beautiful moment. I call that 'love,' and deep from my heart..." Cobuko wants to explore love and all of its forms in his work, so fans can expect Rust-Eater Bisco to further expand on "Aishiteru."
