My problem with Kimi ni Todoke

someone_else_ said:
I don't really have much problems with this anime (I wouldn't be a fan otherwise), but I do have one problem. Sawako can't stand up for herself! Especially not whenever Shouta is around. This applies to similar School/Romance anime as well. Whenever the female lead is put into a situtation with her love interest where she doesn't know what to say it will cause a confusion or a misunderstanding that will eventually lead to the love interest being hurt.

In Kimi ni Todoke this happens in the second season when Shouta confesses about his feelings towards Sawako and due to her incapability of giving a real answer, Shouta ends up being hurt. Considering how far she had gone in her character development throughout the series surely she would have been able to say something. Yet she couldn't tell him anything about her own feelings towards Shouta.

Now, I know that dilemmas such as this one are necessary in order for the story to progress, but still. It is painful to watch when the female and male lead can't talk to each other because of such confusions.

What do you all think about this? Do you agree with me?