Asatte no Houkou Episode 5 Discussion / Poll

[xris]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Asatte no Houkou, Episode 5!

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Discuss your expectations of the episode if not aired.
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Try to keep the discussion on topic and future episode spoilers out of the thread whenever possible.


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[eggplant]

Hm, don't see an Episode 5 thread yet, so I'll post it here instead.
Poor Shouko, going through the emotions when Hiro and Karada seem to be handling their situation well. It must be hard on her to be relied upon by the two. Itou Shizuka does a great job portraying Shouko's angst in a different manner from her role as Alice in Pumpkin Scissors.

More interesting is how Tetsu is going to take the news about Karada in the next episode. Is this Kotomi girl (by Koshimizu Ami) going to hold the casting vote?

Hmm, so Karada doesn't know she's not blood-related to Hiro (notwithstanding the actual facts)...

[dxgarten]

Episode 05 screencaps and summary (http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/asatte_no_houkou_ep05.html)

Yes, poor Shouko. It seems her childhood wasn't swell either. Always got rejected by her friends. In a way it's good that she gets to relive her childhood. She looks really happy after playing with the kids. And was it just me or did Hiro looks a bit uncomfortable when Karada was about to take a lint out of his shirt?

[Cal-Reflector]

Dang it you people are too fast! My raws are still downloading!

[Kaoru Chujo]

I was still worried that this episode might be going off the rails until......Shouko decided to play with the kids and then Karada and Hiro walked home with Shouko between them, all holding hands. The logic of Shouko sleeping between them bothered me: sure she's a "child" now, but it must bring back memories of when they lived together. But when she began to play with the kids, I was able to enter the fantasy. And when Hiro was about to take her hand, you could see one of his eyes, and a smile. I think we're on our way back. I can accept the slight illogicalities because the emotional pay-off seems so great.

I did enjoy the early comedy of Shouko's look when she had to ask Hiro to help her put away the futon, and then of Karada getting up on a stool to turn out the light, even though she was tall enough to do it without.One of the big hits for me in this episode was the arrival of Koshimizu Ami (http://hashihime.atspace.com/Hashi_seiyuusB.html#koshiami), as Kotomi. Amisuke has just been great this year. She was a revelation as Tenko the angel in Kamisama Kazoku. Then she did a totally different role as the masculine Paraietta in Simoun. At the same time, she was hilarious as the protagonist's enemy in Muteki Kanban Musume. And now this role, which is different from all the others and has a special joie de vivre. Sugoi, Amisuke!

[Cal-Reflector]

In the middle of watching episode 5 raw. It just occurred to me, Shouko's reflection on her own circumstances. Now, while Karada might not be able to take much advantage, wouldn't Shouko be able to take advantage of the situation? She has an American medical grad student's mind inside what looks like a 10 year old body. I see many ways one could profit by that... not that the anime would ever go down that route, but an idea.

[angel_wing0]

Loved this episode althou it didnt really do anything plot-wise other than introducing the new girl.

It's fun seeing Shouko not used to being a kid (from the blanket and others)...:D

9/10 in my view~

Can't wait for the chinese subs!

[JediNight]

Do we really need to use spoiler tags in here if our comments are about Ep5 in the Ep5 discussion thread? =D

Another great episode. As others said, technically "nothing really happens" in the episode -- but what is great about this series, is that whats not said and the visuals mean as much or more than normal "plot" per se.

To me this is what happens this episode that is important:

- Shouko is thrown into the middle of Hiro and Karada's living arrangement, and is kinda a fish out of water. She wants to help out and be useful, but Karada keeps cutting her off and doing everything for her. I guess she feels even more like a kid then? (Needing help putting the futon away was cute too)

- An awkward moment or two between Hiro and Karada over the body issue. But I don't see it as an ecchi sorta thing. More like Hiro wouldn't have thought twice about young Karada taking lint off his shirt, but now you have the sudden realization that in regular circumstances it would make them seem like a couple. So they get kinda weirded out for a second there.

- Hintings at future confrontation with Touko and Tetsumasa over the whereabouts of Karada. Especially as Touko sees the 3 of them walking home. It could appear to her that Hiro sent Karada back to the other relatives because he picked up a new girlfriend. (ruh roh!)

- My happiest moment of this episode ... Shouko finally submitting to her "inner child" and having fun for once! Yay for a little less stick-in-the-mud attitude Shouko :) Beyond even just being able to "re-live" her childhood, it appears that Shouko never really took advantage of her childhood in the first place. A chance to make amends I guess.

- Maybe I didn't pay good enough attention about Kotomi ... is she really interested in Tetsumasa? I thought she was a relative of Tetsumasa, or was she just a friend of the family? She mentions it's been 4 years since she's seen them last, and that she just moved to the area because of her fathers job. They apparently move around a lot I think she said?

It seems part of her role at least will be the anti-thesis of how Shouko went through her childhood -- she realizes you can only be a kid once, so you might as well enjoy it and have fun while you can. Instead of like how Tetsumasa is trying to just study the entire summer.

For the Ep6 preview I wonder how Karada is going to explain to Tetsumasa as to why she is staying with Hiro right now with a young girl (Shouko). Or will she spill the beans on the secret to Tetsumasa already and he will believe her? He seems more like the type that would eventually come around, but wouldn't believe her at first and run off angry. (Impulsive)

[xris]

Do we really need to use spoiler tags in here if our comments are about Ep5 in the Ep5 discussion thread? =D
Not really. The reason that the first discussion post by eggplant included spoiler tags was because he made the post in the generic thread (because I hadn't created this thread at that point in time). So it was correct hor him to use spoilers, but then I moved his post into this thread. It seems people have been following his lead but as you say, there is no need to place episode 5 comments in spoliers since this is the episode 5 discussion thread :)

[Srin Tuar]

意識した！Alot of people said they wouldn't go there, but was inevitable. Once Hiro starts showing that he percieves Karada "that way" they are either going to have to increase the personal space between them or else we're going to end up going DCSS soon. (as a shouko fan, im cheering for her, so i dont want that :P Plus, Karada said that Tetsumasa was "daisuki", so perhaps she isnt a buracon at all. )

Ah, and fInally someone said tetsu's full name. It was his mom :)

Right now I'm really curious about what's going on in shouko's head. I kindof get Karada and Hiro- they are adjusting and seem happy. Its Shouko who is still in the dumps. When she played with the children, it seemed like a good sign. Plus, the held hands and walked home-- very cute. But I still think Shouko is going to have to find a way to come to terms and settle her feelings- especially between her and Hiro.

But the next ep is about Karada, it seems.
Man, I'm so ready for the next two eps, so we can get back to shouko!!

[nojay]

<<== New avatar...

Life goes on, circumstances change, people cope. Last episode it was Hiro-nii and Karada-obasan that had to come to terms with the change, now it's know-it-all Shouko-kodomo's turn. Heh heh heh...

This series is holding up nicely, still on target to be the best show of the new season.

[DoReMiFaSo]

Shouko is cute in this episode. I am glad that she decided to play with those kids at the end. It seems like she never had fun as a kid in the past.

One thing I would like to know is how are they going to live their lives. Will Shouko go back to school now that she's in a kid's body? How will Karada learn the stuff she missed in school? How will she survive in society? Will the series go this far? Maybe they will change back without dealing with these issues.

I want to see more of Shouko, but I guess I've to wait for the next next episode to get back to her.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Shouko is cute in this episode. I am glad that she decided to play with those kids at the end. It seems like she never had fun as a kid in the past...One thing I would like to know is how are they going to live their lives. Will Shouko go back to school now that she's in a kid's body? How will Karada learn the stuff she missed in school? How will she survive in society? Will the series go this far? Maybe they will change back without dealing with these issues...I want to see more of Shouko, but I guess I've to wait for the next next episode to get back to her.So far, the whole thing has taken place during the summer holiday, I think. And with the line in the OP about this being the story of a summer, perhaps those are issues that will not come to a head. I think kids in Japan only have to show up for school on a couple of days in August, and sometimes skip even them.

And I agree with everyone that Shouko is the key. Maybe we are learning that she has been locked up for most of her life (to mix metaphors). Maybe Hiro unlocked her once at college, and now Karada and the kids are helping to unlock her again. Her satisfied expression as the strode back so dirty from a day of play was priceless.

[JediNight]

AFAIK the summer holiday for schoolkids is only 2-3 weeks long. Because they have at least 2, but I think 3 of those breaks that are 2-3 weeks long in a year.

[Deathkillz]

oh cute...we get to see Shouko 's cute side in this ep ^__^
her background story about her childhood years was quite depressing...but somewat expected of her with the personality that she has now...its directly reflected but his lonely childhood years :(
owh >.< shouko is feeling inferior cause kareda is doing all the work >.<
but great emotional and charater developments for shouko this ep :) she slowly but steadily changing ^_^

omg...hiro is definatly feeling for karada "THAT way" he was staring at her chest when he was about to leave for work O.o

next ep...tatsu is going to get the shock of his life...

[JediNight]

Eh, I'm not about to think he's going all ecchi thoughts on Karada yet. Probably just becoming aware that she has a rather large chest -- remember that she is larger than Shouko was even ... whatever a G70 is in Japanese cup sizes.

[DoReMiFaSo]

I really can't stand it if Hiro had ecchi thoughts on Karada, so I'll assume that he was just surprised.

[nojay]

In the ep. 6 trailer there's a rather odd bit (around 23:52 or so) with a locker door being closed by a feminine hand. It has "五百川" (Iokawa) written on it in kanji. I assume it's Karada's shoe locker at school. I wonder what that portends?

Oh, can anyone explain the kanji reading of "Iokawa"? I read it as "five hundred rivers" - go, hyaku, kawa.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I really can't stand it if Hiro had ecchi thoughts on Karada, so I'll assume that he was just surprised.I wouldn't call it ecchi thoughts. I thought it was just that he had noticed that his sister was "grown up" and was being more modest around her than he would have been when she was physically a child. I'm not sure it made sense for him to accept Shouko taking the thread (or whatever it was) off him in that situation, though. But I guess that's just how they're playing it: Shouko is now a physically a child and Karada is now physically mature.

[angel_wing0]

Oh, can anyone explain the kanji reading of "Iokawa"? I read it as "five hundred rivers" - go, hyaku, kawa.

japanese kanji doesnt have to make sense in reference to its hiragana, especially in names :D (and u are right, 500 rivers it is :D)

btw nice summary as always garten, but how come u stop writing for nhk? :(

[JediNight]

Yes that definitely looks like a girl's hand at the end there. I guess Karada goes to her school over the summer break, probably with Tetsumasa.

[darkchibi07]

Yay, Lunar released episode 5! :D

....hmmm, this torrent is not allowed on this tracker?

[aliensporebomb]

I got the same error when I had to back out of the bt client to reboot the
machine and when I resumed I got the same error.

Hmmm. Keep trying I guess.

[kvnphm1]

I really like this series and i hate to see it make a wrong turn. I hope this anime doesn't pull a 180 incest turn like in Canvas 2. Can anyone who read the manga just tell me it doesn't end up that way?

[Shiroth]

Seeing Shouko starting to play around with the children was pretty touching - you can't find moments like that in many shows, and this one is full of them. I just wish Hiro was able to see her playing along. :3

The preview for the next episode had me all "eee!!", i really can't wait to see how it'll turn out.

[Deathkillz]

^ aye its a great development for shouko...shes slowly but stedily changing into a more open minded/thoughtful person than when she was in adult version ^_^ i didnt like her much in the first ep as she seemed to be very spiteful but now shes growing on me...cute points and all :)

[Theowne]

The preview for the next episode had me all "eee!!", i really can't wait to see how it'll turn out.

Couldn't agree more. After this episode I really like Tetsu's character. And I hope any romance involving Karada is with him rather then Hiro....

[Shiroth]

Couldn't agree more. After this episode I really like Tetsu's character. And I hope any romance involving Karada is with him rather then Hiro....
As we progress more & more into the story.. and i can see more happening to do with Shouko & Hiro, they seem to be understanding one another a lil' bit more. Hopefully if they all turn back to normal at the end - then something shall happen between them.

[physics223]

Insights on ep5 and the series in general (http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/?p=60)

I hope you enjoy.

[Kyuusai]

Eh, I'm not about to think he's going all ecchi thoughts on Karada yet. Probably just becoming aware that she has a rather large chest -- remember that she is larger than Shouko was even ... whatever a G70 is in Japanese cup sizes.

That would be a 32E in US size (also known as 32DD). That's... not typical in Japan.

Despite Karada being that short at her age, her adult form looks like a Barbie doll: Tall, slim, and with an exaggerated figure. Likewise, Shouko isn't the same age that Karada was, but she's Karada's height, which, for Shouko, makes her even younger.

I'm convinced that Karada's wish didn't simply make her an adult as she would be, but made her an adult as she envisioned an adult to be. Likewise, Shouko was made to match Karada's height, which means that her age was chosen based on how Karada saw herself.

[Matrim]

I really expected Shouko and Hiro to discuss the situation more. For instance they could have come up with a plan to explain who the hell were those strangers living with him. I know that long talks are not exactly in the style of this series but the three of them just living together as if this was the most natural thing in the world was positively weird. Apart from that I am happy the episode concentrated on Shouko. But Hiro trying to convince her to stay with him was also weird to see - it's not as if she has much choice, he surely realises that?
On a completely different note, I am always having a good laugh when anime characters study in the summer or talk about summer homework. I guess I am just too used to never bothering to study for school in summer. :heh:

[Kyuusai]

But Hiro trying to convince her to stay with him was also weird to see - it's not as if she has much choice, he surely realises that?

I think that's an example of how well Hiro knows Shouko. He knows quite well that if it were made apparent that he knew Shouko had no choice but to be there, she would be more motivated to leave.

[Sorrow-K]

Only just caught up with the fansubs.

You know what I'm slightly disappointed with? What happened to the "nothing happens" moments from the first two episodes where literally nothing would happen for several seconds at a time? I thought such scenes did a fantastic job of generating atmosphere and I'm ruing the fact that they've almost disappeared since the second episode.

This ep was quite sugary, which I must admit I wasn't really expecting from this series. What it is continually doing exceptionally well, though, is the subtle character development in all the main three. Some of it's quite subtle, yet noticeable if you pay attention, but all of the main characters are very dynamic and growing in a slow, yet steady pace with every episode. It's a real strength of this series, IMO.

I'm not opposed to the idea of any romance forming between Karada and Hiro (forbidden love is a theme that almost always intrigues me), and even though I'd be a little surprised if it did go down that path, it's not something that's yet to be quashed. On the flip-side, there are still numerous vastly-varied paths this could yet choose to go down. Asatte's take on its premise is such a refreshingly unique one, that it could really do almost anything with it at this stage. But, as far as that scene is concerned, I didn't see anything ecchi about it. I interpreted more as a small lingering fear on Hiro's part of Karada's new body. I mean, at that stage he was still a bit freaked out by the whole thing. Which brings me back to what I was saying about the subtle, yet constant character development, since by the end of the episode he'd seemingly come to terms with it.

I'm not quite as enthusiastic about this series as I was a few episodes ago, since I think mistakes are being made with the execution of the atmosphere that weren't being made a few eps ago. But the story still looks like it's going to be an excellent one, particularly given how dynamic the characters are. Good ep.

[Asianknight82]

Hiro and Karada aren't related, they haven't explained the circumstances as to how he ended up raising her, but this episode did mention that they weren't related by blood. This was all Shouko remembering what Hiro told her, so it could be a foreshadowing to a future relationship? But, personally I don't think it'll go that route, I think they'll somehow turn back to normal in the end.

[PastPrime]

Hiro and Karada aren't related, they haven't explained the circumstances as to how he ended up raising her, but this episode did mention that they weren't related by blood. This was all Shouko remembering what Hiro told her, so it could be a foreshadowing to a future relationship? But, personally I don't think it'll go that route, I think they'll somehow turn back to normal in the end.

In an earlier episode he told Shouko that Karada's parents died when she was two years old and his parents adopted her. And, he didn't consider her his little sister until he went back for his parents funeral and saw how small and helpless she was.

[Sinestra]

another good episode it seems that this episode was more about Shouko then anyone else. She has had a lot to digest latley and it seems that all three are living together in Hiros apartment. I think Karada is really starting to see Shouko as a sister and has come to depend on her. Hiro was right when he said Shouko wont admit that shes angry she has kept all that frustration inside and now its starting to flow out. I disagree with her statement that Hiro is just using her he still cares for her its obvious.

THe fact that Shouko had a chance to change her past was great. THis time instead of running off she played with the children i think this is one of the keys to her coming to terms with who she is. That last scene was touching with all three holding hands and heading home with shouko in the middle, they really did look like a family. I can see the series ending in the same manor only Shouko and Karada ave gone back to their original size. Were going to start seeing a lot more questions being thrown around now like i said before its a small town where everyone pretty much knows everyone especially families they cant keep it hidden forever.

[Guido]

My only complain for this episode was when Kotomi became formally reintroduced to Tetsu by his mother. The color and lighting were too shiny plus the lack of sound, save for environmental noise, made the pacing outstretched and dragging.
I think I attribute the fault most that right now where I live it is a very sunny day which induced a drowsy effect on me. That drowsiness was further exarcerbated when in this episode showed all summer scenes at its peak with intense tones of light.

Making that aside, the episode was Shouko centric. My thoughts right now for Shouko is that she's a little bit too shamelessly selfish. I do not agree with her about Hiro using her to become for a sister figure to Karada only. When Hiro states that she's her usual angry self, Hiro knows much of her than she of him.

I think that Hiro was just as concerned as Karada about Shouko, especially given her current child form, and how she'll make a living all by herself. Though I will convene that if Hiro had said he was worried due to her current form, then he'll have been rude towards Shouko.

Moreover, Shouko is the person type that with her is not enough to give encouraging words to lift her spirits. She needs a push whether physical, literal, or metaphorical to open up.
For example, the girl of her childhood memories extended an invitation for her to play in the group. The boy called that girl to stop doing so, making feel Shouko unneeded. That girl did not CHASE after her to convince her.

Chibi-Shouko relives the same experience all over again in the present time, but the difference lies that this time one of the girls among the group did CHASE after her and instead of convincing Shouko in with words, she teased Shouko in hopes that Shouko will follow the game and come inside; boy, it worked.

[Kensuke]

Chibi-Shouko relives the same experience all over again in the present time, but the difference lies that this time one of the girls among the group did CHASE after her and instead of convincing Shouko in with words, she teased Shouko in hopes that Shouko will follow the game and come inside; boy, it worked.
So true, they did a fine job portraying how unconfortable it was to Shouko to play with them, not surprisingly how she was treated in flashback. Final scene where they were walking together was one of the most "Awwww" I have seen.

But Hiro, he definitely has some "ideas" in his head. One funny scene was where they were all sleeping on floor, Shouko in the middle and Karada and Hiro sleeping in symmetrical positions. :heh:

[martino]

Sweet. So Hiro doesn't know how to behave in front of Karada (who would for God's sake!?); this could turn out in a very interesting way...

[Pakxenon]

10/10, ignoring all the "wrong paths".

If only Lunar were subbing this quicker, maybe this forum will be more active...