Hanasaku Iroha (generic discussion thread)

[0utf0xZer0]

However, what is completely unrealistic, is the sex novel writer in this episode and how Ohana reacts to him tying her up into bondage, and writing an erotic novel involving her and a person that continually wishes death upon her.

There's a difference between a comedy rooted in things that you could believably come across in real life (such as a slight goofball of a character, or witty repertoire), and comedy rooted in the completely absurd.

The writer himself never bugged me, he was just... erratic and eccentric.
Ohana's reaction felt a bit strange to me. It could have been jarring, but there are a few mitigating factors:

1) Curiousity. Ohana strikes me as a naturally curious sort, so she'd actually be interested in why he was writing what he did. Had she run or screamed there, she'd lose her best shot to find out.
2) Once the gag was off, all she had to do was scream. I think this was a major factor in why she took a calculated (if stupid) risk.
3) The Japanese are famous for not wanting a scene even if they're the victim. If she can talk her way out of it, she will.

The rest is just her not thinking all that clearly.
The only reaction that really felt out of place was the grandmother's. Given the discipline she's shown her staff previously, it seems strange she'd take such an erratic man onto staff (although I do think she's more forgiving to men then women in general - her son doesn't strike me as any more responsibly than her daughter, yet only one is disowned). But I enjoyed this episode too much to care much. Maybe I'm just used to this kind of thing.



I found the first episode of this show plenty melancholic. Ohana is taken from a relatively carefree life in the city, and thrown into a very difficult and trying situation working under a grandmother that starts out resenting her, as well as a coworker who wishes death upon her. There's quite a bit for her Ohana to struggle against and (hopefully) overcome here.

As has been point out though, the tone of this is generally very comical. Even when Ohana is upset, its not really played that serious. The exception is the scenes with Kou. I suspect he'll be a source of many of the show's poignant scenes).

Edit:

So are you trying to say that there's not a clear disconnect in the flow of the first two episodes to this episode? That they didn't go away from the narrative they laid out?

That isn't really all that subjective. It's bad writing.

Well, first off, I think there's a bit disagreement on just how severe a break this is with what came before.

But the thing is, the subjective part isn't whether a disconnect is bad writing, the subjective part is whether the payoff is worth it. Being able to make that kind of judgment call effectively is part of being a good writer.

[Triple_R]

Speaking personally, I never found Episode 1 that funny. I laughed a couple times, but not much.

So if it was largely meant to be funny, it's just not my type of humor. I certainly respect that different people have different sense of humor though, so others may have found it very funny.

Since I never found Episode 1 that funny on initial viewing, I focused more on the serious aspects of it on second viewing, and I found that it worked for me on that level.

Episode 2 continued this for me, feeling very much like a True Tears-style serious drama to me (i.e. a serious drama with a couple quirky characters, but nothing really over-the-top).


Beyond all of this, what Simon wrote (in one specific line) reflects my own views: Slice-of-life comedy is easy to find, interesting character-driven drama less so.

That's a big reason why I'd rather this anime be a serious character-driven drama. They're harder to find in anime, so I tend to appreciate them more than slice-of-life comedies that are not as hard to find, imo.

[Reckoner]

The atmosphere was different, but that isn't at all unusual, and it's not like anything felt blatantly contradictory or any actions out-of-character.

Seems to me you just didn't like the change and are looking for objective-sounding reasons to hate it.

The first two episodes built the audience to sympathize with Ohana correct?

The first two episodes built up a dramatic scenario correct?

What does drama thrive off of? Being able to relate to the viewers. Moreover, they thrive on eliciting certain emotions from the viewers. Hanu-Saku Iroha, while having some funny moments here and there in the first two episodes, is more or less presented as a coming of age story where we the viewers are supposed to understand the pressure that is on Ohana's character in this new environment of hers. We have a patriarchal Grandmother who has been anything but nice to her, an unfriendly staff, and an irresponsible mother.

So far this was something that I felt was compelling, and I was really in tune with Ohana's character. But then this episode ventured into ridiculous land. It brought upon a complete mockery of a character. I mean a novelist who resorted to writing about ero? Well this wasn't that bad, but at the beginning of the episode, we are shown Ohana in pretty much bondage, which feels REALLY unnatural when we consider there really wasn't anything like this in the first two episodes.

Moreover, she doesn't even scream for help even though this is a potentially dangerous situation for her. She actually starts to sympathize with him (For no good reason, he's been a jerk all along), and starts to help him write his novel. The character keeps lamenting how worthless he is and acting like a sniveling buffoon. We're shown more scenes of oddly out of place fanservice (Not very subtle, in your face and screams at you), and we're led along this little stupid plotline the whole episode.

Why are we caring so much about this writer? Nothing he's done has made the viewers really feel sorry for him. He's been taking advantage of everyone, refuses to admit to anyone at this point he's done wrong while keeping up his facade, takes advantage of any kindness given to him, and continues to be a jerk to everyone. Also, he's a freaking irrelevant side character who interrupted the climatic moments of the end of episode 2, where we finally feel that Ohana has started to broach a friendship with her coworkers.

Why was that plot with Ohana pretty much delegated to a subplot? She's the main character for goodness sakes. The other girls are also major characters, a presented, in this story. Why, oh why are we focusing on this worthless character?

If it wasn't bad enough how much he was stealing the spotlight in the episode, and making terrible use of it, he starts a car chase scene and tries to commit suicide over what he views as his worthless life. Now maybe if the episode wasn't so overall silly, this would've been a more compelling drama to follow along with, but it wasn't. Everything up to this point was ludicrous, with the bondage scene, fan service, and even the blushing old man. How are we as the viewers supposed to take a look at this seriously?

And even after all this, Ohana sits there with a straight face and gives an extremely artificial speech about how he has talent and blah blah blah. How moving, clearly, this was an emotional scene that I should tip my hat off to. I'm still not sure why anyone in this episode, including Ohana, gives a damn about this guy.

Anyhow, this worthless writer gets back his motivation now, and now everything's back to normal. Can we get back to the main character please? Enough of this silliness.

[Trogdor Jube]

Guys guys guys
It's ONE episode of light hearted fun.
Even Black Lagoon has Magical Girl Revy, I'm sure the show will get back to it's original tone after this.
Let's all just calm down. Plus I thought this episode was funny.

[HandofFate]

episode 3 was pretty erotic.

Wouldn't mind reading some good h-doujins of Iroha now :D

[Kaisos Erranon]

*wall of text*

It's. ONE. EPISODE.

If you can't take ONE EPISODE that doesn't appeal to you, why are you watching anime at all?

[Reckoner]

It's. ONE. EPISODE.

If you can't take ONE EPISODE that doesn't appeal to you, why are you watching anime at all?

Not sure what you're getting at here. I do feel they'll go back to what made episodes 1 and 2 so great, but what I am saying is that if they persist with episodes like this, I will not be amused.

I clearly outlined why I personally saw it as bad, that is all.

[viperdk1]

episode 3 was pretty erotic.

Wouldn't mind reading some good h-doujins of Iroha now :D

I doubt you're the only one thinking that :D

Wonder if...nah, think I'll leave it till more episodes of the anime come out (and by that logic, there'll be more doujins about ;))



In all seriousness, and given that I've only just realised that we've had a massive argument over one episode, calm down people!

I'm aware that I misjudged what I saw in the first two episodes the first time around - and I'm also aware that this argument is pointless.

Both sides have valid points (and it's very likely that neither side will budge), but right now the best option would be to agree to disagree - spending twenty pages arguing over the style of this anime will quickly become a grind.

This has probably been said before, but let's enjoy the anime for what it is - and not what we as the viewers think it should be.

[Kanon]

Geez, this episode sure got people's panties in a bunch.

Thank god, it looks like I wasn't the only one who missed the secret memo advertising Hanasaku as a serious drama. I've been following news about the series from day 1 and I've never ever thought of it as such. It wasn't a serious drama, it is not a serious drama and it won't b-... actually, I don't know whether it will or will not dive into serious drama in the future, as I'm not a medium and I can't pretend I know what this show should be based on only three episodes out for twenty-six. Currently, though, this doesn't look like a serious drama to me. Hell, the first episode even joked around with that idea: Ohana wants a dramatic life, but all she gets is a normal (albeit a little crazy and hectic) life in the countryside.

The only reason I'd say this episode felt disjointed is that it was too crazy at times. However, it was also crazy fun! That makes it very easy to forget about the ridiculousness of the whole situation. This episode was gold. Comedy gold, to be exact (and there was a good amount of character development too). If you didn't enjoy it, your loss. That doesn't mean it was bad or unfitting (I'd wager the writer knows better than us what does or doesn't fit this series).

[Leo_Otaku]

That was silly funny, in an enjoyable way, unlike Key-stuff where the silly, moe, and melo scenes are just randomly shuffled. IMHO, the writer wants us to experience the events from the protagonist's perspective (absurd, melancholic, yet optimistic), while keeping the third person presentation in order to avoid confusion in the audience. So nice and fitting change of pace... and kudos for the WTF tag ;)

PS: So the yuri novel was the ero part Mari was twitting about... LOL, girl watch/read some hentai or hen zemi :heh:


Key doesn't do random....scenes they fall into place with the story.

[felix]

*reads complains*
Uh— have I missed something, thought the episode was fine.

That said I do think it was weaker then the previous episodes. But it was service episode, it’s not like I was expecting anything resembling plot; even though we got some breadcrumbs anyway. I miss the Ohana chase cam, and ogre-baba moments, but again that’s just normal for service episodes; and better get used to it since this is probably not the last we’ll see of them. A few things did bother me however:

First, Ohana and Ko text-messaging. I’d rather it would have been at a better moment, not just random “oh, mail from Ko, yey”. Something like at a time when everything else just fell apart as a “don’t give up card” would have had a better ring to it maybe.

Then the confirmation from the slapstick-baba about her feeling for Ohana. Feels like a plot thread snapped. I was actually looking forward to her and Ohana do full series head-butting marathon. The moment also felt, well, out of context when compared to previous episodes where she just slapped Minko just because she could. Her approval of Ohana is 23 episodes too early IMO, but oh well.

And, last but not least, the “old windbag is only like that because of her job” subtext. What is she then? A 80-year-old tsundere? Frankly that was a tad too silly and illogical, even for a service episode. Tacking care of her staff is also “her job”, as is maintaining the reputation of the establishment. Also, customers that don’t pay are not really customers anyway.

[karuroso]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF awesome yuri delusion :bow: omg if only this series was a yuri revolving a triangle betewen Ohana x Nako x Minchi i.i if only... *go cries in a corner*

and wet Nako is so damn hawt

[germanturkey]

i actually thought this ep was pretty strong. it had a mix of elements that were placed together really really well. plus the yuri scene was amazing. haha.

the message from Ko came at a good moment i think. it came when she was actually tested, and had just finished reading what Minko wrote about her. plus her explanation about how she values every text from him now was fitting with the evening (cause reading cellphone messages in the dark make them that much better) and he wished her luck with her desire to be better.

[ThereminVox]

While it seems weird to do what feels like a breather episode so early in the run, and I certainly wasn't sure what to make of the shift in tone early on, I found a lot to enjoy here.

I could have cheered when Nako tossed Ohana her robes, if only because you could see what was coming, and it was such a great payoff after watching her slink nervously around the inn for two episodes. Go Nako! The eyes when Ohana (rather casually, if you ask me) described the "novel" and the various props involved...:heh: I guess you can't shock Ohana with things she's probably heard from her mother anyway. Good! We have enough naive heroines. Who taught her bondage, though?:twitch:

I also agree with Ohana's assessment of Minchi's insult research. It's kind of sweet in a twisted way that she puts so much effort into properly hating her, rather than cruelly.

This was a great commercial for that inn, though. They're pretty nice to the guy considering he's a creepy dude who writes orgy pr0n starring their underage waitstaff. Talk about your focus on customer service. Yuck.

Given the amount of development we've seen in Ohana's relationships with her co-workers already, it seems like we're going to be spending a lot of time at school before this cour is over. Nako's reveal in particular seems like something you'd hold onto for a while.

Having said all of that, this episode was a bit weak compared to the last two. But that's a fairly high bar.

[serenade_beta]

*reads complains*
Uh— have I missed something

But it was service episode, it’s not like I was expecting anything resembling plot;

Frankly that was a tad too silly and illogical, even for a service episode.

*rings a bell*
Didn't miss anything, it seems, since those are the two major reasons there are complaints.


*looks aside*
I had a bad feeling when they announced it was 2-cour. Heck, I think I predicted (posted that) this type of episode would happen because there were too many episodes.

[germanturkey]

the point of a slice of life show is that every episode can be standalone and self contained. the first few eps are usually an exception because they need to develop the plot. even a "coming of age" classification can put it along the same path. every episode just needs to have examples that develop character. this show will probably not be a story driven show. if you're expecting that, you'll probably be let down. it will most likely be a character driven show.

its like Aria. you can watch any episode from any season except the first few of The Animation and the last few of Origination and it'll won't matter what order you watch it in, because it'll still make sense. that's the beauty of a character driven show.

[ThereminVox]

Forgot to add: Can we nominate this episode for Worst "High-Speed" Car Chase of the Year? Complete with adhering to traffic signals? :heh:

[Soliloquy]

Two episodes were very much grounded in reality and the third one was quite melodramatic because of the novelist. Still, it's nothing for me to complain about. I was quite amused to see the novelist acts completely like Satou Tatsuhiro, jumping to conclusion, erratic and quite paranoid, even threatening to kill himself on the cliff.

I do have to say in the terms of plot, it's a barebone, still you get to know more about the other characters. It was interesting. The whole series is intriguing as it is depicted almost realistically, yet the main character acts so maturely, it's hard to look at her as teenager girl. Especially in the 3rd episode, she had that much insight to provide a solution to this episode. In fact, the one who acted like a teenager the most were that Minchi girl at least from my observation.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I liked ep3. They just advanced the character in a slightly (but only slightly) different way. Now we know that Ohana has a special personality, full of energy, determination, and positivity, that she can help others, and that her grandmother knows it.

I knew at the end of the previous episode that there would be some comic way of escaping the clearly non-dangerous predator. It always baffles me when people want total realism in the fantasy medium of anime. Ohana's calm dealing with the situation is to be taken as showing her strength and ability, and her compassion.

Now, I myself do not like to see bondage, and wish they had found some other way to do this. But that's just a personal preference, and I think the sequence works.

Even Shakespeare's tragedies mix serious and comic scenes. There, it is not thought of as spoiling the mood, but as providing emotional variety for the audience.

As far as I am concerned, this show is maintaining its high standards so far.

[ApostleOfGod]

i have a question for anyone to answer

that line spoken during ep 3 by granny

"Sticking is not by strength but by the guiding of the gully" the scene is directly after granny is doing that traditional memorial to her husband speaking about how Ohana is the splitting image of satsuki (presumably her daughter and ohanas mom), and that beanman guy or whatever he is comes in

ive googled it, found that its in like some old scottish text

can anyone give me a straightforward / simple explanation as to what that meant

or if not just translate it for me in a different format, that idiom/statement or watever u want to call it is a bit confusing for me :s

thanks


FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF awesome yuri delusion :bow: omg if only this series was a yuri revolving a triangle betewen Ohana x Nako x Minchi i.i if only... *go cries in a corner*

and wet Nako is so damn hawt

LOL +1

when nako says minchi theres a shiver that runs right down my spine

[Kismet-chan]

I thought it was a good episode. It's very amusing that the author wasn't what we initially thought. I like how they set it up. And we got a bit of character development from Ohana, Minko (made a true effort to stop saying "Die" because it was too harsh), Nako, and even the Grandmother I think.

Can't wait for next weekend's episode.

[ZODDGUTS]

*rings a bell*
Didn't miss anything, it seems, since those are the two major reasons there are complaints.


*looks aside*
I had a bad feeling when they announced it was 2-cour. Heck, I think I predicted (posted that) this type of episode would happen because there were too many episodes.

Cross Game had 50 eps yet I don't remember it having a out of place ep heck even the filler eps were surprisingly good. The writer of the anime did a great job making sure those filler eps were align in tone with the non filler eps. Anyways just hope there aren't any more out of place eps like ep 3.

[Kaoru Chujo]

i have a question for anyone to answer. that line spoken during ep 3 by granny..."Sticking is not by strength but by the guiding of the gully" the scene is directly after granny is doing that traditional memorial to her husband speaking about how Ohana is the splitting image of satsuki (presumably her daughter and ohanas mom), and that beanman guy or whatever he is comes in....The sub's translation is apparently totally wrong. Here is what she says and its meaning, from an online dictionary (http://ryouko.imsb.nrc.ca/cgi-bin/wwwjdic?1E):

馬鹿と鋏は使い様 【ばかとはさみはつかいよう】 (exp) (id) Everything comes in handy when rightly used

That actually makes sense.

[destiny4everlove]

Episode 3


The more I watch this anime the more I like it :).

We had some very nice developments during this episode and the comedy was just right. For instance during this scene :heh::


http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/126/tiethisoldmanup.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8FM8nyy_Fk)


Watching this episode reminded me of “Honey and Clover”, reminded me of an awesome slice of life anime with just right amount of comedy.

- After watching this episode I don’t dislike the novelist as much as I did last episode. Thanks to him I had some laughs, plus thanks to his craziness and ecchiness (even though it was in an indirect way) we got to see that the grandma does care for her granddaughter and that Ohana is more similar to her mother than she realizes; so …he did gain some minor points with me.

- And wow…shy and timid Nako looked so awesome while rescuing the novelist and she is totally a bishojo. I’m officially curious about her now and I would like to know more about her.

[TurkeyPotPie]

When I saw the episode title, I thought Ohana was going to pull a switcheroo on Minko and serve her balut instead of spinach since surely Minko wouldn't be so naive as to actually tell Ohana what her least favorite dish was...but no, "balut" is simply Minko's new insulting term for Ohana? Wut? Some very mild mannered girls here. :heh:

[OceanBlue]

Aside from the "sudden mood shift" [which, in my opinion, is somewhat exaggerated], my problem with the episode is that it seemed more self-contained than every other episode. They spent a lot of time on this episode building up to a scene which wasn't that great, as opposed to the previous episodes where most of the episodes was spent developing the narrative.

I can understand that, with 26 episodes, it'll be hard to have constant plot going on and on [and it's possible that they were trying to keep things lighthearted for that reason], but not only was the episode standalone aside from small bits of development, it wasn't that interesting either. It was still a good episode, but not to the standards of the previous two.

Well, I'm still looking forward to the next episode. I have no idea what's going to happen though, other than them going to school, because of this episode.

[DragoZERO]

Awesome, so awesome. The conclusion of it all, him not being a big shot, at all, and how even though it came down to Ohana in the end, it wasn't focused solely on her. And Kouichi's text was nice, good to see he isn't dropped from the equation entirely.

I really didn't think we'd get any service in this series, but boy did they deliver this time. I think it was the best this season.

The feel of this episode was definitely different, but it was the conclusion of the arc and they are usually a tad different.

My gripe is... why didn't Nako take off her bottoms when jumping into the ocean? She must be a really, really, really strong swimmer to be able to save someone with those on. Not to mention the waves and the thickness of the garment.

The only reason I'd say this episode felt disjointed is that it was too crazy at times. However, it was also crazy fun! That makes it very easy to forget about the ridiculousness of the whole situation. This episode was gold. Comedy gold, to be exact (and there was a good amount of character development too). If you didn't enjoy it, your loss. That doesn't mean it was bad or unfitting (I'd wager the writer knows better than us what does or doesn't fit this series).Like how EVERYONE tagged along for the chase.

I was going to use this but figured I'd stick with classic Moka, so freebie:
http://i.imgur.com/E6SA0.jpg (http://imgur.com/E6SA0)

[Guardian Enzo]

Well pretty much every opinion has already been stated by someone at this point, but FWIW I fall in with those that thought this was a real step down. My problem isn't with fanservice or a change of pace. My problem is that everyone in the cast appeared to be hit with a stupid stick. Third ep is pretty soon to to take characters you barely know and completely change the way they behave. Not to mention the failed author was so unsympathetic that it made Ohana's speech at the end very nearly puke-worthy.

Then, mysteriously, the series we thought we knew was re-born in the last two minutes, which were wonderful and seemed like part of a completely different series than the first 20. The good news is that this is a two-cour series that can afford a slip-up, and there's no reason to believe this is a death spiral - just a dip. Still, if everyone continues to behave as idiotically as they did for the bulk of the ep that's going to present a real problem. Fortunately I don't expect that to happen.

[applejuice]

Very strong episode. Finally, Hana-saku escaped from being done-100time-before-K/J-morning-drama, but became something I can enjoy. This was awesome.

[Reckoner]

Very strong episode. Finally, Hana-saku escaped from being done-100time-before-K/J-morning-drama, but became something I can enjoy. This was awesome.

It was never exactly a k/j-drama....

It was the type of anime we were sorely lacking before hand. This episode was almost like every other anime out there.

[Archon_Wing]

I spend all day reinstalling my programs and Windows and come back to... this?

Wow, lol. That was pretty awful. I mean disappointing plot, disappointing character, somewhat tasteless, and worse of all disappointing fanservice! :heh:

Actually I thought the first part was funny, because he was failing so hard at kidnapping and bondage that he had to be taught! What a non-threat. Sadly it goes downhill from there.

Anyhow, it's obvious they are painfully aware of the fact that good series cannot sell well without blatant pointles fanservice since the clientele is just like our writer here! :p But sadly, we didn't even get anything beyond a cocktease. Bleh, it's not like anything I haven't seen elsewhere. Maybe I should finish off Yosuga no Sora?

That's also gotta be the most boring car chase ever. Why is a good deal of the episode devoid of BGM? I mean, if they were going for ridiculous they might as well have gone for over the top ownage action, if that loser had died in an explosion, that's an easy 10/10. :heh:

Anyhow I was wondering when this episode was ending, and they have that pep talk. Wait, there's still 7 minutes left of this? But it's ok we get a pretty epic water rescue not unlike one from Yugioh the Abridged Series. Meh.

Anyhow the start, the end, and the scene where the old guy blushes when it's suggested he be tied up gets the episode a bonus 2 points. This episode gets a 3/10. ;) It's up there with the Mai-HiME panty episode, except even more boring. But hey, nobody's perfect.

[Sackett]

...

What...

Okay, tied up... I did not expect that.

Then she advised him on how to tie her up... okay, he pathetically begged her to help inspire him for his story, and Ohana is so eager to please that she went along with it? Not really consistent with her character.

No wait... he actually did kidnap her. Willing Suspension Of Disbelief is shaken...

Oh... he's just so incredibly pathetic that even after tying you up he just doesn't seem like a threat. Foolish Ohana, foolish. The dull knife is more dangerous then a sharp one. Just because he's pathetic doesn't mean he's not dangerous.

I guess I'll put this down to "weird things happen at hot springs", and Ohana being very very stupid (although in a way that does tend to coincide with her character- Ohana tends to be very earnest and impetuous girl who tries to see everyone as a potential friend if she just puts some effort into it.)

Let's move on. Okay, ridiculous chase scene- but not too unrealistic actually.

Oh here we go, the dramatic suicide threat that gets people to forgive him- or at least go easy on his punishment. Kirk Summation time by Ohana. But wait, he jumped! Wow, we get some actual drama. Some Mood Whiplash, but the whole show has been that, I wonder what effect his pathetic death will have on Ohana's character develop...

Oh wait... he's so pathetic he can't even kill himself right, and Nako just happens to be an expert cliff diver and lifeguard. I foresee hot Wet Sari scene coming up... there it is- and the pathetic guy is barfing his guts out in the foreground during the sexy scene! LOL, alright, that was a good one. You got me with that one.

Okay, now Ohana smacks him good and gives him the inspiring second Kirk Summation, and succeeds in Talking The Monster To Death. Oh and lets it slip to the other girls what he was writing about them.

Okay... and so the manager is going to let him work off his debt, instead of having him hauled off to jail.

Yeah...

I've seen this before in a lot of different shows... is it an old Japanese values kind of thing? That as long as a member of the group is still trying to make things right you don't write him off? Even if he is a piece of worthless loser trash?

Something like that?

Sigh...

This is not what I was looking for from this show. I guess if this makes him into the new Butt Monkey of the show... I guess I can overlook it. But the 4th episode sure better get back on the serious character development and not this wacky hi-jink stuff.

PS: Whoever said Ohana is The Pollyanna, kudos to you. In fact I'm beginning to get Pollyanna vibes from the whole show. And like the original Pollyana, Ohana has a bit of Blithe Spirit in her too.

Also, "Sticking is not by strength but by the guiding of the gully" means you don't butcher an animal through brute strength, but by guiding the butcher knife.

Pretty close to "Everything comes in handy when rightly used"

[Fenrir_valindri]

Definitely not as impressive as the first couple of episodes, but it wasn't really bad.

I can understand why some people were disappointed with the episode though.
They set it up to seem like this episode would be more dramatic with the ending of the last episode, so it was quite a surprise when it went the wacky comedy/fan-service route instead of a more dramatic situation.

That said, even I found it odd how easily "forgiven" the guy was. I assume it was because the Grandmother knew exactly how incompetent the guy was and in reality he wasn't capable of seriously harming anyone.

P.S. wet Nako = :love:

[Pellissier]

I would love an avatar of Nako's eye's wigging out after he hears about the novel :p
Done.

http://i.imgur.com/JE0is.gif

faster alternative:

http://i.imgur.com/It7e5.gif

[felix]

I assume it was because the Grandmother knew exactly how incompetent the guy was and in reality he wasn't capable of seriously harming anyone.Let’s not look down on him too much. He did a pretty good job of “harming” himself, in every way possible. :heh:

[Bordix]

Contrary to the episodes' the title this one had plenty of eye-candy.

Found the part where Tooru got ditched by the gang to be the most hilarious, it's like they were all in it together. I can't really blame them though, he's pretty much an asshole at times but that's what I liked about him. Other than that, the rest of the episode felt flat.

[Fenrir_valindri]

Well, he did completely fail at suicide, the only thing he did well was humiliate himself.

To add to my earlier post, I was also somewhat impressed how that managed to fit in the character development with all the wackiness + fan service.

[creaothceann]

It's up there with the Mai-HiME panty episode

Yep. (http://vsnes.aep-emu.de/Shizuru.gif) And I can't believe that people are complaining about the fun in a funny episode...

[Anh_Minh]

That said, even I found it odd how easily "forgiven" the guy was. I assume it was because the Grandmother knew exactly how incompetent the guy was and in reality he wasn't capable of seriously harming anyone.


Until the time he writes creepy porn about underage customers, kidnaps and ties them up.

[paladinenvec]

Well i felt alienated with the sudden changes in this episode from the other ones, the fanservice felt out of place and the second part of the episode was not that funny, at least they didnt' go overboard with the fans service like other series... well... i hope that the next chapters are better...

[Tiberium Wolf]

This was a very fun episode. Dunno why everyone complaining of the fan-service when we are in the fan-service age. If you don't want fan-service go watch yuugi-oh or pokemon. They certainly won't have it.
Some ppl said they were tricked by the PV. No they didn't trick you. They were just economical with truth (Crysis 2). :p

At last we have school scene next week.

[Fenrir_valindri]

If you don't want fan-service go watch yuugi-oh or pokemon. They certainly won't have it.


You have never watched either of those shows, clearly. :heh:

[Tiberium Wolf]

You have never watched either of those shows, clearly. :heh:

I did watch... but not all of them. If they have my bad then.

Anyway what was shown in this ep in terms of fan-service pretty tame.

[Archon_Wing]

This was a very fun episode. Dunno why everyone complaining of the fan-service when we are in the fan-service age. If you don't want fan-service go watch yuugi-oh or pokemon. They certainly won't have it.
Some ppl said they were tricked by the PV. No they didn't trick you. They were just economical with truth (Crysis 2). :p

At last we have school scene next week.

Oh no, God forbid people not like some aspect of a show. But hey, thankfully there's other reasons to watch the show.

Besides, it's not just because there's fanservice. I just thought the fanservice wasn't very good.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Very strong episode. Finally, Hana-saku escaped from being done-100time-before-K/J-morning-drama, but became something I can enjoy. This was awesome.

So a ridiculous, out-of-character, fanservice-oriented approach > Hybrid anime + K/J drama approach?

Jeez... of course the former is clearly superior because it's like just like every other slice of life comedy anime out there, and cliche/repetition is clearly better than trying to do something new. :uhoh:

[applejuice]

So a ridiculous, out-of-character, fanservice-oriented approach > Hybrid anime + K/J drama approach?

Jeez... of course the former is clearly superior because it's like just like every other slice of life comedy anime out there, and cliche/repetition is clearly better than trying to do something new. :uhoh: Bolded part was actually my point. Before this episode, it was low level soup opera. I saw this episode as completely destroying the normal cliche we expect from everyday morning drama, but making whole new refreshing atmosphere by crashing slice-of-life cliche from anime and drama expectations. Having much lightened hearted, but chaotic storyline is better than boring boring soup-opera that is completely predictable.

Mixing those two values brings better entertainment, at least for me.

[Reckoner]

Low level soap opera? Give me a minute.
...
....
.....
No seriously. I can't help but laugh at how ridiculous of a comment that is.

I can understand not having a penchant for those types of stories, but to call the level of writing low level I find to be quite absurd.

What would you name then in anime that has the ability to show case drama well at all then? Name 1 anime that you felt was that superior to it. Unless you think anime can't capture drama well at all. That's fine. But then you're happy when they execute a bunch of boring out of place fan service, break the mood of the series, and incorporate elements that pretty much destroy the dramatic side of this story?

In which case, that would just make it like every other shit stick of an anime out there. Honestly, why the hell would you want that?

[Pocari_Sweat]

Bolded part was actually my point. Before this episode, it was low level soup opera. I saw this episode as completely destroying the normal cliche we expect from everyday morning drama, but making whole new refreshing atmosphere by crashing slice-of-life cliche from anime and drama expectations. Having much lightened hearted, but chaotic storyline is better than boring boring soup-opera that is completely predictable.

No. This episode of HanaIro is of a style that is seen plentiful in anime. See Jun Maeda/Key-adaptations for examples. Not saying it's bad. In fact I like it if the show's premise starts off and intends to be like it.

Then why is it automatically bad if a Asian drama like plot is used in anime? Because this is anime, and therefore other entertainment medium elements should never be used? Also, how many times have soap opera like plots been used in anime? I can think of maybe 2 or 3 in the past on top of my head (True Tears, Hanbun no Tsuki Naboru Sora, possibly Honey and Clover) and that's about it. Unless you want to count shojo romances as soap operas, but they are usually too fantasy/idealised forms of romance to be considered a soap-opera.

Also, weren't you the person that praised AnoHana as being vastly superior to HanaIro. That seemed even more soap-operaish yet now you have double standards for this anime. Makes no sense.

[Reckoner]

Also, weren't you the person that praised AnoHana as being vastly superior to HanaIro. That seemed even more soap-operaish yet now you have double standards for this anime. Makes no sense.

Don't ya know? Okada > Okada!!

[Silverwyrm]

Done.

http://i.imgur.com/JE0is.gif



Just darling, thanks a lot :p

Back on topic, I too felt this ep was very off, and a disappointment compared to what i was expecting after the prev. two episodes. Hopefully this isn't a new direction, that was far too cliche and...weird.

[0utf0xZer0]

Well, after some reflection and reading Guardian Enzo's review, I will admit this episode did have one fairly signficantly flaw: too much passing of the idiot ball.

I had no issue with Ohana getting a bit of Stockholm syndrome, I think she honestly thought she could talk her way out of it anyway. The rest of the staff's forgiveness was a bit hard to take. Honestly, they needed to take the writer out of the picture after this episode. Maybe have him come back and beg forgiveness in a few episodes.

I still say the rest of the episode worked well though - Ohana's trails have always been a bit chaotic. And I loved some of the moments in this... the old man's blush, the making pit stops while searching for the stolen truck, etc.

Also, the line "That creeper! I let him off for the sexual harassment because he said he was famous." Just in case you needed any more hints that Tomoe probably reads pulp romance.:heh: God I love Tomoe... she could save a lesser show from being a complete write off and yet she's just a minor character here.

That's weird, it's being received negatively here but the sales shot up after this episode.

【2011年 04月 17日 03時(日)】 ***,107位
【2011年 04月 17日 04時(日)】 ***,107位
【2011年 04月 17日 05時(日)】 ***,117位
【2011年 04月 17日 06時(日)】 ***,118位
【2011年 04月 17日 07時(日)】 ***,120位
【2011年 04月 17日 08時(日)】 ***,114位
【2011年 04月 17日 09時(日)】 ***,110位
【2011年 04月 17日 10時(日)】 ***,113位
【2011年 04月 17日 11時(日)】 ***,111位
【2011年 04月 17日 12時(日)】 ***,*85位
【2011年 04月 17日 13時(日)】 ***,*91位
【2011年 04月 17日 14時(日)】 ***,*81位
【2011年 04月 17日 15時(日)】 ***,*71位
【2011年 04月 17日 16時(日)】 ***,*66位
【2011年 04月 17日 17時(日)】 ***,*65位
【2011年 04月 17日 18時(日)】 ***,*65位
【2011年 04月 17日 19時(日)】 ***,*71位
【2011年 04月 17日 20時(日)】 ***,*67位
【2011年 04月 17日 21時(日)】 ***,*69位
【2011年 04月 17日 22時(日)】 ***,*76位
【2011年 04月 17日 23時(日)】 ***,*86位
【2011年 04月 18日 00時(月)】 ***,*62位
【2011年 04月 18日 01時(月)】 ***,*37位
【2011年 04月 18日 02時(月)】 ***,*29位
【2011年 04月 18日 03時(月)】 ***,*25位
【2011年 04月 18日 04時(月)】 ***,*21位

Up to #15 now, I think. Hey, the money could go far, far worse places.

[Reckoner]

I had no issue with Ohana getting a bit of Stockholm syndrome, I think she honestly thought she could talk her way out of it anyway. The rest of the staff's forgiveness was a bit hard to take. Honestly, they needed to take the writer out of the picture after this episode. Maybe have him come back and beg forgiveness in a few episodes.


You know with your post here, you just made me realize what exactly they were going for in this scene.

However, while that makes a bit of more sense in retrospect, I think it reflects very poorly on the execution and the setup that I failed to notice that.

[Tiberium Wolf]

Honestly, they needed to take the writer out of the picture after this episode. Maybe have him come back and beg forgiveness in a few episodes.


He did already beg for forgiveness at the end of ep before the meal. I don't think they need to show more begging.

[DummyInc]

nako made me horneh

[Anh_Minh]

You know with your post here, you just made me realize what exactly they were going for in this scene.

However, while that makes a bit of more sense in retrospect, I think it reflects very poorly on the execution and the setup that I failed to notice that.

... What did you think was happening?

Though technically, Stockholm syndrome doesn't happen overnight. Mostly, I think he was just so pathetic that even tied up, Ohana still felt more sorry for the poor sob than actually threatened.

[Reckoner]

... What did you think was happening?

Though technically, Stockholm syndrome doesn't happen overnight. Mostly, I think he was just so pathetic that even tied up, Ohana still felt more sorry for the poor sob than actually threatened.

I wasn't thinking much of anything. There was basically almost no time for Ohana to get connected him in the typical setup of a Stockholm Syndrome, and in fact she had multiple opportunities to get help.

If I could simply chalk it up to the quirkiness of Ohana's character I would, but this guy was a real douche bag to her :twitch:.

That's why I really couldn't understand why anyone in this show even gave a damn about this guy that really was just so unlikable. He wasn't even pitiful because he was such an ass.

[0utf0xZer0]

You know with your post here, you just made me realize what exactly they were going for in this scene.

However, while that makes a bit of more sense in retrospect, I think it reflects very poorly on the execution and the setup that I failed to notice that.

Initially I thought she was just morbidly curious about what he was writing and why, and I still think that probably played a role. The Stockholm syndrome (or just plain sympathy for the bastard, either works) bit came when I thought about it a bit more. I think her upbringing also gives her a bit of a "go with the flow" nature that played a role here... she only seems to get angry if she stews over things.

Not the first time my opinion of this show has changed after digesting things a bit, as I found episode one had too much to take in for just one viewing.

He did already beg for forgiveness at the end of ep before the meal. I don't think they need to show for begging.

I'm not saying they should have shown him begging this episode. I'm saying they should have waited a few episodes to reintroduce him and then had the staff be at least a bit apprehensive or reluctant about it.

[Silverwyrm]

I wasn't thinking much of anything. There was basically almost no time for Ohana to get connected him in the typical setup of a Stockholm Syndrome, and in fact she had multiple opportunities to get help.

If I could simply chalk it up to the quirkiness of Ohana's character I would, but this guy was a real douche bag to her :twitch:.

That's why I really couldn't understand why anyone in this show even gave a damn about this guy that really was just so unlikable. He wasn't even pitiful because he was such an ass.

I wanna know how he got her to his room without a problem, I doubt he tied her up before then as he was reading a book on how to do it. What bugs me is at the end of EP2 he really sounded...deranged, but that completely vanished in this ep without a trace. The moment we went to his scenes he was more like a gibbering fool.

[Reckoner]

I wanna know how he got her to his room without a problem, I doubt he tied her up before then as he was reading a book on how to do it. What bugs me is at the end of EP2 he really sounded...deranged, but that completely vanished in this ep without a trace. The moment we went to his scenes he was more like a gibbering fool.

Yeah, he may have a better future at being a magician. :heh:

Initially I thought she was just morbidly curious about what he was writing and why, and I still think that probably played a role. The Stockholm syndrome (or just plain sympathy for the bastard, either works) bit came when I thought about it a bit more. I think her upbringing also gives her a bit of a "go with the flow" nature that played a role here... she only seems to get angry if she stews over things.


I guess even if I am willing to accept that Ohana may be able to pity him, I don't understand why they expect the audience to pity him.

Really, I have no reason to care at all about the plot of this episode when the main focus of it is so dreadful to watch.

[Pellissier]

I'm not one who despises comedy into drama, it's all the other way around. But during the episode, I had this increasing feeling that the novelist's arc was going a tad over the top. Even so, I still quite liked the episode on the whole, putting that sense of "overtone" aside.

Yes, because thankfully some details that so far contributed enriching this story weren't omitted at all. The little chats between Nako and Minko, the spinach confrontations between Ohana and Minchi, the part where the granny talks to his deceased husband, with a proud expression in her eyes, for her grand-daughter but also for her own daughter.
However, the detail I liked the most was Ohana reading Minko's diary and finding how hard she's been trying to avoid saying "die". You know, at the beginning of the episode she was peeling some vegetables and at one point she stops and says "oops". I thought because she hadn't been able to cut it in one go. But after rewatching I think the sole reason she became upset is because she said "die!". These are very classy elements, a la Honey & Clover, in their being so apparently subtle yet adding several layers to the characters.

Finally note how the episode title is after Minko, rathen than the novelist.

[applejuice]

Low level soap opera? Give me a minute.
...
....
.....
No seriously. I can't help but laugh at how ridiculous of a comment that is.

I can understand not having a penchant for those types of stories, but to call the level of writing low level I find to be quite absurd.

What would you name then in anime that has the ability to show case drama well at all then? Name 1 anime that you felt was that superior to it. Unless you think anime can't capture drama well at all. That's fine. But then you're happy when they execute a bunch of boring out of place fan service, break the mood of the series, and incorporate elements that pretty much destroy the dramatic side of this story?

In which case, that would just make it like every other shit stick of an anime out there. Honestly, why the hell would you want that?Calm down dude, calm down. I really have nothing to reply. But I will say something good; what I liked was its refreshing transition of mood. You didn't like it. That's where opinion matters.

You obviously don't like my word of 'low level', but I clearly meant it. Hana-saku certainly has soup-opera vibe, and definitely not really good one among them, at least for me. Only difference is that this one is animation, and real soup operas are normally live-action. What I'm seeing is not portrayal of drama, I'm seeing the quality of that drama itself that I don't appreciate. That's where opinion matters.

You think fanservice is boring. I liked them due to its pleasant shock that trolls everyone who wanted millions of grandma slap-shot. That's where opinion matters.

Also, weren't you the person that praised AnoHana as being vastly superior to HanaIro. That seemed even more soap-operaish yet now you have double standards for this anime. Makes no sense.Well, it makes sense, since it's my opinion. Ano Hana shows much clear premise than HanaIro, that's already plus point. HanaIro, currently, doesn't have a clear theme or direction to focus on. Of course, one of the reason is due to the fact it is 2-cour, but currently, story itself have nothing that is genuinely interesting due to that.

Also, superior direction allows Ano Hana to be superior.

[RedWing]

This episode wasn't very good was it? It was clearly shallow water but when they jump in its very deep?

[Reckoner]

The reason I found your comment absurd is because you first described it as "low level," then preceded to praise this episode, which IMO, is as low of level as you can go for series in this genre.

If you dislike the show, you dislike it. But if you're going to praise episode 3 while saying the first two episodes were poor, all I can do is raise my eye brow to that.

And btw. Don't make strawmans about me. I never said I dislike fanservice. :eyebrow:

Also the narrative of Hanu-Saku Iroha is laid out very clearly... It's a coming of age story where Ohana has to cope with her new lifestyle out in the hot spring Inn. This includes dealing with her family problems (Her mother and Grandmother), making connections with her coworkers who are rather unfriendly to her at the start, and learning the meaning of hard work. In the end, she will have learned better from everyone, but everyone will also change for the better as a result of meeting her.

That's what they're so far trying to present to us. It's not exactly that hard of a story to pick up in what direction they're going.

[Haak]

Best part of the episode was Nako showing her skills. Another brilliant episode. Don't know why some people don't like it. I thought it was pretty hilarious.

[edit]

Okay after reading more of the comments it looks like some people considered this episode at shift in tone but it didn't seem like much of shift for me. I would never really call it a serious drama. It definitely has elements of that but I had always thought of it as a light-hearted and fun slice of life right from the start.

[MeoTwister5]

Okay... uh... first thing's first, I'd be lying if I didn't say that this episode was hilarious at times, and cheesily touching near the end. That said, this really isn't the radical direction shifting I'd have wanted this early in the run. It would be more acceptable and believable maybe a few more episodes in, but having it this early makes the contrast to the previous two episodes a bit jarring.

On the other hand, the episode does manage to prove to me that even if the internal consistency of the episode started to break apart at the seams, a very well written and well characterized main character can prop up the show on their shoulders. While this was practically silly by all accounts considering what the first two episodes showed, Ohana's oddball mix of youthful audacity and her slightly jaded world view managed to save it and show the consistency of her character while everyone else was getting slapped silly by the idiot stick. I think the episode managed to show how much the show will likely be a character driven one as opposed to a plot driven one, and such shows can only succeed if the main character can carry themselves and the rest of the cast no matter what quality of writing the episodes have. From that perspective, this was perhaps an episode that was meant to showcase what Ohana would be capable of no matter what kind of events life throws her way.

For this she was thrown quite the odd pitch, but she managed to hit it out of the park and prove to me why she seems to be more than capable of helming the ship. Again, it makes me affirm my belief that she is perhaps one of the most intriguing and dynamic female characters of recent years, strong enough to carry a show when it is needed.

[ninryu]

I'm the only one who waits for OhanaXNakoXMinchi three way?

[Essa Maneira]

does anyone notices the episode 3 title of it, which is "balut"..
read here: Balut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg))

[ninryu]

does anyone notices the episode 3 title of it, which is "balut"..
read here: Balut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg))
EWWWWW!! That's disgusting!

[Anh_Minh]

I don't see why. We eat eggs, and we eat chicken. I don't see why we couldn't eat what's in-between.

[liquid-metal]

Slice of life show I didn't know about? Must watch as soon as possible!

[Haak]

I don't see why. We eat eggs, and we eat chicken. I don't see why we couldn't eat what's in-between.

It's probably because it looks disgusting but I've eaten stuff that looks worse.

I don't know if this was made before but here's a freebie:
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb362/haak1/HanaSaku.jpg

[Essa Maneira]

It's probably because it looks disgusting but I've eaten stuff that looks worse.



promise if you eat it, its very delicious, now i wonder how they came up with that episode title...

[Pellissier]

Episode 3 freebies.

Animated:

http://i.imgur.com/0flH6.gif http://i.imgur.com/z8IDR.gif http://i.imgur.com/fOMBu.gif http://i.imgur.com/6schn.gif http://i.imgur.com/KCshp.gif http://i.imgur.com/D69PU.gif

http://i.imgur.com/JRkaA.gif http://i.imgur.com/nxK9D.gif http://i.imgur.com/QkKyv.gif http://i.imgur.com/08x54.gif http://i.imgur.com/1PvL0.gif http://i.imgur.com/Cc9g7.gif

http://i.imgur.com/jTz9M.gif

Static:

Fanservice corner

http://i.imgur.com/N3Z0Q.png . http://i.imgur.com/akIMD.png . http://i.imgur.com/dLg6S.png] . http://i.imgur.com/DT9Ql.png

http://i.imgur.com/trJpi.png . http://i.imgur.com/zfgHz.png . http://i.imgur.com/tTvWQ.png

Ohana's corner

http://i.imgur.com/tg4g8.png http://i.imgur.com/cS1Kf.png http://i.imgur.com/sqk0k.png http://i.imgur.com/UnVdK.png http://i.imgur.com/Plh4l.png


This week's Ohana MVF (Most Valuable Face) goes to:

http://i.imgur.com/cS1Kf.png

http://i.imgur.com/STXaT.png

[Taufiq91]

http://i.imgur.com/akIMD.png




I'll take this. Thx.

[winhlp32]

I'm the only one who waits for OhanaXNakoXMinchi three way?

The way this series is going, Nako seems destined to be paired up with someone 30 years old/or older.

[MeoTwister5]

http://i.imgur.com/nxK9D.gif

Would like to have this one thanks.

[revive4563]

Nako was so annoying but now, I'm starting to love her.
Thanks God I'm an easy mark.:)

[felix]

http://i.imgur.com/JRkaA.gifClaim this one. Thanks.

I’m lucky we have you Pelly, I’ve been too busy to make avatars these days. Keep up the great work!

[~Yami~]

wow! this is another good episode + fanservice...... XD

although I don't really like the conclusion... lol
but looks like Ohana has made a very good relation development to the staff....

next is the school scene.....
this is must watched anime!!!!!!

[ninryu]

The way this series is going, Nako seems destined to be paired up with someone 30 years old/or older.
Ara? Why? Then at least OhanaXMinchi? :upset:

[wm4]

It was rumoured that
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/ike_tomo/20110418/1303094241
Although one suggested that he was a parody of Osamu Dazai.

[taichi-kun]

The only part I felt was odd was Ohana’s blatant acceptance of Jiroumaru’s sex novel...

And of course her attitude wasn't realistic when she was on trouble.

[DragoZERO]

The only part I felt was odd was Ohana’s blatant acceptance of Jiroumaru’s sex novel...

And of course her attitude wasn't realistic when she was on trouble.
What do you mean blatant acceptance? She was rather shocked when she read it.

And I don't think she was in that much trouble, although her torso was tied she could have ran out and it wasn't like he was a scary guy. It was obvious that he was in over his head.

[felix]

And I don't think she was in that much trouble, although her torso was tied she could have ran out and it wasn't like he was a scary guy. It was obvious that he was in over his head.Yeah she probably could have kicked his ass anytime even tied up like that. That guy looks like someone who stays inside all day long, and doesn’t exercise. Ohana could probably beat him in arm wrestling. :heh: That said, her going berserk mode would have been out of character…unfortunately.

[ars89]

http://i.imgur.com/cS1Kf.png

I'll claim this one, thanks, great work


http://i.imgur.com/STXaT.png

Also if this wasn't claimed can i have this one as well?

[Trogdor Jube]

http://forums.animesuki.com/images/as.icon/avatars/avatar67676_5.gif
Claiming if you don't mind

[ninryu]

She didn't even blush, she just looked not amused. :heh:

[CWW]

o_0

I... what? Is this supposed to be a joke episode? This was so surreal I could not suspend disbelief, and I'm not just talking about the suggestive poses.

- Ohana didn't seem concerned at all even though she was tied up and gagged.
- When Ohana went missing the group took forever to piece together the clues and look for the most likely place she could be.
- The inn owner defended the creep even though there were several eye witnesses.
- They didn't call the police when he stole the van and instead decided to chase him... all together.
- That motivational speech was so bad I cringed.
- Did I mention how much of a joke this episode was?

So much for gritty realism, eh?

[Simon]

Yes, because thankfully some details that so far contributed enriching this story weren't omitted at all. The little chats between Nako and Minko, the spinach confrontations between Ohana and Minchi, the part where the granny talks to his deceased husband, with a proud expression in her eyes, for her grand-daughter but also for her own daughter.

To me that last bit was the key scene of the episode, so it's a pity it's been mostly overlooked in all the sound and fury. Compared to Sui's attitude towards Satsuki and Ohana in the first episode it's a complete turnaround - who'd have thought she'd ever refer to her daughter with a smile on her face? This makes me even more curious about Sui and Satsuki's past.

Although one suggested that he was a parody of Osamu Dazai.

Dazai came to mind simply for his famous ineptness at committing suicide, but reading the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osamu_Dazai) there are other parallels:

Dazai effectively abandoned his wife and children and moved in with Tomie, writing his quasi-autobiography Ningen Shikkaku (人間失格, No Longer Human, 1948, translated. 1958) at the hot-spring resort Atami.

Even if Jirōmaru isn't meant as a weak parody of Dazai, it seems like he himself was thinking of this when he talked about confining himself to the inn to find inspiration. Although the possibility that Tomoe = Tomie does frankly disturb me.

[totoum]

who'd have thought she'd ever refer to her daughter with a smile on her face? This makes me even more curious about Sui and Satsuki's past.


You just beat me to it,I was just going to post about that.Considering she's disowned her daughter,you'd think that she'd not be very pleased with Ohana reminding her of her daughter,but on the contrary,she seems quite pleased.That to me is really a "plot twist",I even remember people speculating that Ohana was starting to get grandma's aproval because she wasn't acting like her mom.

Also about the whole reaction to this episode,I was getting a bit of a déjà vu impression,then I remember,this show is done by the same people that did Canaan.
Now,both shows are in completely oposite genres but I remember people complaining that sometimes Canaan seemed to want to "serious and gritty" and in other parts not so much (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJsIBJhPIvI&feature=related).They wanted the show to pick a side but it never really did.

[DragoZERO]

I took some shots to assemble my sig, figure I'd share them (http://www.imagebam.com/gallery/9aqsg8eyeobqs6endep9xwx9lm7s9x69).

[Peanutbutter]

Oh god, that old man, I laughed until my face had cramps. :heh:

The change in direction in Ep 3 from Ohana's emoing to one of the most wacky episode in anime took me by surprise, but it was comedic gold. :heh:

[Silverwyrm]

You just beat me to it,I was just going to post about that.Considering she's disowned her daughter,you'd think that she'd not be very pleased with Ohana reminding her of her daughter,but on the contrary,she seems quite pleased.That to me is really a "plot twist",I even remember people speculating that Ohana was starting to get grandma's aproval because she wasn't acting like her mom.

Also about the whole reaction to this episode,I was getting a bit of a déjà vu impression,then I remember,this show is done by the same people that did Canaan.
Now,both shows are in completely oposite genres but I remember people complaining that sometimes Canaan seemed to want to "serious and gritty" and in other parts not so much (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJsIBJhPIvI&feature=related).They wanted the show to pick a side but it never really did.

We've seen Ohana's mother and her irresponsible attitude. We can also talk about bad mothering she did, but at the same time she was also very likeable. She was also probably even more out there when she was younger. For a stern, business-like woman like the grandma I could see the two clashing terribly and ending in the disowning. Being a mother though, she probably eventually got over it and realized the charm her daughter had even if it was careless and against her own nature. Ohana's has a similar charm and hyper that her mother has but I also feel she is harder working (her mother's answer to things seems to be "run away lol!") so she probably reminds her grandmother of the better aspects of her while holding enough responsibility (even if a bit of a reckless one) to not entirely clash and repel like they once did.

I've actually witnessed something similar (but not as dramatic) in my own family. The grandmother's pride in her ways is probably something that gets in the way of any wish to reconcile, not to mention she knows that if she saw her daughter again it would just irritate her. She can appreciate some of the qualities and charm of her daughter even if she can't approve or put up with them herself. Of course she wouldn't openly admit any of this :p

[kk2extreme]

I thought this is a shoujo anime, but I was wrong :heh:

[Nochgo]

Wow, this was an unexpected episode. Considering how episode 2 ended, I thought the writer was going to kidnap/shut her up or do some other horrible things. But instead, Ohana follows him to his room where she lets him bondage-tie her. I mean, huh? He's a full grown adult with a look of *evil intension* (from end of eps 2), writing erotic stuff about her, and the thought of danger doesn't even come across her mind?

Beside from that part, I thought everything else was pretty good. I loved the grandma's lax attitude, as she made a stop while chasing the writer. They really don't think much of the writer, do they. And, fan services were a plus.

[revive4563]

It was not lax attitude.
She was just severe with herself as a hotel manager imo.

[winkel]

Ohana's the type of girl where if something *bad* did happen to her, she'd be too naive to understand/realize it.

That being said, the fanservice in this episode was a bit out of place...

[Kaoru Chujo]

When I saw Grandma smile at the thought Ohana was like her mother, I imagined that the mother was Grandma's favorite child, the one she saw as most like her. Now she has Ohana and wants to make use of her good qualities and lead her along Grandma's path rather than her mother's.

[wm4]

.... Now she has Ohana and wants to make use of her good qualities and lead her along Grandma's path rather than her mother's.
I seriously doubt so. Nuijin does not seem to have any hope for Ohana
to inherit Kissuiso. Besides, they have Shijima, Ohana's uncle, and he
looks ok.

I think Nuijin was glad that Ohana has learned & kept the ability to adapt,
even though that Ohana was not very happy with it.
This is a good personality that many young Japanese did not learn.

Comparing Minko/Nako with Ohana....

[MeoTwister5]

All Tied Up. (http://meotwister5.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/hana-saku-iroha-ep3-all-tied-up/)

[Pocari_Sweat]

Also about the whole reaction to this episode,I was getting a bit of a déjà vu impression,then I remember,this show is done by the same people that did Canaan.
Now,both shows are in completely oposite genres but I remember people complaining that sometimes Canaan seemed to want to "serious and gritty" and in other parts not so much (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJsIBJhPIvI&feature=related).They wanted the show to pick a side but it never really did.

Haha. I remember that episode... that was quite random and silly. However, CANAAN never felt like a serious, hardcore serious action anime from the very start with characters like Maria and Yunyun. The "serious" moments were mostly between the fight scenes of Canaan and Alphard. A serious action anime of the same genre (girls with guns) would be something more like Noir or Phantom: Requiem of a Phantom or maybe even Gunslinger girl, though that was more of a thriller/drama.


In all honesty, Mari Okada isn't that great of a script writer when it comes to non-slice of life shows. Canaan, Fractale and Gosick have all been not top quality. At least she's giving it a try though and still coming out at least average.

This show however, kinda needs to decide. The next few episodes will tell us where it's going, but if it decides to go the jumble drama --> comedy ---> drama ---> comedy, that would be probably the worst option imo. I much rather the rest of the series be like episode 3, then have episodes that was like 1 - 2 followed by another episode 3 like one. That way, I'll definately know that it will then be a slice of life/comedy with a bit of drama and 'lower' my standards accordingly. Of course, my most desired is if episode 3 was one-off and they go back to the style that was present in ep 1 + 2.

[Ushio the Omega]

The change of tone was too much DROPPED.

[doomknight]

Well at the end of episode 2 i thought he would do perv things to Ohana.. hopefully didnt go very far... the yuri scenes were just hot, Nako was awesome jumping from the hill and rescuing the movelist.. and when she came out of water.. oh man she was so HOT :love: , im glad Ko got to send her a message wishing her luck. Waiting next episode for the new girl!


Episode 3 freebies.

http://i.imgur.com/tTvWQ.png


Gonna take this one thank you

[ThereminVox]

Dammit, Nako, stop being so hot this instant, young lady. :nono:

Was surprised to discover that the OP single is already out. Now it's stuck in my head.

[Silverwyrm]

The change of tone was too much DROPPED.

I wouldn't be so hasty, I mean what if this was just an odd one out?

[totoum]

I wouldn't be so hasty, I mean what if this was just an odd one out?

You know,considering we got swimsuit promo art I'd guess we're at least getting the obligatory beach episode which could possibly be in the same tone as this.

[Archon_Wing]

Just great, lol.... Yea, I expect some more crappy episodes like that.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Mai-HiME for example, had a beach episode that snuck some character development in while providing the mandatory fanservice. Fanservice and moving the narrative where the characters are in character (aka everyone doesn't act retarded just to move the episode along) is not mutually exclusive. Of course, it would require actual effort, but yea.

[Malkuth]

Just great, lol.... Yea, I expect some more crappy episodes like that.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Mai-HiME for example, had a beach episode that snuck some character development in while providing the mandatory fanservice. Fanservice and moving the narrative where the characters are in character (aka everyone doesn't act retarded) is not mutually exclusive. Of course, it would require actual effort, but yea.

People finally begin to realize it :heh: As for acting out-of-character in episode 3, isn't it extremely early to figure out each character's personality in 2/24 episodes for saying that in the third they behaved differently :uhoh:

[Archon_Wing]

People finally begin to realize it :heh: As for acting out-of-character in episode 3, isn't it extremely early to figure out each character's personality in 2/24 episodes for saying that in the third they behaved differently :uhoh:

Well, naturally you can only base it on what you've seen; that's just part of the viewing experience.

Is the likelihood of us progressing further and finding this episode to be a stroke of genius high? If they do, I can still retract my statement but I really doubt it has any impact. It's gonna be very hard to make this all come together. Honestly, I'd rather they not bother.

Besides, I brought up Yosuga no Sora earlier as an example of effective fanservice/comedy. (Not the sex, that's of course part of the comedy :heh:) And yes, I think the actual execution of that in this particular episode wasn't very good.

[frubam]

Really enjoying this show. Ohana is such an endearing character, not without problems, but strong enough to overcome them without too much baggage.

As far as ep 3, the writer's story(no, not THAT story =0\) was horrible. Well, rather than say it was horrible, I'll say that I could not empathize with him at all. Maybe because his trouble's weren't obviously apparent until this episode and ended too quickly, but whatever it was, it was annoying, both his story and his character. At least it gave us a peek into Nako's persona a bit(and the nice view of her afterwards =03), not to mention Ohana looking adorable being all tied up X03. Was it worth half the episode watching the writer drown(har har) himself in self-pity? Not quite for me =0<.

The grandma kinda disappointed me. I thought she would be a hard nut, thru&thru, but she turned out to be another grandma giving tough love to her granddaughter. Doesn't make her char bad or anything, I was just hoping it wouldn't be that common scenario for once.

And I can't say I'm enthralled with Chiomi doing Minko's voice too much. I especially hate the "shiinei/Die" line =0<. Clearly it is because I am used to her doing roles like NnA's Jun and Soremachi's Hotori rather than more serious chars like Minko. I think her voice is more fitting for roles that are more comical, since she uses a voice range(like when she's shrilling) that made me enamored with her voice in the first place. I think I would prefer her to branch out and do other types of roles than just for one type of char though(*coughcoughkugiyamacoughcough*).

[broken270]

I wonder if Ohana is just oblivious to what is happening to her. I mean, the guy was trying to tie her up in that manner and she was actually helping him out at that. Not only that, she managed to remove herself from the cloth, jumps in time before the author can get to him, and still promises not to yell. So, the author drowns in his self pity because he thinks he cannot make a good work. Ohana tries to he his editor. Meanwhile, Ohana has gone missing, and Nako and Minko and the gang try to look for her. Funny how the grandmother suggested that they should clean up the rooms that they usually do not clean. Nako goes to the wash room where the author is. Because the author was acting harshly towards Nako, Ohana reveals herself and tels him to be nicer to her. The writer tries to abduct Nako, but is seen by the old man. Then, Tomoe witnessed what was going on, and the author was caught red-handed. The staff attempts to make the author go to jail, but the grandmother refuses. in the end, the guy runs away with their truck.

The chase is on, but it is quite a slow-paced chase and one with no excitement. By the time they reached the truck, he was on a cliff and was about to jump. Nice to see that Ohana is oblivious to setting and breaks up the mood of everything. It seems like the writer did misunderstood her intention and decides to jump for it. Out comes Nano, being cool and saving the author from drowning. Who would have thought that under her clothing, hair, and tone of voice lied a hot girl. Anyway, the guy hates himself for being unable to kill himself, and Ohana gives her healing speech to him, which is apparently effective. In the end, the guy works his punishment off at the inn. Meanwhile, it looks like her plans are still in efect, seeing that she just gave Minko a large bowl of spinach. So, her new catchphrase is a disgusting dish. Nothing seems to change. Well, except for the fact that the grandmother is actually nicer than thought from before.

[Simon]

Ohana's the type of girl where if something *bad* did happen to her, she'd be too naive to understand/realize it.

On one hand Ohana does come across as naive, but on the other she can be very matter-of-fact. Except for a small pause she had no problem telling Nako and Minko that they co-starred in an ero-novel involving "mops in inappropriate places" - personally, going by what we've seen of Minko's character I wouldn't have been brave enough to tell her that :)

That's something I like about Ohana, that she isn't portrayed as your typical clueless "genki girl" who bounces through life with an inane smile plastered across her face. She can be unsettlingly direct (just ask Nako) but unlike some anime characters she's sufficiently down-to-earth that you aren't left wondering what drugs she's on.

That being said, the fanservice in this episode was a bit out of place...

I dunno, I'm normally the first to rage about fanservice ruining a good show but I still think the episode redeemed itself by playing those scenes for laughs. Put yourself in Okada's shoes for a moment - as a professional writer it must be great fun to pen a deliberately corny H-scene (I mean come on, "bubbly training"? mop sex?), and then have one of your characters comment "that was so lame, I have no talent". And I'd love to have been a fly on the studio wall when they were recording the novel sequences - I wonder how many takes were needed before the VAs could get through their lines without bursting out laughing?

The funniest part of the Wave Room scene for me was Ohana stopping to ask "am I really that loud?", after we'd seen Minko and Nako discussing that very aspect of her. Although a close second would be Tomoe saying later "Beanman was about to be put in a turtle shell bondage!", with the implication that both she and the others knew what it was called. I mean, think about it for a moment...

(Random trivia for the day, the book Jirōmaru was referring to when he had Ohana tied up is titled 縛り百選 Shibari Hyakusen, which roughly translates as "100 Selected Bondage Techniques". But before anyone gets too excited, notice that the ISBN on the back cover is all zeroes so I'm pretty certain it isn't real :p )

When I saw Grandma smile at the thought Ohana was like her mother, I imagined that the mother was Grandma's favorite child, the one she saw as most like her. Now she has Ohana and wants to make use of her good qualities and lead her along Grandma's path rather than her mother's.

Hmm, interesting take on things - perhaps Sui can see her younger self in Ohana, which forces her to admit that she and Satsuki clashed because they were so alike. I'm keeping an open mind on this one for lack of evidence, but what's clear is that Ohana isn't "just an employee" in her grandmother's eyes now (if she even was to begin with, which is questionable).

You know,considering we got swimsuit promo art I'd guess we're at least getting the obligatory beach episode which could possibly be in the same tone as this.

I'm sure the marketing people will be agitating for it, but swimsuit art just seems to be the price of getting your show into Newtype and co. If we're lucky HanaIro might end up like say Hitohira, which promised / threatened the cliché beach scene in the OP, then subverted it in an amusingly fourth-wall-breaking way.

[Azuma Denton]

@pellissier
Claiming this if you don't mind.
Thanks...
http://i.imgur.com/KCshp.gif

[CWW]

My issue with the third episode wasn't the fanservice or people acting out of character, it's the bad plot devices.

They had everyone get in the van, even the elderly woman (who would do that, honestly?), to chase some nutjob, just to have Nako save the attempted suicide later with her mad skills (oh your hobby is swimming how awesome!), let the grandmother hear her granddaughter's heroic speech (you and your mom are like two drops of water blabla) and finally have a camping trip on the spot with Ohana serving them food they hate (where did that come them? wasn't she preparing the food in the kitchen?). It's just bad writing no matter how comical it ended up being.

Throwaway jokes are completely fine. This however was just hilariously bad given the whole situation. Honey & Clover had tons of comedy situations, but none of them ended up being a bad plot device for character development. A bad plot device would have been Morita winning the Oscar for best special effects, complete with a George Lucas lookalike on stage, then turning into a heroine addict.

Maybe the good production values are clouding everyone's judgement or something.

[Anh_Minh]

My issue with the third episode wasn't the fanservice or people acting out of character, it's the bad plot devices.

They had everyone get in the van, even the elderly woman (who would do that, honestly?), to chase some nutjob, just to have Nako save the attempted suicide later with her mad skills (oh your hobby is swimming how awesome!), let the grandmother hear her granddaughter's heroic speech (you and your mom are like two drops of water blabla) and finally have a camping trip on the spot with Ohana serving them food they hate (where did that come them? wasn't she preparing the food in the kitchen?).
You may not have noticed, but they stopped mid-hot chase to shop for groceries and let the cook catch up on foot (which is absurd in itself, yes...). They just happened to buy food that Minko hated, along with the rest of the food.

[Deconstructor]

So... how exactly did we go from Ohana working at the inn to Ohana being tied up to the crazy writer about to commit suicide off a cliff?!?!

This is the type of storyline I'd expect out of some other anime... Nichijou comes to mind.
I like Hanairo because of it's down-to-earth, realistic story writing. In this episode, the viewers are treated to another weapon of the writer's repertoire.

Episode 3 is okay. Fanservice is delivered in a random, but unexcessive manner. Better yet, all of episode 3 is delivered in a random, but unexcessive manner. Unlike some over-the-top, insanity-inducing comedies, Hanasaku Iroha takes its time and progresses steadily through each event, building up to a letdown. I simply prefer the drama of everyday work over the drama of car chases.

Episode 3 Rating: 7/10

[deadite]

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/kits_0093/1303326399776.jpg

[creaothceann]

http://i.imgur.com/I1UTQ.jpg

Minko packs a negligee by mistake for the beach trip!
It's super effective in the wet swimsuit contest!

[DragoZERO]

Is that future service or something? This series might have the best service of the year.

[dark998]

After episode 3 Nako is now my favorite character. That diving style, that swimming, that long hair appearance.

And finally the manager is softening up to Ohana. I knew she wasn't as hardass as she looks.

[BaKaBaKaOtaKu]

damn, mah favorite episode so far. XDD NAKO!!!! fanservice ftw!! XD

minko going tsun at ohana is so cute. she doesn't really hate ohana. =3

[VentAileron]

Maybe the good production values are clouding everyone's judgement or something.

I don't see anyone saying 'oh my god the plot of episode 3 is sooo goood!'. :p

[Hooves]

You may not have noticed, but they stopped mid-hot chase to shop for groceries and let the cook catch up on foot (which is absurd in itself, yes...). They just happened to buy food that Minko hated, along with the rest of the food.

So they were grocery shopping while they were waiting for the cook to catch up after he failed to grab onto the truck? I just thought they were just waiting for him :heh:

Edit: Ohh... I can't believe I missed that..

[Silverwyrm]

I find it kinda weird that so many people went too. Several of them would have been better off staying back other than the plot wanted them there.

[Anh_Minh]

Bah. If we'd been in character, Nako would have stayed behind. Which would have meant no wet Nako. Clearly, going the absurd whacky hijinks route was the good choice.

[CWW]

That or write a sequence of events that has an ounce of common sense and simultaneously allows for money shots? Preferably without a failure of a writer? It's not like the show has a source to follow.

[DummyInc]

It was rumoured that
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/ike_tomo/20110418/1303094241
Although one suggested that he was a parody of Osamu Dazai.

no wonder i find that author so familiar especially i watched aoi bungaku recently

[Vexx]

I was getting weird "Working!" (comedy series) vibes in episode 3. The first two episodes of this series were quite beautiful to me (storytelling, art, etc)... ep 3 just seems disjointed... not a bad episode just seems more like it dropped in from another series. Nonetheless, so far still one of my favorites of the season.

[Deconstructor]

I find it kinda weird that so many people went too. Several of them would have been better off staying back other than the plot wanted them there.

The inn was closed for the rest of the day. Everyone was probably bored out of their minds and needed an excuse to get some fresh air. A fake, pretentious writer stealing their truck qualifies as an excuse.

I admit, they should have left at least one person at the inn. There are very little security measures in place already... someone can enter through the back door and help themselves.

I was getting weird "Working!" (comedy series) vibes in episode 3. The first two episodes of this series were quite beautiful to me (storytelling, art, etc)... ep 3 just seems disjointed... not a bad episode just seems more like it dropped in from another series. Nonetheless, so far still one of my favorites of the season.

I appreciate when a writer goes outside of the main selling point of an anime. Episode 3 is an attempt at a humorous series of events; usually the comedy is restrained to brief moments, and never overshadows the serious drama. I just don't feel episode 3 worked as well as the last two episodes. Perhaps I expect too much of a throwaway episode... I wanted to laugh as hard in episode 3 as I was emotionally moved in episodes 1 and 2. Unfortunately, the jokes mostly failed. I did get a good laugh with the fantasy onsen scene.

[risingstar3110]

I'm the only one who waits for OhanaXNakoXMinchi three way?
Second here.... None of you have real taste in good fan service!!(man i wished that i saw ep 3 when it's just out)

The storyline was average, disjointed but original (after all most of the anime will keep the plot inside the ryokan to save animation efforts). The fan service was excellent through :heh:

[Roger Rambo]

I'm the only one who waits for OhanaXNakoXMinchi three way?Ohana likes K-chan, and Minchi likes Tooru.


so probably not :p

[revive4563]

not to mention Ohana looking adorable being all tied up X03.

It's your fetish.:)

[tezu]

I'm the only one who waits for OhanaXNakoXMinchi three way?
Ohana likes K-chan, and Minchi likes Tooru.
so probably not :p

I don't like threeways but in this case, I prefer it over MinchixTooru (Do.Not.Want.)! Too bad the creators have a different opinion :P
So...tomorrow we'll see Yuina for the first time, I guess? :D

[risingstar3110]

I don't like threeways but in this case, I prefer it over MinchixTooru (Do.Not.Want.)! Too bad the creators have a different opinion :P
So...tomorrow we'll see Yuina for the first time, I guess? :D
And Ohana x K-chan was like... i don't know. If they ever end up together with what we have so far, then it will be basically out of nowhere

[Roger Rambo]

And Ohana x K-chan was like... i don't know. If they ever end up together with what we have so far, then it will be basically out of nowhereIt's a 26 episode series. We're not even on the 4th episode.

[risingstar3110]

It's a 26 episode series. We're not even on the 4th episode.
Yeah so fair game for every one atm. That's what i mean ;)

[Vanish]

The author's situation and behavior reminded me of NHK. lol And on top of that I received some surprising fan-service to be delighted about... yet, I can still focus on the magnificent developments and story-telling. Super! I also need to praise the animation quality again, as my friend told me today when I watched the 3rd episode together with him: "What's up with the quality of the video? It's like it's a movie or something."

[deadite]

How cute! They're making nicknames now!

[Kanon]

There should be any complaints this week. This episode was wonderful... if you like slice-of-life, that is.

Ohana was right, a rival did appear! Not her rival, though. I did not see that ending coming at all. Yuina doesn't seem like the type of girl Thoru would like. Then again, I guess we haven't really seen what Yuina is truly like yet. Her behavior in this episode surprised me a bit, she's the type of girl who'd fit right in in Denpa Ona. In any event, she was very entertaining. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

I can only agree with Thoru and the rest now. Ohana really can be oblivious/dense sometimes. Even Nakochi managed to figure out who Minko likes right away.

There were some very good heartwarming scenes in this episode. I'm glad Ko didn't fall into oblivion. The flashback where he and Ohana held hands - or rather, a bag- was cute. I feel a bit sorry for him, he's obviously been throwing hints at her for ages, but Miss oblivious never picked up on anything. He should have confessed a lot time ago.

The other scene I loved was the one taking place at the shrine. Nako is just too adorable... I'm curious to find out what kind of nickname she'll come up with. Hopefully not something unoriginal like "Ohanachi".

[Pellissier]

So the new girl, Yuina, seems to be a love rival for Minko. We get a hint that Yuina likes Tohru in her conversation with Ohana, Minko liking Tohru is blatantly made explicit in this episode.. and then there's the ending scene. We still don't know Tohru's reasons or feelings yet though. Is he accompanying Yuina because of love interest, of because of work related issues ? (the two onsen inns).

Overall, Tohru reminds me of Isurugi Jun (True Tears, another show written by Okada Mari) for the looks, the bike and how he's usually silent/mysterious yet sometimes spunky.

[applejuice]

Light hearted mood is clearly helping me. I'm loving the series more. I love you, Okada-san.

Ohana's too cute!

[Decagon]

I like how Ohana is an observer to this little subplot. I hope Tohru doesn't put any moves on her in this arc :heh:.

Yuina had her own helmet; I wonder if she has her own motorbike or if she's used to riding with Tohru?

[tezu]

Why, Minchi, why?


I don't think she had to overreact like that, just because Ohana wanted to apologize to her about Tooru. It seems like Minchi's entire world revolves around that guy, episode 5 preview seems to imply that she started working at the inn because of him (that last sentence: "Please let me work here" and the title "A Tearful Chef Romance"). And her irrational hatred towards Ohana might partially be because of Tooru (when Ohana told Tooru not to be too harsh on Minchi in ep1).

Anyway, if her job at the inn really is connected to Tooru, I hope Yuina will snatch him away :P Minchi needs a true goal/dream that will somehow help her advance in life (look at Nako, who wanted to overcome her shyness). Running after your crush...doesn't seem to be a very good choice. It usually doesn't get you anywhere.


I really liked Minchi because she had that tsundere vibe but her irrationality in every single episode makes it hard for me to feel sorry for her and her romance.

Nako is great, btw. She's actually pretty awesome when she's not overly shy. And Yuina is very random as it seems :P

Anyway, ep 4 is definitely a good one.

[serenade_beta]

As always, the tempo felt too slow. The last part with what seems to be a love-triangle (which as far as this anime goes, probably has some of trick to it) was probably the most interesting part. Anyways, anything drama-related was good. Meaning... Just the part about Minch's love interest. The last part was exciting. That is what I'm looking for. Drama! DRAMA! KWAH!
Especially after all of that linking to True Tears.

The rest... Mm... Besides Ohana being the usual her (not in a good meaning, and the typical "Wow, transfer student! Wow, let's all swarm her!", it was okay. Those two parts were a :rolleyes: though. I already lowered my expectations, so not really disappointed or anything.

Yamakan needs to be removed from the anime. I have a bad feeling we will get an episode similar to ep.3 if he stays around. Little doubt about it...


By the way, it seems the mob classmates this episode were...:
http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-1657.html
From post 113 onwards.
If you're going to link to True Tears so much, give me more drama... I thirst for it!

[Kanon]

By the way, it seems the mob classmates this episode were...:
http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-1657.html
From post 113 onwards.
If you're going to link to True Tears so much, give me more drama... I thirst for it!

Oh, so they were from True Tears. The one with the hairband looked like that girl from K-on.

[Midonin]

All things considered, Ohana's school isn't that bad. Everyone there's pretty energetic and high on life. Just the way I like it. I liked Yuina too - the free spirits resonate quite well to me. Even if she's become a rival to both Ohana and Minko, no reason to declare her a bad person just yet. In a show of this length and breadth, everyone has their own story to tell - including hers, I'm sure.

[revive4563]

Unexpected Minko's rival in love appears. It's interesting but well, generally, the relationship between Yuina and Tohru is NOT love, in the situation like this though.

[germanturkey]

ooh, and shit got serious! A very typical ep from a show like this written by Okada. i enjoyed the development we got for everyone, and especially the Nako part. there's obviously another side of the story we haven't seen yet with Tohru and Yukina. probably like childhood friends or relatives. either way, you gotta love Ohana's optimistic mood throughout the whole ep. reminds me of Akari from Aria. it brightens my day.

[Malkuth]

I really don't get why they change names (Tooru=>Tohru, and Kou=>Ko). It's not even consistent, Tohru/Koh or Toru/Ko, I mean you do it wrong to begin with, but even your mistake is different in each case :heh:

[Proto]

They are both right, acceptable ways of representing double vowels (there's even another one where they put a tilde above the vowel to indicate it's double). they are just switching between different romanization systems, which in itself is bad form I guess.

[felix]

I don’t know why, but I found Ohana’s “Good Night!” and “Good Morning!” incredibly amusing, even though they were recycled scenes. As for the romance, well, personally I don’t buy one bit into “Tohru is some caring bastard in disguise”, yeah right! fat chance. There were two other things I liked about the episode, a lot. First, that the author is not some exagerated comic relief character, and second, that we only get to see the Ohana point of view; I like it because it helps keep the tension up. Oh and it’s nice that the service scenes are very natural and not just in your face.

[Deconstructor]

As for the romance, well, personally I don’t buy one bit into “Tohru is some caring bastard in disguise”, yeah right! fat chance.

But Minchi said it... so it has to be true!

Perhaps now, Tohru is an uncaring bastard. But Ohana seems to have already changed Minko and Nako's personalities; I believe she can do the same to everyone else at the inn. Tohru might have some reasons for being so cruel and anti-social (most mean characters have their tragic backstories). Give him a chance to explain himself in the upcoming episodes.

[Malkuth]

They are both right, acceptable ways of representing double vowels (there's even another one where they put a tilde above the vowel to indicate it's double). they are just switching between different romanization systems, which in itself is bad form I guess.

Not exactly Tooru* and Kou/Kō are 1-1, while Tohru/Koh and Toru/Ko are attempts at phonetic equivalents, ignoring the whole incontestably problem. Also being native a language that is butchered in transliteration, I am somewhat sensitive with this subject.

* I think I did explain some pages back that Touru/Tōru is different from Tooru :heh:

[Midonin]

This isn't the only show this season that has an issue with someone named Tōru/Tohru/Tooru.

[Shadow5YA]

I dunno, I never took Tohru's harshness seriously. It seemed like he was trying to stir up a conversation whenever he talked to Ohana.

Anyway, I'm glad that Ko hasn't been forgotten.

[JackALope044]

Well that's certainly an interesting turn of events at the end of today's episode.

You'd think there'd be some sort of conflict of interest if the two are actually dating.

[FlavoryFantasy]

Great episode, Ohana was sure adorable this ep~

Nako was pretty nice in the ep too~ But lol@Nako for how she nicknamed Minko
Yuina is a...pretty fun character:D

Feeling a bit bad for Kou, since Ohana sure was a bit too dense. If only he acted faster in confessing! Oh well.

mhmm can't wait for next ep to see what Tooru is up too.
Grandma-Inn managers sure do look mean in this show lol.

[Pellissier]

Tohru might have some reasons for being so cruel and anti-social (most mean characters have their tragic backstories).
Do you find Tohru on a such a level of cruelness and anti-sociality already? He's certainly cold and quite grumpy, but I think it's still early to say he's mean to the core. Minchi talks about him with the eyes of love, we (audience) see him all the other way around, through Ohana.
I think both descriptions are used by the authors as a decoy, and as it often happens, the truth will be somewhere in the middle.

This isn't the only show this season that has an issue with someone named Tōru/Tohru/Tooru.
The main difference to me is that while in A Channel I do know the correct name is Tooru, here I find more difficulties orienteering (although I don't deny I like "Tohru" more, the same can be said for "Kou" over "Ko")

[felix]

Perhaps now, Tohru is an uncaring bastard. But Ohana seems to have already changed Minko and Nako's personalities; I believe she can do the same to everyone else at the inn. Tohru might have some reasons for being so cruel and anti-social (most mean characters have their tragic backstories). Give him a chance to explain himself in the upcoming episodes.He’s not really anti-social. For some people that kind of attitude is the norm (ie. you speak your mind if you thing shit is fucked up). Depends from what social circles you come from, or frequent. Note, he’s not pushing people away, just being a hardass (ie. “do what it takes”). Anyway, all I hope for is that he better not have some dere side, or get some personality change.

[.x.crii.x.]

Am I really the only one that figured out that Minko liked Tohru since episode 1? ....Am I really the only one?

I thought it was pretty obvious because of how she kept blushing and even got angry at Ohana for speaking against Tohru. Idk, I just really think it was really obvious. As for a MinkoxTohru pairing...I can't really see it happening. Idk why, I just can't.

I said this to one of my friends right after watchin Hanasaku ep 1: "Minko is in love with chef assistant guy. Chef assistant guy doesn't know...and he'll probably fall for Ohana somewhere down the road. Ohana´s and Minko´s already sort of unstable relation will go through harsh emo times....How much you wanna bet?"

xD;;

So far, I've got like 20% of my guess right....maybe more % as the series goes on? xD;;

[Malkuth]

The main difference to me is that while in A Channel I do know the correct name is Tooru, here I find more difficulties orienteering (although I don't deny I like "Tohru" more, the same can be said for "Kou" over "Ko")

Just checked (http://www.hanasakuiroha.jp/chara/tooru.html), it is indeed Tooru ;)

As I said, of course, it is a matter of preference/ease-of-use versus exactness/correctness :p

That's the issue when it comes to selling, you have to appeal to the greater audience, whether you're butchering sub/dubs or not :rolleyes:

[Kismet-chan]

Interesting episode. Learned a lot about Tohru and Minko I didn't really expect. Well, I knew that deep down, Tohru truly meant well (what he says just comes off in a sharp tone). But I didn't know that Minko saw him a being THAT sincere. Also, just the prospect of Minko having a crush is ridiculously cute. When she blushed as he touched her hands, I was squeeing on the inside. :P

I also like that despite being from the "rival" inn, Yuina isn't a typical bitchy character. She's actually very spunky and friendly (for now?). I like that about her. But oh my, Yuina hopping on the bike with Tohru... Could this just be another misunderstanding, something serious?

The plot thickens!

[ID555]

Fun to watch Mamiko Noto play that sempai with barely any trace of that voice she's known for. Somehow this episode had a bit of a K-on feel to it ^_^

[Deconstructor]

Do you find Tohru on a such a level of cruelness and anti-sociality already? He's certainly cold and quite grumpy, but I think it's still early to say he's mean to the core. Minchi talks about him with the eyes of love, we (audience) see him all the other way around, through Ohana.
I think both descriptions are used by the authors as a decoy, and as it often happens, the truth will be somewhere in the middle.

Cruel is too strong of a word (and I used it first) but everything the viewers see Tohru say is either an insult or a reprimand. He manages to call Ohana naive, underdeveloped, and strange all in one conversation. Tohru doesn't seem to care about other people's feelings. But no, I don't think he's rotten from the inside.

I think we can accept part of Minko's description - the part about Tohru having a sharp tongue. The part we're unsure about is whether Tohru is a nice guy underneath his tough exterior. So far, there is little evidence to suggest so. I would be disappointed if Tohru falls into the traditional cliche of "not understanding how to express his true feelings in a nice and pleasant manner" because I enjoy the abrasive way Tohru talks. It makes the interactions between him, Ohana, and Minko more interesting.

Tohru's current personality isn't so much a decoy as the starting point by which Tohru can only improve from. I don't think it's so clear-cut as "Tohru's mean now, but he's actually neither mean or kind." Instead, he's probably going to make visible progress toward being a nice person.

He’s not really anti-social. For some people that kind of attitude is the norm (ie. you speak your mind if you thing shit is fucked up). Depends from what social circles you come from, or frequent. Note, he’s not pushing people away, just being a hardass (ie. “do what it takes”). Anyway, all I hope for is that he better not have some dere side, or get some personality change.

Prepare to be disappointed... I don't think any character will come out of this anime without significant changes to their personality. Even Ohana's harsh grandmother is going to be defrosted; we already saw some signs of empathy in episode 3.

I would consider Tohru anti-social. He doesn't seem to have any interest in being friends with Ohana or Minko. Again, this assumes he avoids the cliche of being unable to express himself nicely.

[ars89]

The school was interesting. Are all rural area schools like that when someone comes from Tokyo? Yuina was a nice character. I liked her happy go lucky personality. Interesting how she's also the granddaughter of an Inn manager.

So now he have Nakochi from Ohana. I wonder if Ohanachi will be coming. I liked how she was so excited to get a nickname. Also she proved how dense Ohana is when she realized instantly who Minko liked.

Of course Minko would get upset at Ohana, but i didn't think she would start choking her out. That ending hit her hard. I wonder how it'll turn out now. Tat grey heron was awesome, it totally freaked out Ohana.

[felix]

Prepare to be disappointed... I don't think any character will come out of this anime without significant changes to their personality. Even Ohana's harsh grandmother is going to be defrosted; we already saw some signs of empathy in episode 3.Defrosting is fine. Change is fine. What I don’t want is gimmicky complete personality rewrites. That would be just lame. To phrase it another way, I would be fine with seeing the current Thoru showing more respect, but having Thoru do a 180 personality turn just so the so called “respect” would come as a consequence would just be cheap. I want to see the respect, happiness and everything earned, not just happen because of some random event or personality flip. It’s all in the execution for me.
The school was interesting. Are all rural area schools like that when someone comes from Tokyo?Statistically and logically speaking, no. There is no evidence to support the notion of all (or even a majority) acting as such. However this is a common theme in manga and anime; just like school uniforms and other details.

[Riga92]

Well I wasn't surprised when it was revealed Minko liked Tohru (I immediately thought so since episode 1), but the new girl Yuina might have some sort of relationship with Tohru?!? I didn't expect that. And the grey heron was pretty funny. Ohana is so scared of it when it probably just wants her to be its friend :heh:

[paladinenvec]

This episode was WAY better than the last one, it was obvious with comedic and cheerful momments but they were well implemented, the romance between Ko and Ohana it's very cute, a long distance one but cute when she remembers him, the drama it's nice and we get to know more about the characters Minko liked Tohru from the begginning which it was implied early,surprised at the end when Tohru and the other new girl at school (forgot her name) were going somewere ...

[FireChick]

Wow! This episode was amazing! I loved every minute of it.

My favorite parts were when Nako and Ohana were together. I can seriously see that Nako's finally warming up to Ohana and becoming friendlier toward her. We got a little bit into her back story so that helped too. I thought the grey heron was awesome...and surprisingly well animated.

Not only that, FINALLY Ohana gets treated well for once! And at school no less! Who knew she'd suddenly become Mrs. Popular. Usually they make main characters of anime unpopular outcasts. Hooray for cliche avoiding. And I'm growing to like that Yuina girl, since even though she's the daughter of the manager of the rival inn she's nice to Ohana. I'm kind of interested in knowing about her relationship with Tohru and her rivalry with Minko.

And speaking of Minko...she LIKES Tohru!? Jeez! Forgive me if I'm being weird, but if they ever get in a relationship, I suspect it might be an abusive one, with the way Tohru treats her and all (yeah I know he helped her with those shish-ka-bob things, but you never know). Plus...MY GOD SHE IS STILL AN UNGRATEFUL BRAT!!! WHEN THE FREAK is she going to NOT treat Ohana like she's some kind of childhood enemy plotting her death!? Sure Ohana made a careless mistake to mention Tohru in a maligned manner and all, but how the heck was she supposed to know about their relationship!? It's not like she can see into the future or can read minds or anything! And Minko actually helped her a second ago, then she suddenly tried to STRANGLE Ohana right when she apologized to her about the Tohru thing!! Yes, STRANGLE!!! I mean, seriously! Can't she see that Ohana's not a bad person already!? And I thought I was misunderstood!:frustrated::frustrated::frustrated: :frustrated::mad::mad:

[FatPianoBoy]

If the show continues what it did in episode four, I can just pretend episode three never happened.

[OceanBlue]

This episode was WAY better than the last one, it was obvious with comedic and cheerful momments but they were well implemented, the romance between Ko and Ohana it's very cute, a long distance one but cute when she remembers him, the drama it's nice and we get to know more about the characters Minko liked Tohru from the begginning which it was implied early,surprised at the end when Tohru and the other new girl at school (forgot her name) were going somewere ...

I agree with this. I definitely like the pacing this episode had. It had just the right amount of development to give it a calming mood [unlike Anohana where the mood is somewhat more tense] while still having things happen. I also thought the humor was better in this episode compared to the last one.

A good episode overall. I want to see where they're going with the new development, but honestly I would want to see more regardless.

[Anh_Minh]

He’s not really anti-social. For some people that kind of attitude is the norm (ie. you speak your mind if you thing shit is fucked up). Depends from what social circles you come from, or frequent. Note, he’s not pushing people away, just being a hardass (ie. “do what it takes”). Anyway, all I hope for is that he better not have some dere side, or get some personality change.

Heck, in most social circles I've navigated, it's normal to say the meanest thing you can think of (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VitriolicBestBuds). It's not meant to be taken seriously. I don't think he's that bad, but I'm not enamored with him either. His arrogance bothers me more than his sharp tongue per se.

By the way, how old is he, to go out with a middle school girl?

Wow! This episode was amazing! I loved every minute of it.

My favorite parts were when Nako and Ohana were together. I can seriously see that Nako's finally warming up to Ohana and becoming friendlier toward her. We got a little bit into her back story so that helped too. I thought the grey heron was awesome...and surprisingly well animated.

Not only that, FINALLY Ohana gets treated well for once! And at school no less! Who knew she'd suddenly become Mrs. Popular. Usually they make main characters of anime unpopular outcasts. Hooray for cliche avoiding. And I'm growing to like that Yuina girl, since even though she's the daughter of the manager of the rival inn she's nice to Ohana. I'm kind of interested in knowing about her relationship with Tohru and her rivalry with Minko.

And speaking of Minko...she LIKES Tohru!? Jeez! Forgive me if I'm being weird, but if they ever get in a relationship, I suspect it might be an abusive one, with the way Tohru treats her and all (yeah I know he helped her with those shish-ka-bob things, but you never know). Plus...MY GOD SHE IS STILL AN UNGRATEFUL BRAT!!! WHEN THE FREAK is she going to NOT treat Ohana like she's some kind of childhood enemy plotting her death!? Sure Ohana made a careless mistake to mention Tohru in a maligned manner and all, but how the heck was she supposed to know about their relationship!? It's not like she can see into the future or can read minds or anything! And Minko actually helped her a second ago, then she suddenly tried to STRANGLE Ohana right when she apologized to her about the Tohru thing!! Yes, STRANGLE!!! I mean, seriously! Can't she see that Ohana's not a bad person already!? And I thought I was misunderstood!:frustrated::frustrated::frustrated: :frustrated::mad::mad:
Agreed. Minko really needs to get over herself.

[AmyElizzabeth]

I don't think I'll ever really like Minko with the way she's acting...she's kind of a jerk.

[doomknight]

Nice episode with the introduction of Yuina, i thought that she would be the "rich" girl or something like that who hates "commoners", yet she was a really very nice girl helping Ohana and also got the easy going personality and adding she is cute, Minko likes Tohru.. and saw Yuina go with him somewhere hope they just friends or relatives not for Minko's sake but because he looks like 20+.. i mean kind of old.

[0utf0xZer0]

By the way, how old is he, to go out with a middle school girl?


If wikipedia is accurate, Tohru is 23 and Minko is 17.

[octoberasian]

Ep 4 was definitely better than the last one in terms of pacing and story.
A couple things I hope by the end of the series...

- Kou reunites with Ohana *crosses fingers*
- Minko stops being a bitch and becomes good friends with Ohana and treats her better. *crosses another set of fingers*
- Minko and Tohru hook up though as how nigh impossible that seems at the moment. *crosses more fingers*

It seems that Tohru and Yuina are going to have the equivalent of a Romeo-Juliet relationship sans tragic ending. Two competing inns and two lovers, with a third leg-- Minko-- and probably not going to end well for at least one person. But, hopefully it favors Minko in the end. Then again, Tohru is quite a bit older.

However, I would really like to see Kou and Ohana together. I like their relationship. Started off as friends and became something more, hopefully... Otherwise, it'd end up like the movie "5 cm per second" and the the love becomes unfulfilled. I hope that doesn't happen. Long distance relationships can be hard unless they are continuously communicating, and work through it together. But, then again... Ohana hasn't answered Kou at all. Ohana answer him, dangit!

[Anh_Minh]

Minko's a middle school student. She's 14 or so.

[octoberasian]

Minko's a middle school student. She's 14 or so.

Yeah, she and Ohana are classmates, so they're roughly the same age, especially Yuina. For sure, Nako is in a higher grade.

[msg]

No..look at their official website.What outfoxzero said is true..Ohana is 16 and minko is 17

[Anh_Minh]

Really?

Ok, then. Less creepy. (Though Ohana really doesn't look the part.)

[broken270]

The arc where suddenly things start to get more interesting appeared.

So, it is off to a new semester to her new school with Minko and Nako. Apparently, there is another hot spring/spa that is not too far away from their place. Competition is in order. Ignoring this, Ohana is seen to be enjoying the scenery of this place. Nice flashback of her and Ko. They really should get together soon. She should at least respond to him. So, Ohana enters her homeroom class, and she is paired up with Minko. Of course, Minko pretends that she does not know her. As soon as she said she was from Tokyo, her popularity rate skyrockets. These guys mistook things that are normal in her eyes as extraordinary. By the time class is over, the majority of the class rush to her class and bashes her some questions. Luckily, Yuina, the grand-daughter of the other resort, saved her. Although her grandmother is harsh to her, she seems to take it much more easily than Ohana. She's quite a carefree one. Nako and Minko eat lunch on the roof, and we spot someone trying to confess to Minko. She is probably going, "Not another one." With those specific descriptions, she just said out loud who is it that she loves.

Back in the in, Tomoe is jealous of the fact that while Minko is experiencing school love already, she is here working with no love. Ohana has her sets of love problems as well. Nako actually works really hard trying to come up with nicknames. Nice to know the origin of Minko's nickname. Ohana is now in a bath with Minko, and they are in quite an awkward position. Ohana complains about Tohru's rudeness, but Minko says that he does it because he cares. It is only until then that Ohana actually realizes that the person she mentioned before was Tohru. Ohana tries many attempts to get a nice air between them, but it fails each time. Soon, Minko could not take it anymore and actually tries to strangle her? As this scene occurred, Tohru is actually seen with Yuina, probably bringing her to tthe school by motorcycle. And that grey heron...

[karuroso]

I know that there still twenty eps left but it feels like will be necessary a lot of work to make me like Minchi by the end, i mean so far she is the most unlikeable girl( the manager is in another level =X),she looks horrible with that hat( even though i like her ponytail), she likes the most unlikeable guy so far and to make things worse she's voiced by the only VA that still amazes me get some roles

[Proto]

Not exactly Tooru* and Kou/Kō are 1-1, while Tohru/Koh and Toru/Ko are attempts at phonetic equivalents, ignoring the whole incontestably problem. Also being native a language that is butchered in transliteration, I am somewhat sensitive with this subject.

* I think I did explain some pages back that Touru/Tōru is different from Tooru :heh:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Japanese#Long_vowels

Toh/Koh are non standard accepted romanizations. Not my favorite though, I can agree that much.

(Except for not marking the double vowel in any form like in Toru/Ko. That is just a mistake as you point out)

[Archon_Wing]

Is it ok if my reaction to Minko at the end to be bursting out in laughter? :heh: I just find her kinda obnoxious, and it seems like she fails about being cool, kinda like Shiina from Angel Beats. :D Her love affair is just like "cool story bro" to me, and the episode which relies on it ends up as such.

Also, do we really need more obnoxious male characters in the series? Besides, Kou, who's ok, the male characters combined have like 10 tons of fail between them. And that idiot is still there. Is it just me or do female heavy casts just cause guys to become retarded? Well, can't blame them THAT much, but still.

Fortunately, Ohana lights up the show, and that heron is funny. I was asking if the bird was gonna attack her, and ... poor dumb Ohana. Nako is also pretty sensible, and the bath scene was funny too... Heh, hotter than episode 3 imo. :heh:

Best part is introducing herself as a transfer student and everyone jumps on her. "Yay, we can become part of the plot" :heh: Also, lol @ Minko walking out and nobody giving a shit.

Rating: 6/10. Watchable, though it's missing the magic of the first two episodes.

[weaponX]

well at least noone tried to rape her this episode

[DragoonKain3]

All in all an awesome episode. Finally the focus is back towards the actual inn people; I really didn't care at all for the novelist. They can make an episode about the old man living in the shed for all I care... anything but the novelist again please. XD

Such a shame there's still a bit of fanservice there though. Not that I am complaining, but other people will take it the wrong way... :heh:

And Yuina... wow, that was Tomatsu Haruka? Totally fooled me (like I was with Tomoe being Mamiko Noto), then again, for once she is put on a different character archetype than what we typically see her on. Certainly different from Mashu/Anaru of this season, which is what we usually hear her as, like in Kannagi, Basquash, and Cross Game.


Shipping-wise... was so afraid that Ohana will be the rival towards Minko/Tooru. The big plot revelation at the end; it's actually Yuina that's the rival (or are we led to believe, Minko is the one trying to steal lol). Still have to see more if I'd side with Minko or Yuina; especially Yuina, don't know much about her.

Also really happy about Kou/Ohana. Ohana still is intent on making a reply, Ohana keeps on denying Ko out of nowhere when other people ask if she has a boyfriend, and we get a flashback! So many juicy scenes that I enjoyed. I mean, sure, Minko/Tooru might look better together, but Kou/Ohana still is my OTP in this show. :heh:

[Reckoner]

Normally an episode like this wouldn't really earn that many complaints form me, but the problem is that this show has set up themes and tones quite different from what we're experiencing in not only just last week's fail of an episode, but also this weeks. It also has quite a high standard of storytelling to live up to after what has been seen in the first two episode.

Episode 2 ended on a nice dramatic note before finally the show drove the train off the fucknig railroad in episode 3 with an extremely abrupt change in pace and tone. Episode 4 while not quite as drastic of a change as episode 3, has more or less been affected by some of the lingering affects of that last episode.

I say this because the show has set up all these points of drama, whether it be Ohana and her grandmother, Ohana and Kou, Ohana and Minko, Ohana vs workplace, Ohana vs growing up. Meanwhile we're suddenly thrown from light hearted situation to light hearted situation, while glossing over these dramatic points... The tonal shift serves to basically make us completely dismissive of whatever drama they're presenting. Really, I just wasn't able to care about the fail writer or the little unrequited love of our ice princess Minko.

If you can't really care about the characters in these situations because the atmosphere of the drama disconnects you from it, the impact and magic of it is all gone. Episodes 1 and 2 were quite amazing, but the show's persistence in trying to lighten the mood so much is going to have dire consequences on the road.

Again, normally this episode would probably earn a 7/10 for me, but because of the context and failure to move the story in a good direction, I'll have to rate it a 5/10. It was not good, and I really don't appreciate the direction this story is taking.

[ThereminVox]

That heron is going to be one of my favorite characters by the second half. I just know it.

LOL at Ohana being the last sentient being on the planet to figure out Minko likes Tooru. Given Minko's rotten temperament, and Ohana's utter tactlessness, I guess a throttling -- while unforgivable -- was inevitable. I honestly thought she'd get socked for that "Good Morning!" :heh:

Speaking of Ohana being about as dense as a dying star, the Kou flashbacks show that he was probably dropping hints to her for a while. However, it was interesting to see that now that she does know, she's really hung up over how he'll feel about her text responses. So it's not that she doesn't care about people's feelings, she just legitimately stinks at reading the mood, which isn't really a surprise. She demonstrates it quite nicely with Minko later on.

Nako is still awesome. No further developments there.

Also, this was the week I started really recognizing the voice actors. Minko's voice crack in the ep. 5 preview in particular gave her away.

I've probably said this before, but the animation in this show is so pretty I could freaking cry.

[Xacual]

Yuina struck me as fronting a deliberately wrong persona. She even said she only added the accent for fun. She's probably nothing like how she appears at school. Also I think she does have a crush on Tooru because she mentioned there being a cool guy at their inn, but why did Ohana connect "cool guy" with the pervent author?!?

Seeing Nako interact with Ohana so well now was probably my high point of the episode, they are becoming quite good friends. Honestly I kind of expected a stand off situation with Nako, Minko and Ohana together during the school day for lunch but it never happened. I wonder if Minko interacts with anyone at school.

Edit: That's probably why the boys have all these false images of her, though you'd think if they knew where she worked they'd go check it out.

[liquidmetal]

Would like to see more of Yuina over Minko, even if she is putting up a front. Minko has just been going over the same characteristics that makes it a little dull for me when she is on screen.

Hope to see more of the heron later :p

[Forsaken_Infinity]

Ep 4 was definitely better than the last one in terms of pacing and story.
A couple things I hope by the end of the series...

- Kou reunites with Ohana *crosses fingers*
- Minko stops being a bitch and becomes good friends with Ohana and treats her better. *crosses another set of fingers*
- Minko and Tohru hook up though as how nigh impossible that seems at the moment. *crosses more fingers*

It seems that Tohru and Yuina are going to have the equivalent of a Romeo-Juliet relationship sans tragic ending. Two competing inns and two lovers, with a third leg-- Minko-- and probably not going to end well for at least one person. But, hopefully it favors Minko in the end. Then again, Tohru is quite a bit older.

However, I would really like to see Kou and Ohana together. I like their relationship. Started off as friends and became something more, hopefully... Otherwise, it'd end up like the movie "5 cm per second" and the the love becomes unfulfilled. I hope that doesn't happen. Long distance relationships can be hard unless they are continuously communicating, and work through it together. But, then again... Ohana hasn't answered Kou at all. Ohana answer him, dangit!

1. Kou and Ohana reconcile, but remain good friends only. I would especially like it if Kou takes the initiative and tells Ohana to not force herself into giving a decision right away. They are pretty young and have all the time in the world to go about it one step at a time.

2. Minko "will" become a better friend ... but I hope she retains some of her characteristics at least. I expect things to be really rough on Minko so if she can just retain her sanity and be a bit more expressive, that's more than enough.

3. Tohru and Minko getting together is a no go for me. For one, Tohru hasn't shown the slightest bit of interest in Minko thus far and from where I stand, Minko's crush is only a troubled teen girl trying to sugarcoat things to help her get by. Tohru isn't a villain and is probably kind deep within, I agree with Minko on as much. But that he needs to pursue a relationship with her, I do not. I hope he will sincerely tell her that she is more like a little sister to him. And help her get over himself by not rubbing it in etc.

4. Can't quite say I want the relationship between Yuina and Tohru to swing either way. We haven't been shown much as of right now anyway. But if it's a classic love between a poor upstart from a poorer inn with a much-younger successor to a more successful inn with what seemed to me like a harsher-than-Ohana's-granny for the owner, I am excited. Even if it's not, I am still excited. Because that gives us a better look at Tohru from outside his workplace.

Episode 4 was pretty nice. Really cheesy stuff, a lot of it, and really predictable too, but it was still pretty nice.

[Guardian Enzo]

Long version review (http://lostinamerica-deeg.blogspot.com/search/label/Hanasaku%20Iroha). Short version: wow.

I was a little worried after last week, but unless this show has serious multiple personality issues I needn't have. I thought this week was absolutely top-notch, start to finish. So many moments I loved - Ohana's reaction to the heron, her classmates reaction to "Tokyo!", the scene in the bath, the scene at the end - which was right out of True Tears. All beautiful.

As was, I might add, the animation. P.A. Works is blowing my mind here - this is some of the prettiest TV animation since Seirei no Moribito. I was pausing and going back to look at a few shots again, which I almost never do. Masahiro Ando directed "Sword of the Stranger" so he clearly knows how to use gorgeous animation to its full advantage.

I feel sorry for Ko-chan, but it makes an interesting internal struggle for Ohana. There's clearly something very special between them, but Ohana is trying to grow as a person. Can someone grow without growing away from the person they left behind? I think that's one of the central questions at the heart of the series.

[deadite]

I wonder if after the end of the series Jinomaru finally writes a masterpiece about his experience at the inn.

[Deconstructor]

I have to agree with the sentiments of those who say Hanairo is slowly losing it's focus. I thought the story was going to revolve around Ohana initially resisting the harsh, business-like lifestyle of the inn, yet she slowly accepts her role and grows up into a more mature woman. Likewise, Ohana's own idealism softens the hearts of everyone else working at the inn, especially her grandmother.

Now, the story expands outward to include school life - and returns to typical adolescent themes, such as gossip, comedy and romance. The serious drama of entering a new environment, present in the first two episodes, slowly slides into silliness.

I don't think this has to be a bad thing. I'm open to anime switching styles, but I just don't think the anime is as funny in episodes 3 and 4 as it is dramatic in episodes 1 and 2.

[Reckoner]

I don't think this has to be a bad thing. I'm open to anime switching styles, but I just don't think the anime is as funny in episodes 3 and 4 as it is dramatic in episodes 1 and 2.

Yeah I think this describes my problems with the shift quite well. The show just hasn't been quite as good since the shift in these two episodes as it was in the first 2 episodes.

[Pocari_Sweat]

After seeing episodes 1-4, I think I will have to change my perspective of the series. Regardless of the outlier that was episode 3 with its out-of-place direction, the fourth episode indicates that this is now what we should expect from the series.

Firstly, I would say that the 4th episode per se, is not bad. In fact, it's pretty good... if this series was intended to be one of those high school-based slice of life/comedy with some drama. Problem is that the 1st two episodes set it up to be more along the lines of a coming of age story where Ohana faces conflicts between family members, colleagues and herself as well as bring up interesting themes such as traditional Asian values and modern Asian values. However, the 4th episode was not this, but rather one that would be befitting of the former, and after this episode, I think it's fairly safe to say that this will now be the direction of the show. Although somewhat disappointed as I would preferred the coming of age/drama direction, I'm happy that P.A. Works looks like it has decided on a direction and sticking with it than do something ridiculous like episode 3 which fits in neither category in my opinion. From now on my expectations will match the direction - this is a slice of life/comedy first than a drama/coming of age story second. In essence, this is True Tears' direction fused with Toradora (with some Honey and Clover coming of age elements), but more-so on the Toradora side. Looks like AnoHana will have to provide me with the serious drama dosage, as it looks Hanasaku Iroha won't be from now on.

As for the episode analysis itself if it was labelled as a slice of life/comedy with some drama, this was pretty good, albeit predictable bar Yuina going out with Tooru. Though that reminds me a lot of True Tears with Jun as Tooru seems to be a similar character to him. Shouldn't be surprised though, since both that and this were written by Mari Okada. Talking about True Tears, there were some references I picked up, like Ohana doing squatting exercises (this one ripped straight from a scene of True Tears), the umbrellas that Nako and Ohana were carrying and the "True Tears mob" in the classroom (I seriously lol'd at this).

Somewhat looking forward to the next episode.

[Guardian Enzo]

I think all of those themes people talked about in the first two eps are very much present in the 4th and will likely be present in the rest of the series. Personal growth vs. personal ties, growing up, traditional vs. modern lifestyles, parents vs. children... I see no evidence whatsoever this week that these are being tossed aside in favor of some sort of high-school romantic romp. Quite the opposite - I think they drive the episode for the most part.

[deadite]

I'm feeling that there will be contrast between the two managers. Both are stern matriarchs but they may differ in some aspects.

[Triple_R]

I liked Episode 4 a little bit more than acejem, Archon_Wing, and Reckoner, but I wasn't as wowed by it as some other posters were.


I actually liked seeing the girls head off to school. It effectively expanded the cast, bringing in a few more characters, most of which I found likable, particularly Yuina.

I also liked the classroom reception Ohana received, and especially how she handled it.

We have our classic "female transfer student gets mobbed by new female classmates adoring her" scene here, but I like how Ohana handles it calmly, responsively, realistically, and warmly. She doesn't completely freeze and fail to answer questions, but she does get slightly flustered, and so I like how this anime took this trope and made it feel much more realistic than it normally does to me.


I considerably enjoyed all the school-based scenes, really, and found most of them pretty lively and funny.


The rest of the episode was not quite as enjoyable to me, but it was pretty solid.

The big problem for me is that I just find Minchi to be a rather unlikable character, and I'm growing a bit tired of Ohana's attempts to win her over constantly backfiring in Ohana's face and just making Minchi more and more angry. I know this is probably supposed to make the audience laugh, but it just doesn't do that for me.

Since I don't like Minchi much (at least not yet), it's hard for me to get emotionally invested in the big twist at the end of this episode. It does create viewer intrigue, no doubt, but I have a feeling the romantic drama here might be somewhat lost on me.

Still, I find both Toru and Yuina to be very interesting characters, so I do see a silver lining here at least...


All told, I think that Episode 4 managed to recapture a slightly more serious tone, albeit by focusing on a new setting and new conflicts. I am looking forward to Episode 5. :)

I'll give Episode 4 a 8/10.

[totoum]

From now on my expectations will match the direction - this is a slice of life/comedy first than a drama/coming of age story second.

I don't see why "coming of age" should be tied in with "drama",life isn't always dramatic and has its lighthearted moments as well and those shape and individual just as much as the dramatic moments when (s)he "comes of age".

It's normal the first couple episodes were more on the dramatic side,Ohana had to go through a pretty big even that would change her life drasticly,that said,I find it normal that after a while things have settled down a bit as she adapts to her new life but I really expect the drama to pop up her and there,especialy towards the end.
So I don't think the show will have a "direction",it'll try to balance out the comedic and dramatic aspects so that in some episode the drama will come first and others comedy will come first.
I personaly think that's the point of going two cour, if we were going to have one cour,I'd want the story to focus on one thing and stay there,but two cour allows the show to mix things up more (and four cour even more but that lengh is almost never seen these days) so that I see a "lack" of focus as no problem at all this early in the show as well as I'll have no problem with the show shifting between different directions (as long as the execution is there of course)

[Pocari_Sweat]

I don't see why "coming of age" should be tied in with "drama",life isn't always dramatic and has its lighthearted moments as well and those shape and individual just as much as the dramatic moments when (s)he "comes of age".

You are right that it doesn't always, but my point is that Hanasaku Iroha now seems to be taking the same route as the other 95% series of the genre are taking, albeit with superior animation and better direction. I don't have a problem with that per se, but it is a bit disappointing to see the direction and atmosphere that was in the first 2 episodes almost sidelined at this point.

It's normal the first couple episodes were more on the dramatic side,Ohana had to go through a pretty big even that would change her life drasticly,that said,I find it normal that after a while things have settled down a bit as she adapts to her new life but I really expect the drama to pop up her and there,especialy towards the end.

Actually, I usually find its the reverse - series tend to start of light-hearted comedic and then gradually become dramatic as it goes on.

So I don't think the show will have a "direction",it'll try to balance out the comedic and dramatic aspects so that in some episode the drama will come first and others comedy will come first.
I personaly think that's the point of going two cour, if we were going to have one cour,I'd want the story to focus on one thing and stay there,but two cour allows the show to mix things up more (and four cour even more but that lengh is almost never seen these days) so that I see a "lack" of focus as no problem at all this early in the show as well as I'll have no problem with the show shifting between different directions (as long as the execution is there of course)

Perhaps you and I have different opinions on what's a good direction and between tastes but personally I have seen too many series that jump back and forth between comedy and drama that it's getting kind of old for me. I rather just see either A) A slice of life/comedy series or B) A drama (with some lighthearted moments but not too much) and not some mish-mesh between the two as then I don't know what to expect or if it's worth my time because I don't tend to like A)-type series.

Anyways, I've already made up my decision on how to perceive the series and I won't be going back. If the series goes back to serious drama again in later episodes after a bunch of episode 4-style ones, then I may have to question the direction once again, but for now, I'm fairly happy with the approach atm.

[Deconstructor]

I think all of those themes people talked about in the first two eps are very much present in the 4th and will likely be present in the rest of the series. Personal growth vs. personal ties, growing up, traditional vs. modern lifestyles, parents vs. children... I see no evidence whatsoever this week that these are being tossed aside in favor of some sort of high-school romantic romp. Quite the opposite - I think they drive the episode for the most part.

But even you have to admit, these last two episodes don't seem like they come from the same anime we see in the first two episodes. It's like they switched out Mari-san for the author of Nichijou. Sure, Ohana and company are all in the same inn, but it's a total flip-flop where styles are concerned. I had very little to laugh at in episode 1... and the previous two episodes are loaded with comedy. I laughed, yes. But it's kind of strange, having the dramatic situation mellowed out into a light-hearted slice of life. In the air, there is certainly far less tension and far more romance.

Reiterating, I'm open to accept these sudden shifts. I think the show is better at drama, but it's also pretty good at the casual high school girl plot. I just don't feel the two different styles coming together to form something better than each piece separate. Episode 4 had some meaningful moments, like when Nako tells Ohana the meaning of the Bonbouri festival. Unfortunately, the dramatic effect is lessened due to the comedy before and afterward.

This may sound strange... but the comedy and drama seem to be competing for my attention. It's like dealing with multiple children. They each have their own unique needs and personalities; I can't deal with everyone at the same time. I have to take this one to violin practice, and the other to a football game... ugh. That's why I find value in an anime staying consistent with it's style. A mix of lightheartedness and seriousness can work - but only if the ratio between them remains roughly the same. If you're going to play up the drama of the inn, then don't suddenly switch to some random jokes! Otherwise, you might as well stick with one style.

Ergh, this whole post blew up longer than I wanted...

I personaly think that's the point of going two cour, if we were going to have one cour,I'd want the story to focus on one thing and stay there,but two cour allows the show to mix things up more (and four cour even more but that lengh is almost never seen these days) so that I see a "lack" of focus as no problem at all this early in the show as well as I'll have no problem with the show shifting between different directions (as long as the execution is there of course)

I firmly believe style is just as important as the execution. I could be the best cheese grater in the world, but people aren't going to spend 24 minutes of their time watching me grate in 1000 different ways. (Would be cool, though.) Now if I had a choice between being the best cheese grater and the best basketball player... yeah. Of course I like basketball more than cheese grating. One professional violin player can please me more than 1000 harmonica players of greater skill. And that's only because I like the violin much more than the harmonica.

Now you might enjoy each style equally, or maybe you like slice-of-life a little more than coming-of-age. So you aren't really concerned with the shift in plot direction, as long as both styles are executed well. But some of us are... some of us watch solely for the drama. Is it wrong of us - is it greedy of us to watch Hanairo expecting mostly serious scenes? Nah. Then does the fault with you for being so diverse? I don't think so either.

I hate to say no one's right or wrong, as such an indecisive answer... but no one's right or wrong. Some people want comedy, some people want drama, and some are okay with having both in the same episode. I do enjoy what I saw in episodes 1 and 2 more than episodes 3 and 4. But I like the lightheartedness of episode 4 as well; I just like the seriousness of episode 1 even more.

Please let there not be another Kyubeyesque war... *hides*

[totoum]

Perhaps you and I have different opinions on what's a good direction and between tastes but personally I have seen too many series that jump back and forth between comedy and drama

It is indeed a difference of taste,I'm generally not too fond of all out drama or comedy and like a mix of both more.
I have seen way too many series recently that try to do this in one cour which I don't feel is the right format for it,that's why the fact we've got two cours here makes me happy.
I don't really expect you to change your mind,I just wanted to present "another side of things".

edit:

I hate to say no one's right or wrong, as such an indecisive answer... but no one's right or wrong.

Oh definatly,I just wanted to present my point of view but don't consider it right or wrong.

It's like they switched out Mari-san for the author of Nichijou.


*sketchbook fanboy mode on*

Let it be known that Mari-san is responsible for my favorite 4 komas slice of life comedy adaption: Sketchbook full color's,which is to me some of her best work.

*sketchbook fanboy mode off*

[thez]

After seeing episodes 1-4, I think I will have to change my perspective of the series. Regardless of the outlier that was episode 3 with its out-of-place direction, the fourth episode indicates that this is now what we should expect from the series.

I think it's still early to assert that. Considering it's a 26-episodes show, both life/comedy and drama/coming of age story can be put in it

[Tiberium Wolf]

That crane wins this ep. Awesome bird.

[Pellissier]

A quick freebie sig for now, name and/or caption can be added if requested.

http://i.imgur.com/Pqybv.gif

Later I'll post the weekly avatar batch.

[Haak]

I thought this episode was great aswell. A lot of people still don't like the shift but I honestly didn't think it was much of a shift to begin with. I always figured things would get better for Ohana quickly and more lighthearted and I honestly like it this way aswell. All the characters seem so realistic and empathetic and the comedy works. Loved it. I was smiling and sqeeing all throughout.

[Kanon]

The drama discussion is still going on... Am I really the only one who figured out right away this wasn't going to be a dramatic series? It's always been obvious to me this was going to be a light-hearted coming of age story with bits of drama here and there. And that's exactly what I'm looking for in this series. I watch HanaSaku for the slice of life, and AnoHana for the serious drama. Win-win.

The first episode had more drama than the others, but it was because Ohana was suddenly thrown into a new environment. And even then, there was still a decent amount of comedy and the mood was still not truly dramatic. It seems to me people are blaming this series because it doesn't meet their (mistaken) expectations, and that seems a little unfair to do so.

Yuina struck me as fronting a deliberately wrong persona. She even said she only added the accent for fun. She's probably nothing like how she appears at school. Also I think she does have a crush on Tooru because she mentioned there being a cool guy at their inn, but why did Ohana connect "cool guy" with the pervent author?!?

I was appalled and a bit amused by that. How the hell can she think Jiramaru is cool? He's the complete opposite of cool :heh:

[Reckoner]

The drama discussion is still going on... Am I really the only one who figured out right away this wasn't going to be a dramatic series? It's always been obvious to me this was going to be a light-hearted coming of age story with bits of drama here and there. And that's exactly what I'm looking for in this series. I watch HanaSaku for the slice of life, and AnoHana for the serious drama. Win-win.

The first episode had more drama than the others, but it was because Ohana was suddenly thrown into a new environment. And even then, there was still a decent amount of comedy and the mood was still not truly dramatic. It seems to me people are blaming this series because it doesn't meet their (mistaken) expectations, and that seems a little unfair to do so.


I'll admit that I was a little harsh on this episode due to personal bias (Though episode 3 was trash no matter what anyone tells me), but really I wouldn't be so mad if the shift in direction in the series wasn't so abrupt.

Episode 2 ended on a dramatic note, but episode 3 went from this dramatic note to pure absurdity. If the transition to more light hearted and silly episodes was more gradual and natural, I wouldn't mind. But the fact is that they've introduced more than a few points of drama that we're supposed to take seriously and while they haven't been eliminated from the picture necessarily, they just aren't presented with the same weight as episodes 1 and 2 due to the changes in atmosphere.

It's just a little hard to take it seriously when at the same time we have light hearted antics going on. This is the usual formula of most school-life animes, so like acejem pointed out, it's not "bad," but its also disappointing when there are so few actual animes focused on telling a serious story as its main focus.

[Anh_Minh]

I was appalled and a bit amused by that. How the hell can she think Jiramaru is cool? He's the complete opposite of cool :heh:
Jiroumaru's a wannabe novelist. So it's, hm, kinda cool?

(Poor Kou, if Ohana gets seduced away by Jirou...)

[MeoTwister5]

If there's anything I've seen in this school life episode that should relate and resonate with the first two episodes, it's that there's not such thing as personal growth and maturity that is isolated from others. Growing with oneself is dependent and related on one's growth with others. One grows both as an individual and a social person.

More comments and blog post later.

[deadite]

I disagree, The ending of episode 2 made me think hilarity ensues. I never feared for Ohana's life or chastity.

[Haak]

I disagree, The ending of episode 2 made me think hilarity ensues. I never feared for Ohana's life or chastity.

That's what I thought aswell, what with the silly music and all.

[deadite]

Also a small tidbit in episode 2, you see Minko write on her notebook which we find out in the next episode was t "Hobiron"

[Bordix]

Definitely better than last week's episode

I like how Tohru basically trolled Ohana the entire episode even when he's not there. Ohana is this strong-willed and headstrong character, yet a single remark from Tohru can bother her to this extent. Hilarious :heh:

I personally think Tohru isn't looking for romance. He just gives me the impression his current priority is mastering his craft. I don't even think he sees the girls around her as potential love interest given how he treats them like kids (well at least for Ohana). So not even gonna believe he's going out with Yuina, unless the next episode proves me otherwise.

Preview: The head chef mentions he's not coming to work

aw hell no. I hope he doesn't switch Inns

[deadite]

Can't wait for Jinomaru writing a masterpiece about his experiences in the inn which becomes big publicity for their little establishment.

[Tiberium Wolf]

Funny. Just noticed now. They added Jiroumaru in OP in the part where Ohana grandmother and Tomoe comes out from the sliding doors.

[Kanon]

Episode 2 ended on a dramatic note, but episode 3 went from this dramatic note to pure absurdity. If the transition to more light hearted and silly episodes was more gradual and natural, I wouldn't mind. But the fact is that they've introduced more than a few points of drama that we're supposed to take seriously and while they haven't been eliminated from the picture necessarily, they just aren't presented with the same weight as episodes 1 and 2 due to the changes in atmosphere.

Are you refering to Jiromaru spotting Ohana when you talking about the episode ending on a dramatic note? I'd be lying if I said I saw the bondage and all the absurd situations of episode 3 coming (who could have ever seen that coming? :heh: ), but I never thought for a second something bad/dramatic was going to happen. That scene was quite comical: the sound effect when Ohana picks up the paper, the novel's story, her reaction, etc... therefore it's natural it led to more comedy.

I think the series is just as touching even after the change of atmosphere , which from my standpoint was minimal -with expection of episode 3 of course-, episode 4 had the same feel as the other episodes. The scene at the shrine is a good example.

[deadite]

I get Doki subs. Are there better subbers?

[Reckoner]

Are you refering to Jiromaru spotting Ohana when you talking about the episode ending on a dramatic note? I'd be lying if I said I saw the bondage and all the absurd situations of episode 3 coming (who could have ever seen that coming? :heh: ), but I never thought for a second something bad/dramatic was going to happen. That scene was quite comical: the sound effect when Ohana picks up the paper, the novel's story, her reaction, etc... therefore it's natural it led to more comedy.


Hmm. My mistake, but by ending I was referring more to the scene where Ohana stood up to Minko and Nako. It was just overall an odd transition for me that's been hard to swallow.

[Daniel E.]

I thought this episode was great aswell. A lot of people still don't like the shift but I honestly didn't think it was much of a shift to begin with. I always figured things would get better for Ohana quickly and more lighthearted and I honestly like it this way aswell. All the characters seem so realistic and empathetic and the comedy works. Loved it. I was smiling and sqeeing all throughout.

Yeah, I also don't think the show changed all that much between the first two episodes and the last two. Things did get more on the not-so-serious side of things, but I still think the essence of the show remains unchanged.

Or to put it differently.....

It is because of Ohana being the main character that I never expected this to be that serious to begin with. :p

[Irisiel]

Oh dear, working for a hot springs inn seems to be more hazardous than I thought; Ohana has been abducted, forced into bondage, enjoyed verbal abuse, physical abuse, as well as strangulation, and her trainee period isn't even over yet!

If it turns out that Minko started working because of Tooru, then she is most definitely my most disliked character in this entire story so far (slot currently occupied by Tarou). Seriously, we're supposed to excuse her behaviour because she's cute?

I don't think that Ohana is in love with Kou, I think that she likes him a lot, but as a friend, and that she'll maybe decide to date him because people in their situation are supposed to become a couple or something (or because she thinks it sounds like a good idea). I think that's when her obliviousness/inability to read the atmosphere blows up in her face big time, because she actually cares about hurting Kou more than she cares about people she barely knows.

I also have a suspicion that Tooru might develop a small crush on Ohana. Though I don't know if he would act on it.

[ReddyRedWolf]

I also have a suspicion that Tooru might develop a small crush on Ohana. Though I don't know if he would act on it.

You mean that "What if just follow my mom flirting with men" then lo and behold Touru?

Now that she knows Minko likes him she wont flirt with him.:heh: Sisters before gigolos.

Though Ohana would start wondering "What the hell do they see in that guy?".

When Ohana said "Die" to him Touru did get distracted driving. Which immediately resulted to almost an accident and Ohana realizing she shouldn't say such.

For now Ohana is just absolutely Tsun for Touru because she just finds him annoying with pushing her buttons. No Dere to speak of.

[germanturkey]

i hope Ko transfers there. i think that would change the dynamic of the show quite a bit. though it would be out of the blue...

also: term of the week: internal censorship

[Kragma]

I really like this OP.

PK2wilPIEw8

[Guardian Enzo]

But even you have to admit, these last two episodes don't seem like they come from the same anime we see in the first two episodes. It's like they switched out Mari-san for the author of Nichijou. Sure, Ohana and company are all in the same inn, but it's a total flip-flop where styles are concerned.

I admit no such thing. While 3 was an aberration - and that's putting it kindly - I thought 4 was totally consistent in style with the first two episodes. First of all, there was comedy in the first two eps and there was drama in the last one. Second, the presence of comedy does preclude a series being dramatic - and vice-versa. There were hilarious moments in True Tears but I haven't heard anyone ripping it for being a mindless comedy.

When I started this series I thought it was going to be about Ohana's search for herself, and how that conflicted with her sincere love for Ko and yes, even her mother. I thought it was going to be about her adjustment to life in a small resort town, and the impact she would have on the people there. I thought it would be about how she, her mother and grandmother would all come to understand each other through Ohana's interaction with Grandma. I saw nothing in episode 4 that made me think otherwise. Ohana's interactions with her HS colleagues are being treated as some sort of sign of the apocalypse, but her school life is part of life. This series is about her whole experience and I have no issues with her school struggles being a part of the depiction of that.

We have two cours to work with here. It's too early to make final decisions about everything that's going to happen. That's plenty of time to tell a complete, balanced story that has many different facets. I don't consider that a negative - I think it's great.

[Kaoru Chujo]

...If it turns out that Minko started working because of Tooru, then she is most definitely my most disliked character in this entire story so far (slot currently occupied by Tarou). Seriously, we're supposed to excuse her behaviour because she's cute?

I don't think that Ohana is in love with Kou, I think that she likes him a lot, but as a friend, and that she'll maybe decide to date him because people in their situation are supposed to become a couple or something (or because she thinks it sounds like a good idea)....I agree about Ohana. Good points. As for Minko, I forgive her (so far) not because of her looks but because she is so unhappy and insecure. Maybe it's just because of Tarou, and maybe there's more to it. I prefer to think that she only started liking Tarou after she got to work with him. We shall see.

And I agree with just about everything Guardian_Enzo just posted.

[taichi-kun]

No..look at their official website.What outfoxzero said is true..Ohana is 16 and minko is 17

really? but they are in the same class... I thought they both have 16

Tooru 23??

...

Poor minko, I really want a minkoxtooru at the end :(

[Klashikari]

Remember that Japanese school year starts on April, so it isn't strange to have that kind of age disparity within the same grade.

[orion]

i hope Ko transfers there. i think that would change the dynamic of the show quite a bit. though it would be out of the blue...

also: term of the week: internal censorship

Why? It's easier for him just to get a real girlfriend. More so now that Ohana isn't hanging around him. :heh:

[Pellissier]

Episode 4 freebies.

http://i.imgur.com/0F3vQ.gif http://i.imgur.com/erRaP.gif http://i.imgur.com/IRWra.gif http://i.imgur.com/KyHnL.gif http://i.imgur.com/hXdIp.gif

http://i.imgur.com/Sp4kp.gif http://i.imgur.com/VWjSe.gif http://i.imgur.com/Z9Gow.gif http://i.imgur.com/64dh8.gif http://i.imgur.com/KdZIw.png

http://i.imgur.com/i629V.gif http://i.imgur.com/KnMwV.gif http://i.imgur.com/COnRe.gif http://i.imgur.com/WTHpO.png http://i.imgur.com/1OSVb.png

http://i.imgur.com/eerXS.gif http://i.imgur.com/JvLu9.png http://i.imgur.com/VoYOs.gif http://i.imgur.com/6cdyy.gif http://i.imgur.com/Dr8O6.gif


As for Ohana's MVF (Most Valuable Face) of the week, it's a no contest. Day or Night, that's Ohana for you.

http://i.imgur.com/4K8mY.png . http://i.imgur.com/IAmWd.png

[ninryu]

Ohana sure knows how to ruin everything she does. :heh:
Poor Minchi.

[felix]

Ohana sure knows how to ruin everything she does. :heh:
Poor Minchi.She didn’t exactly do anything.

[ninryu]

Maybe Ohana should just befriend Minchi the Takamachi way.

[Archon_Wing]

Well she stopped telling Ohana to die... so that's a start?

[felix]

What’s the Takamachi way?

[Archon_Wing]

In a nutshell, violence solves everything.

[felix]

So you guys think Tsurugi is a sadomasochist?

[Deconstructor]

I admit no such thing. While 3 was an aberration - and that's putting it kindly - I thought 4 was totally consistent in style with the first two episodes. First of all, there was comedy in the first two eps and there was drama in the last one. Second, the presence of comedy does preclude a series being dramatic - and vice-versa. There were hilarious moments in True Tears but I haven't heard anyone ripping it for being a mindless comedy.

Well, maybe I can't get you to admit there's a shift in style. But several people (including myself) note how different it is to watch Ohana work at an inn and Ohana going to high school. Just feels significantly more lighthearted at school than it does back at the inn. Indeed, some of episode 4 was dramatic... and those were usually the scenes away from school. Most of all, the important thing is how much drama and comedy there is an episode. In episode 1, there were about nine parts drama to one part comedy. In episode 4, the ratio seems to have flipped around.

I thought it would be about how she, her mother and grandmother would all come to understand each other through Ohana's interaction with Grandma. I saw nothing in episode 4 that made me think otherwise. Ohana's interactions with her HS colleagues are being treated as some sort of sign of the apocalypse, but her school life is part of life. This series is about her whole experience and I have no issues with her school struggles being a part of the depiction of that.

I don't see Ohana struggling at school. She seems to be playing the gossip girl and prying into Minko's love life (sometimes unintentionally, of course). To be blunt, some of us didn't come here to see Ohana act like a typical teenage girl in high school. We want to see Ohana become more mature - and at high school, we don't see that happening yet. Ohana exchanges casual banter with her fellow classmates, but that's uninteresting for some viewers. Yes, it's part of everyone's life. Some parts of everyone's life are boring. You mention the apocalypse... trust me, Ohana's high school life is not near as dramatic as the world's end. Otherwise, I'd be far more intrigued.

We have two cours to work with here. It's too early to make final decisions about everything that's going to happen. That's plenty of time to tell a complete, balanced story that has many different facets. I don't consider that a negative - I think it's great.


Sure, but it's never too early to make some judgments on what has already aired. Some people don't like what they see now, which may or may not be reflective upon future episodes. They still have the right to be displeased with the anime at this very moment.

Being balanced can be a negative, mostly because it takes more skill and effort to sustain multiple themes, ideas, and moods. If a show is significantly better at coming-of-age than slice-of-life, then why even put in slice-of-life? Just stick with what you're great at doing. Don't ruin the tension by inserting some strange, out-of-place jokes (episode 3).

It can of course work positively when different facets are executed with high caliber. But there's also the problem of whether these facets mesh in together well. Truthfully, I think Hanairo is great at gripping drama and good at casual school life. Do these stylistic opposites really mix in together to create something better than just the drama alone? You answer yes... and I answer no.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Also, do we really need more obnoxious male characters in the series? Besides, Kou, who's ok, the male characters combined have like 10 tons of fail between them. And that idiot is still there. Is it just me or do female heavy casts just cause guys to become retarded? Well, can't blame them THAT much, but still.

No they definitely do. Male characters in shows like these tend to be used as comic relief or obnoxious antagonists only as opposed to real characters with actual depth. You're not supposed to be focusing on them anyway though. :p

Also sounds like this show is following the rule where any show with an overwhelming female cast that takes place at least partially in a school eventually turns into a slow-paced light comedy no matter how it starts off. In this case the transformation appears to occur the second they get to the school parts and if I had to guess you probably won't see any more drama until the final episodes.

[taichi-kun]

Remember that Japanese school year starts on April, so it isn't strange to have that kind of age disparity within the same grade.

Yes thanks that's true

But I think in chapter 1 they said they(ohana and minchi) were the same age!


...

Maybe Tooru is going to work for the rivals,noooo! :( poor minchi!!

[Anh_Minh]

So you guys think Tsurugi is a sadomasochist?

That would explain her crush on Tohru.

[Guardian Enzo]

You guys are all clairvoyants - I envy your ability to nail down what the next 20 episodes are going to be with such detail...

[totoum]

In episode 1, there were about nine parts drama to one part comedy.


Ok,so I just rewatched it,and i can't agree with this at all.

I'd estimate it's about 50/50 to me,maybe 60(drama)/40(comedy) maximum but nothing close to 90/10.

[0utf0xZer0]

While I agree with Acejem's comment that episode 4 felt a lot like Toradora where as the first two had more of a True Tears vibe, I'm not sure that it actually marks a shift in direction.

Perhaps the best way to describe how I see this show is "slice of chaos". It is slice of life, but Ohana's life is much more of a bumpy ride than what you typically find in shows of this type. So to me, the shift in tone from episode to episode is actually part of the show's character. This is probably why I don't find the tone shifts that jarring.

I suspect the episodes themselves are part of a mosiac, and I expect the end result to be much, much more interesting that the sort of slice of lifes that people are accusing this show of becoming.

Consistency wise, the important thing for the writers is to maintain the character of the characters... ie, Ohana may be prone to oblivious moments just like other "high spirited" lead girls, but she also has a bit of "bite" that her competition lacks because she's stubborn and a bit world-weary. This is why my one major problem with episode 3 was how forgiving the inn staff was.

No they definitely do. Male characters in shows like these tend to be used as comic relief or obnoxious antagonists only as opposed to real characters with actual depth. You're not supposed to be focusing on them anyway though. :p

Eh, Tohru is an obnoxious prick but he's hardly a flat character. And of course, Ko is awesome but its too early to reintroduce him into the picture, it would kill the poignancy of him and Ohana getting separated. The novelist is obviously comic relief but that's one in three.


Also sounds like this show is following the rule where any show with an overwhelming female cast that takes place at least partially in a school eventually turns into a slow-paced light comedy no matter how it starts off. In this case the transformation appears to occur the second they get to the school parts and if I had to guess you probably won't see any more drama until the final episodes.

I'd say there's a snowball's chance in hell of that happening. First because this show has avoided settling into any particular groove for long thus far, second because several scenes in episode four were obviously meant to set up the next round of drama.


But I think in chapter 1 they said they(ohana and minchi) were the same age!

Remember that comment comes from Tomoe, who is 28. To her, her 16 and 17 year old coworkers probably are "the same age".

[tezu]

I also have a suspicion that Tooru might develop a small crush on Ohana. Though I don't know if he would act on it.

My suspicion as well, I just think someone like Tooru might actually prefer someone who's on par with him and dares to speak up or herself (in other words: NOT Minko)

And I hope Minko will move on from her crush on Tooru, maybe find some greater purpose. Otherwise her character is beyond redemption (If dating Tooru will be the end of the road for her, Ima rage!) while the other girls around her most likely will get some substantial character development.

[felix]

That would explain her crush on Tohru.Doesn’t that also explain why she doesn’t like Ohana? I mean, I’m sure if Ohana stopped being nice to her they could be BFFs. :heh:

[Anh_Minh]

Yes. Doesn't really explain why she gets along with Nako, though. Unless she's got a... hidden side to her. (OMG! Jirou was right again!)

[felix]

Yes. Doesn't really explain why she gets along with Nako, though. Unless she's got a... hidden side to her. (OMG! Jirou was right again!)I think she’s just neutral towards Nako. Nako also has “please don’t pick on me” written all over her face. Even if she or Thoru were to pick on Nako, it probably wouldn’t last long.

[Cyz]

Episode 4 freebies.

http://i.imgur.com/IRWra.gif http://i.imgur.com/KyHnL.gif
I'll take these. Thanks! I must say, I was reading a blog about this series and it makes me wanna watch it again (I gave up on the 1st ep since it didn't peak my interest).