Finally got around to watching the second episode. Don't know why I waited this long (and watched several other lesser series beforehand) before watching episode 2 because it was excellent.
Like many others I was creeped out at first by Yukiatsu's sniffing of Menma's clothes, but after I thought about it I realized it wasn't right to immediately jump to some sort of sexual perversion interpretation of the scene. Scent can be a powerful motivator of memory. My father passed away six years ago, and afterwards I used to sit in his room sometimes (which my mother left untouched since his death). He was a pipe smoker, and the faint smell of tobacco in the room would bring back happy memories. Now if Yukiatsu was sniffing Menma's panties or something, I'd be a little more concerned.
Poppo's travels are impressive. I was studying the maps to see where all he has been. It looked like he went to some rather unusual places like Yemen or Oman. Kind of stretching belief that he could afford that on part-time work at his age.
Menma is the only weak link in this series for me. Her voice...
