Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 5 Discussion / Poll

[deadite]

It's pretty strange Ohana hasn't gotten kitchen duty. She seems so good in that area.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Just realised, but has people watched American teen dramas like Dawson's Creek, OC and One Tree Hill? Because this is what this series is potentially becoming... lol. It just needs more bad vocal pop-punk music in the background and it'll be one step closer. If it does, it's probably going to lose a lot of "hardcore otaku" credit because their "innocence fantasy" is out the window. Personally, I wouldn't mind it if it does because I grew up on teen dramas in my adolescent past.

@ Deconstructor - thats quite an imagination there haha. You should be a writer for teen drama scripts for teenage girls

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by acejem

Just realised, but has people watched American teen dramas like Dawson's Creek, OC and One Tree Hill? Because this is what this series is potentially becoming... lol.

Damn it all to hell. I began watching anime to get away from that crap.

[tezu]

Just as some of you guys already mentioned, I feel this series went from amazing to generic and from dramatic to melodramatic. I still like the series, though, the comedy is well done but I sort of regret that it didn't continue the way episodes 01 and 02 were presented. Who knows, maybe the remaining 21 episodes will return to their roots eventually.

Here are my thoughts on episode 05:

1. "You're serious about being a chef, too, right?"
I think Ren-san asked Minko a very important question there. I was happy when I found out that Tooru isn't the reason she became a chef (or wants to become one), but rather the person who gave her the opportunity to become one. However, her resulting crush on Tooru seems to eclipse her determination to become a chef: She mentions following Tooru to Fukuya and Ohana states that "Minko can't work without him".
It'd be good if Minko gained some self-respect and aimed higher: Surpassing Tooru instead of being utterly dependent on him.
Right now her character annoys me because she seemed so cool and tough in the beginning, but now she just reminds me of one of those passive girls who're unable to stand on their own feet. I mean, she even depends on Ohana so that she can continue depending on Tooru. Does the girl never depend on herself?

2. Ohana-chan, you balut!
I never expected myself to say this abput Ohana since she's been an amazing character so far, but she's trying TOO HARD to please Minko. Even if it's just a misunderstanding, she wanted to drag Tooru back for Minko, but does she have the right to do so? For all we know, Tooru could've made a big career step forward at Fukuya. But Ohana simply decided on her own to drag him back (causing a ruckus at Fukuya), because she desperately wants to be friends with Minko. That's not altruism. Ohana isn't being helpful, no. She's being inconsiderate, meddlesome and selfish.

3. Other
I'm not that interested in Ohana and Minko at the moment, I think these two are going to deal with some romantic matters first (let's pray it's not going to take them too long). Strangely, the romance aspect in this series doesn't interest me at all - perhaps it's because the Minko arc was so horribly written and ruined her character (if KouxOhanaxTooruxMinko comes true, this series will be doomed imo)? The highlights of this episode were Minchi acting all tsundere toward Ohana at the end, Ohana's reply to Ko-chan and...Yuina. Right now I am intrigued by Yuina and I sense a great backstory there. I can't help but to think that being the heiress of Fukuya, there has to be something hidden behind that happy-go-lucky attitude of hers.

[frubam]

This episode was kinda.... stupid? Well, knowing how things in the ep are going to play out w/o even trying takes the fun out of finding out what happens next =02. At least the episode had SOME substance; namely Tohminko's backstory.

Also, I don't see Yuina being attracted to Tohru. Despite her convo in ep 4, after her convo in the lobby this ep, she doesn't give me the impression that she's really interested in him. Given the nature of her char, I get the feeling that she'll be interested in Ko, whenever he comes to town, and more of a triangle will form between the 3(Ohana/Kouta/Yuina) than with Tohru being the middleguy. If this show was romantically focused(which I feel it is not, so I'd doubt this could happen), I'd expect Yuina to "persuade" Tohru to pursue Ohana, so she can go after Ko.

And I don't see the big deal with the bird. Guess I'm just the odd man out on that one (>.>).

Originally Posted by tezu

2. Ohana-chan, you balut!
I never expected myself to say this abput Ohana since she's been an amazing character so far, but she's trying TOO HARD to please Minko. Even if it's just a misunderstanding, she wanted to drag Tooru back for Minko, but does she have the right to do so? For all we know, Tooru could've made a big career step forward at Fukuya. But Ohana simply decided on her own to drag him back (causing a ruckus at Fukuya), because she desperately wants to be friends with Minko. That's not altruism. Ohana isn't being helpful, no. She's being inconsiderate, meddlesome and selfish.

I think we've already seen this aspect of her character. In episode 2, the grandmother mentioned that 'being aggressive in your goals is commendable, but doing so haphazardly will cause more damage'(or something like that). That's why her blazing forward for what her own goals(to become Minko's friend) and not considering anything or anyone else wasn't that much of a surprise to me =0\.

[vharxin]

Spoiler for can't stop looping this scene:

*head explodes*

[ReddyRedWolf]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Haha, yeah, yeah, it was all just a misunderstanding and Yuina was riding the motorcycle just because she wanted to. Haha.

Good development though, for some characters.
Amusing that Ohana is supposedly supporting Minch x Tooru, but she is setting flags with the guy herself. And it seems Kou-chan is planning to visit her too, so I can see a nice battle coming on. However, I've learned not to expect too much from this show, so I won't bring my hopes up.

Originally Posted by .x.crii.x.

Ha! So I´m not the only one who thinks OhanaxTooru is possible? Thank goodness, I thought I was going crazy being the only one who thought so. D:

Originally Posted by Shadow5YA

I have a bad premonition of a love triangle forming where Minko likes Tohru but Tohru likes Ohana instead. That last scene between Ohana and Tohru seems to imply that Tohru believes Ohana cares for him more strongly than the rest of the staff at Kissuiso.

Also, I wonder if Ko was looking at tourist magazines of the town Ohana is in.

Here is what I expect. There would be multiple love triangles which Ohana will be part of.

Tohru always disparaging Ohana's figure pretty much tells his preference. The perv.

Ko will come to town to finally get his answer. Question is if Ohana sees him more than a friend. Grandma may see him as threat to her granddaughter's raising.

Tohru may like Ohana more and more as time passes but she doesn't like him. There is also that age gap and the fact she is his employer's granddaughter, which grandma will slaughter him if Ohana becomes like her daughter. He also being dense about Minko which Ohana knows who loves him.

Basically despite all these triangles I expect Grandma to bitchslap the boys being overprotective of Ohana. A possible repeat of what happened to Ohana's mom.

[DragoZERO]

Well... this was a fun episode. I expected more drama though. I figured this would be a serious drama with some comedy thrown in for good measure, but so far it's most comedy since the drama has been quite shallow. But with two cours, there is plenty of time for things to heat up, especially since Kou is likely to arrive at some point now.

[taichi-kun]

Yuina is so hot and funny

Minko's past was good, tohru helped her to work there and bought her a present too

Love triangle in the next episodes, I'd like a minchi-tohru but I don't know If it's possible....

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by tezu

Just as some of you guys already mentioned, I feel this series went from amazing to generic and from dramatic to melodramatic. I still like the series, though, the comedy is well done but I sort of regret that it didn't continue the way episodes 01 and 02 were presented. Who knows, maybe the remaining 21 episodes will return to their roots eventually.

Here are my thoughts on episode 05:

1. "You're serious about being a chef, too, right?"
I think Ren-san asked Minko a very important question there. I was happy when I found out that Tooru isn't the reason she became a chef (or wants to become one), but rather the person who gave her the opportunity to become one. However, her resulting crush on Tooru seems to eclipse her determination to become a chef: She mentions following Tooru to Fukuya and Ohana states that "Minko can't work without him".
It'd be good if Minko gained some self-respect and aimed higher: Surpassing Tooru instead of being utterly dependent on him.
Right now her character annoys me because she seemed so cool and tough in the beginning, but now she just reminds me of one of those passive girls who're unable to stand on their own feet. I mean, she even depends on Ohana so that she can continue depending on Tooru. Does the girl never depend on herself?

2. Ohana-chan, you balut!
I never expected myself to say this abput Ohana since she's been an amazing character so far, but she's trying TOO HARD to please Minko. Even if it's just a misunderstanding, she wanted to drag Tooru back for Minko, but does she have the right to do so? For all we know, Tooru could've made a big career step forward at Fukuya. But Ohana simply decided on her own to drag him back (causing a ruckus at Fukuya), because she desperately wants to be friends with Minko. That's not altruism. Ohana isn't being helpful, no. She's being inconsiderate, meddlesome and selfish.

Yeah. I still wonder why Ohana called Minko hardworking. That better describes Ohana - once she gets it into her head something has to be done, she goes full throttle and damn the consequences.

I agree that she should have respected Tohru's choice. Doubly hypocrite in that she was willing to let Minko go too, if that'd been possible...

[VentAileron]

Originally Posted by tezu

Just as some of you guys already mentioned, I feel this series went from amazing to generic and from dramatic to melodramatic. I still like the series, though, the comedy is well done but I sort of regret that it didn't continue the way episodes 01 and 02 were presented. Who knows, maybe the remaining 21 episodes will return to their roots eventually.

Everything seems fresh at the first episode, that's why HanaIro seemed to be so amazing at first. Of course episode 1 had a great execution. After episode 2 I pretty much realized HanaIro wasn't going to be fun all 26 episodes (am I right?) long, especially not after episode 3.
Also, if you didn't notice it was melodramatic from episode 1, try watching the scene where Ohana's mother decides to fly off somewhere. If that isn't melodramatic I don't know what is.

I also don't get how you see episode 1 and 2 being different from 3, 4 and 5; all the episodes contain Ohana being impulsive and doing rash stuff without thinking and having some consequences. All reveal some information about the character's backgrounds and all contain humor in a certain degree.

Episode 5 is my favorite apart from episode 1. Even though I really really really hate love-triangles and the plot being very predictable, it had a lot entertaining scenes. Best one is Ohana barging in Minko's room (wherever that is) and her impulse being stalled by a heron...

Talking about rooms, I still don't get where the girls are walking to at the end of episode. Didn't Ohana and Minko live at the inn?

[Archon_Wing]

It has a lot to do with whether a viewer can buy the drama or not, and to be able to relate to it. For whatever reason, I saw Ohana's mom running out on her to be completely believable, and thus invoked a sense of sympathy. Everyone else's problems... it varies.

Originally Posted by vharxin

Spoiler for can't stop looping this scene:

My first thought was "I love those things!"

[tezu]

Originally Posted by VentAileron

Everything seems fresh at the first episode, that's why HanaIro seemed to be so amazing at first. Of course episode 1 had a great execution. After episode 2 I pretty much realized HanaIro wasn't going to be fun all 26 episodes (am I right?) long, especially not after episode 3.
Also, if you didn't notice it was melodramatic from episode 1, try watching the scene where Ohana's mother decides to fly off somewhere. If that isn't melodramatic I don't know what is.

I also don't get how you see episode 1 and 2 being different from 3, 4 and 5; all the episodes contain Ohana being impulsive and doing rash stuff without thinking and having some consequences. All reveal some information about the character's backgrounds and all contain humor in a certain degree.

Maybe our ideas of melodrama differ. Episode 5 was melodramatic to me because it caused a ruckus over something that clearly did not deserve it. People change workplaces all the time because of career prospects and money, but Ohana wants to prevent that simply because her friend has a crush on the chef. I don't think you'd make a scene somewhere with a pitiful reason like that, no one would listen to you. If Minko wanted to continue seeing Tooru, she could just walk over to Fukuya and greet him. But then all problems are miraculously solved by misunderstandings. Episode 3 was the same. The writer's sentimental monologues and his teary suicide attempt - this sort of drama is without doubt, inferior to the drama we've seen in episode 1.

I never considered Ohana's mum's elopement melodramatic, because it was presented in a very nonchalant way. There was no sentimental talk, Ohana was simply sent to her grandmother. And even if there had been sentimental talk: It would have been appropriate considering the situation. A teenage girl fawning over a guy however, does not justify the things we've seen in episode 5. So personally I think there was nothing overly sentimental/melodramatic about episode 1 even though she was abandoned by her mother, had a rough start with her coworkers and got slapped by the grandmother. Everything was down-to-earth and light-hearted at the same time. But ever since episode 3, "smaller" events seem to cause a bigger ruckus than the "big" events from episodes 1 and 2. I'm not saying episodes 4 and 5 are bad, they're just weaker plot-wise in spite of the character development.

As for Ohana: I know she's been acting rashly ever since episode 2, but the difference is that in episode 2, people pointed out her mistake. Thus the series indirectly commented on her "weakness", namely that she's "inconsiderate". In episodes 3 and 5, people thanked her for acting rashly (both Minchi, Tooru and the grandma were happy). It's as if suddenly, her rashness has become something good even though I find that she's even more irrational in episodes 3 and 5 than in episode 2.

Of course, I'm fully aware of the fact that it's ridiculous to expect a 26-episodes-long continuation of the first two episodes. I'm fine with the comedic approach, as long as they do not try to mesh it with melodrama. But my definition of melodrama might be different from everyone else's.

[Pellissier]

Overall a solid episode. Not much in how it was built, but rather on its execution. Because come on, it was flat out obvious that Tooru moving at the other inn was a fake news. When Ren said he was fine with Tooru leaving, they clearly cut out part of the conversation, and when they show you only half dialogue it means that the other half carries a different meaning. Not to mention, Jiromarou of all people was the one to suggest the pattern?
The good parts were how much character development there was, and some delicious scenes such as Ohana going "Hobiron" at Minko, the rather wonderful massage chair talking of the rather wonderful lady Yuina, or the mail Ohana sent to Kou.

I have a feeling this anime is still in its building phase, probably comprehensible for a 2 cours series. Episodes 1 and 2 were almost totally devoted to Ohana, her background and her family (mother and grandmother) with small glimpses of the other characters. Episode 3 partially expanded on Nako and Minko, but was mainly about Jiromarou. Episodes 4 and 5 focused on Minko and Tooru introducing Yuina. From the preview it looks the next episode will focus on Nako and introduce that flashy red haired girl.
In store we also have Kou who's likely going to join the others soon. Oh, and Yuina who doesn't certainly appear to be a bystander.

Everything is shown as seen by Ohana, who represents our eyes within the story. The construction isn't yet complete, but little by little new layers are being added at a firm pace. Question: what will happen when all the pieces of the puzzle will be in their place? Only time will tell.

Originally Posted by VentAileron

Talking about rooms, I still don't get where the girls are walking to at the end of episode. Didn't Ohana and Minko live at the inn?

I assumed they were just taking a walk, with no particular direction.

[Irisiel]

Originally Posted by tezu

As for Ohana: I know she's been acting rashly ever since episode 2, but the difference is that in episode 2, people pointed out her mistake. Thus the series indirectly commented on her "weakness", namely that she's "inconsiderate". In episodes 3 and 5, people thanked her for acting rashly (both Minchi, Tooru and the grandma were happy). It's as if suddenly, her rashness has become something good even though I find that she's even more irrational in episodes 3 and 5 than in episode 2.

I actually found it oddly realistic; Ohana is reprimanded when her rashness causes only trouble but no good side effects, but when there's something good they just let it be. In a way, the results are more important than the means in this case. In episode 5, Ohana's actions pretty much boosted morale all around, even if it was unintentional. Tooru got to know that he was valued, Minko got some time to figure out what she really wants, and everyone just kind of got a more familial feeling with how strongly everyone was affected by Tooru's supposed departure.

As for the strong reactions; at this point in the story, I found them melodramatic as well. Had we've been shown a bit more bonding, and how everyone is their own gear in the clockwork of the inn, it would have resounded better.

I wonder, if the creditors are so bad that Ohana's mum also must run away, is it possible that they're yakuza or yakuza affiliated? It would make sense to send Ohana to her grandmother then, since from last time I heard, yakuza aren't as likely to pick on the elderly as they are with young adults (doesn't mean they wont, just that it's less likely), and it would take too much effort to track down Ohana when she's not even her mother's boyfriend's child (whereas staying in Tokyo they might get opportunistic and use her as bait for her mother, who in turn becomes bait for the boyfriend).

I also think that Kou will come to the inn, maybe not staying there (more likely to stay with Yuina's inn, maybe?), and that his presence will force Ohana to grow as a character (she's kind of... lukewarm when it comes to her own love).

And Tooru and Ohana keeps hoisting flags like crazy. Maybe they'll develop a brother-sister bond instead of crushes?

[totoum]

Originally Posted by tezu

Episode 3 was the same. The writer's sentimental monologues and his teary suicide attempt - this sort of drama is without doubt, inferior to the drama we've seen in episode 1

What drama?There was a "scratch record" sound played at the end of the monologue that basicly told the audience "don't take this scene seriously".

And the faces he makes just before the suicide attempt?Straight out of something you'd see in a comedy,not a drama (with a funny sound effect as he shakes his head as a bonus).
There is also no dramatic music played when he makes said attempt,rather shortly after you get a happy tune as Nako goes out to save him.

[zero7090]

omg the animation went down...

*pray for ep 6*

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Yeah. I still wonder why Ohana called Minko hardworking. That better describes Ohana - once she gets it into her head something has to be done, she goes full throttle and damn the consequences.

I agree that she should have respected Tohru's choice. Doubly hypocrite in that she was willing to let Minko go too, if that'd been possible...

Well from the very start she saw Minko's dedication to her work, with how early she got up, and how concentrated she was. She's always going off about how she doesn't understand work and such.

Ohana on the other hand is a klutz who is very sporadic. We never know what she is going to end up doing. Sure she's giving it her all right now, but she isn't particularly dedicated to the Inn or anything. She's just being clumsily trying to connect with the people around her, who t be fair have been rather cold, and really doesn't understand the concept of the work place all that well at the moment (Not that it's her fault).

Basically the difference between the two is their dedication to their work. Ohana is too sporadic to be considered a hard worker.

Originally Posted by totoum

What drama?There was a "scratch record" sound played at the end of the monologue that basicly told the audience "don't take this scene seriously".

And the faces he makes just before the suicide attempt?Straight out of something you'd see in a comedy,not a drama (with a funny sound effect as he shakes his head as a bonus).
There is also no dramatic music played when he makes said attempt,rather shortly after you get a happy tune as Nako goes out to save him.

I think that's precisely the point. Episodes 1 and 2 weren't of this nature, then BAM big shift. Even still, I found myself chuckling more often in those episodes than I did in episode 3. I think it's very hard to argue at this point that the flow of the narrative from episodes 1 and 2 to episode 3 and beyond wasn't very unnatural and abrupt.

[Jerseykid]

Yes I would like it to go that way, Tohru likes ohana but ohana would never betray minko. It's about time some romance got in here

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by Jerseykid

Yes I would like it to go that way, Tohru likes ohana but ohana would never betray minko. It's about time some romance got in here

I foresee a conflict along those lines as well. I hope Kou is factored in and Tohru doesn't develop any strong feelings for Ohana. Maybe just admire her for her strong will and favor her over everyone else... you just need to set Minko off.