Hanasaku Iroha - Spoilers & Speculation

[Kanon]

^No, that's my mistake

But yeah, let's just blame it on the fact there's so much "chi" in this anime

[Shadow5YA]

So with Tohru's apparent interest in Ohana, does that make Ohana part of two love triangles now? There's now Ohana/Tohru/Ko and Ohana/Minko/Tohru.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Shadow5YA

So with Tohru's apparent interest in Ohana, does that make Ohana part of two love triangles now? There's now Ohana/Tohru/Ko and Ohana/Minko/Tohru.

Isn't that strictly speaking, a quadrangle?

[Tsuyoshi]

I really don't want anyone to get pregnant by ep 10. At least not yet, and if someone does get there, I really would prefer it not be one of the teen three (Nako, Minko and Ohana) because as someone said already, a show involving teen pregnancy does not bode well for any anime (see: School Days). Besides, I really don't see this anime focusing a great deal on romance, but about Ohana's story of growing up, coming to terms with her past (maybe), opening up to other people (certainly not in the romantic sense) and becoming more responsible for herself in the process. I see romance in this story as an added bonus, and that's where Ko comes in.

[VentAileron]

Originally Posted by Tsuyoshi

...a show involving teen pregnancy does not bode well for any anime (see: School Days). Besides, I really don't see this anime focusing a great deal on romance, but about Ohana's story of growing up, coming to terms with her past (maybe), opening up to other people (certainly not in the romantic sense) and becoming more responsible for herself in the process. I see romance in this story as an added bonus, and that's where Ko comes in.

Agreed. I don't expect the writer to go as far as using pregnancy anyway. I doubt they would dare to give the show that kind of 180. I also doubt they have any way of ending something like that in a satisfying way (I always laugh at Clannad).

But then again, the main plot device now seems to be romance. Ohana growing up is just a passive theme that doesn't trigger any events or plots. Those events and plots contribute to the theme instead.

[Tsuyoshi]

Originally Posted by VentAileron

But then again, the main plot device now seems to be romance. Ohana growing up is just a passive theme that doesn't trigger any events or plots. Those events and plots contribute to the theme instead.

Right now, that seems to be the case, but only because I think in the long run, it'll give Ohana a reason to make up her mind about what she wants to do, so it contributes to the overall growth of her character. Granted, the outcome will be obvious in that she'll choose Ko over anyone else, but what is interesting is how she will come to that conclusion. That being said, I don't believe the anime will stop there because as I said, its focus isn't romance, altho it is indeed part of it (considering it's classified as a romance comedy).

[VentAileron]

Originally Posted by Tsuyoshi

Right now, that seems to be the case, but only because I think in the long run, it'll give Ohana a reason to make up her mind about what she wants to do, so it contributes to the overall growth of her character. Granted, the outcome will be obvious in that she'll choose Ko over anyone else, but what is interesting is how she will come to that conclusion. That being said, I don't believe the anime will stop there because as I said, its focus isn't romance, altho it is indeed part of it (considering it's classified as a romance comedy).

That kind of depends on what kind of ending the producers have in mind. Sure I agree that sooner or later, Ohana will start making her own choices based on the whole 'growing up' theme instead of being dragged into situations in and around the inn. I just don't see it happening anytime soon. If she decides to go back to Ko out of her own free will at the end of the series...well that's only one choice she would ever make. Assuming that happens at the end of the series of course.

I kind of gave up trying to tell where the series is going in the long run though. In the short run, it's probably just isn't going anywhere far.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by VentAileron

I kind of gave up trying to tell where the series is going in the long run though. In the short run, it's probably just isn't going anywhere far.

Well they are still stuck working at the Inn. I'm not sure what kind of earth shattering events they could have happen.


Of course the preview DOES seem to implausibly show a bunch of paramilitary looking dudes vaulting over one of the inns walls.

[ReddyRedWolf]

I have a feeling Ohana will meet her father while working at the inn.

[VentAileron]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Well they are still stuck working at the Inn. I'm not sure what kind of earth shattering events they could have happen.

The point being that since the beginning of episode 2, the series is stuck resolving one small plot after another without giving the viewers a feeling of: "Oh, we're now at episode 6 and this, that and that has happened that will effect the plot later on."

[typhonsentra]

Right now I'm in the camp that thinks it's pretty likely that he was looking at Nako, although it could go either way.

The fact that they made a point of having Nako be with Ohana every time they had a reaction shot from him in this episode is unusual as they usually don't share the4 spotlight in that manner, coupled with the fact that we don't really have any scenes of him interacting with Nako up to this point, which also seems intentional in retrospect. The audience would be inclined to suspect he was looking at Ohana, which is why that pairing is probably just a red herring.

[Dr. Casey]

Random theory: there will be an episode later in the series where Mr. Beanman dies of old age. It will be the saddest episode in all of Hanasaku Iroha.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

Random theory: there will be an episode later in the series where Mr. Beanman dies of erotic asphyxiation, which he was performing with Jiromaru. It will be the saddest episode in all of Hanasaku Iroha.

Fixed for accuracy.

Jokes aside, you must have stumbled onto something here. Maybe this will be the big event in episode 10. All that talk about pregnancy made me forget about the other most important part of life: death.

[Pellissier]

Quite a few interesting things in the preview for episode 8:

- Looks like Okami-san isn't feeling too well.
- "Ambulance!"
- Minko: "Sorry, I couldn't be of any use" (referred to Okami-san's condition?)
- Ohana to her mother: "Mama, about Grandma..." (I guess via telephone)
- Kou on a train (impossible to say whether it's a daily routine train or the train that leads to Ohana's town).

And the episode is called "Run". Indeed it seems quite packed of incoming happenings.

[Pocari_Sweat]

You know, the preview for episode 8 further confirms my earlier speculation that the grandmother is going to die in episode 10.

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

Quite a few interesting things in the preview for episode 8:

- Looks like Okami-san isn't feeling too well.
- "Ambulance!"
- Minko: "Sorry, I couldn't be of any use" (referred to Okami-san's condition?)
- Ohana to her mother: "Mama, about Grandma..." (I guess via telephone)
- Kou on a train (impossible to say whether it's a daily routine train or the train that leads to Ohana's town).

And the episode is called "Run". Indeed it seems quite packed of incoming happenings.

Based on the train design, i don't think it's a routine travel...

Okami-san's death if occur will be out from nowhere, and an effort trying too hard to make the series dramatic while it's not (wow i said the same thing with Angel Beats, history gonna repeat?)

They should stuck with the romantic+comedy formula

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by risingstar3110

Based on the train design, i don't think it's a routine travel...

Okami-san's death if occur will be out from nowhere, and an effort trying too hard to make the series dramatic while it's not (wow i said the same thing with Angel Beats, history gonna repeat?)

They should stuck with the romantic+comedy formula

Or stick with the drama in a lighthearted fashion format that was in the first two episodes. Take your pick.

[Pellissier]

But for how I see things, this is primarily a story about growth. And death is a part of growth just like love, work, school, friendships, rivalries, happiness, sadness are.

From this perspective, I wouldn't see it as out of context. I'd have a different kind of qualm, the fact that so far Grandma hasn't really played a great role in the story (if we except her grand debut in episode 1 she didn't do much after that, other than becoming fonder of Ohana and some little details about her past being shown). So perhaps, if that is going to happen, we'll have a set up that will warm up the audience towards her much more. In these kind of shows, they usually don't kill a character for the sake of it.

Here's an analogy from "Summer Wars" , the movie. Spoilerish though, so don't read if you didn't watch that movie and/or plan to.

Spoiler for Summer Wars movie spoiler, don't read if you didn't see it:

In Summer Wars the grandmother dies in the second half of the movie, but she played a significant role up until that moment so her death not only was very impactful to her family, but also to the audience, because her character could be truly "felt", and so was her loss.

So far, the same can't be said about Okami-san in Hanasaku Iroha, imho.

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by acejem

Or stick with the drama in a lighthearted fashion format that was in the first two episodes. Take your pick.

I will say...romantic+comedy...

I don't think the type of drama in 1st two episodes can be set up again with what we had up until this point. Unless the inn gone bankrupt and Ohana have to work in that huge hotel~ish inn

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by risingstar3110

I will say...romantic+comedy...

I don't think the type of drama in 1st two episodes can be set up again with what we had up until this point. Unless the inn gone bankrupt and Ohana have to work in that huge hotel~ish inn

Actually I would like that. Grandma dies, inn goes bankrupt and Ohana has to work her butt off. Drama yeh!