(L+CR) Uchouten Kazoku (The Eccentric Family)

[kyouray]

Originally Posted by Alhazred

When Benten and Yasaburo confirmed that he was a tanuki the Friday Fellows may have thought they were making a joke, given Yasaburo's excellent 'transformation show.' They were amazed by how well it was done, which they shouldn't have been if they really believed that magical, shape-shifting tanuki actually existed. The tanuki is an actual animal (distantly related to dogs), so i'm thinking that (plus folklore on how they can change shape) is probably the limit of their knowledge on the subject.

That makes sense

Originally Posted by nojay

It looks like there are two worlds, the mundane world and the supernatural world and they don't intersect much unless the supernatural creatures like the tanuki or tengu intend it.

Yeah there's this split between two worlds since tanukis and tengu are considered as folklore stuff. They seem to hide their real existence since tanukis are still eaten and Yasaburo hide his shapeshifting. There're probably things humans can't see as you says since it's impossible some events went unnoticed.
However I'm curious how they interact each other because Yasaburo says they maintain a balance.

[Fevvers]

This is the only show since Shinsekai Yori (for the past few seasons) that I honestly cannot deny has been getting better as each episode pass. The fleeting sense of melancholia that has pervaded since the beginning of the show which is strongest in that scene between Benten and Yasaburo underneath the moon, was fantastically directed. Ahh..

...Still in a blissful state right now as shows like this get rarely done, the characters don't even feel like anime characters for one thing (well, maybe except for Kaisei who sounds like the typical tsundere, hopefully that's just due to the voice acting.. we'll see).

Also, props to the mention of Junichiro Tanizaki (who incidentally has a lot of works that portray the dynamics of family life and destructive erotic obsessions)!

[Alhazred]

Speaking of Kaisei, i really hope that not giving her a 'human face' yet is a setup for an interesting reveal and not a 'death flag' hinting that she will be the one that ends up in the pot next month.

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Benten is the most attractive woman of the season. There's something about her that makes her terribly alluring. I'm curious to find out more about her. She remains very mysterious.

She's a femme fatale, you better watch out for those types Kanon.

But I have to say as a woman I like her a lot too. A great female character who isn't typical at all.

[NoemiChan]

I want to see Benten and Yasaboru as a couple... though it sounds ridiculous...

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

What about Benten flying out the window though? That's what gives me pause about assuming the Friday Fellows really don't know anything about the supernatural.

Well, there's also the matter of how a human can fly in the first place. Benten is quite the enigma. I realize now that she's called that because of her position in the Friday Fellows, since they're each named after a god.

But this episode appears to show that at least some of them don't really know that "real" tanuki exist, and that some of them are actually bothered by eating it for the yearly pot. The fact that Benten covered him up as he was transforming seems to reinforce that revealing his real nature would be troublesome.

I'm wondering if they even eat tanuki every year after all, or if they just think they do. It's notable that none of the tanuki community has been mentioned as a victim outside of the father, who is also held up as this incredible tanuki that could turn into a mountain and beat up an entire faction of Tengu without breaking a sweat. It's possible that there are several stories going on that are larger than life.

In the end I expect that the answers to the questions will be more simple and understated than they were built up to be.

[Key Board]

if Hannibal Lecter ever wrote a romance anime, it would be this

It's just so unsettling yet intriguing

[LKK]

Originally Posted by Solace

I realize now that she's called that because of her position in the Friday Fellows, since they're each named after a god.

Except that as far as we know Benten was called Benten before she joined the Friday Fellows. No one who knew her before she joined (for example, the Professor and Yasaboru) calls her by any other name.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by LKK

Except that as far as we know Benten was called Benten before she joined the Friday Fellows. No one who knew her before she joined (for example, the Professor and Yasaboru) calls her by any other name.

True, and that adds to her enigma I think. The flashback does introduce her with a normal name (Suzuki Satomi), so I guess the question is when she assumed the Benten name.

I am having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around the timeline however. The end credits seem to tell a story in Benten's demeanor as she ages, and she seems to be someone who seeks things that are interesting or amusing. Whimsical, even. I'm really curious about what happened in the past that led from the Benten then, who seemed so innocent, to the Benten now, who commands so much power and is treated as fearsome if enigmatic.

[D-KLAC]

the more i keep watching this more wonder can we spin-off series with ben10 as the lead?

really she been total show-stealer to watch give hmm wonder why name is benten give same name of certain you know who voice by yuri lowenthal since alien force.

indeed who or what is this ben10 female?

& oh we finally meet friday people yet seem hmm fine give wonder how eat dad on the main tanuki family?

[LKK]

Originally Posted by Solace

I am having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around the timeline however. The end credits seem to tell a story in Benten's demeanor as she ages, and she seems to be someone who seeks things that are interesting or amusing. Whimsical, even. I'm really curious about what happened in the past that led from the Benten then, who seemed so innocent, to the Benten now, who commands so much power and is treated as fearsome if enigmatic.

I've been trying to work out the timeline too. Maybe we threadees should put our heads together and work out a timeline? I'll start with a time point from this episode.

Benten said that she joined the Friday Fellows in the year that Father was eaten. He was her first tanuki hot pot. I know it's been mentioned how long ago Father was eaten. Anyone remember without needing to rewatch the previous episodes?

[Shadow5YA]

Originally Posted by Solace

True, and that adds to her enigma I think. The flashback does introduce her with a normal name (Suzuki Satomi), so I guess the question is when she assumed the Benten name.

I am having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around the timeline however. The end credits seem to tell a story in Benten's demeanor as she ages, and she seems to be someone who seeks things that are interesting or amusing. Whimsical, even. I'm really curious about what happened in the past that led from the Benten then, who seemed so innocent, to the Benten now, who commands so much power and is treated as fearsome if enigmatic.

The bigger hint is from Akadama, who says "I just want to see her smile!" when he admits that he gave the teahouse and Fujin-Raijin fan away to her.

Sure, it could just be excuses, but what if it was more than that?

[Used Can]

The way I see the issue with the FF guys is that they either have no idea the tanuki actually have magical powers, or they know but simply don't care about that, and eat them because of tradition.

I think the former would raise some questions, like why don't the tanuki expose themselves to humans and try to get some rights?

Anyhow, considering Uchouten Kazoku is only the first book in the Tanuki Series, and what's left are just some chapters that were released in magazines but were never compiled and that the author doen't seem to have written a new chapter in quite some time, it makes me wonder if we'll ever see the ending to this story.

[gaiar31]

very good anime for me.

[frodonk]

the way the 3rd son described benten and when she was saying "so sad, so sad" means that someone is going to die soon.

also, there's quite a back story as to how their father got eaten. these stories have been set up as to have some kind of a big exploit behind them, like how their father transformed into a mountain. I'm sure there's a reason (and an epic story behind) why he was eaten by the FF.

unless i'm wrong, and if that's the case then I'll be quite disappointed.

[hyperborealis]

Benten is in love with Yasaburo. Her fate is therefore set--both not to have the person she loves (Yasaburo, while also in love with her, seems to shy to do anything about it), and to lose him eventually should she finally get him. The folklore and mythology are trappings upon an ordinary human story.

Perhaps that is what makes Benten human--that she recognizes her fate, feels her melancholy. Conversely, that may also be what makes Yasaburo a tanuki--he is only aware of living day to day, and staying away from that hot pot.

I wonder how the father got eaten, since he was so powerful and respected. Was it a choice, a self-sacrifice?

[Shadow5YA]

Originally Posted by hyperborealis

Yasaburo, while also in love with her, seems to shy to do anything about it

I don't think Yasaburo realizes that Benten likes him. Even if she did say it, he can't really take it seriously since she teases him all the time.

[Archon_Wing]

Tanuki. It's Super Mario 3 again!

I just started and say that Benten is very interesting, due to her perma-trollface buff. It also marks the return of a much beloved Mamiko Noto. Also, the directing and visual style is very strong, in that it really strikes me as a distinct style with allegedly more stuff going on.

It's like if PA works was trying to be like Shaft, minus the $36 budget and schedule printed on a napkin.

[cyth]

For the record, I don't believe Yasaburou nor Benten are in love with one another. I take it more as a "you're a part of my fate and I'm part of yours, we should try to understand each other while we have the chance, no matter what may happen between us later."

Originally Posted by Used Can

The way I see the issue with the FF guys is that they either have no idea the tanuki actually have magical powers, or they know but simply don't care about that, and eat them because of tradition.

I always thought of tanuki and tengu being common knowledge to humans, they just tend to shy away from their affairs. It's like some city folk will never see a real life pig, but they know they exist, that they are very intelligent beings, but they will eat pork nonetheless. Both tanuki and humans accept that sometimes tanuki end up in hotpots. It's simply a thing in their world.

[Dop]

Spoiler for episode 6:

This episode follows straight on from the end of the previous episode, but does also give us a little taste of the path which took ordinary schoolgirl Suzuki Satomi and turned her into the woman we now know as Benten.
As Yasaburou and Hotei from the Friday Fellows cross rooftops trying to keep up with Benten, they arrive at a rooftop garden lush with red leafed trees. A spectacularly beautiful scene here.
The chat between Yasaburou and Hotei also reveals more of the past, how Benten joined the Friday Fellows on the night they ate Yasaburou's father, and how Hotei felt he imagined the tanuku talking to him - so it's clear the FFs don't really know of the magical side of things, it's even possible they think that Benten is just really athletic.
Later, Yasaburou changes into a frog to join his brother at the bottom of the well to stay the night, when Benten arrives. She goes there every night to cry.

So an episode which again unpicks some of the back story but leaves us with so much more to think about. Yasaburou knows he should hate Hotei, but finds him likeable.
We see how Suzuki Satomi started on her way, but we don't know why Benten is crying over the well.

There are secrets within secrets, and this show has stories to tell yet. It's truly enchanting.