AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - Hanasaku Iroha

tezu · 2011-06-19, 13:28

And suddenly, there's an episode that scores a perfect 10/10.

I was already impressed by last week's episode, but this one demonstrated that the series was capable of good drama after all. Episode 12 is not inferior to AnoHana drama at all, in fact, I'd almost say that it is even better. It is a clever mixture of light comedy, dramatic revelations and most important of all, an incredible amount of character development for Ohana.

1. Comedy Aspect

Unlike in previous episodes, the comedic moments blend in well with the rest of the episode. It's much more amusing to watch Tooru as he tries to vent his anger about Ko-chan on eating lots and LOTS of food and getting lots and LOTS of stuffed sushi toys than to watch survival gamers running around in the inn. Minko's woes and jealousy are lightened up by a couple a funny faces which she makes while watching Tooru's weird antics and eating so much that she actually feels like throwing up.
I don't really like how Tooru treats Minko as he literally commands her to eat and doesn't even show the slightest bit of concern for her when she throws up. Being preoccupied with Ohana is not a good excuse for this sort of behavior, it just shows his social deficiencies and not-so-amiable personality. He's lucky that Minko is a masochist who won't ever speak up or disagree (I don't care whether he has a heart of gold or not and I couldn't care less about his tsundere appeal - he should at least possess some emotional intelligence). But that's a whole other issue.

2. Drama Aspect & Character Development

Similar to the previous episode, the drama revolves around Kou-chan and Satsuki. At first I was sceptical about the megane girl (I thought she was rather rude) but her confrontation worked wonders. She reveals a lot about Kou to Ohana which actually causes the latter to THINK about her actions (yay, she finally uses her brain!). For the majority of the series, Ohana has been like a blind ox - always unable to see the big picture because she is too focused on a certain matter. It has been pointed out before but the series sort of forgot about this (it even encouraged her rashnes) until now.
The phone call with Kou-chan completes Ohana's transformation and she realizes that while she might have been trying her best to "fest things up", she also forgot to think about the people who worry about her. As we've seen, Ohana has the tendency to think that she's the only capable person, whether it is to bring Tooru back to the inn or to make her mother visit Kissuiso. (There's also been some breaking the 4th wall going on when Ohana muses over her own personal "drama series" which made me smile) At this point, I think that no one can tell what exactly she feels for Kou. He is important to her without doubt but she is clearly hesistant to enter the "next stage" with him. Ohana is the type of person that pours their heart into everything they do. However she lacks the security and experience to tell whether she can commit to him full-heartedly. Kou is in Tokyo, has a nice girl who didn't cause him pain over and over again waiting for him while Ohana is off in Kissuiso, a place she pretty much calls home now. I don't blame Ohana for being so indecisive, she couldn't shake off her insecurities but clearly acknowledges them. The girl has to grow up first.

After realizing her own shortcomings, she decides not to bother Kou-chan and her mother anymore. Ironically, her mother also had a similar epiphany and suddenly agrees to visit Kissuiso. Satsuki is as cheerful as always, however, it isn't difficult to see that there's something much deeper below the surface. I especially loved Satsuki's dialogue with Tooru (it was beautiful in its own way, even relatable, yes) which proves that with some development she could become an amazing character - not an amazing mother, but an amazing character. Perhaps Satsuki herself is still in the process of maturing and settling down; I'm curious to see where her personal journey will take her. In any case, Satsuki has become my favorite character of the show. She's always in the "wrong" but the fact she can talk about herself like that simply amazes me. I also love how she never directly tells Ohana what she thinks and always masks her thoughts with irrelevant chatter. This mother-daughter relationship is going to be awesome. Not to mention the grandma-mom-daughter dynamic.

Satsuki probably knows that her daughter won't leave Kissuiso because she only asks Ohana to return with her while the latter's asleep. Ohana on the other hand overhears her mother's words but her thoughts wander off to Kou how they can't go back to being friends as before. Ohana has to bid farewell to her old relationship with Kou and whether or not the farewell will make room for something new to bloom (with or without Kou) has yet to be seen. The title "See Ya" is perfect for this week's episode in this respect.

Favorite Quotes:
<< I said "Later", but he responded with "See Ya" >>
<<Having a mother who isn't right should be amazing.>>

2011-06-19, 13:28	Link #9
tezu Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: cloud cuckoo land	And suddenly, there's an episode that scores a perfect 10/10. I was already impressed by last week's episode, but this one demonstrated that the series was capable of good drama after all. Episode 12 is not inferior to AnoHana drama at all, in fact, I'd almost say that it is even better. It is a clever mixture of light comedy, dramatic revelations and most important of all, an incredible amount of character development for Ohana. 1. Comedy Aspect Unlike in previous episodes, the comedic moments blend in well with the rest of the episode. It's much more amusing to watch Tooru as he tries to vent his anger about Ko-chan on eating lots and LOTS of food and getting lots and LOTS of stuffed sushi toys than to watch survival gamers running around in the inn. Minko's woes and jealousy are lightened up by a couple a funny faces which she makes while watching Tooru's weird antics and eating so much that she actually feels like throwing up. I don't really like how Tooru treats Minko as he literally commands her to eat and doesn't even show the slightest bit of concern for her when she throws up. Being preoccupied with Ohana is not a good excuse for this sort of behavior, it just shows his social deficiencies and not-so-amiable personality. He's lucky that Minko is a masochist who won't ever speak up or disagree (I don't care whether he has a heart of gold or not and I couldn't care less about his tsundere appeal - he should at least possess some emotional intelligence). But that's a whole other issue. 2. Drama Aspect & Character Development Similar to the previous episode, the drama revolves around Kou-chan and Satsuki. At first I was sceptical about the megane girl (I thought she was rather rude) but her confrontation worked wonders. She reveals a lot about Kou to Ohana which actually causes the latter to THINK about her actions (yay, she finally uses her brain!). For the majority of the series, Ohana has been like a blind ox - always unable to see the big picture because she is too focused on a certain matter. It has been pointed out before but the series sort of forgot about this (it even encouraged her rashnes) until now. The phone call with Kou-chan completes Ohana's transformation and she realizes that while she might have been trying her best to "fest things up", she also forgot to think about the people who worry about her. As we've seen, Ohana has the tendency to think that she's the only capable person, whether it is to bring Tooru back to the inn or to make her mother visit Kissuiso. (There's also been some breaking the 4th wall going on when Ohana muses over her own personal "drama series" which made me smile) At this point, I think that no one can tell what exactly she feels for Kou. He is important to her without doubt but she is clearly hesistant to enter the "next stage" with him. Ohana is the type of person that pours their heart into everything they do. However she lacks the security and experience to tell whether she can commit to him full-heartedly. Kou is in Tokyo, has a nice girl who didn't cause him pain over and over again waiting for him while Ohana is off in Kissuiso, a place she pretty much calls home now. I don't blame Ohana for being so indecisive, she couldn't shake off her insecurities but clearly acknowledges them. The girl has to grow up first. After realizing her own shortcomings, she decides not to bother Kou-chan and her mother anymore. Ironically, her mother also had a similar epiphany and suddenly agrees to visit Kissuiso. Satsuki is as cheerful as always, however, it isn't difficult to see that there's something much deeper below the surface. I especially loved Satsuki's dialogue with Tooru (it was beautiful in its own way, even relatable, yes) which proves that with some development she could become an amazing character - not an amazing mother, but an amazing character. Perhaps Satsuki herself is still in the process of maturing and settling down; I'm curious to see where her personal journey will take her. In any case, Satsuki has become my favorite character of the show. She's always in the "wrong" but the fact she can talk about herself like that simply amazes me. I also love how she never directly tells Ohana what she thinks and always masks her thoughts with irrelevant chatter. This mother-daughter relationship is going to be awesome. Not to mention the grandma-mom-daughter dynamic. Satsuki probably knows that her daughter won't leave Kissuiso because she only asks Ohana to return with her while the latter's asleep. Ohana on the other hand overhears her mother's words but her thoughts wander off to Kou how they can't go back to being friends as before. Ohana has to bid farewell to her old relationship with Kou and whether or not the farewell will make room for something new to bloom (with or without Kou) has yet to be seen. The title "See Ya" is perfect for this week's episode in this respect. Favorite Quotes: << I said "Later", but he responded with "See Ya" >> <<Having a mother who isn't right should be amazing.>> Last edited by tezu; 2011-06-20 at 04:16.