Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 9 Discussion / Poll

[Sugarless Ocean]

Sure, as if having fans argue about two guys for Ohana wasn't enough

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Well, according to armchair psychology and fiction, girls who, like Ohana, grow up without a father often have a thing for older men...

Technically Tohru is older...and I guess the logical extreme to all this would be Beanman

[Anh_Minh]

Well, she did grow up without a grandfather, too, come to think of it...

[Sugarless Ocean]

Just give Ohana a harem already and everyone will be happy. xD

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Well, she did grow up without a grandfather, too, come to think of it...

Or a Heron!

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Or a Heron!

I'm telling you, I smell a Zettai Shounen style change of venue here - at least for a few eps. We'll see.

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I'm telling you, I smell a Zettai Shounen style change of venue here - at least for a few eps. We'll see.

I haven't seen Zettai Shounen, but I can see this switching for a little while. Perhaps try and target a different audience for a time or something. I hope it's not too bad, lol.

[Deconstructor]

Mmm. Shrimp tempura. Probably my favorite food in existence. Never tried fish tempura, though.

How unfortunate for multiple people to be having weddings in the building Ohana is looking through. Almost as if there exists an omnipotent writer out there, setting up these obstacles for Ohana to hurdle over. And I can't forget about how Ko was also searching for someone important to him - these parallels are too good to be true. It's funny, though... Ohana finds Tohru, but Ko gives up and goes back to Tokyo. I was hoping Ohana's recklessness would have rubbed off on Ko, so the viewers would finally have a reunion between separated friends. Still, I think the time isn't right for them to meet again anyway. They have to develop their relationship slowly; this episode, they went from sending text messages to talking with each other on the phone. Heh... I think Ohana and Ko can understand each other better when they're far away from each other, rather than close together.

Wouldn't it have been just marvelous if Ohana passed out in Tohru's arms? :P

Episode 9 Rating: 9/10!

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Deconstructor

Mmm. Shrimp tempura. Probably my favorite food in existence. Never tried fish tempura, though.

How unfortunate for multiple people to be having weddings in the building Ohana is looking through. Almost as if there exists an omnipotent writer out there, setting up these obstacles for Ohana to hurdle over.

I think that's about as normal as finding several families doing their shopping in a supermarket at the same time.

The real coincidence is the spike of last minute guests the very day Tohru's absent and Ko's coming.

[Deconstructor]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

I think that's about as normal as finding several families doing their shopping in a supermarket at the same time.

The real coincidence is the spike of last minute guests the very day Tohru's absent and Ko's coming.

I don't know of designated Japanese buildings where they hold multiple weddings, but of course I'm not very acquainted with Japanese culture. Where I'm from weddings are supposed to be isolated events... I've never seen two or more weddings held simultaneously in one area or building. On the other hand, I've probably seen over ten families shopping in a supermarket at the same time, and I wasn't counting either.

Now, it is strange Kissuiso would be booked exactly full in advance - not one customer too many or too little. At the same time, the mystery guest seems to have rushed her mother into staying at Kissuiso. Logically, wouldn't the mystery guest have wanted to see the inn at it's busiest, rather than being the only customer and receiving the inn's full attention? Ohana says it all. A good inn needs to lack discrimination between the social, political, and economic status of their customers. But they do need to discriminate upon their specific needs; for example, the mystery guest didn't like fish.

So yeah, I can safely postulate the mystery guest actually asked those people to stay over.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Deconstructor

So yeah, I can safely postulate the mystery guest actually asked those people to stay over.

Unlikely. Way too expensive.

[Deconstructor]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Unlikely. Way too expensive.

There are alternatives to fighting... and bribery is not the only alternative. Is it unreasonable to assume this mystery guest has the influence to ask for some favors from regular customers?

Even if you consider the possibility the mystery guest fully reimbursed her associates, then you should take into account the mystery guest probably has enough money. Part of her job, after all, is to evaluate inns at their peak performance. The magazine she works for should pay for work-related expenses.

Do you really think the mystery guest would have been able to write a complete and accurate review if she were the only customer in the inn? Many inns can serve one customer well - inns who will serve all types of customers equally well are the ones which distinguish themselves. I doubt one person can inspect every important aspect of an inn by themselves (without looking suspicious). Taking different opinions into account makes the review more convincing.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Deconstructor

There are alternatives to fighting... and bribery is not the only alternative. Is it unreasonable to assume this mystery guest has the influence to ask for some favors from regular customers?

Even if you consider the possibility the mystery guest fully reimbursed her associates, then you should take into account the mystery guest probably has enough money. Part of her job, after all, is to evaluate inns at their peak performance. The magazine she works for should pay for work-related expenses.

Do you really think the mystery guest would have been able to write a complete and accurate review if she were the only customer in the inn? Many inns can serve one customer well - inns who will serve all types of customers equally well are the ones which distinguish themselves. I doubt one person can inspect every important aspect of an inn by themselves (without looking suspicious). Taking different opinions into account makes the review more convincing.

Doesn't matter. Nobody's going to artificially fill an inn (and so pay all the bills) for the sake of writing a review. In a specialized magazine.

A TV show about, say, how Takako or someone like her revitalizes businesses might consider hiring extras, but TV budgets are bigger, and they wouldn't pay the inn for it - they'd explain it's part of the publicity they're getting by being on TV.

[Deconstructor]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Doesn't matter. Nobody's going to artificially fill an inn (and so pay all the bills) for the sake of writing a review. In a specialized magazine.

Again, consider the opposite point of view. An inn reviewer doesn't have to bribe regular customers with a free stay at the inn. These people lodge at Kissuiso routinely, so they can easily fit an overnight stay into their schedule and budget. In addition, they would be happy to spend some of their time and money so Kissuiso can maintain it's reputation as a quality inn.

All the reviewer has to do is ask politely.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Deconstructor

Again, consider the opposite point of view. An inn reviewer doesn't have to bribe regular customers with a free stay at the inn. These people lodge at Kissuiso routinely, so they can easily fit an overnight stay into their schedule and budget. In addition, they would be happy to spend some of their time and money so Kissuiso can maintain it's reputation as a quality inn.

All the reviewer has to do is ask politely.

And where does he find their contact information so he can ask them discreetly? Certainly not by asking the inn. Or never mind the review, all she has to write is "those incompetent bastards will just give away your phone numbers to whoever asks."

For that matter, an inn isn't a bar. A "regular" is a someone who takes an annual vacation with his family there, not someone who comes every day after work. Where do you find people taking random, expensive trips at the last minute just so a reviewer can see what it's like when it's busy?

[Irisiel]

Originally Posted by Deconstructor

Again, consider the opposite point of view. An inn reviewer doesn't have to bribe regular customers with a free stay at the inn. These people lodge at Kissuiso routinely, so they can easily fit an overnight stay into their schedule and budget. In addition, they would be happy to spend some of their time and money so Kissuiso can maintain it's reputation as a quality inn.

All the reviewer has to do is ask politely.

But in order to ask, wouldn't the reviewer have to know who the regular customers are? Which is information they either can only get by asking publicly (which would forewarn Kissuisou), getting it directly from the inn (holy customer privacy breach, Batman!) or by accosting the customers just as they leave the inn. Getting information from a third-party travel packaging company presents the same privacy issues.

It's more likely that loyal customers who have a certain type of affection of the inn saw that inns the area were to be reviewed, and by looking at the time between magazine publications they might have figured out which weekend was the most likely, so they decided to go then.

Their reasons could be either a) they thought that service would be upped several times and hoped to get more bang for their buck, or b) they wanted to cheer the inn on, and to know if the review will be based on a normal day, a disastrous day or an unusually good day (if it's an uncommonly bad review of a normal or good day, they can immediately discredit it and cancel their subscriptions to the magazine in question. If it's a disastrous day and the review is bad, they can comfort themselves with the knowledge that "their" inn was having a rare off-day).

[Deconstructor]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

And where does he find their contact information so he can ask them discreetly? Certainly not by asking the inn. Or never mind the review, all she has to write is "those incompetent bastards will just give away your phone numbers to whoever asks."

Well, an inn reviewer should have connections to inn customers, if only because inn customers read the expert opinion of a magazine to figure out the best places to stay. The magazine could simply ask for volunteers from regular customers at inns around Japan, and I'm sure people want to be helpful.

For that matter, an inn isn't a bar. A "regular" is a someone who takes an annual vacation with his family there, not someone who comes every day after work. Where do you find people taking random, expensive trips at the last minute just so a reviewer can see what it's like when it's busy?

An one night inn stay is pricey, but not overly expensive. The reviewer can notify everyone in advance, well before the day of the evaluation. If you notice, all the customers called Kissuiso at the exact same time - one day before the review. The young master had to put some of his calls on hold. Another coincidence, perhaps?

Originally Posted by Irisiel

But in order to ask, wouldn't the reviewer have to know who the regular customers are? Which is information they either can only get by asking publicly (which would forewarn Kissuisou), getting it directly from the inn (holy customer privacy breach, Batman!) or by accosting the customers just as they leave the inn. Getting information from a third-party travel packaging company presents the same privacy issues.

As stated above, asking for volunteers to scout can be done without the inn specifically knowing who the volunteers are. Yes, the staff at Kissuiso assumed the mystery guest was coming over due to the abnormal amount of customers they had.

It's more likely that loyal customers who have a certain type of affection of the inn saw that inns the area were to be reviewed, and by looking at the time between magazine publications they might have figured out which weekend was the most likely, so they decided to go then.

I guess it's possible, but people don't usually do something out of their everyday routine unless they're asked to. I have a flaw with this argument: If loyal customers figured out when the review day was, then wouldn't they have informed Kissuiso so the inn could prepare? Unless they're actually in cahoots with the reviewer.

Their reasons could be either a) they thought that service would be upped several times and hoped to get more bang for their buck, or b) they wanted to cheer the inn on, and to know if the review will be based on a normal day, a disastrous day or an unusually good day (if it's an uncommonly bad review of a normal or good day, they can immediately discredit it and cancel their subscriptions to the magazine in question. If it's a disastrous day and the review is bad, they can comfort themselves with the knowledge that "their" inn was having a rare off-day).

The improved service is definitely an incentive to staying over with a mystery guest. As for your second reason, I don't think any customers are that obsessed with inns. Sure, they like to know whether the review is fair or foul, but going so far to verify the validity of a review?

[Irisiel]

Originally Posted by Deconstructor

The improved service is definitely an incentive to staying over with a mystery guest. As for your second reason, I don't think any customers are that obsessed with inns. Sure, they like to know whether the review is fair or foul, but going so far to verify the validity of a review?

Well, if the customers are repeat customers, and if they've been going there for years, I could see some affectionate feeling on part of the place, and that something unusual such as a national review might get them to think "well, we're going this year anyway, so why not when it's likely that this event occurs? We've seen all other events during previous years!", sort of if someone proposes to review something that you care about (gym, café, concert hall, etcetera), and you have a favourite out of all of them that you've attended for a long time, and you realises that it will probably be reviewed during That Weekend, wouldn't you feel tempted to go and see how it goes, and maybe even guess who is the mystery guest.

It's sort of like TV during sweeps (when new episodes are churned out to get viewers so that TV stations can have expensive commercial spots, as the viewer count is counted during sweeps), you get a new, interesting experience in a package that you are familiar with a likes.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Irisiel

Well, if the customers are repeat customers, and if they've been going there for years, I could see some affectionate feeling on part of the place, and that something unusual such as a national review might get them to think "well, we're going this year anyway, so why not when it's likely that this event occurs? We've seen all other events during previous years!", sort of if someone proposes to review something that you care about (gym, café, concert hall, etcetera), and you have a favourite out of all of them that you've attended for a long time, and you realises that it will probably be reviewed during That Weekend, wouldn't you feel tempted to go and see how it goes, and maybe even guess who is the mystery guest.

It's sort of like TV during sweeps (when new episodes are churned out to get viewers so that TV stations can have expensive commercial spots, as the viewer count is counted during sweeps), you get a new, interesting experience in a package that you are familiar with a likes.

If they had that many incredibly dedicated customers, I doubt they'd be failing.

Originally Posted by Deconstructor

Well, an inn reviewer should have connections to inn customers, if only because inn customers read the expert opinion of a magazine to figure out the best places to stay.

They get letters of insult because of inaccurate reviews. If they're lucky, they get letters of thanks because of accurate ones. If they run contests, they get application postcards. That's pretty much it. What makes you think that they can just snap their fingers and have people plan vacations to suit their need to write a review?

The magazine could simply ask for volunteers from regular customers at inns around Japan, and I'm sure people want to be helpful.

Without Kissuiso - who actually have more incentive to read the magazine than any customers, who'll generally just buy the thing when planning a vacation - noticing? No.

Not to mention, again, that I find it highly unlikely that anyone would go to that much effort just to write a review for one little inn.

An one night inn stay is pricey, but not overly expensive. The reviewer can notify everyone in advance, well before the day of the evaluation. If you notice, all the customers called Kissuiso at the exact same time - one day before the review. The young master had to put some of his calls on hold. Another coincidence, perhaps?

Affordable as it may be, it's not the kind of expense people plan for the convenience of a magazine reviewer. Heck, it's usually the other way around: you read reviews so you don't have to try the stuff yourself.

As stated above, asking for volunteers to scout can be done without the inn specifically knowing who the volunteers are. Yes, the staff at Kissuiso assumed the mystery guest was coming over due to the abnormal amount of customers they had.

They assumed a mystery guest was coming because the magazine announced they'd be in the region.

I guess it's possible, but people don't usually do something out of their everyday routine unless they're asked to. I have a flaw with this argument: If loyal customers figured out when the review day was, then wouldn't they have informed Kissuiso so the inn could prepare? Unless they're actually in cahoots with the reviewer.

Or, you know, they figure the inn knows as well as they do.

The improved service is definitely an incentive to staying over with a mystery guest. As for your second reason, I don't think any customers are that obsessed with inns. Sure, they like to know whether the review is fair or foul, but going so far to verify the validity of a review?

"Customers aren't that obsessed" is one reason why I think your hypothesis that guests came on the say-so of a magazine is unlikely. (The other being, where did they find the guests to start with.)

[Deconstructor]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

They get letters of insult because of inaccurate reviews. If they're lucky, they get letters of thanks because of accurate ones.

Your reasoning is exactly why a reviewer must know the fanbase - so he or she is aware of what will cause anger. I doubt Yuina would have been so concerned about the inn review if the reviewer wasn't a prominent figure in the community.

If they run contests, they get application postcards. That's pretty much it. What makes you think that they can just snap their fingers and have people plan vacations to suit their need to write a review?

It's not a quick snap of the fingers. The reviewer can plan an inn review months in advance, and also ask regular customers months in advance to stay on the same day. You seem to be under the impression the reviewer gathered people within the timespan of one day, but not necessarily so.

Without Kissuiso - who actually have more incentive to read the magazine than any customers, who'll generally just buy the thing when planning a vacation - noticing? No.

Sure, Kissuiso could notice an advertisement for recruitment. But they can't really do anything about the masses of people; they already assume the mystery guest is hiding within a large group of customers.

Not to mention, again, that I find it highly unlikely that anyone would go to that much effort just to write a review for one little inn.

It's not a lot of effort on the reviewer's part. All she has to do is ask regular customers to stay at the inn on a specific day, then come herself. If the customers reject the reviewer's offer, then she simply asks someone else until the inn gets fully booked.

Affordable as it may be, it's not the kind of expense people plan for the convenience of a magazine reviewer. Heck, it's usually the other way around: you read reviews so you don't have to try the stuff yourself.

Regular customers are assumed to stay more than once. So they at least have the money to do it again.

They assumed a mystery guest was coming because the magazine announced they'd be in the region.

Rather baseless assumption here. The mystery guest could have been over at Yuina's inn.

If anything, the only reason Kissuiso got suspicious was the overwhelming influx of customers.

Or, you know, they figure the inn knows as well as they do.

Everyone at Kissuiso seemed rather surprised.

"Customers aren't that obsessed" is one reason why I think your hypothesis that guests came on the say-so of a magazine is unlikely. (The other being, where did they find the guests to start with.)

Do you believe the Kissuiso phone ringing so many times within the same minute to be merely coincidence? You don't find it strange Kissuiso was booked exactly full - not one customer too many or too little?

I don't think I'll ever convince you that an obsession is not required to stay over one night at an unextravagant, but still pleasant inn.