There was no [C] episode to be forced into watching with Rho this week, so I'm sure my mood is much better. Either for that external reason or actually because of the episode's own charm, I found that it was actually much more than bearable.
 |
| That's a little disturbing on a few levels. |
Like a slice-of-life anime, the pace suddenly slowed, despite the fact that nothing has been solved (so previous episodes' climaxes were kind of just ignored). I don't mind slow-paced anime, although the fact that problems that could so easily be avoided and/or solved are just dragging on is pretty annoying. Nonetheless, it was a good episode to return to the gentle relationships between the former friends. As Poppo said, people change little by little.
 |
| She really, really does. |
I actually didn't foresee any consequence of Anaru almost being dragged into a love hotel in the last episode; perhaps it was the fact that it was almost
rape that kept me from thinking that the consequences would be negative for her. I guess I was really silly; this society doesn't work like that at all. Jinta's outburst at school, in order to get attention away from Anaru, was absolutely awesome to watch; his character, otherwise growing incredibly annoying, was good in this scene. I've always been a fan of outspoken outbursts to curb the self-righteous whispering they show in anime...
 |
| Yeah, "man juice". |
The realism of this anime, in some degrees, is pretty nice to watch. The tissues are quite obviously not the aftermath of nosebleeds (Jinta's tissue is red, after all), and there's even porn magazines lying around. I question the lack of sensibility on the other hand; how does this shack that a group of young'uns built stand the test of time and weather? That's some magical construction technique by children that are shorter and lighter than the wooden beams they used. But we can't get into that aspect or this anime will fall apart at the seams. I mean, how has Poppo, with no stable income (that we know of) and education (that we know of), been able to traverse the world? How come Jinta doesn't just have Menma
pick up something in the presence of any of the other friends to determine whether she's real or not? Why won't Menma just speak in her real voice instead of that high-pitched insanity she's been peddling? Obviously, we can't pull at those strings.
 |
| Back to normal with very little angst over "secrets"... |
It hit home how much I liked Tsurumi's character in the scene where she refused to deliver the love letter (I've always thought such a practice was cowardly to begin with, proxy messaging like that...), and how she dealt with Yukiatsu. Their light banter is always enjoyable; I hope it doesn't change if they end up getting together at the end. I don't like how Yukiatsu's "problems" seem to have been solved off-camera. I understand that a lot of angst over these things (cross-dressing) comes from having to keep it a secret, and his (former) friends finding out must have relieved him of a lot of stress, but I still don't like how he seems perfectly content. If nothing else, one of his friends should also be considering the extent of his "craziness", given that he chose to cross-dress as Menma, not just a woman. Then again, this anime
is about avoiding the obvious truths and just kind of hazily living each day in a cloud of some kind of happiness.
 |
| I would have read it on my way out the door... |
Overall, it was a slow-paced episode where "a lot" happened. The friends are obviously more and more okay with each other, which bothers me because it was
so simple but took 10 years. Of course, they're not really together yet; I hope that takes a little more time to make it understandable why one of them just couldn't trip in front of another 9 and a half years ago (or however long it took for them to "forgive and forget" but not act), ushering in a make-up session. Menma's diary can either hold some secrets or the blabberings of a young girl (in love); either way, there's no doubt that they're going to attempt to stretch out what little of the plot they have (and what little remains) for as long as possible.
 |
| Tear-filled rice must taste extra salty. |
My hopes for the future are pretty lengthy. I hope Jinta grows a spine and/or stops being annoying. I hope Menma stops being annoying. I hope Anaru grows a spine. I hope Yukiatsu's character hasn't stopped developing; his psychological problems seemed existent before so I hope they'll be tackled. I hope Tsurumi's character gets some depth without being super angst-ridden; I like her being strong against the wind instead of huddled in a corner and crying. I hope Poppo comes to reveal his well of money. So much to cover with half a season left! (They're not going to do any of that, are they...?)
~Aaro
PS. Shortest post ever?!
