Lots and lots of HTML work meant that I didn't even get the chance to watch Nichijou ep16 until today...when it's already time for ep17 to be out. Sigh~ My only solace is that the blog will hopefully look better soon.
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| ...and this little piggy cried all the way home... |
I hope it's not just me, but ep16 felt a lot less "random". This was a very Yukko-focused episode, with her appearing in most of the scenes, and there were a lot less shorts. Instead, this episode was populated by mid-length scenes and a few longer ones. With the introduction of Professor and Sakamoto to Yukko, it's clear that the "two worlds" are becoming further joined. Since most of the characters belong to the same environment to begin with (the school), I do kind of hope that this series ends with perhaps a very outlandish plotline incorporating all the characters (or as much as possible).
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| I wonder how well Daiku Coffee sells, in this case. |
In the scene before the OP, Yukko attempted to ask Nano to go home together, although it didn't work out so well because Nano ran away when Yukko wasn't looking. This scene was not referenced until the very end of the episode (though the fact that it was picked up again just showed how seriously the anime has begun taking its continuity). Instead, after the OP was a scene of Yukko visiting the newly-renovated Daiku Coffee. I used to feel that way about Starbucks, what with their mixture of fake Italian and lies, but then I realized that, logically, the sizes are in ascending order. I'm sure this will inevitably come back to screw me over; perhaps the last denotation one day won't be a size but rather a concoction with extra toppings. At any rate, Yukko was severely hurt upon receiving an espresso shot, and vowed to only buy from vending machines from then on.
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| Hey, at least the ball was still caught, right? |
One of the few shorts this episode was the old man (the vice principal!) and his grandson (who turned out to be a super-pro pitcher). I didn't actually understand why the convenience store clerk laughed at Yukko when she wanted the random chicken stick, but it was definitely funny how Yukko ran away hysterically crying. There was also the incredibly memorable scene of Nakanojo and his father, who turned out to be the man obsessed with the authenticity of Daifuku-kun. Other than that, I remember Sasahara getting jabbed by his goat and a random scene of an unknown boy and girl taking shelter in the rain. The latter reminded me a lot of the scene with the baseball club manager and the player in the last episode; are they connected?
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| The aftermath of a warzone is always difficult. |
Yukko was also integral to what was really Mio's scene. Mio was keenly eyeing Sasahara (back after a long time, I think) when she remembered that she had something to do, about to head off when Yukko found her. They were immediately interrupted by a police officer that was looking for a person walking around with a similar bag to Mio's, containing counterfeit notes. When it came down to checking the contents of everyone's bags, Mio (naturally) freaked out and began using brute force to keep the contents of her bag safe. (She failed.) Unfortunately, her super-yaoi manga was destroyed due to the goat's paper-eating ways, and I'm sure she missed the deadline for entry into the competition (I assume that's what she had to do). Poor girl. It's so hard having secrets.
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| You can still erase with them, I think. |
I really could not stand the scene with the trio - Yukko, Mio and Mai - but I can't pinpoint why. I don't like the idea of doing homework while sitting at Daiku Burger. Maybe it's because I have clear memories of a McDonalds near where I worked once, and there was always a greasy feel in the air. I'm sure most of that was my OCD, but still. I also fail to understand the point of a character eraser, other than for novelty purposes - in which case, none of the girls were carrying erasers (and yet Mai had a magnifying glass). Ah, I don't know why I disliked this scene so much, but I did.
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| Teaching a cat to "meow"... |
It was upon leaving the fast food joint that the trio saw Nano walking home, with Yukko once more asserting that she must be a robot. A scene break later, Yukko sought out Nano's home and dropped by unannounced. As much as Nano tried to hide her nature and situation, Professor destroyed all hopes of normalcy in one fell swoop. It was hilarious to see Sakamoto being begged to not speak; would it have been infringing on his privilege to just take off the scarf temporarily? Yukko clearly found out that Nano was a robot, after Professor demonstrated some of her upgrades, but there was a moment of bonding when she was leaving, when she said to Nano that it just didn't matter (that's what she essentially said, using the usual flowery language). The episode ended with a clear acceptance of Nano, considering the bolt that she had dropped in the classroom (picked up by Mai) was quietly found at her doorstep.
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| Mohawks can be inherited! |
With a less random feel to this episode, I feel as though Nichijou might be aiming for something more - like a larger story in the foreground. I could be wrong, and this episode might just have been done different. With the season not even close to wrapping up, there's still a lot of twists and turns that could happen. I'm only hoping for a big finale right now.
~Aaro
