Glasslip – 08

Glasslip-Unreality

The visions are getting out of hand

spring14-highwCould it be that perhaps all of PA Works efforts up through the last few seasons have been leading to this tremendously great show? I really hope that other people are enjoying it as much as I am.

Everyone’s Trying to Figure Out Everyone

Glasslip-Yuki not back

Yuki’s back in training

I think one of the things I like best about Glasslip is that it’s telling everyone’s story at once. That means that we’re not getting a Yanagi episode, and a Yukinari episode, and a Sachi episode. It means that everyone’s stories are being told pretty much in continuity (although there was one seemingly – or maybe definitely – incongruous part in this week’s episode). This lends to a lot of skipping around, as people are doing things at the same time in different places, but it keeps the show feeling as if we’re in this same time as the characters, a device that I really like. It really helps keep things in order, except when they seem to screw it up like they might have with Sachi returning to her room in the middle of her conversation with Yanagi.

Glasslip-A confession of sorts

This seems like it’s a pretty sure thing

And that was certainly an interesting conversation. In the interest of not wanting to pry, Yana won’t ask Sachi any more about Hiro, who Sachi is upset about. Nor will Sachi ask Yana about Yuki, who Yana is upset about. Instead, they will just talk about Touko and Kakeru and presumably Sachi fills in Yana on what the two of them see. But even more interesting is Yana’s realization, at Sachi’s downcast attitude when she says that Touko and Kakeru share a ‘special relationship’, that Touko is the one that Sachi really loves. I know I’ve been hammering on that the whole series, but I take this as pretty much 100% confirmation, because Sachi’s reaction when Yana starts that sentence means she doesn’t need to finish it as a question.

Glasslip-Sachi Tries Hiro

But Sachi still tries to talk to Hiro

Living in the Abstract

Glasslip-Smash

There’s more to this than just “the future”

I’m becoming more and more convinced that Touko’s ‘fragments’ aren’t anything representing the future, and that any resemblance that they bear to things that actually happen is pretty much coincidental or something that would happen anyway. Plus, her fragments are getting more and more surreal, things that are just not going to happen (and it seems that Kakeru is no longer seeing them at the end of the episode). An exploding plate glass window, a snowy landscape, things that are pretty much outside the realm of possibility. Although I won’t say that Kakeru grabbing Touko and kissing her is “unpossible”, because his actions have seemed to be that kind of way the whole time. But who knows where they can go from here, if Touko can’t get a handle on what’s going on in her head.

Glasslip-I think the scars on the car tell more than the leaf

I think the scars on Momo’s car tell more than the leaf sticker

And two other people who need to wrap their heads around things are Hiro and Yuki. Yuki is trying by going off to the school’s track team training camp, where he’s doing ok, but obviously isn’t back to being ‘the star’. I think it’s interesting that the coach is happy with his time from before, but Yuki isn’t. I wonder if the coach has much more realistic expectations for a boy who is still rehabbing a knee (knee injuries take pro athletes about 2 years to fully recover from, if they ever do). And Hiro, still stinging from being used by Sachi, goes for a hike to try to clear his head. I think it’s nice that Sachi did try to actually call him, prior to leaving him a text, but I don’t know what Hiro will think of Sachi’s overture of friendship. Or is it really Sachi “breaking up” with him, now that her secret is out?

Glasslip-What will his response be

Does he really want to know?

Bonus Decor Don’ts

Glasslip-The 70's called and want their light fixture back

Touko! Replace this terrible light fixture!

header-spring14-highw

Another episode of wonderful visuals (that single branch of the tree blowing in the wind was perfect; watch trees in a light breeze and that’s exactly what you’ll see), beautiful music (this time they pulled out Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8, “Pathetique”, with it’s lovely second movement, and I also love the first movement), and continuing that excellent storytelling method that keeps me rapt throughout. We need to find out what is going on with Touko, but I expect that will come sometime soon. Will it be soon enough for her to figure out her friendships with the others, tho? And will Kakeru have to go away with his mother? She seems to be heading that way, with the questions about whether he likes living there, and her conversation with his father last episode. Also, I wish we’d get a little more info about Hiro’s sister and her boyfriend. But I’m not holding my breath on that last one.

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Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
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11 Responses to “Glasslip – 08”

  1. skylion says:

    Well, you’ve covered the ground fairly well. But I do wonder about Sachi. Playing both ends?

  2. sonicsenryaku says:

    You know what i noticed about glasslip; It hit me while re-watching toradora in its english dub (which is really good by the way, especially the eng VA for Minori; she’s pretty talented). While most romance anime tend to focus on the fundamental aspects of what it means to love and the journey to being with that significant other (something toradora did so well as well as fleshing out its characters, that i was able to forgive the more melodramatic scenes and the sort of ok ending the second time through), glasslip shows us how people deal with having feelings for one another all the while trying to move on with their daily lives (it’s not like ppl lifestyles or ambitions come to a screeching halt just because they are dealing with love).

    Also, i dont know if it has been de-confirmed or not, but i think Hiro’s sister’s boyfriend is actually a patient at the hospital Sachi is at, which is why we see her leaving the hospital room in tears in that one ep. I could be completely wrong but that is what im starting to think. She just wears a facade that everything is A-ok. The scratches on her car are a reflection of the pain in her heart : P.

    And it looks like my theory about her vision not necessarily being glimpses into the future per se is starting to become stronger

    • Highway says:

      Momo’s boyfriend definitely is a patient down the hall from Sachi’s room (this last stay for Sachi). She’s mentioned him at least once, and that’s why she’s always there. They haven’t said what condition he’s in, so I don’t know if Momo left in tears because he wasn’t doing well or because they had a fight, but generally Momo seems to be the cheeriest person in the show, and I doubt it’s completely a facade. And I don’t know why the ‘terrible driver’ trope is such a big thing in Japanese media. I mean, in western media, it’s a rare thing, a special character trait. In anime, everyone who’s not a professional driver or police officer is an awful driver. It’s really not that hard.

      And if you like the Toradora! dub, more power to you. I cannot stand it (but then, I really don’t like any dubs). The problem for me, as always, is that it’s so obviously dubbed: the voices are just laid over top of everything, never seeming to be mixed properly, never in the moment. I’ll grant the possibility that I can’t pick up on the emotional nuances without watching more of it, but overall, the parts I watched just seemed flat and rote.

      • sonicsenryaku says:

        I understand where you’re coming from; it’s just important to note that its also hard to pick up on the emotional nuances of a jap dub if one isnt necessarily acclimated to the language due to the way our brains are wired. Most of the time, we can only pick up on the emotions that are most easily accentuated and therefore your average anime viewer cant really pick up on those nuances. As a result, it’s much easier to digest a dub from a foreign language in comparison to our own language. Ive heard some not too good voice acting in jap dubs that your average anime viewer would deem good voice acting; but yea I would disagree that the actors arent in the moment because there are numerous scenes i can count off the top of my head where the actors truly dig into the emotion happening on screen (Cassandra lee’s change in intonation as Taiga grows throughout the series; Christine Marie Cabenos’ spastic depiction of Minori); at least to me its clear that the main cast is giving their all to their performances, but i definitely see where you are coming because i feel that way about a large sum of eng dubs that are either being very mechanical about their work, cannot adapt a proper eng script, or dont have the acting chops to carry the characters. Toradora’s cast does hold the series right were it should be

        And about that driving trope, i think it has something to do with when youth’s actually start driving in their own vehicles in Japan. In the US, kids can have cars and bring them to school by the time they are sixteen, but in japan, i believe highschoolers arent allowed to bring vehichles to school and even in college, you see most students not driving, but mostly commuting by bike, train, or walking. pretty much what i trying to say is that they use the fact that, relative to kids in the US, japanese citizens are late bloomers when it comes to driving and that they are so use to commuting that when they finally get a car, they arent quite use to it yet; at least that’s my understanding of it.

        • Highway says:

          It’s not really that they’re not in the moment. The complaint I’m making is more technical: The audio mix puts the voices too far forward. Just about every dub I’ve heard sounds to me like the VA’s are standing in front of my screen reading their lines. The voices are not ‘in’ the audio mix as much as just laid on top of it. I realize that it costs money they don’t have to post-process the vocals, and that they probably don’t have access to the same notes and effects used to add the same ambient effects, but all the same, it (to use a kinda snooty term) ruins my immersion.

          • sonicsenryaku says:

            Oh ok, that makes sense, I definitely know what your talking about; but that’s a problem that rears its head even in the masters (im referring to the recording that dubs work off of) of a number anime, and to a degree, you see similar technical issues there as well. Still, i definitely resonate with what you’re saying. In both cases, ive just learned to dismiss it because it sort of takes a keen ear to even notice it in the first place (although it doesnt seem so once you become aware of it)

            I gotta say though, you’re very perceptive because quite a few of your observations of the way these characters behave in glasslip have been right on the money.

            • Highway says:

              Yeah, my workaround is just to not watch the dubs. 🙂 Also, not to brag, but perhaps I get more out of the original Japanese now than I used to, since I’ve been working on learning it for the last 3 years. It definitely adds quite a bit when I’m not solely relying on someone else’s translation.

              And thanks for the compliment. I find that a show like Glasslip really promotes paying close attention, because the details add so much richness to it. Also, the way they’re telling the story, with so much quiet time, really allows for someone like me to come along behind with posts like this. In shows where they talk everything out, there’s not nearly as much room for interpretation. It also leaves a lot of things as mysteries, too. One thing I’m wondering if we’ll find more about is the scene of Yanagi walking naked through the house. I can think of multiple interpretations of that: She was enjoying the freedom of being alone in the house (although it might have been too purposeful for that), she was doing her Mio Kitahara impression, she was going to Yukinari’s room naked to lie on his bed and do her Alanis Morissette impression (maybe a little less angry… listen through the end if you don’t know what I’m talking about / haven’t heard that). Or maybe they’ll just leave it at that.

          • sonicsenryaku says:

            Yea, with my japanese having gotten better throughout the years, ive been able to watch anime without having to heavily rely on subs myself as well and it definitely helps to enrich the experience; it sure has helped with glasslip. I do quite a good amount of studying regarding the psychology of music and language, and as a result my knowledge of the field gives me insight on certain things regarding language, not to mention it has made my hearing more sensitive over time (which is why i note the audio mix issues being a trait of both dubs in the anime world….the process is really hard).

            Hahaha i sure got a kick out of your Alanis Morisette comparison. Imagine if that was what she was actually doing…yes Alanis…i wonder if Yuki would mind. Ive seen some viewers state that Yanagi’s nude scene was pointless fanservice to which my reply was “not at all my friends”. Glasslip’s fanservice has almost been none existent and when it did show up it was very tame. Here is something i wrote at another site:

            On another note, Yana’s nude walk scene actually has a purpose. It accentuated the fact that no one was home, and depicted the sense of loneliness that had overcome her upon reflecting upon her feelings. If one digs deeper, one can also see that scene as a illustration of Yana’s transformation into her new self; As if shedding away all her inhibitions and finding new strength, which is why we see her taking upon herself to run Yuki’s daily regiment and why she says in the ep preview that she is trying to reinvent herself. Or i could be reading way too much into this but the clues are certainly there.

            • Highway says:

              Yeah, there’s no way that was “pointless fanservice.” It’s not that kind of show, it’s not that kind of studio, it’s not that kind of story. Your interpretation is a likely one, although I don’t watch the previews for most shows.

              One thing that might be interesting is if Yana realizes that it’s not Kakeru who made Yuki be not cool, but rather that’s just how Yana realized he is after the release of her confession to him, and his exceedingly poor handling of Touko. I also didn’t have a problem with Yana’s naked walk through the house because she gave me the impression earlier as someone who actually enjoys having time to herself, as we saw when she hurt her ankle. Perhaps this was another way of ‘treating’ herself.

  3. anaaga says:

    I’m starting to suspect that Touko’s vision is something that she wants or her own feelings instead of the future.

    I support your lesbian theory, but I’m starting to doubt it since Sacchi looked genuinely sad about her bouiferend’s anger. Maybe Sacchi likes Touko, but she’s starting to like Hiro as well? Oh man, this is hard for me since I ship Hiro x Sacchi. I love how their relationship looked so natural and happened in a snap. Out of the three girls, she’s definitely the one who gained the most but did the least!

    • Highway says:

      Well, you can be not in love with your friend and still feel like a heel for manipulating and using him, and making him be mad at you. I don’t see that as mutually exclusive at all.

      To be sure, I was definitely surprised that she came out and called him her “boyfriend”, although part of me wonders if that was kind of a dodge to avoid saying they were “tsukiatteru” (going out) or he was “kareshi” (a more usual Japanese word for boyfriend).

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