HaruChika 06 – 07
Akari is Chika’s attack ninja
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An interesting concatenation for a two-part story, telling two stories that are essentially separate but connected by the hopes of one person. |
Slipping Away in a Whisper
Their closeness belies their closeness
First we have an episode giving us the introduction to Naoko Serizawa. A serious person and a serious clarinet player, she’s grown up in a family that doesn’t suit her, a mother who left years ago, a father and grandfather who were serious about business. But Naoko wants to be an artist, not the kind of frivolous “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get something done” artist, but something that she could become a master, with skill acquired through work and practice. I don’t begrudge her the choice of clarinet, although it does bring up an odd point with respect to the story as it comes along. Unfortunately for Naoko’s chosen pursuit, real life intervenes, as it is wont to do. And in the finest tradition of stories, it’s in a way that makes ones choice not just difficult, but nearly impossible. Grades falling, avoiding other people, dropping conversations, missing school, and avoiding in particular the wind ensemble. She has a degenerative condition which is quickly robbing her of her hearing, and that’s what caused her pullback from everything.
Chika’s not one to miss a chance to take the piss out of Haruta
There’s really not much of a mystery in this episode, since even Chika is able to figure out what the combination of behaviors points to, but as she frequently does, she is able to befriend Naoko, like some unstoppable force of friendship. Perhaps her solution is a tad childish and embarrassing, but the idea to construct a string and cup phone to put someone’s words right in Naoko’s ear, like the hearing aid she lost (completely) in the music room. But it becomes clear that the hearing aid isn’t really the favor she hopes to get from the wind ensemble, it’s the reintroduction of her friend to school. However, she’s got some rough advice for the current club: their goal of the national competition is completely out of reach and fantastical. However, she grants that they have a good foundation to bring a more successful future, although aiming too high now might hurt their chances of realizing it.
It’s the party line of cup / string telephones
Taking Comfort Where it’s Given
Hoping for help
I was all ready for some continuation of the previous story with episode 7, but it started out in a place that was completely different. It actually employed an interesting bit of misdirection, with the focus on Misato Aso’s time before high school, calling in to a somewhat rogue radio program of old people giving advice with the complaint that she wanted to kill herself. And unlike the serious ‘get yourself some help’ wringing of hands that would happen in a western situation, she’s basically laughed at and poked, gently enough that she doesn’t get her dander up, and redirected by the words of one of the panelists to look at the sunlight in a different way.
She really does look better in the helmet
But unlike the other people in the show to this point, Misato’s not interested in the wind ensemble. Instead, she’s found her new calling, trying to bring other disheartened kids back to school, or at least back to the geology research club. They’re a group of people who hate school, and only come because of the club. As such, they want as little to do with the school as possible, even refusing any budget from the school and setting up their own funding from the college. But even that’s run into a problem with their latest target of Blue Topaz, where they’ve claimed success in finding it, but refuse to disclose the location of the find.
The guy we know is going to join the band because of the OP
The reason is that it’s the ‘hidden village’ that is the refuge of the Seven Sages, the old folks giving renegade radio advice in town, and doesn’t want to break that up. But they all know that it’s time for Kaiyu, the young host of the show, to get back to his life with his contemporaries. And he happens to be the same person that Naoko talked about wanting to help bring back to school as well, which is the part that ties the two stories together.
Why is she listening to the little portable radio when the bookshelf system is right there?
It’s actually fairly difficult to write about this show. There’s not much hidden meaning, there’s not much that’s left unsaid. So as you can see with these posts, it’s a lot of talking about what the show is doing. But one thing I’m finding interesting about the show is that it’s more of an insight into the underlying Japanese mindset than most anime. Things like older people pooh-poohing the wishes of a young person to kill themself, in order to keep them from doing that exact thing. Things like doing a favor for someone unasked and in advance to put them in your debt to do something for you as well. And things like the abhorrence of war so much more vehemently than we in the west. It’s an interesting aspect to the show that is more the thing you think about later, not as you’re watching the show.
About Highway
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!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Throw caution to the four corners and the four winds, we’ll be damned it will allow any surprise!
As you say, this is a good show to absorb, and I enjoy having it around for just that purpose. It’s like so many shows of this stripe, there is so much happening that if you only take a surface view of it, you’d dismiss it.