Bakuon!! – 05
Don’t be frontin, old man
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Like all things, even road trips must come to an end. |
Born to be Mild
Sittin’ around, shootin’ the breeze
So after all that adventure even getting to Hokkaido, the Bike-bu actually gets to do some touring this week. It’s mostly sightseeing and going to the notable places, and having those BS sessions as you go. Like the girls’ discussion about the fastest speed they’ve gone. That discussion goes about as you’d think, with Hane’s pride at finally breaking 100 kph (60 mph), and Onsa’s realistic bragging about topping out her 140 kph (about 85 mph) speedometer. But then Rin has to go and overdo it, claiming 200 kph (120 mph) but then caving under the pressure and admitting it was 100, her desire to be seen as a safe driver and one who fits in winning out over the need to outdo Onsa. Meanwhile, Hayakawa tries to put himself in the same group as Raimu, but it’s obvious from his reaction that she’s not just in the 200 kph club, but significantly outclasses him.
Drinking Can Get You in Trouble
Rin reflects on her actions
The varying degrees of embarassment
Hane doesn’t know what she’s in for
There are the normal kooky happenings on a road trip, such as Rin almost buying it when faced by some red foxes during her max speed run, only to be saved by the Suzuki Chalice that she received from Hane. And you have to go see the sights, like the Northernmost Point in Japan at Cape Soya. What you don’t expect is to see your teacher there, especially despondent over a breakup. But her unluckiness in love probably has more to do with her propensity for getting drunk and having a big personality shift. Hane’s plan to cheer her up and have her be their advisor as thanks gets turned on its head by the teacher’s rather inappropriate proclivities, embarrassing everyone except Hane (as usual), but maybe only because she gets drunk from beer fumes and passes out while the teacher tries to attack everyone. In the end, they have some incriminating video to get her to be the advisor, and it’s time to head home.
Oh the horror!!!
Splish Splash
It’s like a US High School fund raiser…
This always happens when you wash your vehicle
And wash off the bikes. I think that everyone was probably surprised that the show went as far as it did this episode, especially with the bike washing with Hane and Rin, but I don’t know if it was much different from earlier in the episode with their teacher sexually assaulting all of them, or even the previous episode with everyone bathing in the onsen. The show has always been about fanservice of one sort or another, and I don’t think anyone is surprised by the association of bikes and boobs, and ramping it up like that is more of a difference in degree, rather than a difference in kind. As usual, Hane’s innocence eggs on Rin to overdo it, but everyone knows that Rin is just trying too hard, and that’s what they like about her.
Hane’s just too innocent about this (and everything)
And once again, Rin tries too hard
Hokkaido definitely has its own cachet among the Japanese, as a land of open space, a different atmosphere, and wildlife. And as Onsa warned Hane, you don’t want to leave your heart there, becoming disillusioned with the rest of life. But I don’t know if Hane would have an issue being disillusioned about anything, she’s just not that deep of a thinker. One of the things I like about her character is that she’s not so taken with biking, like Rin and Onsa, that she won’t complain about the obvious drawbacks of it. Her butt hurts, she’s tired, it’s a long way. But she’s also the one who is amazed by the wonder, not yet jaded, and happiest to see their destinations. And her attitude helps out Onsa and Rin, letting their cynicism fade away and just enjoy themselves.
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: iLurker with 3 comments
this is one of the most insightful write-ups I’ve seen for this show, and I really love the deeper appreciation present in how you view the show. I usually disregard hane, only because i so love the banter that comes up between onsa and rin.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Thanks for the compliment, and thanks for commenting!
I think part of what I like about Hane is that she’s earnest and genuine. Her character really works as the part that holds together the group. Know-it-alls like Onsa and Rin need someone to mansplain to, and without someone like Hane to buffer between them, they wouldn’t have had nearly the chance for their friendship to grow.
POWUH: 400-499 with 462 comments
In some ways Hane’s advantage is that she’s, frankly, a ditzy airhead. It allows her to enjoy what’s right in front of her without having to think deeply about it. That could allow her to see the joy in a lot of things that the average person wouldn’t even notice, because we’re too busy. She’s a good girl, and the show wouldn’t be what it is without her.
Rin is still my favorite, though.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I really don’t think that naive is analogous to ditzy or being an airhead. Hane is a bit childish and naive, but I don’t know if those things should be epithets. And I don’t really know that she sees more meaning, or enjoys things more than other people, or is particularly shallow, but I think it’s more that she doesn’t let other people’s baggage get her down, like the sports bar arguing about bike brands. I don’t think that she’s seeing more joy than Onsa or Rin in the destinations they go to.
And it’s not like she thinks that Rin and Onsa are stupid for arguing about bikes or anything else. I think she thinks it’s great that they are both so passionate that they can argue like that. The arcanery of bikes doesn’t matter to her, just like the arcane nature of most cars doesn’t matter to most people. Hane just enjoys riding and being with her friends.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I would defiantly put Hokkaido near the top of my list of places to visit; in all honesty bigger cities would be nearer to the bottom.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Hokkaido is much more visitor-scale than a big city is ever going to be. One can grasp the essence of a more natural place in much less time (grasp, not master) than one can feel what is special about a particular city. Sure, you can pick up the easy differences, but I really think that in a city, to understand why one city is different from another city, you need to experience a lot more than you can from just a short visit. A visit is adequate for seeing attractions and being in wonder of a place, but doesn’t really get to the nuance and life of a city.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 261 comments
Cape Soya…The Northmost of that country itself! man, I would also like to go there too…
Anyways, so this is how they clean their motorbikes eh, Uh WOW! But Sorry Girls, we are men ya know (OOPS).
Also…Lime-Face-Girl is going to face The Cranberry-Face-Girl
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I think Kawasaki-sensei would kick Hibiki-san’s faxu delinquent butt…