Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari – 05
*credits start playing*
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This isn’t the type of onsen episode I’m used to, but I’m not complaining. |
Chatting with someone new each week has been fun, but as we near the halfway point of the show, I think it’s best they don’t stretch things too thin with a giant cast. Nakajima is a character I definitely don’t mind seeing more of. He has good chemistry with Souta and I like how he’s not afraid to shoot straight from the hip with his comments. He’s been bugging Souta a lot about his direction in life, and I assumed that was entirely because of his blunt personality. It felt needed, since Souta is floundering about his job, his father’s house, where to settle down and what to do with Poco. It’s a lot of floundering! However, it turns out that Nakajima’s badgering is not just because of her personality. Nakajima has been displacing his own fears of how uncertain his future is onto Souta, and that finally comes out into the open during an awkward visit with his father.
Okay, real talk, why would you put a couch in front of a TV facing the wrong way???
The argument between Nakajima and his father is extremely petty and shallow. Nakajima is too stubborn to take over his father’s hospital for whatever reason, and this leads to a lot of bickering. It’s never really explained why Nakajima is so opposed to it, which is a shame because that’s a lot more interesting than yelling about gardening. The two of them never actually work out their issues…they just form some weird, temporary truce after Nakajima chows down on a homegrown pineapple (which was specifically planted with him in mind). It’s not handled very well since we never see the cause or the solution to the problem. In the end, it just explains why Nakajima has been hounding Souta about using up too many vacation days aimlessly.
Awww, he’s just stressed
Speaking of hounding, we get to see more of yet another familiar face. Sae makes another appearance, with her dog in tow! It’s a rather brief appearance, but it gives me hope for the future, udon adventures we could see for this show. I imagine Sae will play a bigger role once Souta reopens the udon shop. You can always find me where the food is, and I think Sae is very similar in that respect. So, it’s always nice to build up that relationship in the meantime so it’s not too out-of-the-blue. I hope Merukuru makes a triumphant return as well!
Honestly, this episode was just so-so. It didn’t strike me as much as the previous episodes because it was so vague about everything. Any part that wasn’t vague involved Souta talking about high school regrets, which seems like a rather boring thing to bring up again. I guess he’s trying to reconnect with his roots, especially since he cut everyone off when he went to Tokyo. I’m not sure what he expects to find by doing small things like attending a reunion (or rather, making a video for it). I did enjoy the school flashback where Nakajima protects Souta from…a small dog. You would think Nakajima was the city kid and Souta the meek, country bumpkin. Other than that, I couldn’t reminisce alongside them with as much nostalgia since I didn’t find their memories all that compelling. Hiding porn magazines in a tree and comparing marks isn’t exactly inspiring. Give me more stories about fishing until the early morning for their cute fishing blog!
Oh, almost forgot about Poco. Uh, he was there…being cute…as per usual. Er…keep up the good work?
The second time they’ve referenced eating Poco. I’m worried about the finale…
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Was this actually an onsen episode? Or just “Some Dude’s HUUUUUGE Private Bath”? Kinda like Tsumugi’s “summer place” they used for a training camp in K-ON!
I think the dog is a big old metaphor for “things Souta is afraid of, and needs to get over..or else they eat his tanuki toddler which is a big metaphor for…something cute? Yeah, I lost that page, sorry…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I dunno if there’s a difference between an outdoor bath and an onsen actually. Both sound nice!..but Gaogao definitely made an onsen lol.
Souta is more of a crybaby than Poco…yeah, I can’t see Poco as a metaphor just as something cute. We’ll think fo something..