Urara Meirochou – 08
Awooooo Too! (link and clip have sound)
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It’s Meirochou’s version of the beach, so this is the show’s beach episode. That, and Kon has a great big old scare that brings her closer to Chiya. |
Four red eyes shimmer in the water
Kon and Chiya step a touch out of their depth
Well, being the closest thing to a beach episode, this one just might go into image overload; I’ll try to keep it in check, but no guarantees there (spoiler: there is no check!). This one gets back to the two act structure that episodes in the past have used, only now it feels more natural in it’s transition, just like the Koume-centric episode last week. So while the image cards are back, we get a sense of progression all the same. The show is, like a lot of one cour anime, building up to what it really wants to say as we get into week seven or eight. This time we get new insight and the chance to explore Kon’s inner world, specifically the make up of some of her fears and concerns; in addition to all the knowledge she spent so much of her younger years learning – and her yearning for even more.
Loli Antiquarian Kon searches for forbidden lore but finds fanservice…
Quaint and Curious
Wait, wait…Chiya knows this one!
For Chiya, Kon’s sense of distance is unbearable, so she wastes no time on her own course correction. But for Kon, the urara taboo is firmly in her mind as she believes she has seen the gods of Meirochou during the spring séance. Now her dream of a crumbly and unearthly Chiya certainly doesn’t help, and it really just serves to reinforce her initial fear she had just after the strange occurrence. Kon is afraid of losing her powers and her place with her friends. But Chiya ain’t having none of that, and she shows her earnesty and fierceness in keeping Kon by her side. Goodness but that baby-chick syndrome runs deep with our wild child. But when you have someone like that on your side, you really can’t fail, can you? Kon, by her nature, is a bit uneasy around people, so this sort of step-back is probably pretty normal. Where it gets interesting though is going to be how much this metaphor – ghosts in the water and Chiya possibly being about to see the gods without breaking taboo is true, along with Kon’s strong connection to her- is going to be tied into the ongoing plot and the show’s unique metaphysics. But for right now, the idea of an inexperienced young person testing the rules and being a bit shy about it holds up well.
The metaphor could be about other things, too…
This one was very fanservice heavy on the front end. But that’s good, as it got that business out of the way and onto developing Kon’s character a bit more. I may be a bit over worried about her, as she seems to easy to possess or be possessed by the spoopy things out there in her world. Episode Six was enough to show her potential, and enough to show that that potential could cut in some interesting ways, for good or for not so good. You can boil that down to her being to easily impressed by these new powers-that-be, and perhaps not having enough worldly experience, but on the swing of that she does leave a lasting and wonderful mark on the people around her, and that’s something they’ve been showing us from the first episode. She’s earned these friendships, and she’s earned the helping hands….
See you next time…
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
It’s an interesting question, whether learning about nature of the gods during the act of a divination is breaking a taboo against divining about the nature of the gods. I expect, like most taboos, that it’s a lot more flexible in practice than in prescription, especially if it’s received wisdom that those who are the best urara are able to see the gods. But even those who aren’t the best are still interacting with them, and only the densest person would fail to accumulate knowledge through those interactions.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
But, how does that work in the framework of a metaphor? Or is that even a consideration? To me there is a certain degree of ‘Innocence Lost” going on in the show, and if it weren’t for the pure moe factor, that would be a one and done assumption. I do think they’re trying to rise a bit above that. That you don’t really lose all that much, and what you do lose, you no longer need…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m less worried about a metaphor the show is operating in than you. There certainly is “Innocence Lost” in this show but it’s not the tragic sort that we frequently associate with that phrase, and maybe it is more correctly called “Ignorance Lost” as these girls change from children to adults and continue to learn about the world around them.
Of course, I’m not very sentimental at all about the idea of “Innocence” as a redeeming or desirable quality of children, but nor do I think that overriding cynicism is an obligate quality in adults. There is plenty to feel wonder, awe, and appreciation for even as you understand it, even as you accept the realities of the world. The loss of innocence doesn’t necessarily sully one’s heart or mind, except in the minds of uncharitable people judging others.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
You’re echoing my exact thoughts in your second paragraph. But in going back, I’m always concerned about the subtext a show is operating under; even a simple moe program such as this is capable of being about more than the sum of it’s kawaii parts. Even Chiya’s belly exposure rings of the simple, yet ineffective, form of apology, but it’s a start…