Urara Meirochou – 12 [END]
(MNSFW) Surprise! It’s alway been about the belly! (MNSFW)
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♪♩♬ Come to the hot springs and lay your body bare! Wishy-Washy! There you go! ♪♩♬
This was quite the send off for one of my favorite shows that came out this season. So let’s see what was finally laid bare, eh? |
Baths and Celebrations
What’s going on behind the curtain?
So, the conceit for this episode is a visit to the Seeing Hot Springs, which is a special place for urara to refresh their divination energy, find their center, and….c’mon, do you really need an excuse for an onsen episode!? Be that as it may, it’s time to round things up by having everyone wind down from the frantic Ninth Level Exams featured the past few episodes. So this getaway is perfect for the characters and the audience. Now along the way we do find out some new little features about them, especially a few overlooked ones that happened before everyone got in hot water.
Chiya and the Gang (with Matsuko’s best reaction face!)
For one, Saku sometimes let’s duty get to her head, and she forgets that she has a life and that that life has people in it; with a fine focus on the Goof Troop. It looks like she needs some space to find herself, but she’s in good hands. Speaking of Nina! Wow, does does she ever let go, we can cover that later, however. Then we have Koume’s little joke coming back at her expense – who knew that the girl’s wearing each other’s clothes could reveal how much she truly misses and wishes to emulate Marie? Then it was onto a bit of foolery with Nina and Saku again, as they hatch the plot.
Koume’s real secret is the corset…
Soon after that we get into the real hot water, and even Kon needs to loosen up. She has concerns for her future, in that she is as much a daughter to Tokie-san as she is a rival. But those melt away as she realizes that Tokie is her mother first and foremost, the rivalry just makes it a bit tougher. Besides, leaving Tatsumi-ya for Natsume-ya got her out of her shell and she met her new friends as a result, that’s the part she’s going to focus on going forward. From there we go back to the relationship that has been something of a comfort for both Saku and Nina, their own. Saku has that revelation that the vulnerability that Nina displays,beyond her capable nature, is what attracts her to her favorite urara instructor. People need people and they have a good rapport of helping each other out and spurring each other on. Then it’s on to the fanservice!
I told you I’d cover Nina….Here We Go! (MNSFW)
and Sometimes Smiles
..and to think, the tripadvisor app rated this place so highly…
But before we get to the smiles, there is a mystery afoot! It seems that thieves struck (wink wink) while the girls were overheating in the spring water – we all know it was Nina and Saku setting them up. But it does give us one final go around for Nono, Kon, Koume, and Chiya to display their skills in investigation, discernment, and how to find answers without relying on the adults or their tools. So, unlike using Kon’s kokkuri paper (much less her horny kitsune spirit companion), Koume’s Undulette, and Nono’s Matsuko during the exam, this mystery is going to take something extra to solve. Wait, they took Matsuko? She’s more than just a tool, isn’t she? I mean, we really don’t know what Matsuko is – beside awesome that is. I guess that will have to be as big a mystery as her shedding and getting a “new coat”. Oi! But let’s put all that aside and concentrate on the task at hand…following Chiya’s nose, Nono’s and Koume’s pertinent information, and Kon’s investigatory skills.
PUNY HUMANS! HAIRLESS MATSUKO WILL CRUSH YOUR VERY SOULS!!!!
But all that is bigger test than is initially let on. That little bit of reliance on each other and the skills beyond their tools has been learned, all in effort to make the next lesson bearable. The girls are moving on, and so will no longer be under Nina’s tutelage and guidance. They’ll be moving on to a new school in the ninth rank district of Meirochou (and one would assume Nina will be getting new students) and leaving all that they’ve grown used to behind. Of course this brings mixed feeling, but I love how the potential for regret is outweighed by the girls’ desire and need to move onto bigger things. Nina ends up being more heart-heavy than they are! But all is well that ends well. This is an extended family, after all, and moving on will only make these bonds stronger, not weaker!
Mom, Dad, and the Goof Troop
Chiya gotta Chiya!
Writing for this show week to week was a bit of a mixed bag. I think that, for the greater part, the airing on TAN probably didn’t get people all that interested in following the show (why pay for another streaming site if CR/Funi has all your needs?) so it fell of nearly everyone’s radar. But I’m a big fan of these types of programs so it’s worth that effort. It’s also very much worth the effort to write about. While I couldn’t find myself doing it week to week on another TAN show I started on, I had to follow through all the way on this one. There’s just something about the thematic structure, the pacing, the easy going nature that makes it fun to find new things to talk about when I get there. Which isn’t to say that Matoi didn’t have that – covering Urara is a case of once bitten, twice shy. I decided to cover this show, and I wouldn’t let the lack of comments or blog hits dissuade or distract me. Keep Calm and Keep Posting! I’ve very much enjoyed the past three months on this one no matter what, so thank you for lurking and commenting! I’ll see you next season…
Thanks for Watching!!!
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
I enjoyed the show, and I’m glad you covered it, or I wouldn’t have gone looking for it. It frequently got out of the “Only cute girls being cute” thing, and told more of a story.
There are definitely things that I felt it left a little too contradictory, like the fact that they kept hammering on friendship and teamwork and trust but then all of the established Urara they showed were solo shop owners. I also found it kinda weird that the beginner Urara were being taught by literally the worst established Urara (rank 10). Or is Nina a higher rank and still has her shop in the 10th district? I don’t know if I would like them to spend more time explaining this, or maybe just plan the story out better so that these things don’t come up.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Tokie is second rank and has her shop in the 10th District, so perhaps Nina is operating under the same principle…and other science facts!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I thought Tokie’s shop was in the 2nd district and she had come down to the 10th to administer the tests…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
She had a class in the exams from tenth to ninth…I’m assuming that meant Tastsumi-ya was in the 10th District…