Tsugumomo – 07
Kukuri and Kiriha have had their share of ups and downs
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We continue our straightforward adaptation (Chapters 14 & 15 this time) through fun and merriment and fanservice…How’s your Concentration skills? |
Kanayama-san or Booty Grab Grab
Goddess at Work? Child at Play? Both?
There are several things I’ve enjoyed about Hamada Yoshikazu’s current and only manga work – and that’s above and beyond his attention to anatomic detail and total willingness to lean into fanservice. The first thing is how he paces his story. It’s been no secret so far that there is a great deal going on in Tsugumomo’s background, that there is far more going on with Kiriha, and Kukuri, to say nothing of Kazuya, not to mention literally everything else having to do with the supernatural. This is true of many stories. But what stands out, for me, is that so far this series (and this is keeping in line with the manga) has avoided any huge or silly exposition dumps To it’s credit it concentrates on developing character more so than simply giving out information brick by brick. For instance, while we know that goddesses of the land are important, and their shrines are necessary, we’re much more concerned with whether or not Kukuri and Kokuyou have a place that they can call home.
…and a place they can call private?
But then there is my favorite aspect of his storytelling abilities, and that is his use of ellipses around crisp dialogue and peppy repartee, leaning into both a real world of expectations and the weird world that they inhabit. If he introduces a tsukigami concept, it usually has something to do with either Kiriha, Kazuya, or both in so far as their inner connection is concerned, in addition to being plot and worldbuilding material. This episode we are given the development that Kazuya’s family has known all along that Kiriha is sticking around, that she’s a tsukigami, and that they know she’s a very demanding houseguest. All of this is kept as natural comedy, and none of it’s forced or overplayed for cheap laughs or to check story boxes or just for cheap gags. So, after that, it should come as little surprise that Kiriha is more than acquainted with Kazuya’s parents. What was more interesting and more grounded was that she was still as much of a pain in the ass in their youth as she is right now. He and the show have built up some solid story credit.
Yes, Kiriha and Kazuya’s mom have a past…
But, speaking of pains and butts, it’s time to talk about Kanayama-san (Kanayamabime-no-kami, Taguri – if you’re being formal?) and the Kanara Shrine. If there was ever a way to spend that credit, this would be the debit. So yeah, there’s no way to sugarcoat this. This probably remains the most silly and sometimes stupidest scenes of fanservice I’ve ever seen – and holy crap, I’m still bothering to watch Sin: Nanatsu no Taizai . While they usually show some restraint when adapting from the source – the manga’s doll feature anatomy becomes either blocked or redrawn in the anime – they have pretty much gone by the book, so far as the plot is concerned. I thought they would demure and not totally identify the frisky goddess as a lolicon, but they went there. Now that would be strange on the one level, but at the same time, it doesn’t really work with the story. As far as we know, Kukuri was an adult form goddess when visiting on previous occasions when she was short on cash, so Kanayama’s tastes are a brick joke so far as the scene plays. She’s a goddess of metal and fortune after all, so the game is rigged to her tastes and favor, anyway. But, in keeping the game in mind, I’ll avoid a play by play, as it was all there in the show, and didn’t really have any subtext at all. Needless to say, everyone came out a winner!
I love how the shrine is just like a TARDIS…
Tsugumoremore
Turn over the cards for some NSFW stuffs!
So the show keeps up with the daily escapades of our main and supporting cast. Be they ever so goofy, there is no place like home. So yeah, Kanaka and Kazuaki are Kazuya’s parents (and his sister Kasumi! Let’s hear it for the Ks!) we had hints of the lady being close to him around episodes two and three, but now they’ve sealed the deal. This is important ground to lay as malison cleaners/exorcists, other tsukigami, competing kami, and other big ideas start coming into the mix later on in the story, probably before the first cour comes to a conclusion. So it’s good to not only have something to fight for, a family, but a tradition that he can look up too as well. The next episode should start a pretty significant story in Kazuya’s training as a cleaner (or they could skip around, we’ll see!) and it should tie up some things from previous episodes as well…
Cleaner or cleanee?
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: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Wow, Kazuaki sure went through hell (And Kiriha had no qualms giving it) to get with his future wife and it looked like the torment was worth it considering how the family is currently. They did kind of kill the fun for me, though, showing that Kiriha is already acquainted with the sister and father. I was expecting a big freak out and subsequent outrageous, outlandish explanation.
My condolences to the horror Kiriha and Kukuri endured. Kazuya should be grateful he didn’t get caught up in it. Given the situation she’s in, I wonder if Kukuri will be able to return to her former glory. Instead, she seems to keep falling down deeper and deeper.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Kukuri has always managed to surprise me as a character and as an element in the over-all story. She’s down, but she’s not out. Kiriha may be able to get her in a leglock, but a goddess is still a goddess, and an obi tsukigami is still just that. So for all intents, the levels of game Kukuri is on, is more than just the levels we’re aware of.
For me, the humor contained in, “oh, they just know each other…” far surpases any gags they could have done. Comedy is about subverting expectations, and the no-intro intro is the way to go considering how esoteric a tsukigami already is. Now Kanaka (the wife and mother) and Kiriha’s past? That’s not going to be in this cour, but those waters run so wild and so deep.