Hanayamata – 02
This is how you say hello in Jersey, apparently…
Welcome back to HaNaYaMaTa. I’m very glad to have you here. This week the characters get a bit more depth and the yosakoi takes it’s very first nervous steps.
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Jealousy
The show is in full flight mode, you can remove the yuri goggles…
Hindsight, they say, is 20/20. Nostalgia rarely if ever is. And this episode explored that very well I think. Yaya has spent years building her relationship with Naru, and gets incredibly jealous when Hana just moves in and sets up without a look back; making it look easy in the process. In the time since their elementary days, Yaya can list Hana’s flaws down to the numbers, and yet doesn’t hesitate to enumerate exactly why both of them are friends. While Yaya was busy being the boisterous, energetic one (the barakamon), she was still nervous about like. Hana was her reality check of sorts. Supportive, encouraging, and engaged in the friendship. And though I gave Naru a heck of a lot of flack as a character in the First Impression, this discovered growth had made my opinion of her grow.
Superpowers
Seriously girfriend, a handshake, a bow, maybe a chaste one arm hug…
But Hana has more in common with Yaya than either one realize as of yet. Both are outgoing, and both use that in a way to hide feelings of inadequacy. Hana loves superhero comics the same ways teenage boys love them. She acts in control despite coming out of left field, but she was almost sidelined by crippling doubts. But then, this isn’t an odd characteristic at all. We can’t forget that these are teenagers. So the whole, fake it til ya make it thing that adults sometimes have to do, looks much more risky to them than it does to older folk looking at it in rearview. Also we get to see that both Hana and Naru share a love of reading as well, and really the same type of stories. For Hana it is capes and secret identities, for Naru it is damsels in distress and knights in armor.
Yousei, Gangster, Samurai, Tsundere
But the best development I took away from this show was the fact that Yaya is still not on friendly terms with Hana. We could have had sunshine, rainbows, playful puppies, and kawaii neko, with friends holding hands in the OP. But this is still a fresh wound for Yaya. Oh goodness, that missed message, the time with desert, and starting this club are all out of her zone. Now that is part of the plot right there. This yosakoi thing. I don’t blame Yaya for being reluctant to accept it. The dream comes from two flighty individuals, and Naru is not exactly the lightest on her feet. And kudos to the staff for pacing that scene just right. We felt Naru’s apprehension and her determination before she had to “go on”. And kudos to Yaya for supporting her friend. Oh, and some gleeful moments of laughter as Hana isn’t quite the Japanese lady….going all touristy…
I’ve actually had deserts like this….yummy
Leaps and Naruku
It didn’t take me but a few weeks, but I found one of the shows that I look very forward to this season. Mondays are a day off for me, and when I find myself tearing away from whatever deviltry I get myself up to, to get to watching this, heck or high water, that’s a keeper. And I think this one episode proves it. This was very good characterization. It felt natural, and fun, and of great interest. It’s easy to find sympathy when they write these girls in such large comedic moments, but they back it up with some great strokes of solid proper character brushwork. I’ll be here next week, I hope you do the same.
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: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
My doubts from last week were cleared up this week. As you’ve said, the characterization this week was well done. Even though dealing with jealousy is hard to even identify in the first place, Yaya showed some pretty strong character by admitting it and still having the strength to encourage her friend in spite of it.
Naru’s mentality is harder to understand, she could have told Yaya outright but chose to try make a display for her friend that would make her proud. In the end, the message came across clearly – and it was a great moment.
Props definitely must be given for the buildup in this entire episode. Yosakoi or not (and there were some smatterings of it) those developments alone from our two heroine’s have added the power to this show that I was looking for!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’m trying to shake this odd feeling that the yosakoi is going to get talked about more than done. HTT Syndrome?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Of course it’s going to get talked about more than done. Talk is cheap. The real question is whether they will do some, and I think they probably will, even if it’s like we saw this week, in a fragment.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Oh gosh no HTT syndrome! /shudder.. one of them will have to become azusa and make them do Yosakoi.. Just what Hana needs… CAKE.. she hyper enough..
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
Saving the best for last I guess. Though I’m sure we’ll get a few peeks here and there…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yes, it is far better to build this up in bits and pieces rather than all in one go.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
The opening and the cuteness of the characters put Hanayamata among the ones I can’t wait for the next episode. I have to watch the OP at least once a day to be happy.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Totally, I know what ya mean.. its a fun opening hehe.
Hanayamata is one of my top 5’s for sure, (I actually think what all 5 are already..stupid brain think). I look forward to it weekly, tugging my heartstrings and being all cute and stuff.. hopefully it will keep it going and have some actually performance I hope.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
SO CUTE I DIED!
I am surprised at how much drama is in this not OH MY GOD drama more like pulling at my heartstrings in a good way of course so good feel drama? Yeah I guess that is how I would describe this series so far.
Hana’s double fangs = blond loli vampire!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
>blonde loli vampire
Look, I happen to be an expert on that very subject. I don’t think she’s a vampire…
It was well played drama. I didn’t think to much of either Naru’s or Yaya’s characters…but I do love them now.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Indeed.. There can be several blonde loli vamps, But there is only One True Blonde Loli Vampire who loves donuts, hmm.. that does sound kinda cute actually.
Ya, drama is working on me here, Yaya is starting to grow on me now.. hehe Naru is still my favorite! /hug this shy little thing.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Well this was a cute episode, Naru is just too adorable for words, and That Hana, such silliness.
I do wonder if I went to a Japaneses school I’d act similar to hana? with all the things I see in anime to bring them up in RL..like the Gangster, Samurai, Tsundere comments. though I think I’d be the stupid one hehe, if anything i’d be more like Naru being too shy for my own good haha.
anyways, Yaya figuring what jealousy is like, I’m just wondering how she will end up joining this Yosakoi club, clearly she joins. but how is what interests me.
The episode I felt was nice in the pacing department, and i pretty much enjoyed the whole episode, good laughs, fun moments with Hana, and development with Yaya with a little more Naru’s finally standing up for herself there. All in all.. a very enjoyable episode, i did get a little teryeyed near the end.. Girl friendship.. is touching..snif sniff..
“let me see your Yosakai said Yaya as the thought was “oh my did she just ask her to show her it?! gasp..wait wait.. reading too much into that line…Welp see ya in the comments!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
As I say above “you can lose the yuri goggles”. ..cause not everything has to be yuri, ya know?
I don’t think Naru is quite standing up yet! The OP rather does feature her falling in the most marked of manners. But she knows she is capable in her own time.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Indeed the goggles are off.. but there are times ya just notice the subs cry out for it hehe, yes no yuri vibs please.. but Hana.. face is soo close! a little more… Wait NO no NO! *walks away throwing papers all over the place.*
willpower Naru willpower, ya I’m happy she didn’t pick it up and completely ace the dancing, I would of shot someone if it became natural for her. So just adorable in this episode id totally cheer her on and wanna be her friend hehe.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I really liked where they took Yaya’s character this episode. Not really breaking her down, but showing that within that able, confident person is someone who does care about Naru, but is also worried about herself, and examining what her friendship with Naru was about.
Hana might be a little too high energy for my tastes, I find her a bit tiring, but the way she’s friends with Naru is so much different from Yaya. Yaya has been content to let Naru stay in herself, to protect and engage with Naru on Naru’s terms. Hana is more interested in drawing out Naru, pushing her to expand her boundaries and exceed her comfort level.
So of course that sets up a little bit of a conflict between Yaya and Hana, who view Naru differently, although it’s hard to blame either one, since Naru’s actually presented herself differently to each. She’s always seemed mostly content, if maybe just a bit wistful, to be in the shadow of Yaya, so that’s what Yaya’s familiar with, and seeing Naru be more outgoing with Hana, even if she’s uncomfortable, is unexpected and different.
It’s a really nice setup, and they’re handling it pretty well.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It always good when character get some natural textures. Jealousy is often portrayed as very negative, but it can be a sign on the road for someone to develop and understand the feeling. This episode underscored that without hitting us over the head with it.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
ahh right, they didn’t make it a negative jealousy, I sorta jsut took it as normal jealousy. Hehe I miss things like this, but love seeing them and thinking.. “oh I didn’t think too much about that” type deal lol
awesomesauce hehe
POWUH: 400-499 with 462 comments
Tsundere, tsundere! 😀
Yes, Yaya, you are totally jealous. It hurts, doesn’t it? Not only having your friend seem to be being taken away from you, but to have this new girl come in and be able to do something for her that you, for all your desire to protect her, haven’t been able to do. It hurts.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…tsun tsun dere…
She still has to face all that is Hana, maybe one day…
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Suddenly I’m hearing Yozakura Quartet, Hime Tsundere song