Hanayamata – 07
With great ambition
Whoosh, Whoosh, let them bloom. So, how have I found you? Ready for more Yosakoi?!
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A Member in Name Only
C’mon Yaya, everybody wants to be a cat…
Well, last episode the gang just got on their feet, and in this we see them charge up for the run, with all sorts of planned activity going down. It’s great to have a motivator like that department store talent competition; and an advisor that wants the free trip to Hawaii prize. They aren’t quite on the beach just yet, as they are without costumes (no matter what Sally-chan tries...kenomomimi, and the suggest of school mizugi, and the Sawa-chan approved medio), and have an incomplete music track. They did good on the first part, begging Machi-chan to give them old club remnants, and getting them kitted out with their logo. Hana even secured extra naurka in a rather interesting way…But the music in question, it leaves a bit of a mark on the rest of the episode.
The dream is over
It’s perfectly natural to show some self-doubt after defeat, and Yaya’s school band not making a contract audition is no exception. And when lots of your being becomes infused with “making it”, what happens when that breaks? For Yaya it was much more than just self-doubt. It seems she was putting much more into the band then the other girls were, at least in terms of expectations. I found the break up to be very well played out. Most of the members had other commitments, such as graduating and moving on to other high schools, or boyfriends! So for them, it was a happy final memory, and they wanted to keep it that way. Not so Yaya.
Some feelings laid bare…
And so much of this ties back to the second episode. Yaya has felt left out of Naru’s life since Hana entered the scene, but that’s always been acceptable, since she had her other commitments, and it looked like, even though a huge genki ball of crazy, Hana was good for her old friend. But then the band falls away, and what does she feel she has left? A big old empty hole? Sure, and some people cannot turn that inward, they turn it outward, and lash. She is feeling empty, and you know, there is nothing like Naru and Hana’s cheerful spirit to counter that, and make it feel that much worse. How those feelings of jealousy strike. That was Yaya at her lowest. But she still feels some remorse. And the other girls aren’t through with her yet…
Four Naruka’s
But, there is the showdown, isn’t there? If at first you don’t succeed, you have to scream insults from the top o’ yer head, on the top of the school. Those were some great healing moments, with all four girls realizing that they couldn’t get where they want to be without each other. We’ve had some great character building moments for the past seven episodes, and all with the yosakoi hovering in the background. What did you folks think?
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 Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
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KEMONOMIMI!!!!
Resistance is indeed futile… *goes back to working on the Gastrea project*
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…we can make do with the costume, KAY!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
So after this episode, I came to the conclusion that Yaya is pretty much your tsundere main heroine in harem fantasy style plot that got stuck in an SOL manga instead. Granted Yaya haven’t jump down the borderline like Claire happily does in Blade Dance but she came awfully close to it in this episode to me. I’m glad the author/anime studio didn’t drag the drama out for more than a single episode.
Other than tht, its still a pretty fun watch especially Sally revealing her cosplay kink.
@Skylion
At this rate, I’m kinda expecting that we will only get to the Department Store competition by around EP 10/11 and the full dance will be revealed in the climax of the finale. And maybe somewhere in between that Glasses will join them.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m actually thinking the department store is next episode, then we’ll have 3 to get Machi-chan to join them.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
They’ve played this in a very risky way. If Machi-chan doesn’t deliver, after teasing us for so long, it could come out flat.
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
Still this was the most they showed her in any episode so far, so I’m hoping her arc is coming up fast.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
What would count best is her character in a prominent position in the previews. But I don’t know how well that would play off with eight of 12 episodes…
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
True, normally the final 3 or 4 episodes would be a connected story that gives the series some closure, but so far the show seems to prefer short character-based “healing” stories over the story of how the Yosakoi club does in their events. I think Machi will get at least one episode about her troubles, and how hanging with the other club members makes her feel better.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, I am so glad they knew when to say when with Yaya’s character. A great amount of tsun if fine by me, but she was coming off terribly there for a while, wasn’t she.