Hanyamata – 11
Odorya!
Well, that two shows in a row that I cover that managed to…you know…get something in my eye…
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Nemutte iro Hana
…she has no luck in water…
I have to admit, this is a hard episode to write about. This isn’t strictly for the sad ending…that should be the easy part; things like that can write themselves. But mostly, it’s how this program has paced itself according the the demands of drama. To paraphrase HYW from last episode, they just find the handiest roadblock to make the drama happen and proceed to the detour…easy peasy. So this time around, it feels like they are pulling it again. Feels like…It’s obvious that they aren’t. There was no handy detour they took to keep Hana around that is for sure. I think the main reason, for me, that it feels like the roadblockitis might be a terminal condition.
…now accepting mothers, undertakers, and Khrushchev’s
I would have loved to have seen at least some of Hana’s background developed at earlier points in past episodes. They wouldn’t have had to do away with her sudden departure, that can be well written and executed. But it would have given her a bit more life. As it is, I’m not so much sad for her as I am for her friends. If any of the other girls had switched seats with her, so to speak, I would have felt something more. Hana carried the show. She had that long standing Manic Pixie Girl attitude going for her. But at this late in the game, her family life felt tacked on. To sudden.
<caption contest>
We could also face the fact that we get no indication that Hana even spoke of her friends or even broached the yosakoi with her family. Her mother looked perplexed as Yaya, Naru, Tami, and Machi said their farewells. And it isn’t really as if Mama would deserve worst parent of the year. It takes some guts to go back on a divorce, and to rebuild your life according to other’s needs. If Hana was having that much trouble with Japanese and English, and had a tomboy history to look back on, perhaps Mama thought the move back to the States was the best idea.
Hareyaka
…and now they just are hitting me hard in the feels…
But then, all the above is just me kvetching about how they handled the dorama. All in all this was a very well paced episode, and despite the fact that I would have like the tension slightly buried in the background, they pulled that off for maximum effect. For one it was so sweet to see them progress the music. Yaya is spot on in how singing something to keep them in step, and it added a layer to the entire mythology of the show. One they were careful to exploit later; the moment when Yaya held her phone and played the completed song from it….Hana’s part, and she’s there but not there, really did make me tear up the most.
…again,in the feels…
At this point it does make me want to get into Hana’s mind a bit. I wonder if she feels like she has been trouble for her parents? Does that make her hesitant to bring up her friends and the yosakoi. I don’t know why mother and daughter had to leave as soon as they did…other than drama that is, but that aside, it does make the fact that Hana pushed to make this dream happen more poignant. If left feeling that way, they it makes a lot more sense to my head, along with my heart.
But I’m glad she got the time to say goodbye to her best friend
ABCs
…hugs goodbye…
Well, I can lay it on just as thick can’t I? I don’t want to take away from what the show was trying to accomplish. They did a wonderful job and I was left with hard feelings as a result…in the way they proposed. Part of me feels a little to drained by this one. I wanted to feel what they wanted me to, and did so for the most part. It just feels like they let some partially executed plot points rule the day, rather than build some depth and go from there. If the preview says anthing, we might not know what we are going to get. It looks like Hana might come back….or is that something else? Next week is the finale so I hope they can wrap this up nicely.
Flashback?
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
Yeah, the “I can’t tell my yosakoi friends, who are so important to me, that I’m leaving before the thing we’ve worked so hard for, but I can’t tell my mom, who is so important to me, that I have these friends and this dancing that has brought so much light into my life” was really lame. My suspicion is that they’re going to “solve” it by having Hana fly back for the $1500 yosakoi festival, since that’s how much those two extra plane tickets will cost. I mean, it’s not like she couldn’t have said something and stayed with Dad. This was just really drama of convenience.
At least Hana and Naru got to consummate their friendship. What?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
…ikr…
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
but but mama-san might have air time so it might be a almost free flight?!
yeah, i feel the same Highway, Drama of convenience,she coulda stayed at Naru’s or the rich girls place..or rather mama-san stay a few more days gosh!
But anyway, the friendship stay over was cutely nice…Agree!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Oh, and caption contest:
Well, it’s some sort of fusion cuisine, I think the nuclear kind.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Caption: “Masterchef Japan Champion 2014”
Such delicious technicolour LOLis in this show. Would you buy a dakimakura of one of them if you had the chance? *hides the Izuna one*
As an aside… ANN is trying to become a review blog for shows. Which is kinda amusing since they are already inherently and crappily biased. Soraneko’s choice of shows would automatically be labelled as ‘pedophile material’ 😛
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I don’t think I even read ANN that much. I’m so used to CR’s feed.
…and from what I understand, the show’s labeled as pedophile material fall under the first half-glance rule.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
The only thing good about ANN is the news and they are ruining that goodness with evermore crappy crappiness crap.
Their reviewers are so moralistic and pretend to take the high ground. As long as no 3D children were/are hurt making a show, I’m game with it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I can get moralistic in my reviews to a certain extent, but I do know that of ANN’s reviews that I’ve read, they very rarely actually *like* anything that I like. And seeing as how I don’t read their reviews much, I haven’t read them for shows I don’t like, so I don’t know if they actually like *anything*. Mostly it’s complaining about everything being average.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
You’re not missing much by not reading more. And yes, I have to agree, their reviews are like complaints.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Which a great many bloggers out there seem to think is the raison d’tre for their work.
I think many reviewers have, perhaps, seen the elephant…
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Usually when I write a review, ..Still needs more practice, but I like to write about things I like in the anime, but I also find faults in the shows I enjoy as well. So maybe I review anime as everything is average, nothing GREAT nothing Bad.. sure these points can be raised higher or lower depending how the show comes off, plays out, develops.
So hate to take this off-road for a sec but as bloggers is this a good way to go about it?
That being said, the more I read the more i kinda wanna get back into blogging, but for now ill comment and try to figure my writing style,how i want to review.. sorry about this whole Derailing or going a bit off topic my bad!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Actually you’re right thorgriim (checks double i), a review is supposed to be a pros vs cons comparison of something. Then end result is for the reader to decide based on the information. Personal views on a particular point should be highlighted. A proper review should not proselyte.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Welp I for one liked this episode, it was sad but predictable, though I won’t lie.. I also got something in my eye from this episode. But I have a feeling she will be able to return because.. anime and friendship lol.
Best part though, Nura and Hana together time, but I find it weird that girls take baths together like that.. friends even, but fanservice? young? idk.. but enough of that.. it was still cute to see them bonding before leaving.. >.<
Totally, It was a powerful scene, It got me as well hehe. The bit where Nura was reading the letter and and that ending when they found her at the airport, awws. Though that song bit had a bigger impact for me. As for the actual forced drama..I already figured this would happen with last weeks episode..like Highway said..drama of convenience. yeah pretty much, scenes are more dramatic then the actual drama.. strange sounding eh lol.