Subculture Anime Blog

Conjured breast milk.

Summary:

When Sora notices that Gouta finishes his fish in the morning much faster than she does, Gouta explains that he is good with fish because of the area he lives in. Sora is envious that there is a sea so close to him, but Gouta believes that Hokkaido’s food is just as good. When the usual students meet in the classroom, they ask each other about their first projects. Most of them believe they have done well, but Gouta is unable to answer when he is asked about this. During lunch in the past, two of Gouta’s friends were amazed at the large lunch he had. When Gouta returned home, he thanked his mother for the delicious meal. This surprised her, since Gouta’s father also sent a similar message to her that day. When Gouta wakes from this dream of the past, he is scolded by Kawada-sensei.

Gouta later accompanies Saori in meeting a client who wishes to use magic to find a missing item. When the two meet the client, Gouta finds that he is very uncaring and rude. Quickly becoming annoyed, he simply leaves the room. Saori tries to make Gouta realize that he cannot live by running away from everything he doesn’t like, but Gouta claims that he does not need such a world if this is true. Gouta remembers a time during his past, when his father finally revealed that he was a mage. He had given up on magic because he could not use it well, and he was too afraid to tell Gouta because he knew his son disliked magic. Unable to live with someone who told lies, Gouta’s mother decided to leave. Gouta was unable to leave his friends and school, leaving him in conflict. When Gouta’s classmates learned that he was a mage, the majority of them pretended not to know him. At that point, Gouta only had bought bread to eat.

Returning to their previous client, Gouta and Saori successfully complete his request. Afterwards, Saori makes Gouta realize that there are many different people in the world. She also praises him for putting up with the client this time. In the afternoon, Hiyori has Sora listen to music with her out in town. When Sora returns to the agency, she is reminded of her late father by looking at her watch. When Gouta returns, he expresses his want to go out to eat that night. Sora decides to accompany him, but she is annoyed when he speeds past things like the singer she enjoyed seeing previously. When the two reach a sushi shop, Gouta realizes that it is Sora’s first time. However, she easily learns how to enjoy herself.

Gouta and Sora recall how fun the sushi bar was when they ride on the train together the next morning. When Honomi hears about Sora and Hiyori’s activities of the previous day in class, she expresses her willing to go with them next time. After classes, Kouji seems to be troubled about something. Gouta and Saori visit another client in the afternoon, but Gouta asks for Saori to preform the request because he still cannot use magic properly. The client’s wish is to taste a drink that she enjoyed in the past, and after hearing her description, Gouta comes up with the correct magic for Saori to preform. When the woman first drinks the conjured liquid, she does not believe it is of the sweet taste she had before. She quickly changes her mind, however, after sensing how nostalgic the taste is. Gouta explains that the liquid is breast’s milk, then telling a story his mother once told him about such a taste. At the agency, Sora and Fune how large one of their fish has become.

Preview: Shimokitazawa

Impression:

I definitely had a small laugh about that. This show really doesn’t deserve my poor jokes though, so I guess I should get to the point. So, even after a week break from this show, coming back to it was just as great as ever. This week’s episode focused a lot on Gouta’s backstory, which turned out to be quite interesting. Though his parents split due to something supernatural, magic, divorce is something that several people experience in their life. Adding this with the major life change that he’s had to make, this episode probably made me appreciate his character a lot more. His development with Sora was also a joy to watch, even when it just involved a simple visit to a sushi shop.

Watching the flashbacks Gouta had really made me think about the presentation of this show too. I didn’t really feel the emotion Gouta’s mother showed the way I felt like I should have, which I probably credited to her reactions not being as dramatic as they could have been. After watching the episode further, and seeing the major images with things like Gouta’s large lunch turning into a simple bread meal though, I felt like the impact was still there. This makes me wonder about the difference between visual art and storytelling. An animation can easily have both, but when does experimentation start to overpower what should be a standalone great story? Of course, I’m not saying that this show is failing to present its story at all. With all of the realism I feel in watching it, I actually think quite the opposite. But hey, it’s something to think about.

This episode in particular also made me very excited to hear the OST when it comes out. I typically don’t listen to anime soundtracks, but I was so hooked to the rock and new wave tracks in this episode that I was almost too distracted to pay attention to the actually dialog that played during the scenes. The songs that Sora hears while in the city really make me feel connected as well, and I’ve actually been listening to THYME’s stuff quite a bit recently. I’m really loving this show more and more with each episode I watch, and I can already see it at the top of my favorites list. I don’t know what to expect from the next episode at all, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.

On a side note…powerbook alert!