Monday, May 30, 2011

Hanasaku Iroha Epsiode 8--Think of the Customer

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In the first of a two-part storyline, the inn has to deal with an influx of customers that probably has to do with their upcoming magazine rating. Things get more complicated when Ohana's grandmother suddenly becomes sick, and idiot management woman makes a reappearance. The result is a compelling episode; why couldn't every episode be like this?

Screenshots
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It would be awesome if Kissuiso at least ranked, but it's probably too early in the series to expect that.

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Living in completely different worlds...

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You...didn't even stop to think about it for a minute? ;-_-

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So... how many episodes will it take for her to drop the tsundere act?

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Doesn't hurt to dream, right?

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Everybody starts somewhere.

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Another step forward in the love square subplot.

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I felt bad for Ohana in this scene, even though her grandmother explains her actions later. Even though they don't act like family, it's clear that Ohana does care about her.

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NOOOOOOOO!

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Another interesting layer to the "we're family but not really" dynamic.

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This episode makes at least one thing clear: the inn is everything to Ohana's grandmother.

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That's because she trusts you to learn.

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Yay!

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What a good friend.

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This happened a little sooner than I expected, but still, yay!

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The Creep, of course.

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Argh. Can you just...go away?

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That logic doesn't apply to inns.

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Poor guy.

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No, it's not! Go with your gut feeling!

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"She's got so many details written down about each customer." That's because she cares more about the customers having a good time than making the inn itself look good on a ranking.

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Well... at least the lettuce will be good?

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Ohana is here to stop the madness.

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Which, by default, is infinitely more than you.

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*applause*

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She's so happy to feel needed. :D

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This doesn't surprise me at all, actually.

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More set-up for romance subplot!

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Nice downhill biking.

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She's still got a long way to go, but at least she's taking the initiative in this episode.

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Wow, five missed calls. I usually give up after three.

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Not something you see every day.

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I really hope that she gets to see him, since the show seems to be setting up that Ohana will either be too busy to do so, or Ko will catch her with Tohru for a soap-opera-style misunderstanding.

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But I'm gonna bet that he's behind that door.


Thoughts: While the last episode was great because of the humor and character development, this episode is a great example of what I'd hoped the series would be like all along. Ohana is finally showing some growth from the naive girl at the beginning of the series by standing up for what she thinks is right, and in this case it's in the best interest of the inn as well. The romance subplot is ramping up as well; I'm getting the feeling that a misunderstanding is on the horizon in order to drive the action forward. Overall, this has been the most satisfying episode so far because I was able to immerse myself in the character's world and their problems without my suspension of disbelief being ruined by unexpected fanservice or just plain stupidity. Given the series track record so far, I don't know how long it's going to keep this level of quality in the writing, but I'm going to enjoy it as long as it lasts.

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