Late post because of school/job hunting/crap dorm internet/other excuses, etc. As for the episode, I was expecting the big reunion moment to happen at the festival, but this works too.
Ohana's mother continues to redeem herself as a character this week as she not only helps Takako track down the producer who ripped off the inn with the failed movie project but also brings Ko back into the scene for the first time since Ohana's random dream about him before the school festival. Of course, the big question surrounding Ko's character is whether or not he ended up dating that coworker, but judging from this episode, I think that it's safe to say that's a no. He's clearly still infatuated with Ohana, as shown by the scene where he's watching the unedited cuts from the "movie." As for Ohana, her feelings for him have been made clear, but I think that this episode was interesting in how it started to imply that Ohana's character growth is centered around a realization that even though she is not physically in Tokyo anymore, she didn't leave the people she cared about behind. That's not to say that all she wants is to return to Tokyo--in my personal opinion, I think that the opposite is true--but I feel that strong bonds with people can last through long distances and time apart. It's definitely not easy, but it can be done. Just look at these too characters--even after all that's happened, they're still thinking about each other. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
Another interesting part of the episode went back to the family dynamic that I've mentioned several times before; these people are related by blood (and now by marriage), yet they keep a distance from each other. I mentioned in an earlier post that a possible story arc could be centered around the reconciliation of the family. With just a few episodes left, this is still possible. They're still not a close-knit family by any means; while riding the train together, Ohana and Takako hit on the point that they are now technically aunt and niece, and Takako mentions that she doesn't mind the distance between them. However, they still manage to have something resembling a bonding moment and after Takako flips the producer on his back Ohana mentions to herself how capable she is. Only a few episodes ago, I'm sure that Ohana's mother would have just used the movie footage for an article and thought nothing of it. Instead, she uses it to help her new sister-in-law get revenge. It's still not the conventional family image, but they're beginning to help each other, which is a start. Now what remains to be seen is how Ohana's mother reacts to the news that the inn may be closing down. Will she still remain indifferent?
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment