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「典薬寮の思惑」 (Tenyaku Ryou no Omowaku)
“The Prediction of the Bureau of Medicine”
An angst buffet this week, although the source is definitely not who I expected it to be. The impact on the cast is greater however, since it’s always odd to see the most enthusiastic one of the bunch take on the role of Debbie Downer. Mahiro is really heaping his platter full of angst though, and while I understand most of his frustrations, there’s some inconsistent behavior from him that’s really starting to become an irritation. Takuma is starting down this path as well, but I wonder if his capriciousness is due to his desire to placate Mahiro rather than just being an angsty teenager.
Takuma and Mahiro have always been a pair, much like how Yuuichi and Shinji have been two peas in a pod. Dynamic-wise, they are the calmer souls of the group, quick to try and diffuse the situation while Takuma and Mahiro take on the role of being hotheads. So it’s not surprising Yuuichi and Shinji once again take Tamaki’s side, trying not to get her spirits down too much while Takuma takes Mahiro’s side – and it makes perfect sense. Since they’re so similar, Takuma would be the one who would understand his senior’s feelings the best. Perhaps leaving Tamaki at the end was his own way of keeping the situation from devolving into a fest of who can hurt the other party more; I think he understands his actions would hurt Tamaki, but taking her side at that moment would have hurt Mahiro even more. Considering how close to the breaking point Mahiro was, it’s a smart move and probably the only way to keep the group intact at this point. Hopefully Tamaki has enough pep to bounce back, although a nice pat from Yuuichi isn’t going to fix things this time – it has to be Mahiro that extends the olive branch first, because by all rights, he was one hell of an asshole this episode.
It’s painful to watch because Mahiro is unbelievably frustrated with himself – blind optimism is not something he needs, although it’s all Tamaki can offer. His aggravation is perfectly understandable – sympathetic, even – and it’s angst done right. But his anger towards Masataka and Tamaki “not understanding” his feelings? Bullshit. Unfortunately those are Mahiro being selfish, and shows some pretty inconsistent thinking. For one, he refers to himself as a “monster”, so it’s not that surprising Masataka would refer to them all as the same, stranger or not. What Tamaki says might not be what he wants/needs to hear, but it’s clear she has never once acted without considering them, nor has she shown any indication she thinks of them as “useless”. She does what she can for their benefit – Shinji and Yuuichi understand this. But they have always been the more mature of the group, so it’s inevitable they would have a better understanding of the situation. I’m hoping Mahiro gets a grip soon though, because as fascinating as his outbursts is to watch, angst has to be done right in order to serve a dramatic purpose. While last week’s angry Mahiro was great in bringing out some of the deep-rooted issues that’s always been there like the big elephant nobody wanted to talk about, this week’s angry Mahiro was derailing into “brat” territory, using what is essentially the same arguments laced in different words.
While I appreciate Yuuichi and Shinji taking on some helpful roles, I’m kind of feeling uneasy about Shinji being helpful – there was some foreshadowing regarding him before, but this scene casts even more doubt onto his motives. If he is planning some kind of betrayal though, I sure hope it happens after Mahiro makes peace with Tamaki! Although Shinji defecting to Logos would make for a dramatic catalyst to pull the hothead back into the group, I don’t want that to happen at the cost of losing a shota!
P.S.: Oh hey, doesn’t she look familiar? It’s Vier 3.0 (or would this be version 1.0…?)!
Full-length images: 1, 3, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, 36, Preview 1.
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The creepiest part was of this episode was the preview at the end. The yaoi is scary!
I feel like this series is having trouble getting traction. Other than some small bit
of information, too much time was spent on the Bureau of Medicine guy saying basically
nothing. It’s getting difficult to see her rant about believing in the five, when a major
part of the problem is her lack of self-belief. Of course it’s frustrating that her
grandmother won’t provide any basic knowledge, but simple expects her to “figure it out”.
One would think that being the Princess herself at one time, that there must be something
she can share – or is this one of those it’s only passed on when she dies kind of thing.
I dunno…
Yeah plot is a little weak… it’s a little confusing since I personally have no idea why the Bureau of Medicine of all things is involved on the government’s behalf – aren’t there more relevant departments? Or perhaps I’m missing a part of the puzzle they haven’t revealed.
The issue with Tamaki is that she doesn’t lack conviction – true, she doesn’t really have a strong grasp on the Tamayori Princess stuff, but for the sake of the guys she’s at least willing to try. It’s just that… no one really actually tells her what she can do to improve herself. Come on, people – this is no reluctant heroine! Give her some direction and we can get some results! XD
I know right guys? Give the girl some direction at least. Teach her how to make some talismans or something. Not just It’s your destiny you’ll get it when the time comes BS.
Hmm, looks like they upped the production this ep? Awkward end card scene is still awkward, but at least it looks like the plot is getting somewhere….
Who is that woman at the end of the episode with the umbrella? I saw that in the episode but can’t figure out who she is. I’m guessing it’s someone close to Oumi.
I thought it might’ve been his mother or something, given the physical similarities… or maybe his sister? O:
One thing that I am extremely unhappy about is the fact that even though Tamaki is the “Tamayori Hime”, her so-called “soldiers”(we know that she dont treat them that way), are being extremely rude to someone of such position, take Baba-sama for example, they at least show the basic respect to her, and I believe that they should treat Tamaki the same way, powerless or not. It’s getting on my nerve to see all these guys doubting the main heroine, its like, she should just either give them an ultimatium or just leave the group!
Word that! I’m really, really hoping they all band together soon… it’s nice to see Tamaki being so proactive in trying to mend the broken bridge but c’mon – she can’t be the one that does that all the time. Meet halfway, people!
They had to skip the Mahiro preview. I still find it funny to see Yuuichi or the others say things like that in the preview.
I’m really hoping Tamaki will get stronger before that little girl gets rid of her.
And I don’t think Shinji is defecting, maybe Vier is the spy in Logos and she’s giving Shinji the location of Logos. I mean how else will he find out.
And still nothing is really revealed about Ryou.
Well, just in case if you want to know what O-chan REALLY look like, then here, spoil yourself rotten (you have been warned!!)
http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=188058
Isn’t he cute?! 0q0
Thanks for continuing to blog this show, BakaMochi! It seems no one else out there besides Random Curiosity is giving this show a fair chance, and that’s a real shame, because people have such low expectations for it based on lks alone, and Hiiro no Kakera continues to prove it’s much deeper than that.
…that being said, Mahiro really was a brat this ep, I agree.
*looks, my bad…
Yep, really big thanks to BakaMochi for covering this show. It’s one of my personal favs of the season so glad it’s being covered.
my heart is about to explode when yuuichi staring at me
But his anger towards Masataka and Tamaki “not understanding” his feelings? Bullshit.
If I was the designated sacrificial lamb in case Tamaki fucked up the sealing of the Onikirimaru, I’d be an angry asshole too.