「すごく練習した」 (Sugoku Renshuushita)
“I Practiced Really Hard”

It’s finally time for the two best side girls to shine!

The Monster Named Konomi

While she’s gotten a lot of a screen time compared to another somewhat tsundere girl who we’ll talk about a little later in the post, I absolutely love it whenever Konomi is on screen. Bringing along that serious but goofy attitude of hers, she’s always ready to take the show and make it that much more fun. While she’s usually leveraging her age to get things moving at her pace, it’ll never get old to watch her have some fun with our girls. Whether that’s by trying to trick little Ren-chon into believing she’s a intelligent monster or to getting Natsumi into the single most girly outfit she’s probably ever worn, there’s never a dull moment when she’s around.

Kanade “Dagashiya” Kagayama

But if we were going to talk about the star of this week’s episode, it would definitely be Dagashiya. For those out of the loop, we found out last season that Dagashiya treasures Ren-chon just as much as her own sisters do. Except that she’ll never openly admit it and whenever possible will try to keep whatever she does for her a secret. Which in most cases leaves us, the audience, feeling a little short changed since it would be nice to see Dagashiya actually get some recognition for all that hard work she puts in.

Which is why this week’s episode felt like an absolute godsend. Not only did we get to see her teach Ren-chon one of the most important things a kid could know (learning to ride without training wheels on your bike), but watching her leap to Ren-chon’s side when she came down with a cold more than I could ask for. Because instead of seeing her in her typical tough-girl mode, it was awfully cute to see her drop her guard a little and just do what came natural when it came to Ren-chon. That and seeing her finally get some recognition from Ren-chon sent some really happy chills down my back.

Looking Ahead

Man, I would’ve been perfectly content with the series if it just ended here. Luckily (or would it be unluckily?), we still have two more episodes waiting for us! And judging from the preview it looks like there’ll be a lot of action going on next week! While it remains to be seen just why everyone’s all fired up, it looks like it might have something to do with Hotaru – something I’m totally fine with since I wish we’d see more of her anyways!

Catch you next week!

 

Preview

18 Comments

  1. This was just so great ! The monster segment was so funny yet Renge got a math lesson in the end !

    Candy store truly likes Renge whether be like a sister or daughter she looks out for her ! Poor Rernge cant find anybody to help to learn to ride her bike ! Kaede says she can do it another time ! But she rushes over when Renge is sick and the two just click even when Renge wants her to read a book that’s been read before she does it! But when Candy Store falls asleep she puts a coat around her!

    The next day Renge goes back to Kaede for help byt this is the best part ! She makes ger prcatice in a field for awhile and the road later! But Kaede never intervenes she knows Renge is determined and never yells at her ! Finally late ( Dusk ) Renge gets it done and Kaede just looks so content! The next day Renge and the girls go on the Mt trip and stop at the store and when Renge wants candy and cat reach Kaede does iy and Renge thanks her for everything !

    BTW all those band=aids are like medals ! And Renge leaves the girls in a cloud of dust that’s Renge for you!

    I too wiil be sad when this ends as it is one of my favorites of a lot of anime!

    What makes me more sad people think it’s too cute or nice to watch ! I could remember doing a lot of the same things when young but times have changed I guess! Who builds forts / catch insects / tadpoles / not many nowadays !

    1. i have just the past like that. i could still remember as a child learning to ride a bike and ended up injuring my legs all over for falling a dozen time. man, this anime is simply brilliant.

      danes256
  2. The worst part here is how instead of focusing on Ren-chon finally being able to ride the bike, they focused on that bittersweet moment where Dagashiya is left behind as Ren-chon rides off screen. It makes me feel something fierce, man. Something absolutely fierce.

    Countryhicks
    1. Opinions vary across people, I find it to be a nice touch instead..
      Even the ANN review for this episode was positive.

      On its own, the writing here is merely above average. It’s the addition of excellent visuals that allow it to climb into the top tier of slice-of-life stories. Plenty of shows move from one time of year to another over the course of a television season, but few handle the transition from summer to fall as artfully as this one. Instead of flipping from one to the other like a light switch, the background art allows modest splashes of red and yellow to creep into the trees and mingle with the shades of green that characterized past episodes. That eye for detail affects the foreground as well, and some well-framed shots help immerse the audience in key moments. The best example of this is a static wide shot at the end of Renge and Kaede’s day of bicycle practice, with Renge riding out of view while Kaede stands still and watches. We initially expect her to go running off to help Renge up from another crash, but she doesn’t move. As the seconds tick by, it becomes obvious that all the practice has finally paid off. It’s a departure from the usual list of anime camera angles, but it fits the moment perfectly.

      Techim
    2. I, for one, loved this scene a lot.
      Dagashiya’s reaction was priceless in this one.
      I wouldn’t change this scene one bit.

      Dagashiya staring at depressed Renge because the commercial hits.
      Renge crying in one cut with her face away from the camera.
      The “Arigatou” “Oo-” from Renge and Dagashiya at the end.
      It’s all a demonstration of this superb direction.

      Sometimes you can do more by showing less.

      ahbonk
  3. I was teary eyed when the episode finished. There were lots of powerful imagery about growing up: Renge’s decision to take the training wheels off her bike, her never-give-up attitude of learning how to ride it, and finally getting the hang of it at last to join her friends.

    Dagashiya, having looked after Renge for the last five years, is the one to give her the push before letting her go, to start off on a new chapter in Renge’s life. And yet as Dagashiya watches Renge riding on her own, there’s a tinge of sadness as she realizes that one day Renge will grow up and she won’t be able to babysit her like the days before.

    Renge’s simple phrase before she sets off on her journey, “Thank you, Dagashiya”, was especially moving. Thanks for everything, for being there for me.

    ET
  4. I’ll be honest, the segments of this show are sometimes hit or miss for me, but Dagashiya’s segment hit it out of the park. Dagashiya standing there in the twilight, having given the push that sends her off really brought tears to my eyes. A beautiful scene and rather bittersweet. In truth the whole segment was masterfully done. This is SoL at it’s best.

  5. just brilliant. episodes involving ren-chon’s relation with dagashiya will always be good. it’s always been my favorite part of non non biyori, besides the calming effect of it’s nature’s visual

    danes256
  6. Considering how adept Renge is at drawing, and how good at math she’s proved herself to be in this episode, I half-expected her to get the hang of riding her bicycle immediately.

    Good that she didn’t, or we wouldn’t have gotten that beautiful scene.

    Hanabira.Kage
  7. Seeing Candy store lady teach Ren-chon learn how to ride a bike was really heart-warming for me. For once, I’d love to teach my daughter how to ride a bike, and the challenge of getting up every time she falls down. It’s one the most beautiful thing between parent and kids to nurture.

    launcelot

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