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Summary:
Kanata gets more accustomed to life with the others at the fort, and on this particular day, Felicia, Kureha, and Noel head out to get some supplies. Rio uses the chance to give Kanata some more horn practice, and during a break, the two talk about how Kanata joined the military to learn to play an instrument. Their conversation is cut short when Kanata faints because she’s sick, and Rio panics because she remembers a similar scene from her childhood. Kanata is running a high fever, and with no one else to turn to and no medicine, Rio heads into town and requests the aid of the nun at the church. That nun, whose name is Yumina, is able to diagnose Kanata with tertian malaria and gives her some medicine, and Rio is very grateful.
Kanata meanwhile dreams of the soldier she met when she was young who had played a certain song on the trumpet. She wakes up to Rio humming the same song, and she accidentally causes Rio to cut her finger while peeling an apple. All of this depresses Kanata because she feels that she’s a burden, and when she mentions how she wanted to be able to play that song, Rio takes her to the hanger where Takemikazuchi is kept. Rio has the tank play the same song, except this version has multiple instruments, and Rio compares the instrumental parts coming together to a tank crew working together. In both cases, there’s nothing that’s left unneeded, and Rio feels that it’s natural for the lower-ranked to cause trouble for the superior officers. Remembering her own struggles in the past, Rio explains that it’s thus okay for Kanata to be unable to do things right now and to impose on others, and Kanata takes this seriously.
Preview
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So whereas last week was mostly about Kureha, this week was mostly about Rio, and it certainly revealed a lot about her character. I really liked how they showed how her past influences her now and how Rio brought everything together (music, Kanata’s worries, their roles) in the speech that she made. Actually, her analogy of music and the tank crew made me laugh a little, but that didn’t take away from what was a heartwarming scene. It was also interesting to see that two of the girls the blonde-haired woman had an influence on ended up in the same place, and I’m sure that won’t be the last flashback we see of her or the last time we hear “Amazing Grace” since both seem like they could be central to the plot.
On a different note, I found it curious that they emphasized again that tank had a lot of what we’d consider to be advanced technology (with an English menu interface no less), yet it’s considered a relic in an environment where technology doesn’t appear very advanced. It’s quite a contrast, one that I hope they expand on next week since, based on the preview, it looks to be a Noel episode and will involve the tank.
http://kirakira.crystalstar.me/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/1263335424177.jpg
Yay more Rio and Noel :DDDDD!!!!!
https://randomc.net/image/So-Ra-No-Wo-To/So-Ra-No-Wo-To%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
Wow, that looks really high tech. Now I’m confused as to WHEN this series takes place (I thought it was like the 19th or 20th century).
So let me get this straight. Basically
Tank = Prehistoric Stereo set with recording function
And Amazing Grace is the insert song
Lol wow.
This:
https://randomc.net/image/So-Ra-No-Wo-To/So-Ra-No-Wo-To%20-%2003%20-%2019.jpg
Somehow feels similar to this:
https://randomc.net/image/K-ON/K-ON%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
o_O
Holy shit, is that Yui?
Click: It’s even more noteworthy given how there’s a post by Divine for an episode of K-ON right below this one on the front page.
i think the tank IS a relic, and because of that it is an important clue to the past. I think it was a bit like an apocalypse, and the world rebuilt itself into this new structure of heavily military based countries. Probs the ‘ancient’ world is so highly technologically advanced that they destroyed themselves via nuclear explosions or something =P
the tank storage room looks like a gym too
goes back to the ruined high school setting
definitely some post-apocalyptic stuff going on here
Remember, it’s war anime… someone has to die eventually…. sigh… sad…
Wait, Kanata got MALARIA!? That’s actually pretty serious, its certainly different from the stereotypical random anime fevers that get fixed by sleeping.
I am fully interested in this show now. The music, atmosphere and strange setting the show takes place reminds me more of Haibane Renmei than K-On. And playing Amazing Grace was a very nice touch.
Hmm the tank, well thank goodness (for now) it’s just for the music…
On another note, seeing more character episodes would be good, and just as omni said, that blonde woman and the music would be important, and hope it would be included in the soundtrack, so I don’t have to search for it. Well, hope there’s a soundtrack…
The more I watch Sora no Woto, the more I’m liking it. I knew there was much more to this story than there seems to be on the surface.
After seeing episode 3, I am reminded of this book I read when I was a kid. Almost similar situations in both storylines. In that book, the world was transformed by a devastating war and a lot of people died and forgot the old technologies of the old world. Many of the people are dying though from a mysterious sickness leftover from that war– radiation sickness especially from nuclear fallout. The story revolves around two kids who happen to see the wreckage of these old weapons and technology, and eventually the old towns destroyed in that war. A lot of the people, like in Sora no Woto, live in a very backwards time setting– nothing around them is considered advanced at all. I can’t find that book anymore though, but in both, the settings are very similar.
It’s that part of Sora no Woto including the scenery and characters that have drawn me into it. This isn’t a K-ON clone by any measure, it’s a much different story and setting even if the characters resemble each other.
The tank has an mp3 player. Nice! The setting is just so mysterious. There’s a lot of things that the show isn’t telling. Last week it was a Japanese school, now lost technology. I’m guessing a huge cataclysmic event happened and a lot of things got lost in the history books. All of the characters don’t know any better.
I agree with octoberasian. This series has so much more going on then I thought based on the description. It has a european WW2 feeling to it so I thought it was from that time and now we find out that our present timeline is the past. Definately want to see more of this series.
After episode 3 I’m totally sold on this show. As I said earlier keep the cake out and things will keep going great. When Rio ( I still can’t shake off the feeling that she is the female version of Ryuji from Toradora. Give her a hair change) turn on the tank the loading logo looked almost the same from the transformers logo. I can’t wait for story of the blond and how she changed Rio and Kanata’s life. I can follow the cataclysm theory from the old style rifles to the tech tank; but will they link the legend of the maidens and dragon ?! Maybe the “fire” from the dragon was the cataclysm; but we have the skeleton at the bottom of the river… Give me more!
I think the timeframe of this series is around the 1940’s or late 1930’s; I saw some german Kubelwagens, basically a jeep-like body on a Beetle-chassis.
This really can’t be compared to K-ON! anymore. Aside from the art style, it’s just so different. Especially the fact that it has a lot more serious feel to it.
Oh, and more Noel, yay! :3
The more I look at the tank, the more it looks like a Metal Gear :)) really like the design 😀
https://randomc.net/image/So-Ra-No-Wo-To/So-Ra-No-Wo-To%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
For a small platoon, in some Swiss countryside, guarding an unimportant border, that’s a cool-looking tank! And they don’t get much supplies? WTF is wrong with the military these days!
to octoberasian
The story that you said reminds me of an old anime i saw called The Winds of Amneisa. It has the same theme but its just alittle different but it has the same concept. I havent sene this series but I like the production company that made it and its other works. I will eventually watch this series soon but at the moment i am really busy. I hope this series goes well. Same goes with K-On season 2. I hope this series makes an impact which it has but i hope it leaves a last impression.
From the Look of the Tank Screens, seems like an Hovercraft Class one.
As far as the technology disconnect goes, I think there are two possible explanations, the more common (and already touched upon is) is some ancient precursor civilization left it behind.
The other (and actually the one I’m more inclined to believe right now) is that the military technology is far more advanced, it just doesn’t necessarily show up in everyday life, especially not in a half-dilapidated fort in territory that is considered very safe. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have awesome electronics or other systems lying around, we just don’t see them on the outside; and perhaps the people of this town are not as culturally in-tune or inclined to that technology (think about more remote or isolated villages, not necessarily the village on the mountain, but more of the sleepy, out-of-the-way-village.)
I mean if you think about it, we don’t see anything resembling tank hardware, old or new, anywhere in our every-day lives. As for what we see inside the tank, military technology doesn’t always turn into practical or viable commercial technology till years later anyway.
Perhaps I’m just over-thinking this >.>
@Delwack
I don’t think so. In the world of So-Ra-No-Wo-To, there was likely some kind of apocalyptic event, something like nuclear war or whatever. As they say, the tank is a relic. Also, remember that this has to take place after “our present”, seeing as their base is the ruin of a Japanese high school. Japanese as a language and seemingly most stuff about Japan itself seem to be lost and the world seems to have reverted back to a WWI state.
hahaha!! HA!! i love it, this post right on top of the k-on, too funny! to da naked eye anyone would do a double take. and lol! at that pic with them holding the rifles. it ain’t serious till some one gets shot haha. I’ll eat my shorts and watch a k-on marathon if they flip it on this nigga and go full gundam/mgs rampage mode! I’ll be waiting with baited breath “whatever that means” for the next ep blog to see
Didn’t they mention in episode 2 something about the language in the book she was looking at (Japanese) was an old language that no one reads any more?
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!! Anyone with half a brain can see that it looks like K-ON! We’re in the third episode, LET’S MOVE ON PLEASE.
And it’s pretty apparent that this is set in the future. I’m guessing this is a world long after some sort of “seven days of fire” if you will, which explains why this tank is so advanced in comparison to the more “ruined” surroundings.
No one here has mentioned this guy yet:
https://randomc.net/image/So-Ra-No-Wo-To/So-Ra-No-Wo-To%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
So now we have strange religious groups with medicinal knowledge thrown into the mix. There are so many different directions this show could go. It’s amazing.
By the way, has there been any word as to how many episodes this is planned to go for?
I think it’s probably time to stop with all of the K-On comparisons — instead I’m thinking this series is more similar to Haibane Renmei than K-On.
Wow that insert song brings back memories. I felt that it was so familiar and went to do some searching, and I found out I heard it from Steam Detectives when I watched it really long ago haha. Nice music!
I hope this one is not like Strike Witch, which sugarcoats the glory of war with pretty girls. Japanese anime rarely reflects on the war. The message is ALWAYS like “if we used the powerful weapon right we would have won”. Then the show was all about how the bad buys screwed up again, until an even worse guy (usually the mastermind behind the scene) suddenly pops from nowhere to take all the blame and make the supposedly bad buy look good in comparison. I got a feeling something like that is going to repeat in this show.
Actually, it seems more of a combination of K-On!, Aria, Haibane Renmei, and a bit of Yokohama. Of course, all of that makes me really like this.
I still like the miko-nun.
It’s very convincing. No surprise that in the distant future several different cultures would combine into one.
…Is it just me, or does the animation look ALOT like K-on? YUI!!
I’m really loving this series
A random illness to the generic lead character so she can realize and important lesson. Never seen this one before in an anime.
Wow, I got creeped out when they diagnosed Kanata as having malaria. 0_0 Isn’t it incurable in our present time and is very severe? Then this is an example of how their medicine has improved, despite the backwards-in-time lifestyle.
So let me get this straight. Basically
Tank = Prehistoric Stereo set with recording function
No, no..it’s just a very inefficient MP3 player w/ 1 mono speaker built in & many flashy lights.
This episode is really well done! Especially in the character development aspect, I absolutely love Rio (I still keep thinking she’s Mio in my head haha) after seeing her harsh and soft sides, and when she’s strong and weak. The producers have really made her character very well balanced. Rio’s voice acting is impressive too. And did anyone noticed that Mio shifted her eyes away when she was thanking the sister on the bridge? I thought it was a nice touch.