First Impressions / Nichijou

OP2 Sequence

OP2: 「ヒャダインのじょーじょうーゆーじょー」 (Hyadain no Joujou Yuujou) by ヒャダイン (Hyadain)
Watch the 2nd OP!: Streaming ▼

「日常１４」 (Nichijou 14)
“My Ordinary Life 14”

I never thought that Hyadain’s Kataomoi could be topped but I never considered that Hyadain might be able to top HIMSELF. With such an amazingly ridiculous and fun song for the second opening, I can only hope that other studios start grabbing Hyadain for their own shows. At the same time Kyoto Animation somehow produced another amazing opening sequence full of new characters and really clean artwork. You know, when I heard that Kyoto Animation would be picking up Nichijou I never once had a doubt that things would be done right and thus far everything has been nearly perfect.

I remember saying that it’d be great if Nano and Hakase could actually meet Mio, Yukko, and Mai since there’d probably be a never ending amount of laughs from this group alone. I don’t know why it didn’t hit me that if Nano is entering high school she’d probably end up meeting our trio. But who would have thought that after such a strange introduction and with a key turning of her back that Mio would take the initiative to talk to her? If the opening sequence hadn’t shown it, I’d have said that this looks like the beginning of the all important four-man group. But even since we already knew that it would it happen it was nice watching Mio still walk over and trying to talk to Nano.

Have you ever had an argument with a really close friend of yours? The kind where you feel like you’re about to rip the other one’s head off? While calling that kind of situation an argument would probably be an understatement, it was amazing how well Nichijou recreated it. Starting with that simple mistake of getting yakisaba instead of yakisoba, all hell broke loose after Mio snapped and Yukko kept egging her on. But the best part had to be the reconciliation at the end of the epic battle. Watching both Mio and Yukko slowly start complimenting one another and patching things up with an amazing handshake and hug, I just remember having a big smile on my face.

With the Igo Soccer club I’m not sure what I should be more surprised about: the fact that their lazy president Daiku Kensaburo is filthy rich or that Igo Soccer is a real event. I don’t know about you but my mouth hit the floor when it was revealed that a sport that consisted of juggling a soccer ball while throwing go pieces and then finishing with a single man German suplex existed. All I’m hoping for is that we get to see a real Igo Soccer competition sometime in the future.

 

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「翼をください」 (Tsubasa wo Kudasai) by 佐咲紗花 (Sasaki Sayaka)
Watch the 2nd ED!: Streaming ▼

Nichijou’s new ending continues to keep that slow and calming feeling to it. With a pan of the entire city with all the characters appearing at one point or another, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. On a side note the song Tsubasa wo Kudasai was originally performed by a group called Akaitori back in the 70s. While Sasaki’s version is a bit more acoustic it still keeps that simple and calming feel to it. Kind of cool knowing that songs from back when are still resurfacing now-a-days isn’t it?

40 Comments

    1. That Evangelion scene alone was brick-shitting enough when it happened, Hayashibara Megumi (Rei) singing Tsubasa wo Kudasai just made it all the more powerful.

      Kyo-Ani has actually been involved in the production of yet another version of Tsubasa wo Kudasai, with the song appearing in one of the K-ON singles, this time sung by our girls from Houkago Tea Time, of course.

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

  4. With Nano crossing paths with Yuuko, Mai and Mio at last, this feels like the real first episode of Nichijou.

    The laughs are back for starters, and the transition between the various sketches were less random and more chronological, and if I’m being hopeful, we may be seeing some worthwhile character development as Yuuko and Mio deepen their friendship after a good ol’ fight.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  5. An actual storyline and plot progression in my Nichijou? Madness!

    I wonder if they are going to move away from the pure randomness for the 2nd half or if this episode was unique to set up Nano going to school and meeting the trio. I kinda hope the later. The randomness is part of what I really like about the series.

    P.S. Nano was super cute this episode. I especially liked the part at the beginning where she wouldn’t let Sakamoto near her uniform cause he might shed on it and then hugging him when he said she looked like a normal girl and then when she was pretending to be asked to hang out after school. Too damn adorable.

    Skizzit
    Reply

  6. Oh and what do you think, the new Igo Soccer club member has to be nervous teachers younger brother right? At first I thought it was her son, but that doesn’t make sense, there is no way she is old enough for that.

    Skizzit
    Reply

  7. The Snickers bit, Yuuko losing her shoes, and Buddy showing up easily make this my favorite episode. I couldn’t stop laughing for like the first half of this episode lol.

    BabyChooChoo
    Reply

  12. I read the chapter in the manga where Hakase didn’t want Nano to leave, but it is so much cuter when it happens in the anime. While I love it how Nano has joined the crazy three in high school, I hope her moments with Hakase doesn’t diminish…

    Taiakun
    Reply

  15. Faith delivers? The responce to the OVA wasn’t good, sales numbers seem iffy at best…but then we have this. I’ll side with Nichijou on this one over sales and whatnots.

    ithekro
    Reply

  16. I wish I had an overly comforting dog. He has a sense of duty, too.

    Kyoto Animation never seems to fail when it comes to their artwork. Everything always looks spectacular! It’s a shame, because a lot of people I try to convince to watch this show decide not to because they think it’s just another mindless moe (they tend to change their opinion when I show them the principle’s deer fight though).

    I seriously need to look up more songs by this guy; he’s great!

    pieprsn
    Reply

  17. I loved the way the 2 factions (Nano/Professor and Mio/Yuuko/Mia) came together in episode 14. Will be interesting to see how the ultimate troll Mia treats niave Nano.

    I think they need to get rid of the key on Nano’s back. The joke was funny but now its gone on a little too long. The professor needs to take it off.

    Karmafan
    Reply

    1. I was surprised they used a western candy bar and not a japanese. Don’t think I have ever seen a product placement candy in an anime that wasn’t japanese. I seen lots of Dr. Pepper, Coke, and McDonalds ones and even then they change a few letters. So McDonalds was McWonalds and such.

      Karmafan
      Reply

  19. Oh God! I was so hyped when I heard the New OP and ED that I had to catch up with everything.

    First of all the OP song was ok but the visuals surely blew me away. The more I see these types of quality the more I want to see KyoAni’s next project. After re-watching some of there old works 2 months ago it just hit me how much improvement they had. Not to mention the very neat concept of the ED. Kudos to whoever thought of that. The touch of detail in every character was just splendid. Everyone going on about with their daily lives, good use of theme.

    In any case I’m now hooked to the song thanks to countless re-watches. I just couldn’t get enough of the animation. Here’s hoping Nichijou nets an animation excellence award in the Japan Media Arts Festival(A grand prize is fine too :P). They surely deserve it with the quality they’ve been pumping out. Bummer about the sales though but that’s Kadokawa to blame for over pricing it.

    Jesus Christ this ep was a god damn riot. Loved every bit of it. Main highlight was the Saba = Soba Mix up and the galactic orz that ensued. My gut hurts from the laughter that ensued. Although what I do appreciate is that they removed the momentum killers(the slow static shots) in this ep and that it seemed quite linear that almost every skit followed the same timeline. It was very easy to follow. I sure hope they keep that way throughout the end.

    Looking forward to the next episode!

    megalith
    Reply

  22. Oops, I forgot to mention WHY I love the new OP. When I first heard it, I thought, “What the-? This song is completely random! It has no sense of motion and never sticks with any particular rythm!” Then it hit me; that’s exactly how Nichijou is: completely random! I think it’s great that the song reflects the show itself! It’s strange and unpredictable, but it sounds nice to listen to!

    pieprsn
    Reply

  26. That handshake at the end of the argument deserved the mermaid-man and barnacle-boy friend sound effect in that spongebob episode.

    Soba dayo!!!! That face man, that face.

    Richfeet
    Reply

  27. YES!! New OP and ED!! First K-ON!!, now Nichijou. Is this a trend KyoAni is setting? Because I am definitely down.
    This show is getting better and better. Once you get past how random and weird everything is, the humor just grows on you. This episode was ridiculously funny. I loved the compliments mid-fight, and also Nano’s “conversation” with the female teacher.

    innerchihiro
    Reply

  31. The ending song was also sung by Houkago Tea Time, although it was only part of the soundtrack and not included in the series. I was surprised but the slow version was very cool. I never thought that this was a real song, let alone an old 70s song. Sayaka Sasaki is a budding talent (unless she’s been around for a while), starting with “Zzz…” and “Fly Away T.P.S.”

    I’ve got to say that this episode seems to have begun with an intact story line, where the cover art for the anime finally comes true (the one where Nano is in uniform). I guess we’ll be seeing more of Nichijou in the coming days but with an intact story line this time.

    From where I live, “Saba” is a species of banana.

    Razgriz
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *