「おじいちゃんのだいじ」 (Precious to Grandpa)
“Ojii-san no Daiji”

The opening scene here confirms again how mature Rin is for her age. I mean, she wakes up early and puts clothes in laundry, washes her face, flips the calendar and waters the plants (her tree to be exact). Maybe I was just a brat, but I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do all that without being told when I was younger, and admittedly even now some of it still holds over as lazy habits. Given the age difference, it’s ironic comparing her with the slob that Daikichi is, though as a single working-age guy he is fairly normal in that respect. Rin has actually opened up quite a bit since Daikichi met her at the funeral, and from her responses to things, she seems to have become quite emotionally mature too. She also suddenly manages to figure out that if her father is Daikichi’s grandfather, then Daikichi’s mother would be her sister. Truly it is impossible to hide things from kids as they know more than they let off, always managing to catch exactly what you’re trying to avoid. Luckily for Daikichi, Rin doesn’t press the issue, but I’m sure similar questions will continue to rise in the future.

With the Obon festival coming up, they visit Souichi’s grave, and Daikichi realizes that Masako has been there as well. After acting like some creepy stalker, he meets with her and offers her a chance to look at Rin, adding to my belief that he really is a considerate person, often in unexpected ways. As for Rin’s mother herself, it’s undeniable being a mangaka can be hectic and stressful, and in addition Masako is a weak-willed person – often unsure of what to do and chronically nervous. She’s clearly harboring some regrets and misses Souichi as well, but like Daikichi, I’m not sure what to make of her or her boyfriend. Masako’s situation is understandably complex, and though she shouldn’t have left her child like that, judging her as a bad person just through those lens is also unfair.

Putting her drama aside, there are plenty d’aww moments involving Rin as always, making their interactions a treat to watch. I’ve said it before, but the calm, peaceful BGM adds a lot to the tranquil mood of the show and the hand-drawn feel/watercolor tone, especially in the opening scene, also adds to that feeling. We are now about two-thirds through the adaption, and signs of the oft-mentioned controversial manga ending haven’t shown up yet, but for now I’m still highly enjoying this slow-paced, light-hearted slice of life.

Side Note: If you haven’t noticed already, the OP and ED sequences have been subtly changing each episode, and this week’s ED also included some scenes from the anime.

35 Comments

  1. Despite knowing how Show Spoiler ▼

    the manga would end, I still find the anime heart-warming ; it makes you also forget about the bad things in the manga xD. Lol,of all 4 GOOD animes that aired that aired yesterday, I watched it last. That shows hesitant I was — But that’s all going to change after this episode

    Alec
      1. Just stfu already about the manga and enjoy the anime. For the record the second half of the manga isnt nearly as bad as some of these people make it out to be. In fact the entire manga as a whole was pretty damn good so all these bitches need to man the fuck up.

        Jin
      2. Jin is right, there was nothing bad about the second part of the manga, people just like making a huge deal out of nothing. would’ve a different route been better? hell yeah, but what happened is just fine.

        babawaba
    1. The worst thing about this series is that not a new episode can pass without multiple comments about how awful some people think the ending is.

      Give it up! It has nothing to do with the anime series unless/until the anime gets there (probably won’t).

      So please stop dragging out this stuff you can’t talk about but which still taints the experience for people who don’t know and don’t want to know.

      Junk
      1. No it doesnt, its extremely annoying seeing people always complain about the manga, specially after 8 freaking weeks. Remember the spoilers about Pride when FMAB was being blogged? Yeah its the exact same here, just because you say “omg the manga ending was controversial because *spoiler tag*” doesnt mean that you are not spoiling it already.

        babawaba
    2. honestly as controversial as the manga ended, it didnt really cross over any forbidden lines that a lot of other mainstream mangas have and i think the only reason people treat it as such a negative ending is that people didnt expect it and therefore it hit them harder. if you think about it, it’s actually a very sweet ending if you can get over the bit of uncomfortability.

      also to Yumi’s defence, her mangas have always been bizarre and suprising ( check out Sukimasuki), which i find interesting. she has a creative story telling process and art. For the people who hated the series, because of the ending, i honestly cant see how you can bear such a feeling to what i consider a great heart warming manga. it’s different…. but i like different.

      sean
      1. Good thoughts. I admit, I really like the paneling and the simplicity of the artwork in Usagi Drop. Only a few manga manage to be simple without seeming amateur. I don’t think the storytelling is spectacular, though. The ending is a case in point, since even if you’re okay with it, it came out of nowhere.

        R-chan
  2. I can’t figure Masako out. How the hell can she just leave her kid like that? When I was Rin’s age my mom worked 2 full time jobs and raised 4 kids. I believe she would have killed someone if she needed to just to keep her kids safe. Masako seems like a good person (even if she is weak willed and gets flustered easy). Nothing in this world is more important them your kids.

    I would have rather she have been some strung out junkie that disappeared, got run over by a train, or she ran off with some mope and was never heard from again in the series. It just boggles my mind she would let what has happened happen and yet still sneak into the cemetary to see Rin.

    Karmafan
    1. I think she’s the helpless type.
      She doesn’t know what to do so it was easier to do nothing.

      There was someone there to take charge of Rin, (thankfully!) and so Masako let it happen.

      She’s not a bad person who wishes harm but she’s weak, passive, and timid.
      She finds it easier to work with people she doesn’t have to be nice to/social with and in a situation where she can focus on something other than people. I think if she were a guy, most people would understand her but because she’s female, many have a hard time understanding how she could be more like an obsessed gaming/internet geek than a motherly type.

      Junk
    2. I think Junk worded it pretty well; there’s always the “how could a mother do that” sentiment, but if you look into Masako’s character, she did what she did because she didn’t know what else to do; she’s weak-willed, clueless, and battered by complicated emotions. Does it make what she did right? probably not, but falling into the black or white trap here isn’t completely fair.

      Prooof
  3. OK, so vol 3 ends. They’ve stayed completed true to the manga up till now & there’s no reason to deter. It’ll be great if they finish vol 4 this season & break up the weirdness of vol 5-9 for another cour (or just don’t show it at all, like that’ll happen XD).

    Masako seems to have only 1/2 of her brain working & turns on the other half every now & then. That’s how she made me feel all the way to the end as well.

    Megas
  4. @ Prooof: I think you’d better start a disclaimer on how you think this 11/12 episode series’ going to end, before all those spoilers force you/Divine to shut off the comments to Usagi Drop episodes’ comments…

    that said, my prediction for how the last 2 episodes would have: first half spoilers:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    note the lack of order of events…

    info600
    1. Uh, personally I didn’t care about the…nature…of the ending, but what most people seem to complain about is
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Twi
  5. I know this has nothing to do with this episode buuuuuut Prooof where are you? I know Divine is super ultra busy and everything so I don’t mind waiting, but I kinda (really) wanna hear what you hafta say about the newest bleach chapter….

    Maybe I’m just being a stress-inducing nag and I shouldn’t bother you but still…not having the newest bleach or naruto chapter = 🙁

    If you’re busy I totally understand and it’s only been, like, a day, but these chapters have had some exciting stuff going on!

    Shii

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