「いざ, 温泉街へ」 (Iza, Onsen Machi e)
“To the Hot Springs Town”

Of course, we need the token hot springs visit in any high school anime and Nanana was no exception. Everything you’d expect out of this episode was delivered – including some peeping, some ping pong and some treasure hunting. The only thing lacking was something new and although I still think Nanana is enjoyable, it’s starting to lose its spark. One of the things that drew me to the show in the first place was fast-paced plot and character interactions, but it seems like the past few weeks have been lacking in excitement. I still have high hopes that it’ll pick up again, but the different runes and treasures are no longer a prime focus of the story for me. What would rejuvenate the show again for me would be more time developing the character relationships and the motives behind everyone’s actions.

The episode was fairly predictable from beginning to end. It was obvious enough that Juugo was up to something in the middle of the night and I can (probably) confidently say that he was the one that stole the treasure first. I’m also certain that Tensai knows that he did as well but she can’t prove it yet. That leaves the question of where the treasure went – which is probably hidden away by Juugo. He’s not working for the Matsuri (since Shuu wasn’t aware of it) or his father, so where does that leave his loyalties? It puzzles me how someone like Tensai or Isshin could have so much drama with Juugo (and one another) but yet still go on vacations and trips together. Juugo (and Isshin) are just using one another to give off the pretense of an Adventure Club but secretly, they all have their own reasons for hunting down these treasures. The only issue I have with this though, is that the relationships don’t feel real at all anymore and I can’t decipher who to trust or what is real. The only thing that I’m certain of is that I would never trust Isshin again.

The rest of the episode felt like fluff and fun. The fanservice and jokes are repetitive of previous episodes but still haven’t gotten old to me. What has gotten less interesting to me are the ruins and the trials to get to the treasures. The setups are always fun to see and it takes a while for me to understand the task at hand, but then the scene starts to dull. Seeing Juugo and co. repeatedly fail is becoming less of a novelty and feels like something I have to get over with in order to continue on with the story. If there was any way to make these runes feel more intense and less of a filler, I think I’d feel more enticed to pay attention during these scenes. Moreover, the only character that I’m watching for these days is Tensai and that’s never a good thing when other characters are becoming less relevant. Anyway, the end of this episode marks another cliffhanger so we’ll see how Nanana becomes more incorporated into the show. After all, I’m beginning to forget that the show is named after her.

Note: Apologies for the late post! No excuses this time around but I met two awesome RC readers this past week and you guys are the best =) I don’t express my love for writing on this site enough.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: #Nanana_TV was too predictable this week. I need less of the fanservice and more of plot advancements please.

32 Comments

  1. Not to nitpick, Cherry (actually this is nitpicking… sorry, I can’t help it), but I’m pretty sure the trap-filled rooms they go through to get to the treasures are called ruins not runes. You know, to fit in with the whole trasure hunting theme that Nanana used to do. That’s what the whole island is about, after all: allowing other people to do what she loved to do when she was alive.

    Wanderer
    1. Yep, I am pretty sure about that too, except for Tensai messing with the package. Juugo was saying “Please arrive soon!” at the end, which probably means the package. He wanted to cheer Nanana up as fast as possible with both the puddings and the treasure, so that she would understand why he left.

      Also, I think Juugo is working with Matsuri. He isn’t working FOR them, but he is working WITH them. This is probably the reason he managed to pay the utility bill anyway because he got the allowance with the condition of stealing the treasure. Perhaps, he tricked Shuu by telling him he’ll let him steal the treasure, which ended up with Juugo using him instead as a distraction. Anyhow, Juugo is a sly bastard lol.

      Hater
      1. I thought he paid off his utilities by making money himself and doing “odd jobs” as seen in last episode. I don’t think the Matsuri are paying him because that would mean his father is giving him money… and I don’t think that’s the case =X Although whether or not he’s working WITH the Matsuri is another story.

  2. I didn’t have that much of a problem with this episode, to be honest. Sure, it was mostly fluff and not much was achieved in the end. Regardless, this short arc was kind of a breather after the fast-paced episode 4 and basically lets us see the repercussions of those revelations in the daily lives of these characters. The fact that they’re all scheming behind each other’s backs (and everyone being fully aware of that) makes for some rather entertaining episodes. And Tensai remains awesome.

    On a more meta level, this slowdown of the show’s pacing is to be expected in general with these types of 11-12-13-episode anime. They start out fast, making sure all the important characters are introduced, then a lull appears in which there’s just a string of random episodes, and then finally they go building a climax in the last few episodes. Not always the best way to build an anime (I remember Sakura Trick and Mikakunin suffering from it last season) but amongst this type, I still never find my attention wavering with this show. I suppose opinions differ, though I can see why people would consider it a flaw.

    Dvalinn
    1. I think one of the problems this series has despite being enjoyable is that its not well-executed enough and developments are lacking. It’s trying to do intriguing things with its characters and setting but it doesnt quite seem to come together. It reminds me of how i felt about Kyokai no Kanata; a show that i thought had some awesome ideas and ambitions, but never quite got it together. Kyoani could have had a gem with that series, and in the hands of a stronger director and writer, it might have become on of kyoani’s best series. Unfortunately that never happened as much as i wanted it to and i feel that Nanana is suffering experiencing the same thing.

      sonicsenryaku
    2. I agree with sonicsenryaku that it’s probably the execution issue that I have with the show. It’s lacking development now because the story has already been set up (and I know the direction that it’s headed in) but it’s still not getting to the point or beating around the bush. I do think that most short anime these days (1-cour shows) often lag in the middle so I still haven’t given up on the show yet. Nanana is still much more enjoyable than other 1-cour shows I’ve seen recently.

  3. I love how this episode went juugo pretty much gave everyone a nice dosage of StFU.and it was glorious. Firs to mu freoading ghost csnt pau your way do without.

    Second ti thecclub president asshole, got to it first!

    ,tensai I got other bait for you!

    All in all I like it.

    duzz
  4. I must add the “hot spring dungeon” to my GM repertoire…
    I loved the way they play for laughs (L)UST between Daruku and Tensai, President and his fangirling aide, respectively.
    I really wonder who ended with the real treasure this time? of the previous ones, Juugo has the truth telling crystal, and the wand of wishes is presumably safely locked down by authorities.

    ewok40k
  5. Nanana anime is ruining the source. They are de-emphasizing important things, dumbing actual content down and completely changes the meaning of event and character intrigues. LN related but not really a spoiler: Show Spoiler ▼

    YX
    1. I haven’t read the original material myself =S but I don’t feel like there are any gaps or plot holes yet (if they are not following the source as you say). As long as the story can conclude well and it makes sense, I don’t mind if the anime deviates from its source. It’d be nice if they didn’t screw it up, but sometimes it’s hard to translate novels to anime in such a short spam.

  6. I actually liked this episode much better than the last two. I thought it was very well paced (which is an area I think the show has been struggling with) and struck a good balance between humour and adventure. Although for a mystery series it was waaay too easy to follow.

    I’ll agree that the mystery in this episode was very predictable. I think Nanana could stand to use more subterfuge and red herrings to lead viewers away from the important clues. For example, when introduced to the new employee (a.k.a Shuu – that guy is seriously a wizard, his disguises are amazing) it was very obvious that she was going to be important later. There was nothing there to throw the viewers off the scent, so it was very clear what was going on.

    Of course I’ll have to retract that should it turn out that Juugo wasn’t the one who took the real treasure. In that case it’ll be “well played, Nanana.”

    whemleh
  7. Not enough Tensai~ On another note, this episode wasn’t really eventful nor did it help progress in the story. The mystery wasn’t as clever and elaborate as the others.. Still I’m loving the show; anything with a loli is <3.

    Kyosuke
  8. The show’s still good. I’m excited to watch it every week and I’m pretty sure if it aired any other season, this negativity wouldn’t exist.

    I can’t truly blame you for the negativity though… I don’t like how extremely fake everyone is, and none of the characters besides Nanana and Tensai appeal to me. Sure Juugo is hella interesting… (WHAT’S HIS STORY) but his behavior is either predictable or detestable. I can’t bring myself to really like him.

    TitanAnteus
    1. I don’t actually think too negatively of the show so far (sorry if it appears that way in the post >_<) but I won't lie that I'm disappointed in the past few episodes. I don't like Juugo's character much personally, but I like how he's different and yes, interesting. It's a different twist to the whole "average school boy that gets thrown into the story without rhyme or reason."

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