First Impressions / Hai-Furi

「乙女のピンチ！」 (Otome no Pinchi!)
“Maidens in a Pinch!”

I suppose that the supply shortage subplot was going to come up sooner or later—as it must for any story involving a ship lost at sea and far from home. But of course, the Harekaze has been allowed home and is only a bit more than a day away, which means it would never have been as tense as a more traditional tale of a sailing vessel becalmed at sea and resorting to cannibalising the crew starting from the cabin boy up. And let us not forget that the crisis in question was over toilet paper, because I guess simple food and water just wouldn’t be stupid enough (that said, let us never downplay the seriousness of a lack of 2-ply). So it’ fairly obvious that supplies will not be the thrust of he episode—it seems that Hai-Furi allows itself to get serious only when it comes to the main plot. What, then, would this episode be about?

At first, I thought this episode would slow the pace to take some time to do some world building, which is something I’m completely fine with. I had asked for more of the world of Hai-Furi outside of the hull of the Harekaze in previous weeks, and so I was actually pretty excited when it looked like the crew were actually going ashore (even if it’s for something silly like going shopping as wanted fugitives. And yes, we did get a bit of world building—it’s not unimaginable, for example, that there will be off shore shopping complexes if Japan was getting swallowed by the sea. There was woefully little of it, though, and most of what we saw was just the same as 21st century anyway (the old ships and the futuristic speeders being notable anachronisms in opposite directions). Apparently, the shopping trip was mostly an excuse for character development for the Deputy Captain, who seems the black sheep of her accomplished family and envies the snazzy hat. It’s curious how the Deputy Captain is so far more developed than the actual Captain, the latter of whom is still mostly a blob of genki airhead who sometimes moonlights as responsible ship mum. I’m sure we’ll get more of her, though, when we learn the fate of the Musashi.

The main plot chugs along as well, and it’s certainly not what I had been expecting. It’s a ‘suddenly, rabid zombies!’ development, via plague rats or mind-control gerbils or whatever, and I’m not sure what to make of it. So, certain ships were spared only because they kept cats? That’s, er, different, I suppose (not that high school girls fighting zombies on warships is a particularly explored genre). I suppose it’ll make for a good source of dramatic irony so long as the cast don’t figure out the connection. I do wonder, though, why anime characters never seem to be able to see glowing eyes the same way the audience can. It’s a convention of the medium, I suppose.

Overall, it was a slower paced episode, with more development and less action, by which I mean a lack of the crowd pleasing cannon fire and explosions that we’ve been blessed with every episode up until now. Instead, we get this puny thing, which just does not compare. Not even the kung fu action could make up for the loss of calibre. I can understand if there’s some disappointment in this department, but the Harekaze apparently got some new guns in this episode, which wouldn’t have happened unless they were going to use them at some point. Since we’re still only four episodes in, not even at the mid-series climax, I’m sure they’ll find plenty of opportunities to do so.

59 Comments

  1. just i have thought… this rat – mindfck scheme just increased my prediction chance by many folds that there would be a MUSASHI VS HAREKAZE. but what can a single destroyer do against a yamato class battleship? world of warship players would definitely say, a barrage of torpedoes would own a yamato class

    and now it is also clear that the reason why harekaze wasnt affected by that mindfck was because they have a cat.

    now, who made those war-triggering rats? blue mermaids themselves? LOL that would be interesting to know. for now, i cant wait to see some war between best friends.

    hmmm… prediction: the captain of harekaze could get affected too but i think that would be the point when they realized there’s some mindfck happening which is why they get aggressive and fire at each other. and then mike, harekaze captain would say, moka is surely “infected” too. then cue musashi vs harekaze (plus lots of other assisting ships)

    for now, next episode for sure would show the supply ship who helped the harekaze getting fcked up by musashi.

    Jeffers
    Reply

  2. Rat usually use for medicine test ,so I think the people behind the rat is already put whatever thing that they tested on the rat for the real usage. It probably some kind of “virus” that can make its host control the target to do what it want to do. That would explain why Tama move around like rat/cat under a mind control(but that doesn’t explain how it can operate gun)

    Maybe the teacher put this “virus” inside her and used mind-control on all her crews and ordered them to fire at Harekaze.

    Maybe people behind this are someone who want to take the control of the nayy army or making perfect soilders that obey all order??

    Marina2
    Reply

    1. Perhaps those rats are infesting her ship because she neglected to keep a trusty mouser on-board her ship.

      Remember, never sail without a mouser or five. There’s a good reason why cats are on ships since the Age of Sail.

      Mincemaker
      Reply

  3. It’s the Abyssals’ doing, I knew it!

    The theory about (alien?) rodents spreading some kind of mind control virus is a strong one, but when the Sarushima was attacking the Harukaze back in Episode 1 the commander’s eyes weren’t red like Tama’s in this episode. Also, why did the virus only affect Tama? From the looks of it it easily spread fast enough to infect the whole crews of the Sarushima, Graf Spee, and I-201 before they could do anything about it (I mean, if you saw a crewmate acting like Tama all of a sudden, wouldn’t you do something?).

    Still, I believe that mind control is the best possible explanation right now.

    ET
    Reply

    1. Fear is the trigger for this Lab Mice

      It only began to glow or take action, when the other ships was approaching. fearing going captured back to the lab. So this littel mice seems like to understand Human language or at last can smell or see, emotions on humans

      get in mind, this control ended when she was trow into the Water, and he was inside her pocket.. So the mice was about to drown with his Host..

      its not an virus, its direct mind control. so the other ships must have at last enough Mice to control the officers in Power to get the Ship under their control

      well, lets see the “Fog Ship Musahsi”, and how it went away. our captain need to clear her name of being an “airhead” captain so far…

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      1. or Human fear, weaken the natural defense for this Mice to take over their mind. some kind of weaken the protection mind of Humans

        but i am to far ahead with my speculation again. and i wanted to shut my mouth 🙂 Oh well, old habits are strong

        like my multiply postings here. sorry about that.

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

    1. Mashiro: “My Precious…”

      I almost expected the captain’s hat to get blown off by the sea breeze and Mashiro reacting the usual way. (“How unlucky.”) At least she’s not aboard Fusou, Yamashiro or Mutsu where her luck might sink even more… (And before anyone suggests armored carrier Taihou, remember that there’s no powered flight in this show’s setting, ergo, no aircraft carriers.)

      Also…they’re no mental models…they’re the captains. (Arpeggio of Blue Steel is just down the hall, in the archives…) And speaking of Arpeggio of Blue Steel (or rather, the Fleet of Fog)…super-battleship Musashi in ominous fog is ominous…

      Incognito
      Reply

      2. you forgotten the “Luck” of the 3rd Yamato battleship class, then rebuild into an armored air carrier. it did not saw even any fight…

        Thats why i think the anime Industry do not want to touch this “bad luck” of her…

        Taihou at last could deliver her planes as planed, but poor repair crew choices was her fate

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

      5. i posted this on reddit, but its about Shinano and such, so it fits in this reply

        edit: If Shinano needs an “Kancolle” female part, then give her Oppais (Torpedo Protection, or the same Suit like the Atago Ship) and make her tall (Yamato Size), but i do not know if she need an “Knack Arsch” (tight butt). Because Yamato and Musahsi had from the start build in this Air Hanger in the back. But i bet for Shinano as Carrier its not important. But even if she is bigger and such, she would love Taiho-neesan or at last had the same respect like the 1 Air Carrier division. She would be a “Newbie” under this Air Carriers, fresh into battle. Perhaps the other Veterans should have a eye on her, also She would have the “Uptodate” fighters on Board of course

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

  5. I liked this episode since at least i think we’re getting closer to solving this whole mystery. I was guessing food supplies so their biggest crisis being toiletries never crosses my mind. Also, I was really wondering what was so funny when Brown Sugar said Euros. Fortunately, someone pointed out that the Harekaze crew was laughing because she was using “Washi” to refer to herself. If the cause of all this are really rage inducing rats, I wonder if the effects are a case to case basis. Because looking back at the first episode, their instructor didn’t have the same red eyes and aggressive rage Tateishi showed here. Gotta say too, the Harekaze’s chief engineer is really something. Opting to sleep in the engine room instead of sunbathing with her team.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

  6. Finally, A Clue for the plot, and it’s a…
    https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2022.jpg
    Hamster…?!, Well i wonder…
    https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2025.jpg

    Huh…A Hamster can do mind control…WOW!!
    And who are the…Abyss, Some they think they are The mail-delivery company (Like LBC) but i fear they are even more…sinister, I wonder that blue haired instructor has involving with it…
    Also, Apart from hamsters how about something like. You know birds flock around the sky!

    Hopefully this show will had 2 parts or 2 cour’s but separated into the next season……Then Again it depends of this shows success…but who knows!!

    Namaewoinai
    Reply

    1. Abyss = Kancolle universe easter egg

      Yeah, the way she run away from the bridge, jump a top of a gun turret and shoot with the machine gun (lucky with dummy ammo).. she behaves not half human.. the mind controlling end while the controller was in her pocket about drown.. But then, how let her jump out of the water back to the ship?.. oh well anime magic here… or the mice took advanced of passing Dolphins that kick her out of the water 🙂

      well, serious matter now. looks like we got show the “red line” so far, and i approve it

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      1. “how let her jump out of the water back to the ship?.. ”

        Hmmm…This was somehow got a lot of questions in the local (Japanese) audience…Some they said that it’s some sort of a Gag Move or a some sort of a Plot Flaw, and i doubt there this some anime magic there really (Like Strike Witches)…

        Namaewoinai
        Reply

  7. it seems we have genetically engineered rodents
    https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
    spreading firepower-based modification of rabies…
    https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
    wait what?
    well as good plot as any
    plus it makes Isoroku the Cat actually most competent crewman, erm, crewperson….
    https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
    also, pun of the day: someone going overboard, literally:
    https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2026.jpg

    ewok40k
    Reply

  9. Haifuri’s been voted the 6th most popular Spring anime in an online Japanese poll, beating Macross Delta(7th), Jojo (9th), Sakamoto (10th) and Hero Academia (13th). It couldn’t beat Netoge no Yome’s 5th place though.

    zztop
    Reply

  10. Toilet..Paper??? They’ve been attacked multiple times, allowed to return to base and they stop for TOILET PAPER one day out?!! The attacks were caused by a rabid gerbil?!!! (yeah, I know it’s not rabid and not a gerbil). Shima gets thrown overboard and bounces back up cured? The ocean doesn’t like her? The disease is salt water phobic? I know, throw water bombs at the Musahsi to cure the crew.

    Did they right the script after they’d been drinking or did some fifth grader win a contest to write it?

    Bear
    Reply

    2. Please, PLEASE don’t let the antagonists turn out to be evil gerbils. I really want this show to be a good one, but I’m sorry, If that’s what the plot turns out to be about than it might just kill my interest in this one.

      Jetman
      Reply

    4. @Bear: I was thinking replacing the main guns with high-powered water “guns” (think fire-fighting), but hey, water shells (bombs) might work as well. 😀

      Speaking of weaponry (and questionable script proofing), for those familiar with WWII/IJN ships, what’s ironic is that they replaced the 12.7cm (presumably Type 3) main guns with 10 cm/65 Type 98 duel purpose guns. Type 98 were great WWII naval guns – considered by the Japanese to be their finest anti-aircraft artillery weapon… in a world with NO PLANES. O.o

      daikama
      Reply

  11. https://randomc.net/image/Hai-Furi/Hai-Furi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
    You know what, this scene is perhaps build in for future “surprise equipment”. When they are in a pinch, they remember this USB Stick, and look at the things that they build in. i bet not only the visuale new cannons are an upgrade. some others stuff got an upgrade, too

    perhaps more Engine power, anyway this USB Stick is perhaps the key for Upgrades that was build in, but not mentioned yet. to prevent the “ass pulls” comments

    Worldwidedepp
    Reply

    1. Not sure on the first one but maybe:

      “I wish to communicate with you.”
      “Stop carrying out your intentions and watch for my signals.”
      “I am altering my course to port.”

      alpha
      Reply

  13. 12.5 cm of toilet paper per day. 5 inches. That’s barely more than a single square. That’s average use per day? Do they only poop like once a week?

    Also surprised that the cat’s “gift” was a live rat, rather than a dead one.

    And then the girl picks up the disoriented gerbil-thing, and I’m thinking, “And now it poops in her hand.” Because that seemed to be a thing for startled pet rats that I know of.

    And can I just comment on, “We’ll just keep it until we can find its owner.” — about a gerbil you found in a crate that you fished up out in the middle of the ocean. What owners?

    On the other hand, the choice of running out of toilet paper was clearly so that the captain could use her obscene luck to win a lifetime supply from the typical shopping arcade lottery, since toilet paper is usually considered the ‘joke’ prize, there. Munetani probably would have actually won the vacation grand prize if she’d gone — beyond utterly useless for them — and then been caught by people who were not there to help them.

    David
    Reply

      1. I think 12.5 meters per girl per day is even worse. That’s… 41 feet, or ~125 squares (estimating 4 inches/10 cm per square). I don’t even know what you could do with that much toilet paper. And with 500 squares per roll, that’s one roll of toilet paper for every 4 girls, every day. They had 39 crew, right? So about 10 rolls of toilet paper used up every day?

        Maybe 12.5 dm (decimeters)? That would basically be 12.5 squares per day per girl, which is at least believable. That would be 1 roll of toilet paper per day, across the entire crew.

        On the other, other hand, they picked up like 6 bags of 18 rolls of toilet paper from the lottery, and they’re only one day out from the school, so maybe they do expect to be using up a dozen rolls or more per day.

        David
        Reply

  14. Fuck that kuro girl seriously. Clitsucking Mashiro all day long while being an ungrateful cunt to Captain Mike. Totally scream mutiny. I wish she die soon.

    Heisenberg
    Reply

    1. Clitsucking Mashiro all day long

      fanartists, get to work! Ahem. From a rational standpoint, Mashiro really is more qualified to be captain. However, Mike has proven herself to be an effective leader when the situation gets tough, making calls that I don’t think Mashiro would have made, and for all that Mashiro envies that captain’s beret and wants to wear it, I think she is coming to recognize that. Had she been in command, they wouldn’t have gotten through the situations they’ve been faced with.

      So, despite Mashiro’s clear edge in terms of training, Mike is, in the end, the right person to lead this crew. I too didn’t like that other girl’s comments: they do feel like the sort of thing that can build towards mutiny. However, I don’t think Mashiro would go along with it. However much she wants to be captain, I think she’s seen, and will continue to see, that Mike is truly the better person for the job in this case.

      Wanderer
      Reply

  15. I think this may qualify as WTF did I just watch. Let me get this straight: We start with a toiler paper “crisis” – complete with usage analytics from the Japanese Toilet Federation. To avert said “crisis”, a quick shopping trip to a conveniently located ocean outlet mall because the school “only provides fuel & ammo”. Seriously? NOTHING else? Back on ship, the crew is screwing around including “fishing” for potential toilet paper from conveniently passing by flotsam and/or jetsam boxes, one of which contains a radioactive looking, mind controlling not-hamster who then causes the quiet, monosyllable non-aggressive girl to go all “Rambo”.

    After everyone stands around so “Tama” empties the Type 96 25mm AA magazine, the Harukaze crew STILL stands around fretting, but at least the German Girl (best girl IMO) is proactive – a bit too proactive, throwing “Tama” into the sea only to have the not-hamster use it’s radioactive not-hamster powers to propel “Tama” like 10m out of the sea and back on the Harukaze where she is now cured because… water. The solution all along. Who knew?

    Uh…Okaaaay. I guess the “plot” (such as it is) moved along, but seriously? Alien mind-controlling “hamsters”? Either aliens or “lab experiment gone wrong”. At this point alien not-hamsters might be more fun, but I’m guessing the latter – some sort of “not-hamster aggression virus”… that is cured by water. *sigh*. There are other issues IMO as well, but not going to bother listing them. Hard to top mind-control not-hamsters.

    While we got a little additional background on Mashiro (dept. capt. – if I didn’t get the name right) coming from a successful “BluMers” (bad pun IMO) family, frankly I’d like to know what’s the deal with her extreme fear of cats. Seriously, I find it oddly extreme. Was she mauled by cats as a young child? Has severe, potentially life-threatening cat allergies? What?

    I’ll say this though, show does have my interest even if for the wrong reasons. Definitely curious to see where this one goes.

    daikama
    Reply

      1. @Nishizawa Mihashi: Yeah, and I fear said boat is starting to sink. Granted JMO, but show’s got issues. GuP this ain’t. :< Just watching to see where it goes.

        daikama
        Reply

      2. worldbuild?

        Funny i had also same thoughts…

        In this World, did the Manhatten Project got underway? You know the destination of this project. But then in the end this prototype was to big, and they wanted it to fit into an Plane. But this World here do not know Planes. perhaps gigantic zeppelins (“hindenburg”) are the Kings of the Sky (Also Air Carrier Zeppelins. The USA had 2 at World war 1? i think) Just search Wikipedia

        Well, if manhatten Project was done. then you could use this to build more tension, and give Musashi (because of her size) some… well… you know Ammo. But then this would bite the WW2 scenario of this Ships

        And this land sinken into the ocean, did it go slowly? Because if it gone that slow, perhaps they secured some farm land with gigantic underwater domes, like greenhouses. They just need to prevent the ocean see salt water to mix with the dry earth. The entry points into this gigantic undersea greenhouses should be like an Tunnel trough an mountain, just that it go downwards. well with this idea, they have still some farmland for food. they could use fiberglass to catch the sun and transport it to the greenhouse. The only problem is the contamination with sea salt water. they need to prevent that

        or they somehow transport some farmland earth to swimming gigantic plateaus like in Ar Tonelico the peoples took earth up to the tower to create farmland on their own. This could be the best solution. combine 4-6 old oilships to be the swimming greenhouses they need. the only problem is here “storm” weather

        there is so much Worldbuild stuff…

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

      3. @Worldwidedepp

        You mentioned some interesting ideas. As far as I can remember, the setting of this anime began sometime after the Russo-Japanese War (it was in episode 2), and the events that incentivized the development of aircraft and their related technologies were a result of the two world wars. In fact, many different kinds of technology might not even exist or be explored in depth if it were not for armed conflict, especially major wars. But yeah, I think that explains the lack of aircraft per se.

        In fact, one new thing I discovered was that the Wright Brothers kept their flight technology a secret it seems, but some competitor came in which forced them to reveal their tech or something. I don’t know the full details but looking through Wikipedia and Quora can definitely help us to understand the setting a bit better. Then again, I will still say that the setting is not well ‘though-out’, as they still leave us to consider other ideas that can negate the reasons that they have developed to explain the setting.

        Nishizawa Mihashi
        Reply

    2. Water is not a cure. The “control” stopped because the controller (hamsters) get thrown into the water along with Tama and can no longer maintain the perfect “control” so it used all of its power to make Tama jumpped out of water.

      Marina2
      Reply

      2. @Marina2: OK, maybe “cure” isn’t precisely the right word (assuming it’s not some “aggression virus”),but rather a “solution”, “fix”, “countermeasure”, or even simply “no longer mind controlled”. Semantics aside, the result is the same: “hamster” mind-control -> add water (or seawater to be precise) -> no mind control. That’s the point here.

        daikama
        Reply

      1. Yep. Went back and checked. Glad that’s the case because it makes sense – what one certainly would expect as I noted. Not sure why I misinterpreted that. Guess it didn’t fully register with me just how much of a toilet paper crisis it really was because I thought “it’s like 26 hours to school/home port (Yokosuka – right?). They can’t hold out that long – just go back to school?” Evidently not. Nothing left, not even a single roll in the stalls apparently. Still, my bad. That being said, can’t say it changes my impression of the episode in any material way.

        While I’m correcting things: First sentence, second paragraph should be: “After everyone stands around while [not “so”] “Tama” empties the Type 96 25mm AA magazine…” Meh, bad proofing on my part, but what else is new. :/

        daikama
        Reply

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