「精密機械」 (Seimitsu Kikai)
“Precision Machinery”

This is exactly what this show needed. A little bit of drama that stemmed from all the right places and hit all the right people. Or maybe it was just the fact that Arai Satomi randomly appeared and made everything 100x better? The world may never know.

Underclassmen Bickering

Seeing how Minaha and Tama have this love-hate relationship that has no signs of ending, I guess it’s time we embrace it instead of fighting it, right? Luckily, even for the most stark Minaha haters (I’m probably in that camp), there’s no denying the positive affect she’s had on Tama. Both in terms of Tama’s personality as well as her skills, without Minaha we might have had a drastically different show. Can you imagine going through each and every episode watching Tama try to find inspiration to kick start her wanting to become better for her senpais? I guess another big bonus with Minaha around is we get some awfully cute moments when Tama tries to stick up for herself. Being the underdog, I just love how Tama has grown into a fine freshman that’s able to speak up and not get dragged along at someone else’s whim.

Overall, I guess it’s a net positive for the show with Tama having someone else besides Yumine to bounce off of.

Being a Senpai

Boy were there a lot of examples of being a good senpai this week. From Ayame’s Iris-sensei to Teru pulling a gigantic fast one on Tama, it was fun to see that the older generation was doing its job at guiding the youth toward a more positive future. While it remains to be seen just how bad Minaha’s breakdown will be when she finally puts two and two together, I did enjoy seeing Teru pull a fantastic magic trick that gave Tama the advice she needed to tackle her trouble with Shii. Because not only was it quite amazing how she swapped everything, I loved how she managed to express everything to Tama without saying one word.

ARAI SATOMI

Appearing where I least expect her, I never thought I’d get to hear Arai’s amazing vocals in a show like this. As a mom who’s a programmer that works at home no less, I don’t think you could have found a better fit for the character. Also, she knows how to keep a group of hard workers motivated!

Looking Ahead

With things chugging along smoothly and Tama becoming more and more expressive, I don’t really think I could ask for anything else. With summer right around the corner and the Summer Comiket only a few episodes away (only a few episodes left for the season!), I hope things come together for a fantastic finish. Anyways, I’ll catch you next week where we’ll hopefully get to see Seki without her makeup. See you!

 

Preview

6 Comments

  1. I’m pretty satisfied with what Minaha adds to the show, it’s competitive but pushes Tama to learn and better herself, something you could see as a tough love approach, and maybe she switches her mood too much (at least I think so), but she does add something that I find positive to the show. What I DON’T like, however, is how this show presents Minaha being able to recognize Tama with altered hair but can’t recognize Seki’s slightly less altered hair and removed glasses. Maybe the make-up really changes things around, especially since make-up affects…eyes by making them starry, so they’re like contacts, I guess?

    But since they presented Minaha having some cognizance with Tama but not Seki in the slightest, it actually really detracts from any enjoyment I had from the Seki/Minaha scenes and now just really feels forced. Maybe she really is just blinded by her presence, but I’m really hoping she can realize really soon lol.

    Also, that laptop must have issues if Tama thought it was on, but doesn’t present any notification that it has a low battery like several laptops/tablets I messed with, because for the battery to really be the issue kind of irritates me. Not as much as the “call phone instead of use IM system” part, but it’s up there.

    Man, this show really has its heart in the right place, I love the lessons it teaches, but the way it leads up to those lessons really has some faults for me. Luckily, it’s not quite enough to make me go back on my positive words from last episode. But it makes me feel a slight more mixed, at the very least.

    Fuwa Fuwa
    1. Man, Minaha is just a hot mess isn’t she? Haha.

      Seriously though, I can get on board with your complaints. Thinking about it with a slightly more focused view, certain things sort of fall apart. when it comes to Seki though, it has to be her eyes. THE STARS MAN!

      On the note about electronics though, I’ve seen a lot of novices not realize their laptop died right in-front of them — especially when they leave it on standby/sleep. Tama seems like she’s the kind of person who knows how to draw with it and basically nothing else haha.

  2. I wish this show was more popular, it’s more than just a simple moe-blob affair. I think this show is quite relevant and relatable, especially to creative types.

    I guess it’s hard to think of things to comment about on this show though. One thing I can think to comment on though is Tama’s image change. I actually liked it, and I thought everyone’s reaction to her new look was hilarious and funny. Tama’s reaction was equally funny and adorable.

    Roguespirit
    1. You and me both Roguespirit!

      It’s okay though — we get to be a part of this somewhat “exclusive” club, haha.
      Yeah, I can imagine it being tough to comment about things in this show. Seeing how it embraces school-life/slice-of-life pretty heavily, there isn’t much room for anything jarring or “comment” worthy to really appear.

      Except Arai Satomi.
      https://randomc.net/image/Stella%20no%20Mahou/Stella%20no%20Mahou%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
      She’s always comment worthy :^)

    2. I guess it’s hard to think of things to comment about on this show though.

      This probably sums up the lack of popularity IMO, it’s hard to find things to comment on about SoLs sometimes. For example I usually watch this as a stress reliever, I don’t really focus on the story as much as the rehabilitating cuteness 😛

      1. Well, every season I like to have a “feel good” show. A show that helps me feel better after a rough day and when I just need some smiles. For me, that’s the real purpose of shows like this, to make you feel better, an escape, a lovely way of forgetting about your troubles for 20 or so minutes. A friend of mine put it best:

        “Soap operas are about relishing in other people’s misery; slice of life is about relishing in other people’s happiness.”

        Roguespirit

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