Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue – 10

「いっしょごはん」
“Eating Together”

I love that this week’s episode of Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue revolved around food. I’m a big fan of everything edible so this episode was right up my alley. For one, the food looked absolutely scrumptious. I have a serious appetite for anime food and those gyozas had me salivating. But aside from building an appetite, the delicious meals in this week’s episode are the glue bringing people and cat closer together. We see this when Haru-chan (human girl) cooks for both Haru (adorable feline) and Subaru. We experience it in the wildlands of a grocery store alongside Subaru. And, food becomes the reason why our main characters bond a little more.

This week’s set up was a great way to introduce Haru-chan a little better. There’d been a few glimpses of her in cat Haru’s flashbacks and she made a quick appearance when she delivered food to Subaru, but this week we caught sight of a little backstory. Haru-chan wasn’t always a good cook. She learned specifically so she could feed cat Haru during her stray days and now cooks better than Subaru and I combined. Haru-chan is lucky to have had Haru to care for. She’s learned at a young age that bringing happiness to others can lead one to feel their own happiness.

Interestingly enough, Subaru wants to follow in her footsteps. He sees how happy it makes both Harus to share a dish cooked with intention and decides he wants to do the same. This is the first time we see him cook, ever, and as usual with Subaru’s character growth, it’s a joy to watch. I’m surprised at how many firsts this grown adult male is having since he’s had a cat. It can be endearing at times but I occasionally feel bad for the poor soul. How is he learning only now the joys of cooking and eating with others? To be fair, he is a well-known published author so you win some, you lose some.

Can we agree though that the way his mind works is an absolute mystery? Who would actually try to measure the width of a cat’s mouth to chop up veggie bites? I mean, I get it. It’s his first time. But he must know by now that Haru would never allow that. It made for a funny cooking scene though. Kudos to the writers for throwing that bit of humour in.

As for Haru, I like that they gave her a louder voice this episode. She’s acting as Subaru’s ‘wake-up’ alarm, as his ‘remember to eat’ alarm, and all sorts. She’s getting a little more cattitude as the episodes go by and has clearly become a lot more comfortable with Subaru.

I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly it is that makes this series so enticing to watch. The writing, the dynamic, the seiyuus, the animation and the pacing are all exquisite but there seems to be a mystery ingredient I just can’t name. It’s rare that a series has me happily wrapped around its little finger, and in this case, I don’t want to fight it. Maybe it’s just the food getting to me.

Preview