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「Chapter.18 遠雷2 / Chapter.19 遠雷3」 (Chapter.18 Enrai 2 / Chapter.19 Enrai 3)
“Chapter.18 Distant Thunder 2 / Chapter.19 Distant Thunder 3”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Mr. Matsunaga, especially after his loss, but he managed to sway my opinion of him right at the end.
Understanding Your Elders
I’m not sure who this episode was supposed to be highlighting this week. As a brand new side character (I was originally going to say one off but it looks like he’ll be back for more) who embodies everything that make it difficult to bond with the older generation, Matsunaga definitely started things out on the wrong foot. Brash, loud, and not subtle in the slightest, I think I may have been more annoyed than Rei as we watched his crazy antics and listened to him babble on and on about sorts of things. Which I suppose you could chalk up to the story (and the writers) doing a great job at making a character you don’t hate, but don’t find appealing. I mean, how difficult would have it been to give him a personality of a sweet grandpa that was falling on hard times because of his age catching up to him? That said, the latter half of the episode probably wouldn’t have worked if we really liked Matsunaga upfront.
A latter half that honestly surprised me with the way it turned around my opinion of the brash Matsunaga. Seeing how he’s no stranger to being modest, I really loved how he just let everything out in front of Rei. From expressing his fear about being put against a prodigy to his attempt at describing his drive to keep pushing forward even though he was set on retiring if he lost, there was a unique charm that came out of the man who thought he was about to lose one of his biggest passions in life. God, I could feel the emotions welling up inside my chest as I thought about losing something precious to me.
Looking Ahead
After all that, I’m not quite sure where things are at right now. I get that Rei got the opportunity to stick it to his stepsister by not being pulled along at her pace, but honestly that call at the end had me awfully confused. Maybe they’ll elaborate more on it next week, but I really do hope we get a better explanation about just what kind of relationship Rei and Kyouko have. Luckily, it sounds like things might get awfully dark next week so maybe we will! In any case, I’ll catch you around the bend — see you!
Preview
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I wasn’t expecting such a lighthearted episode after so much foreboding from the last one. He really stuck it to his stepsister since he both won and the guy didn’t retire.
Matsunaga-san playing shogi < Matsunaga-san's drunk
https://randomc.net/image/3-gatsu%20no%20Lion/3-gatsu%20no%20Lion%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/3-gatsu%20no%20Lion/3-gatsu%20no%20Lion%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2022.jpg
I really enjoyed this episode, especially seeing how Rei stood up to his stepsister instead of just silently tolerating her taunts. I love that Rei genuinely cared for the old man’s feelings but still playing fair instead of intentionally losing or something like that. Let’s hope Rei, with all his integrity and genuine kindness, be the elixir that nullifies Kyouko’s poison.
This was hands down my favorite episode so far. I’ve been enjoying this show from the very beginning, but this episode in particular got everything right. So far I’ve felt that there has been a tiny bit of a struggle to juggle the emotional elements of what Rei is going through currently and what he has already struggled with in his past along with depicting him building relationships with the people around him who genuinely care about his well-being. This time around though I really felt like he has developed into a more cohesive character. Then there was Matsunaga-san. He reminded me of a Korean ajusshi rather than the typical ojiisan I’m used to seeing, and was all the more likeable for it. I think my favorite part was them encountering one another in the stairwell. Hilarious! He was genuinely charming and endearing and made me laugh out loud more than a few times. I’m glad he and Rei got to spend time together. One other thing that was really great in this episode was the imagery, especially when Matsunaga-san was spilling his heart out. They blended the background elements beautifully with the body language which in turn gave me an emotional connection to the scenes. The only thing I could live without is the dancing and singing cats, but it’s easy enough to skip through that so I’m not complaining.