First Impressions / Glasslip

「ジョナサン」 (Jyonasan)
“Jonathan”

I’m still confused about how I want to feel about this show. Because every single time I’m on the verge of going “I’m okay with this” something completely incomprehensible happens.

The Moon is Pretty

After my mini hate rant on Sacchan and her selfish behavior last week, this week’s episode managed to pleasantly surprise me. Never did I once consider she’d actually take this opportunity to air her feelings for Touko while simultaneously confirming how she felt about Hiro. While it doesn’t excuse her from the awful decisions she made before hand, I’ll be honest that my opinion of Sacchan favorably changed pretty quickly.

The other thing that I found particularly interesting was how cute Hiro and Sacchan were during that less than typical confession moment. Continuing with “The Moon is Pretty” metaphor, it was almost hnng inducing watching them affirm each other’s feelings without directly stating it. The moment could have been perfect had Touko not ruined it by awkwardly saying the same phrase without having any emotion behind it. Then again, we’d have a whole separate pile of problems if she did, wouldn’t we?

Yuki and Yanagi Redux

Of all the possible pairings, this is the one I’ve been rooting for the hardest. The two seem like a perfect fit for each other and this week’s role reversal did a fantastic job at portraying how well they seem to jive even when things get all jumbled up. As an added bonus, it feels like Yuki has moved on from Touko! Which hopefully means all their close interactions can finally add up to some kind of flag being set down the road. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want Yanagi to be their 5:30 girl? c;

Kakeru and Touko, Again.

I’m starting to get weary of seeing the same thing happen between these two every, single, week. It’s a constant back-and-forth between trying to get close and then pulling back when something strange happens. At this point, I would be satisfied if either one of them just put their foot down and ended things or just leap into the unknown to finally figure out just what all these “fragments” of the supposed future are supposed to be. Judging from the last few seconds of the episode and the preview, it seems like the latter is more likely to happen — something that I think will make or break the show.

Looking Ahead

I’m not one to look for symbolism in what should be a slice-of-life type of show but I can’t help but see the use of snow and all the dark shadows whenever Touko and Kakeru are near each other as a bad omen. Toss in Kakeru’s personality disorder (it was confirmed by his parents!) and the whole thing sounds like the perfect recipe for disaster emotionally and physically. Luckily there aren’t very many episodes left which usually means the finale is coming — I’m just hoping it’s a good one.

 

Preview

30 Comments

  2. This is it: gradually with each ep since the beginning and culminating this week I’m just thinking “What the h*** am I watching???”

    Just last week when i had come to terms with believing that everything was turning for the worst, just the opposite happens next. Whatever. I’ve been looking and trying to get a hidden meaning, metaphor, fourth-degree layer in this show but… I’m totally dumbfounded as to where this is heading.

    Anyone gets something? Because I’m simply NOT satisfied going with the “It’s just a slice-of-life anime, there’s nothing to explain, they’re just doing stuff”.

    Fourchaise
    Reply

    2. That’s actually where I am as well: trying to figure out where things are going but everything that’s happened is so generalized that it’s hard to see how it comes together. I’m tempted to go back and try and re-watch everything in order to try and see what I’m missing but the hook here is missing and I can’t be bothered.

      I honestly don’t think they’re going to slice of life though. They’re trying to do something layered given the characters they’ve laid out (The broken outsider who helps the heroine finds her gift, the likely doomed sick girl and her love, and the two sided unrequited lovers), and the foreshadowing mechanic built around the main character but the plot + events so far are just too thin in terms of how all this combines into coherency.

      Sooner or later there’s going to be an episode that explains all this. I don’t think it will make up for the fact that the 12 that came before it really didn’t.

      Dave
      Reply

    3. The way I see it, this show is trying to catch various scene as if it is actually moving. It’s like filming your friends without seemingly actually having an overall concept. It’s like watching a bunch of people without them explaining to us but we explaining them. Does this makes sense to you?

      KF
      Reply

  4. Not sure if this helps but a friend and I were discussing about today’s episode and he pointed out at how “Yataglass” is given focus in the episodes and then he started asking why Yataglass and immediately connected it to Yatagarasu

    according to wiki (I dont have other sources so please bear with me)
    Yatagarasu the Crow-God himself is symbolic specifically of guidance. This great crow was sent from heaven as a guide for Emperor Jimmu on his initial journey from the region which would become Kumano to what would become Yamato

    Maybe the glass is meant to guide Touko like what we’ve been seeing these past few episodes if they are indeed “fragments of the future”

    So we proceeded to think that other things may be “connected” to the real plot
    There’s such a thing as Yata no Kagami
    Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡?) is a sacred mirror that is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. The Yata no Kagami represents “wisdom” or “honesty,” depending on the source (accdg to Wiki again)

    and snow meant death, chickens were actually messengers of gods, and David and Jonathan were the ones from the bible story. I’m not exactly sure how it will come all together but maybe this can help in understanding the story more?

    mysticnotes
    Reply

    1. Interesting. Touka also had a vision of Kakeru falling. Couple that with the snow/death connection… Could Sacchan’s jealousy actually drive her to push him off? The fragments might not connect in a literal sense, but relate to each other anyway.

      Bear
      Reply

      1. Well in this episode Sacchan seems to come to terms with her feeling towards Touko and Hito but being this show what it is who knows what direction is heading. I have the feeling the director decides the course of the plot by fliping a coin before doing each episode every week.

        haseo0408
        Reply

  5. Sorry, I don’t buy Saccan’s confession. “Ok, Hiro. Yeah I tried to use you to break up Touko and Kakeru’s meeting, but I love you too.” Maybe the writer’s are going for sweetness and light here, but if I were Hiro I would have walked out and not looked back. She’s just manipulating him to have someone around and he’s too love struck to see what she’s doing. Wait till she finds out that Kakeru kissed Touko.

    Bear
    Reply

  8. My only thought is that maybe Sacchi knew that Touko didn’t feel the same way, but still wanted to confess so she could move on, so she said her piece, and said, “You too” to Hiro so she could back out gracefully. She gets to confess to the girl she loves without destroying the status quo. (Which is very important to her.)

    That’s probably the only explanation for that WTF scene and plotline I can think of.

    Otherwise, it was a total waste of a whole storyline.

    “I’m gonna break Touko and David up!”
    “I’m gonna use Hiro to do it!”
    “Yeah Hiro, I used you.”
    “I’m gonna confess to the one I love.”
    “Who? Oh, it’s Touko. Oh and you too, Hiro.”

    FRIENDSHIP.

    Somewhere my brain a splode.
    ME: ASASDKSKAJHDKASDJHKJASDHDWEFIE????

    s_w
    Reply

  15. Haha too much emotions in this show. It’s funny, sad, bad, good, surprising, cliché, slow, fast….really Glasslip is the mirror of Life , a fragment of masterpiece !!

    More seriously, just hope for a good ending. is there really a bad omen ? Curious but dont want a school day like for god sake.

    raitei18
    Reply

  17. Sacchan is being an ass here, seriously. And I feel sorry for Hiro for not noticing something (definitely and obviously) wrong with her confession to Touko and him. And the scene at 05:02 is definitely not a good sign for Hiro. And this is the very first time in anime history as far as I know that a show manage to make a kiss scene to give out romantic feeling, angsty vibe, and cold dark atmosphere all at the same time contrasted with that unsettling feeling that something (big and bad) is definitely coming with that out of ordinary snowing background…..not sure if I have to be happy or not!

    fatalogic
    Reply

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