First Impressions / Sasami-san@Ganbaranai

「戦略的孤独」 (Senryakuteki Kodoku)
“Strategic Solitude”

I’m not really entirely sure what’s going on this week. It’s kind of hard to tell just how everything is connected and the inclusion of other continuing mysteries from the previous episodes only makes things even more intriguing. I like that there are some underlying plot elements with a little bit of complexity to them in addition to the usual completely batshit insane absurdity that Sasami-san@Ganbaranai likes to throw out all the time. They mix fairly well, the serious side complimenting the far more light-hearted and carefree nonsense that constitutes Sasami’s interactions with the Yagami sisters and her brother. The mythological references give plenty of room for speculation and some interesting nods too!

I like how the ‘motivation’ theme comes up a lot in Sasami-san (which is not surprising for very obvious reasons – it’s in the damn title after all). Seeing her father become just as unmotivated as she is following recent events was rather entertaining. Being a part of the Tsukuyomi family seems to eat away at you or something – none of the family members seem quite right, swaying from being completely unmotivated (Sasami and her father) to utterly devoted to their cause (Juju and Kamiomi). Both of those options seem to be extreme opposites. What’s perhaps more funny is the irony in how hard Sasami is working to try and keep the Yagami sisters out so she… doesn’t have to work hard! Ingenious!

There’s something I really like about how mythology and magic are handled in Sasami-san@Ganbaranai. It’s not just the references to it and how surprisingly well Amaterasu’s legends are suited to Sasami’s disposition (see Amano-Iwato for example), but how it’s portrayed in general. Sasami is a hikkikomori who demonstrates all the typical factors of being a social recluse, even down to her love of technology. That makes it rather fitting just how frequently technology seems to turn up within the ‘magic’, and how this ‘magic’ is portrayed graphically as somewhat akin to computer code. Heck, at times it’s almost like something out of The Matrix! It works really well as a way to blend the two vastly different themes together.

It’s a little sad to see how warped Juju’s desires for her daughter became once Sasami strayed from the path she’d set out. Juju seemed only to be a loving mother, wanting to set the world right to make things better for Sasami when the time came for her to take on Amaterasu’s powers. But Sasami’s rejection of this turned her from loving mother to vengeful spirit, wishing not for Sasami’s happiness, but for her to fulfil the role Juju had worked so hard to prepare her for. It’s strange what love can do. There’s quite a contrast between Sasami and Micchan too, both considered to be ‘similar’, yet one turning out hardworking and the other unmotivated. I actually spent a lot of the episode wondering if there was a sort of mother-daughter relationship between Juju and Micchan – it certainly seemed like there could be. Micchan might have been the ideal daughter in Juju’s eyes.

So… I guess the big question is what’s actually going on? Why has Sasami suddenly put on a large amount of weight overnight? Why can the nine-tailed fox, Tamamo-no-Mae, see the future Sasami and offer her a chance to change the future? Will Sasami somehow find a way to stop her mother from dying? Why did the battle end before Kagami’s clothes properly melted off? Why is there suddenly a giant censor bar? Who is Kamiomi and what does he look like that means he’s important and has to hide his face? Why is Micchan so clumsy and adorable? Why is that end card so awesome? I should stop asking questions now.

tl;dr: @MoombaDS – I feel kind of unmotivated so instead of coming up with answers, I will ask a million questions! #Sasamisan

Random thoughts:

  • Rocket punch!
  • I find it kind of funny that when Amano-Iwato was first mentioned the idea that popped into my head was that they’d follow the myth to get Sasami out. It’s cool that they discussed this idea during the ED sequence!
  • The reversal of the Sasami-Kagami relationship is kind of interesting, with Sasami now being the one doing the rejecting instead of Kagami.
  • All them references!

Full-length images: 19.

 

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16 Comments

  5. While trying to give a new definition to weird & zany, this show has just made me confused – & I’m still not trying to figure out what’s going on, so how in the heck can I be confused?!

    Megas
    Reply

  6. This week, I watched Love live and my expression was: YEY THIS IS GREAT

    I watched tamako market and I was like: LOL that dera

    I watched vividred operation and I was like : Hooray friendship hooray so cute

    I watched mangirl and encouragement of climb and I was all like: YEY funny

    then… I watched sasami… and I’m at a loss for words.. haha it totally overshadowed everything this week!… I think I’m becoming a rabid fangirl now…. sasami is just the best anime to me this season hands down!!!

    I can’t wait to see what happens next, I’m sure sasami and tsuguri will end up killing the fox but I’d like to see what sasami would wish for.. if it’d be for her mom to never die…

    and now I’m really curious as to who in the snot that big brother is! is he the creator?????!!!

    anyway another amazing ep I loved it!

    Akarin
    Reply

  7. The bit with JuJu and the brother in the past really had the question marks flying. She didn’t acknowledge him as Sasami’s brother nor her own nor any other relationship. Just an entity hanging around the shrine? WTF. The guy that seems like comic relief through most of the show now looks to have some importance to the story itself.

    Bear
    Reply

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