Amaama to Inazuma / First Impressions

「つむぎとおまたせのハンバーガ」 (Tsumugi to Omatase no Hannbaaga)
“Tsumugi and The Long Awaited Hamburger Steak”

I may be getting older, but I’ll never forget just how tough it was to be a kid.

Life as a Kid

Boy, did Amaama hit a perfect blend of sadness and angst with this week’s episode. Reminding me just how tough it is to be a kid (or I guess how tough it is just to exist on this stupid planet), I couldn’t believe how emotional I got watching Tsumugi and Kouhei struggle through a tough situation.

Starting with the issue itself – god damn I remember just how stupid life was back then. Boys would go out of their way to make fun of the girls, the girls would retaliate by being just as evil back, and the cycle itself continued on and on until one side realized that it was either not worth it or that the other side were actually kind of cool to be around. In Tsumugi’s case, I think we all can agree that Mikio needed a nice roundhouse kick to the head. The little brat going out of his way to accuse Tsumugi of being a little thief felt so damn petty that I could hear my inner thoughts cheering after we heard Tsumugi scratched the little twerp.

But then, in typical Amaama fashion, we soon realize that even amongst all the stupid in that situation, there was another important message hiding. Because even as bratty as that Mikio kid was, what he said did have some merit in it. Tsumugi did have a crap ton of clay and if she really wasn’t going to return it to her friends, I can see how someone would have an issue with that.

Luckily, because they’re all little kids, this is exactly the time they’re supposed to learn how the world works and the ways about going about things. Which is why you can’t really fault Mikio (he’s just a little brat, but we all were once too!) or Tsumugi (I’m glad she didn’t get any excessive “princess” treatment) for what happened. That and I have to hand it to Amaama for doing such a damn good job at portraying the whole experience from problem to resolution.

Dad-life

I don’t want to dive to deep into this one, but I’m happy that Kouhei had an opportunity to grow throughout the episode too! As a single parent, I’m sure he’s struggling to find a balance between being both the good and bad cop. And even though I felt like he was being a little too kind (that’s simply my opinion though) after the way Tsumugi wouldn’t even acknowledge Mikio’s apology, I’d probably end up doing the exact same thing if I were in his shoes haha.

Looking Ahead

God, I don’t know if it’s because I’m a little more stressed than usual, but these episodes have been hitting my emotions so hard that this show is slowly becoming one I have to watch in private. Tears aside, things seem to be moving pretty quickly and from here on out I have no idea what’s going to actually happen (I stopped reading at this point since I had enough information for the preview). With a strong start though and a lot of momentum to ride on, I don’t foresee any unexpected problems.

Catch you next week!

23 Comments

    1. Nah, she’s lonely and has no father figure. I get no romantic vibes at all. I think she just wants a family.

      Maybe flags will raise with the mom later on though.

      capcrunch
      Reply

      2. Volume 5 shows

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Later on

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Zannafar
        Reply

      3. she wanted to feeling be of use, also she is instructing Sensei to be a “better” dad. Perhaps she is missing her Dad

        Yeah, perhaps Sensei looks similar like her Dad, or she really just want an “father” figure around her

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

  3. It’s shows like this that make me get all warm and fuzzy inside and make me look forward to being a father one day… until I walk outside and realize that most kids aren’t that fun to be around in real life…*sigh*

    wxiagz
    Reply

    2. Kids are very time and energy-consuming bundles of spontaneity and curiosity with all manners of character flaws that they really need to drop but will stubbornly hold onto. Your only reward for being patient with them is their trust and confidence and that occasional chuckle being extracted out of you whenever they do something silly that catches you off-guard.

      Mincemaker
      Reply

  7. Weekly dose of heart warming medicine taken! ^_^

    On a side note, I thing Braising would have been a better term than stewing (what I saw in the subs I watched) since that’s pretty much what they did. I may be wrong but Stewing for me usually involves cooking everything in one big pot so that all the flavors combine whereas braising is what they actually did which is to brown the meat then place sauce in the pan with it and occasionally spoon the sauce over the meat as it cooks

    Juan
    Reply

    1. Stewing and braising are similar, you’re cooking a meat through in the sauce, but the cooking times are the difference, as braising takes a lot longer so the meat will come out very very soft, though you’d want to use a tougher meat that needs a longer cooking time to braise (and on a low heat), like short ribs, and ground meat isn’t really for that, so that’s why they said stewing. Braising something too tender or soft will sap the flavor since it cooks too quickly.

      Bamboo Blade Cat
      Reply

  8. This show really tugs at the heart strings. Seeing little Kotori being sad made me sad too, but then seeing how her dad get down to level to listen to her and seeing her brighten up after he told her he loves her made me smile so much. Love the little details and how well they are animated.

    xClueless
    Reply

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