First Impressions / Hanasaku Iroha

「マメ、のち、晴れ」 (Mame, Nochi, Hare)
“Bean, After, Sunny”

Continuing on from last week’s cliffhanger, I would like to say that I so called it when I thought of Ohana offering to work during her school trip vacation. Somehow, it wouldn’t have felt right if she didn’t step up and do something to remedy the situation thrown in front of her. But even after getting rejected by the owner the first time, it never fails to impress me how far Ohana will go to fix things that are bothering her.

Something about P.A. Works’ ability to drive a story forward is what really makes this show as impressive as it is. With the past fourteen or so episodes giving us a clear look at just how determined Ohana can be, it was so entertaining how they managed to display just enough of Ohana’s selflessness to keep us thinking about her while still focusing on Yuina and her battle to discover herself.

Who would have thought that all it would take to get Yuina jealous would be for Ohana to steal her man from her? All jokes aside, it amazes me that she was able to hold out for so long; especially since she comes off as a character who seems to love basking in the limelight. Even though it feels like Yuina doesn’t view Ohana as a rival, I’m sure she didn’t enjoy Ohana stealing Yosuke’s attention. Accident or not, it made me smile watching Yuina grow up a bit. While it feels like she’s only hit the tip of the iceberg, a little bit of hard labor and jealously can drive a person pretty far!

With this arc spanning two episodes, I thought it really helped bring things to a satisfying close. Yuina learning a little bit about what it’s like to work for a change and discovering a little bit about herself in the process, Yosuke gaining the ability to listen and understand those working underneath him in hopes of becoming a better manager, Ohana once again doing things to help others which then inspires others to come along for the ride, and Minko being somewhat friendlier towards Ohana.

All in all, not too shabby for an episode that didn’t even focus on the main characters right? While I was hoping for Okami to give Ohana some type of compliment, I suppose a delighted smile is still the best we’re going to get. I don’t know about you but the preview for next week’s episode had me scratching my head for a few seconds. No background music, just a bunch of laughter and from what I can guess a young Enishi calling out for Okami — nothing creepy about that at all right?

 

Preview

45 Comments

    6. Jaalin is a “rare pokemon”.. no one knows his habitat(might be a jungle called “perverted nature”) and diet(most likely anime ankles). Not even Omni can contain him. If you see Jaalin.. don’t hesitate to throw a Master Ball! :p

      MrRei
      Reply

  2. In my opinion, this show has far more realism than i initial thought. You see unlike anime character which usually have 2 dimension personality. All the character here is more or less a bit more complicated. In this episode, you see Yuina being a brat for not really working AND at the same time you can see she just trying to break free from the chain of fate of being no more than a manager of an inn.

    At the beginning of the arc, i love Yuina for all her cuteness and stuff. Halfway through, i feel her being a brat for giving up on her promise with her fiance in the middle of a crisis. I mean she should have been a bit more supportive or at least choose another time to say what her real feeling regarding being a manager. At the end of it, jealous of Ohana and working for the first time( finding joy within work as well). It make her likeable again.

    One thing i have to say regarding this anime is, kudo for the realism in personality.
    Satsuki – motherly but practical for a single mother.
    Ohana – love ko-chan but unable to return his feeling and still able to feel like a victim
    Manager – care for her family but on a strict attitude that could make them all misunderstand her.

    Wow, third post. The best i got in years.

    lkaze
    Reply

    1. Yes i think Yuina was rejecting innkeeping without even knowing what the job really is since she never really worked or lived it. Until she complained about the soap not washing off i didn’t even realize that she was that far removed from reality lol. Rinsing soapy stuff isn’t that rather basic knowledge!? Now that’s what i call sheltered.

      Breedo
      Reply

  4. Week after week, this show delivers a feeling that I can’t describe. I just love the pacing and characters so much.

    Also, animation quality this episode was amazing. Yuina and ofuro time with the other girls <3

    ren
    Reply

  6. Naked hot springs wrestling. NAKED. HOT SPRING. WRESTLING. My yuri goggles have burned up.

    Seriously though, the arc was very predictable but satisfying. Seeing Yuina suddenly get a jealous streak was pretty enjoyable, since its nice to see her express other emotions. Overall, a very good character-centric arc.

    fragb85
    Reply

  8. I must say that is starting to get a bit annoying; it reminds me of shounen protagonists using guts and perseverance to win the day =0\. One thing I loved about the Tokyo/Satsuki arc was that it showed Ohana that no matter how arduous and diligent you are about something, you can’t always change it. You need to know what you can and cannot do, and the limitations of whatever abilities you have. For me, it really gave a sense of realism in this story(well, before Satsuki caved in and went with them). Clearly, doing inn work is well within her abilities, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everything would work out perfectly. I just hope this doesn’t become the norm(but I won’t hold my breath =0\).

    Other than that, Yuina’s arc was okay. I thought her char was cute in how it was portrayed(particularly how she talked), but I didn’t really care much about her char in-depth; it just wasn’t interesting to me =02.

    frubam
    Reply

    1. I deign to disagree. Hard work and diligence are often positive qualities that are shafted in RL and sometimes even in shows like these. Shounen protagonists also have something called the ‘plot device’ that is used intensively to help them in that aspect. On the contrary, I find it refreshing that they are using a female protagonist for this and that how she acts and reacts are very in-character for her. The Tokyo arc simply showed that she was human and like you say, that she can’t always achieve everything through her own efforts.

      Owaranai
      Reply

    2. “I must say that is starting to get a bit annoying; it reminds me of shounen protagonists using guts and perseverance to win the day =0\. ”
      Can’t agree more. That’s one of the most annoying things about shounen series.

      A
      Reply

    3. Agree with this post completely. I like Ohana- but she’s my least favorite of the four girls. This gung-ho and willful personality that seems to make her the most fantastic person in the world (blindsiding the efforts of others) can’t make everything turn out okay in the end. The Tokyo arc was great when there wasn’t a real happy ending because that was realistic. People aren’t always going to cave in to her determination. I’d love to see more arcs that either don’t focus on her or where she finds that she can’t solve all the problems.

      Aisu
      Reply

  9. Yuina reminds me of Paris Hilton. A rich (or at least well off) girl who has never had to work hard for a living and doesn’t even understand the concept. She is like the anti-Ohana. I bet 3/4 of the working people in this world don’t like their job but they keep doing it because they have become addicted to eating food every day and sleeping in a bed and not outside in a cardboard box.

    Ohana kinda reminds me of Yune from Ikoku Meiro with her sense of selflessness, honor, and doing the right thing. If lots of japanese girls have this sense of “doing the right thing” I’m gonna have to find myself a japanese GF.

    Karmafan
    Reply

    1. I’ll agree that Yuina started off as a somewhat spoilt rich girl, but it’s a bit unfair to compare her with the universally-disliked Paris Hilton.

      For starters, Yuina is already friendly and likable towards Ohana to begin with, and is presumably on good terms with “commoners” like Minko and Nako for some time.

      And though she does enjoy being admired by the guys, she does not display the kind of “I’m the rich bitch in town, so you should all bow and tremble at my beauty” arrogance that Hilton does.

      This arc is more or less her growth arc, which just makes her all the cuter.

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

      1. “And though she does enjoy being admired by the guys, she does not display the kind of “I’m the rich bitch in town, so you should all bow and tremble at my beauty” arrogance that Hilton does.”

        Beauty? WHEN DID PARIS HILTION BECAME A BEAUTY? SHE’S ALL PLASTIC AND MAKE-UP! Yuina is 1000% human than that clay statue…

        The M0on DOgg
        Reply

      2. Beauty? WHEN DID PARIS HILTION BECAME A BEAUTY?

        M0on DOgg (hope I spelled that correct), my point exactly! lol

        At least Yuina has the looks to back her up should she chooses to trash talk. The fact that she doesn’t means that Hilton’s not even worthy of licking her toes.

        Kinny Riddle
        Reply

  10. Trying to drown Ohana is Minko’s version of being friendly???
    One thing such show can instill in me is sudden respect for waitresses, clerks, all those nameless/faceless people that keep the service sector going. We are taking for granted their effort, ofter underpaid and overworked, while we cruise for vacation or go on a shopping spree. All it takes to remove them – as with the part-timers quitting – to make bustling hotel grind to a halt.
    I’ve been working already a few places and trades in my life, and the difference between good manager and bad one is often the very personal example they give with their level of dedication to work. I’ve seen those that were harsh and unforgiving being loved because they shared hardships and worked hand in hand with lower ranks when needed, while those seemingly amiable and friendly but lazy and tending to stay locked in own room when there is rush hour of clients get scorned and derided among crew when they dont listen…

    ewok40k
    Reply

      1. It’s real: Mango softserved (as in mango+vanilla sundae) or any flavored vanilla sundae can be used as a universal dip for, but not limited to, Cripspy fried foods, chips, fruits and bland biscuits.

        The M0on DOgg
        Reply

  14. This was a great episode. Hansaku Iroha really does an outstanding job of depicting the characters with realistic personalities. Whenever I watch a new episode of this series each week, I always get this happy feeling. Guess it’s just one of those feel-good shows like Natsume Yuujinchou for me.

    Taksun
    Reply

  15. For some reason I found Minko especially adorable in this episode. Maybe cause she was always blushing, but I just wanted to hug her. Tomoe is still the best though, with Nako is second!

    I knew Yuina was kinda selfish, but this really drove it home. The she turned it around so I kinda forgive her, but she’s still kinda “meh”. Spoiled chicks are something else though… >.<

    Aex
    Reply

  17. I think Yuina explained it to us a bit better near the end of the episode(growing up around people working @ an inn is not the same as actually working @ another inn)…I was actually thinking something like that watching last weeks episode (along with a prediction of Ohana actually helping out…).

    info600
    Reply

  20. This show has the most unique storyline,most amazing director, most amazing mangaka, most amazing voice actors, most amazing wardrobe, most realistic characters, and also a good song collection.

    Anna
    Reply

  21. well I totally called it that yuina has never experienced work and just judged it unfairly. though I didnt expect them to reconcile quickly or yuina getting jealous of ohana.

    amado
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *