First Impressions / Hanayamata

「ミッション．イベント」 (Misshon Ibento)
“Mission Event”

Oh boy, a lot sure did happen this week. Yay for yosakoi and all the animated goodness that comes with it–Naru even overcame her fear of public performance for awhile! However, nay for Naru having relapses, that poor girl. Yay for Machi finally getting a proper role in this episode and the upcoming ones, but alas, it’ll be wrapped up in sibling jealousy and identity issues. Let’s tackle these one by one.

Despite the montage here and there to save on production, we’re finally getting really close to a full-on yosakoi performance. It’s not a dazzling performance like what we’d see in the OP, but the core dance itself is satisfactory enough to keep the audience satisfied for now. I liked the charm that they added with the 8-bit music, since it shows the progression of the dance getting closer to the OP, while letting Yaya contribute to the group immediately. Performance aside, it was satisfying to see the lead-up to the dance, where all sorts of funny troubles shook our novice yosakoi troupe, such as overreacting over weight loss, or worrying that your best competition is against a clown.

Other than these silly comedic troubles, the group is fairly stable save for Naru, whose trauma was the closing act for this week. Bless her really, but after that flashback, it was inevitable that she was going to mess up (and lose the first place trip for Sally-sensei). It seems like well-treaded territory at this point, but now we see a small peek into her backstory. Her tendency to find safety in averageness makes more sense now; it’s unhealthy thinking, but it’s common when past experience has scared you from stepping outside of the box. This provides a good opportunity for Machi to chime in with her thoughts, as her whole character is centered around Naru’s struggles. From what we’ve observed this episode, I’d guess that Machi will impart wisdom on Naru regarding failure and not meeting expectations. With the time we have left, there is only enough room for two more “character development” episodes, each devoted for Machi. Since Tami and Machi seem to have a stable enough relationship to one another and judging from the preview, it seems that Machi will take the reins in instilling some “man up and suck it up” attitude into the group, especially for Naru, who needs it most.

Other than providing a newfound source of support for the yosakoi club, Machi has her own issues to deal with. Most likely, Machi is cursed with an inferiority complex, where she cannot hope to achieve her own goals in the footsteps of her own sister. Although Sally-sensei sure doesn’t look the aspiring type, this episode shows she has some wasted potential in being a substitute teacher, especially considering her age. We’ll see Machi trying to find her identity away from academic achievements (which her sister probably had as her strong point), which will inevitably lead her to yosakoi, where she can find her own success without comparing herself to her big sister. It seems in the past they had their scuffles, but now that they’ll have to interact in an advisor-student setting, we’ll see them make up with amends by the time the show closes.

The goal is cut and clear–every character development so far hasn’t been too surprising. However, the emotional impact is what really matters, as well as the path taken to get there. We’re finally reaching the end of this series, so I expect a lot of bang for these last few episodes now that the entire cast has been assembled. My only concern is that not all of the loose ends will be tied up by the series end, mainly that concerning Hana and her mysterious past. Given that we only have a few episodes to tackle both Machi’s integration, the final yosakoi performance, and Hana’s past, I sure don’t want to see loose ends left hanging without at least acknowledgement that they exist. Even if the manga is ongoing, I hope they’ll revisit Hana and at least shed a bit of light before having to close the books on this series.

 

Preview

13 Comments

  1. Actually if you look at the footage it’s not Naru who messes up. What happens is that Hana seems to lose her timing and plows into Naru and knocks her over. Hana being redfaced before the performance will probably be a sign that Hana was sick before the performance.

    Scruffy
    Reply

  2. Clever for the story to withhold Sally’s last name until the required time, should’ve guessed she and Machi were sisters.

    Naru, don’t let this setback get to you. You’re not alone this time, for you have 4 friends watching over you.

    PS Always felt Tami, being an ojou-sama, would have an impressive figure. Even Hana had to restrain herself from saying anything, if you know what I mean. (Though would probably need an obligatory beach episode to really confirm each girl’s outlines. )
    https://randomc.net/image/Hanayamata/Hanayamata%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2007.jpg

    echykr
    Reply

  3. I love the chemistry between Yaya and Naru, on the surface it would seem that Naru depends a lot on Yaya, but then those little moments where Naru has to push Yaya on by telling her how cool she is happens.

    I was watching the episode thinking Machi was a textbook example of a sister complex, then lost it when I saw the next episode’s title. Machi doesn’t react to doors getting slammed in her face but giving a reaction to Tami wanting Machi to see her dance and Tami’s thighs. Hmm… It’s okay Machi, all your problems will be magically solved through the interpretive dance of yosakoi.

    Image Dump:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Giorno Giovanna
    Reply

  5. For someone who dreads standing out this could have been the episode to make Naru realize that perhaps being watched by an audience isn’t actually too bad and that there is much excitement to be had from performing on a stage, maybe allowing this to become the small success to boost the group’s morale so they could aim for something bigger next time though I guess if this was going to be the concluding performance it wouldn’t leave much room for the remaining episodes.
    I’m still waiting for the well animated beautifully choreographed yosakoi I was promised…I sure hope it doesn’t disappoint in the end.

    gawrshness
    Reply

  8. Each of the girls seem to be getting they’re own obstacle to overcome. Yaya with the band failure, Tami with her trying to please her dad, and now Naru with her fear of failure and clumsiness. Machi’s issue obviously is something to do with her sister. It might not be an inferiority complex. It’s seems to me that it might be that her sister has always been lacking in direction and discipline and that drives Machi crazy. Maybe even because Machi idolized her sister at one point and then she became disillusioned with her lack of drive.

    Now the one that’s left is Hana. We know there must be something there. Probably the clue is related to food, but I don’t think that’s the actual issue. Obviously, she has a healthy American appetite, but the girls pointed out that she eats toast for lunch and she had a strange look when they did. Will there be a personal crisis? We’ve been kept in the dark on her family situation. Will she have to go back to America?

    Bear
    Reply

      1. That was in the back of my mind. My other thought was that she made a deal with her parents to allow her to stay of a short period of time: (semester, year) and the time is running out. She’s made no mention of her family situation and the other kids aren’t asking.

        If she’s got to leave there are going to be bucketfuls of tears.

        Bear
        Reply

Leave a Reply

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