Mar 25, 2012 6:59 PM
On changes in tone
I finished watching Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru (another one of those show titles I have to keep looking up because I can never remember it). On the whole, I quite liked this show, it was quirky and fun, very light hearted stuff.
Then we get to the last episode.
Hotori dies. Literally. Over the course of that episode we see her dad begging any god who is willing to listen to bring his little girl back, her sister trying to comprehend why Hotori is not there anymore, her brother trying (and failing) to be the calm rock in the storm. We didn't see her mum, but it's safe to assume she was a mess. Her friends are struggling with the concept of why the universe is so fucking unfair, and the rest of the community grieves over her. Hotori herself comes to believe that there is no next time and starts breaking down.
this episode kicks this community squarely in the balls, and for what? In the end she gets to go back (her head is so thick that she probably did more damage to the truck!), but for no gain for all that pain. Hotori remembers nothing of what she saw, so there's no hint of how much her family really does love her despite how they treat her like an idiot, how Moriaki does care and wanted the best for her despite often being very short with her, or even why Hiroyuki was hanging around even before Tatsuno started working there....all she got out of it was an excuse so she wouldn't have to tell her uncle she broke a very expensive gift.
Part of the problem goes to the show. There is little character development over the course of the show. That in itself isn't always bad, but when it comes to episodes like this, it kind of demands some sort of character growth to justify what happened. But that's not why I had problems with it. Believe it or not, I did like this episode. I thought it was an interesting look at how the death of one person affects people around them. In a way, that idea could be adapted into an OVA in its own right.
The problem is that this episode is so very different in tone from every other episode in the series it's like a slap in the face. As the final episode in the series, it was a terrible way to end. Every other episode is very lighted hearted, very fun (and some of them very touching. I really enjoyed the episode where Hotori and Takeru sneak out. A very sweet family moment). But this episode was quite dark and heavy, in very stark contrast to the rest of the show.
If it had been somewhere in the middle, you could write it off as an out of place episode, but as the ending, it leaves somewhat of a sour taste and it really stands out. Maybe that was on purpose, I probably wont be forgetting it any time soon. I still like the show and hope there is more of it, but man, they could have chosen a lighter chapter to adapt as the final episode.
Then we get to the last episode.
Hotori dies. Literally. Over the course of that episode we see her dad begging any god who is willing to listen to bring his little girl back, her sister trying to comprehend why Hotori is not there anymore, her brother trying (and failing) to be the calm rock in the storm. We didn't see her mum, but it's safe to assume she was a mess. Her friends are struggling with the concept of why the universe is so fucking unfair, and the rest of the community grieves over her. Hotori herself comes to believe that there is no next time and starts breaking down.
this episode kicks this community squarely in the balls, and for what? In the end she gets to go back (her head is so thick that she probably did more damage to the truck!), but for no gain for all that pain. Hotori remembers nothing of what she saw, so there's no hint of how much her family really does love her despite how they treat her like an idiot, how Moriaki does care and wanted the best for her despite often being very short with her, or even why Hiroyuki was hanging around even before Tatsuno started working there....all she got out of it was an excuse so she wouldn't have to tell her uncle she broke a very expensive gift.
Part of the problem goes to the show. There is little character development over the course of the show. That in itself isn't always bad, but when it comes to episodes like this, it kind of demands some sort of character growth to justify what happened. But that's not why I had problems with it. Believe it or not, I did like this episode. I thought it was an interesting look at how the death of one person affects people around them. In a way, that idea could be adapted into an OVA in its own right.
The problem is that this episode is so very different in tone from every other episode in the series it's like a slap in the face. As the final episode in the series, it was a terrible way to end. Every other episode is very lighted hearted, very fun (and some of them very touching. I really enjoyed the episode where Hotori and Takeru sneak out. A very sweet family moment). But this episode was quite dark and heavy, in very stark contrast to the rest of the show.
If it had been somewhere in the middle, you could write it off as an out of place episode, but as the ending, it leaves somewhat of a sour taste and it really stands out. Maybe that was on purpose, I probably wont be forgetting it any time soon. I still like the show and hope there is more of it, but man, they could have chosen a lighter chapter to adapt as the final episode.
Posted by
MajorTom
| Mar 25, 2012 6:59 PM |
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