What happened with the direction of this anime?

GakutoDeathGlare said:
It's episode fifteen right now and we've seemingly moved on from the first half of Aquatope where the struggle was real and the comradery strong, a good plot with a strong purpose, pretty decent coming of age story, etc. IMO, they could have wrapped this up around then (saving the aquarium wasn't the point), but they've thrown all that out the window (and even the supernatural elements to this anime), brought Fuuka back (and even then she's taken a bit of a backseat) which seems extremely forced and now we're watching what exactly? Work experience? Kukuru not fricking doing what she's told? What's even happening right now? I'm not impressed. At all.

They've got nine episodes to get it right and redeem themselves which is definitely doable, but I feel like it's still going to leave a bitter taste when it all ends...

WatchTillTandava said:
I have been having some misgivings about the direction this series would take for the second half of it over the course of the past few weeks as well. Not as pronounced misgivings or objections as some people since I didn't really mind the setting change, but it's moreso a character issue (specifically only really Chiyu) and the intended messages the show seems to be trying to force down the viewer's throat which I don't agree with and don't sit right with me about accepting disgustingly aggressive arrogant behavior from people with a martyr complex and superiority complex in the name of greater harmony for the sake of a unified work culture and peace and productivity. Yes, in many ways this is a common native Japanese-held ideology, but it isn't like it isn't something many Westerners and people globally don't also subscribe to.

Yeah, that's my interpretation of the series' intended message, and as with any series, there will no doubt be multiple interpretations and many different takeaways from it from across all the different audience members, informed by their own views, biases, and life experiences. But it's a message I don't agree with at all and actively rubs me the wrong way and irritates me, so it actually detracts from my ability to relax and enjoy the show and care for its characters and what it presents.

Don't get me wrong - Many, if not most, anime (and film/TV generally) have rude characters - ones far more rude, vicious, and abusive than Chiyu, up to and including people who perform physical violence and all kinds of atrocities. That's not the issue. It's the way the character and other characters' reactions and interactions are handled with her which is wholly unwelcome botched and hamfisted moralism, in my view.

My favorite series from P.A. Works, one of my Top 35 series overall, and one I knew I would likely at least slightly to moderately prefer to this one early on but now vastly do so - Hanasaku Iroha - also has the presence of a very rude and hostile character from the beginning episodes and she remains that way for a substantial length of the series' run and even after warming up, still often has those elements of her personality surface. She too, has her own reasons and goes through her own issues (I'm referring to Minko). But the difference lies in the way it's handled. Minko could be very annoying, but I could sympathize with her feelings and it's kind of the expectation of a lot of similar teenage girls with that personality.

In my book, there's no excuse to have a child as an adult and then carry a God complex, martyr complex, superiority complex gargantuan chip on your shoulder, treat everyone who doesn't rank in your book as an Übermensch-tier worker as maggot-riddled garbage not fit for sharing the same air as you, and act like a perpetual victim just because you chose to have a child and then can't keep up financially with the massive burden and responsibility that obviously admittedly is, so choose to take it out on everyone else around you constantly in the arrogance of how you look down on people; even teenage girls and old men.

It would be absolutely fine if a character like Chiyu with all her written dialogue, behavior, actions, and motivations existed in the story. As I said, I've watched and even adored and rated highly many many works of fiction which have many characters which are and do far worse than her x100. A series can portray any character's actions without championing them. The difference is I feel this series does the latter. It glorifies Chiyu and the pervasive insidiousness of cutthroat work culture and the people who perpetuate it.

It really puts a damper and sour note on the show for me. It's more irritating than seeing someone slaughter an entire village of 10,000 people with a great sword as it's more realistic to what happens in the actual modern world on a daily basis. And the pettiness and self-righteous attitudes of that kind of real world drama take away from a better plot with the aquarium and experience I can be fully onboard with.

I only have to go to the grocery store or convenience store in a five minute vicinity away from home to run into 1,000 people like Chiyu - put-upon and arrogant discriminatory zealots who made hasty decisions based on the life plan and then feel entitled to treat everyone who's not living exactly like them as refuse and have respect for no one and nothing but their own vision of proper righteous living - in the span of an instant. I don't really need it injected into my TV series and as such a central focus with biased narrative.

It's too early to say (since I never rate anything until the end and full completion), but this has every indication of being a 6/10-tier series for me, even while my actual personal enjoyment drops down to a 5, 4, or even lower. It reminds me of Neon Genesis Evangelion in that way - i.e., another series I can recognize is well-made in several respects and don't want to rate too poorly as I try to be fair, but I absolutely from the bottom of my heart hate and loathe some of its characters and its narrative choices so fiercely and adamantly that I cannot in good conscience say it's an experience I can overall deem as pleasant or pleasurable or ever want to revisit and experience again.

Badalight said:
Your issue with the show is that it actually has nuance and doesn't treat people like Chiyu as either entirely good or bad? Same with Suwa. You have character who rightfully call him out on his BS (Both Gurandou and Fuuka have, as well as Kukuru obviously). Yet, he's not painted as purely evil either. He isn't the best boss, but he has the right intentions and trusts Kukuru enough to do an extremely important job. He also had the restraint to not speak up during her presentation when he easily could have just started talking over her to smooth things over with the wedding planner. Yet, he didn't.

The show is not about putting your nose to the grind stone. We saw what happened in episode 20. Kukuru did exactly that. In doing so, it sent her spiraling into a mental health crisis. So no, the show is definitely not about accepting a toxic work environment. It shows us the reality of a typical work environment and how to navigate that.

WatchTillTandava said:


No, you've misinterpreted my statements and sentiments. I don't have any problem at all with the series not portraying Chiyu, Suwa, or anyone else as entirely "good" or "bad", seeing how I myself don't view any character in this show nor any show I've ever watched that way. It's not a way I view people in general. People are more complex than that. Suwa to me, as I thought would have come across in my post, was always that rude and aggressive military drill instructor-esque boss that while, I could not personally envision myself ever working with or getting along with in any meaningful productive capacity, I also thought (and said) has good intentions.

Chiyu was and is a petty and self-righteous jerk. That doesn't mean she doesn't have very clearly explicable reasons for what she does and has done. People/characters who have done far worse than her also have clearly defined reasons for what they do. I have zero problem with the show portraying this. I welcome it. The difference is when I feel there is a very clear and concerted, blatant and hamfisted effort on the part of the narrative of the show to not only portray such characters and the sequence of events in a more observational/impartial manner, and veer into full-blown cheerleading and justifying their actions, to give the impression as if they were in the right all along. An explanation of someone's actions is good. An explanation is not a justification, and the show crosses the line into the latter repeatedly and demonstrably in a manner which is completely off-putting to me.