Hanasaku Iroha Episode 8 Discussion

viMAL said:
Finally, an episode of Hanasaku Iroha that does not disappoint. I haven't been this satisfied with the series since episode 2, so I'm glad I got to watch something decent this time (though I am almost sure that it's going to relapse into an average mix of comedy, fanservice and melodrama again sooner or later. Some people say the anime has an identity crisis which I fully agree with.)

So the manager falls ill and her spineless son calls Takako for help again. Takako, who doesn't miss a chance to show off her Engrish, suggests giving a few selected guests special treatment because Jiromaru thinks they're critics from a magazine.

I really don't know why anyone would still take this idiot writer seriously after he messed up TWICE in the past, but apparently, the staff still believes him and builds their strategy on his suspicious observations. I'm sad he's become an integral part of the series, because he ruins every episode he is in. I doubt I will ever warm up to him. But I digress.

Luckily, Ohana gets to sparkle a little in this episode (she's been rather annoying lately). Knowing that her grandma sincerely cares about every single guest, she rejects Takako's strategy and demands equal treatment for all guests.

Unfortunately, the inn is running short on staff members since Nako took a day off and Tooru's at a wedding. Ren-san, who has been described as a skilled, serious person so far suddenly turns into a nervous wreck, unable to cook anything under pressure. And Minchi cannot help him because she's got close to zero experience with cooking.

Yes, this sounds indeed very OOC for Ren-san but HEY, that's fine! Now Ohana can go and barge into the wedding Tooru's attending which will immediately get our love polygon rolling! Especially since Ko has also arrived on the scene.

And that is exactly what I disliked about the episode. Ohana's impulsiveness is getting old by now. She is badly wanted as a waitress and yet she takes off, thinking that she is the only one who can do it. Someone with a car (spineless uncle or Takako) could've retrieved Tooru much faster than Ohana. She also doesn't think about Minko (who clearly doesn't like the idea of Ohana going to fetch Tooru AGAIN) but well, we can't blame her for that since she doesn't have the same insight as we, the watchers, have. Secondly, the last minutes were horribly glorified. When Ohana opened the church door, they made it seem like she was unlocking a super-miraculous future or something. I don't know why they ended it like that, because seriously, all that's behind this door is a wedding, with Tooru as guest. Can that even be called a cliffhanger? While I definitely liked the music and the animation style, I just felt the occassion didn't deserve it. It was like one of those Hollywood moments in which you chase after your beloved one who's about to board a plane or to marry someone else. Except in this case, it's not about a lover but a cook.