Written by Hiromu Arakawa, best known for her work with Full Metal Alchemist, Gin no Saji depicts the life of a young boy named Yugo Hachiken. Season 2 sets off after the conclusion of the first arc. Needless to say, it’s imperative for one to complete the first season to fully appreciate season 2. The foundation of the first season revolved around farm aesthetics and just what’s like to be involved in the field of agriculture. It’s almost like opening the doors to a brand new world and realizing just how difficult it is to survive. In this season, more dynamics are explored beyond the farm jokes. What we learn about the characters impacts their future as they follow a dream, a road of inspiration to become someone they always wanted to be.
To appreciate this series, one must first embrace the style of its portrayal relating to the agricultural field. The setting takes place at a farm, a place free of crime, discrimination, or corruption. It’s simple and realistic with the atmosphere along with the farm animals. Just picture yourself there on the field working with cows, chickens, and horses. For Hachiken, he truly learns what hardship is like as a farmer. But more importantly for him is about discovery, to venture out of the life he once was so used to. And honestly, that’s an important concept in life itself. When something changes in our life, we try to adjust, adapt, and eventually become part of the norm. Hachiken gets used to working on the field with others and make discoveries of what hardship is really all about. The anime that is adapted from the manga of the same name is written by the author based on her own experiences when she grew up in Hokkaido. In essence, it brings out what her childhood was like and is a strong influence with the themes in this series.
But capturing those moments is difficult with a small cast of characters. Luckily, Hiromu’s writing cleverly brings out her characters to life with idiosyncratic attributes. She accomplishes that through a unique craftsmanship of these attributes to tie in with the story. Most of the characters follows their dreams and this becomes prominent later on as a major theme. In the early stages of the season, we already see the passion that they have for their dreams. Examples such as Mikage’s dream to care for horses as a profession, Ichiro’s inspiration to become a professional baseball player, or Hachiken’s older brother Shingo to become a chef. But life offers challenges. For Mikage, this comes as a burden for both her and the family. What we must understand is that there’s a difference between choosing one’s dreams and deciding who make those decisions for you. Obstacles limits these choices yet there is a profound way of how this show demonstrates ways to overcome them. With support and spirit, an inspiration is bought about that spreads influence.
Hachiken on the other hand still wonders about what road he needs to take for his future. But from season 2, we find out quickly about his present position as the new vice president of the Equestrian Club. There’s an emphasis of responsibility to be placed on him as the future of the club lies with his hands. It’s acceptable for this season to put Hachiken in such a position to test him his skills as a person. Because being a leader, one must also demonstrate responsibility, the passion to hold a group together, and prove their self-worth. All this ties in together with building a future and following dreams by such emphasis. At the same time, we get to see relationships Hachiken builds with other characters. In particular, his relationship with Mikage is explored by friendship, respect, support, and potential romance. The way the two interact has a sense of unique dynamics as they talk about their family and struggles. In fact, the two are actually similar in many ways with their relationships with their families. Both families wants the best for their children yet they also have high hopes for them, placed at almost a burden expense. And while Mikage is an only child, Hachiken is often compared with his older brother Shingo that causes him to feel self-doubt. Nonetheless, the duo’s conversations throughout the season brings together both realism and is relatable. Ask yourself this: do you sometimes find yourself living in someone’s shadow when you’re compared to that person?
Focusing on the main story is quite a driving factor but at the same time, this season also brings comedy and fun. The thought of working with animals firsthand to gain experience may seem like a daunting task at first. Yet, we see how much fun some of the characters have as they embrace the way of the farm life. Even Hachiken becomes accustomed to it. The comedy comes from the way Hachiken experiences how to deal with animals and the mistakes he makes. Yet, he learns from these mistakes (most of the time anyways). The result of some of these mistakes often brings embarrassing attention and humorous events. At the same time, there’s silliness with the way animals behave around the characters. In particular, Aki’s horse Maron plays a comical relief as a character that displays human traits such its egoistic behavior and even tsundere like tendencies. And on the human side, we have a new character named Ayame with a stylish fashion of her drill-like hair but colored by an aristocratic way of speaking. Looking carefully, the rivalry she has with Mikage can almost be interrupted as a joke by the results of their so-called “contests”. Rather, she does stand out more with the way ‘silver spoon’ is depicted as a wealthier individual; a contrast to where Mikage is coming from as in a normal family.
With 11 episodes, there are some parts that are seemingly omitted or otherwise, left unresolved. In particular, the relationship between Mikage and Hachiken is explored but doesn’t seem to progress too far. There’s an obvious attraction with the two that are seemingly drawn by their similarities. Yet, the show chooses to ambiguously present this in a more platonic way. At the same time, more emphasis is still focused on aspects of the farm such as taking care of animals. It has been dealt with so many times before in the previous season that it feels repetitive by this point. Also, a lesser focus is on Hachiken’s character himself. Most of the other cast members gets emphasis on their future while he is still on the farm asking himself what he should do when he grows up. As a main character by this point, I find this slightly unattractive by such generalization and its setup. And speaking of unattractive, some of the jokes become stale to a point of being on a detached direction of diminishing effect.
Artwork still retains the style of the first season. We get the natural feeling of how the agricultural field is depicted by its backgrounds. The animals are crafted with delicacy and with the intent to demonstrate realism. Characters are decorated with simplicity. Female characters aren’t designed with heavy makeup but rather to themselves. No stereotypes. No sexism. No stupidity. The show’s character cast feels real with a bond to the farm. As you watch this season, there’s a sense of attachment you may develop with the characters as well just by their outlooks.
As far as soundtrack goes, the show is consistent although it’s nothing masterpiece worthy. The OST is smooth with a calm music tone. The OP and ED songs demonstrates degree of a countryside feeling. Most of the characters’ voices are presented well. In particular, Hachiken’s expressions of his voice mannerisms are demonstrated with realistic responsiveness. Whether this can be anger, fear, or anxiety, there’s credibility that makes Hachiken’s voice something to remember.
We all have dreams. Whether you realize it or not, every single day that draws by takes you closer or further away from it. But for our characters in this show, they try to become closer to making their dreams into a reality every single day of their lives. Gin no Saji responds to the way of following dreams explicitly through demonstrative episodes with characterization. Dynamics are explored with a decent balance of humor and realism. It can also be relatable by the setting and just in general, real life itself. After all, life is a challenge because there’s no such thing as free lunch.
