So I was pleasantly surprised upon hearing about Silver Spoon (AKA Gin no Saji). Especially since it would focus on a school that actually taught agricultural studies. Where it would focus on the animals, science, and such of farming. From large scale setups to small family ones. I was mainly curious to see the similarities to dissimilarities of Japan and USA farming. (Though I didn't see it addressed that limited space means Japan uses a lot of high tech things to utilize space. No open range farming, which I'm used to.) I also like that they address bacteria, regulations, and disease as important parts of farming.
Overall it's very similar. And I found very few errors. (Though the should emphasis that when dealing with pigs or hogs you do not get friendly. A neighbor got mauled by her seemingly sweet pig. She lost her thumb, part of her thigh, and calf. If she hadn't been wearing sweats by accident she would have had her leg severed. It's not an uncommon thing. An aunt had a chunk bit out of her thigh. And the hog farms literally have signs warning you about pig mauling.) As a chicken farmer I was bummed about not focusing more on them, but that's just preference. (Though I've never seen an egg come out wet before. Maybe they were trying to emphasize that the egg is briefly soft before the air hardens it?) It was really fun getting some city views. Like the egg does come out of the cloaca, which shares it's purpose with pooping.
I adored the characters! From Hachiken who was just learning about animals and farming, to the experienced heirs to their family farms. I loved how each character developed and added to the story. The romance isn't the main focus it accompanies the story of Hachicken learning about agriculture. (To be honest it's more of a one sided crush.)
I loved that it even brought focus on the ethical questions of livestock. They're not pets and one can get numb to the fact that their lives are short as they become food. If chickens don't lay, food. If a cow gets injured it's cheaper to put them down. Handling and livestock is constantly handling lives. I enjoyed that Hackiken's newness to the concept brought up a lot of questions. For those used to the idea and such. Even how vets have to make tough calls about healing an animal and knowing when to put them down. Even briefly touching on slaughter houses.
As someone who lives around farms and has helped as a farmhand I enjoyed it. Especially since my chickens are pets and I like them to retire into ripe old ages. I've dealt with the reality of having to put down a loved one because of illness.
Don't worry though, the majority of the story is very heart warming. It focuses on the dreams and goals of it's characters. I also enjoyed that while there is a certain comfort to being an heir, a lot of times it's the only options. Most farmers do not make a lot of money. I'm curious if they'll ever address the restrictions of the government on forming. The story did touch lightly on large scale and small scale farming.
I really liked the look of the art, especially when it came to the animals. They were still anime cute, while being realistic. Especially when they were meat. ^_- The scenery is gorgeous and I think it captured the look and feel of farming beautifully.
I like that the arc of this season's story was wrapped up. So even if a season 2 had not come out we'd have some closure. I love the characters and look forward to them. I can't wait to see what the next season brings. What animals will be focused on. Not to mention what will happen to the many shiny eyed, and hopeful, characters the next season. I enjoyed that I spent most of the time smiling during Silver Spoon. But I still got teary eyed despite knowing how things go the way of the slaughter house. Well done.
