If this is Pine Jam in turmoil, I’d love to see them when they’re in the zone…
Yes, that’s a series off the bubble (there actually aren’t too many of them this season). Just Because isn’t perfect, but I’m sold on it – it’s got a point of view, it’s got a sense of style, and it’s head-and-shoulders above most of the competition in terms of seriously exploring its characters and their problems. It’s inevitable to compare this show to Tsuki ga Kirei (I’ve done it myself), and of course it doesn’t fare well in that sense – but objectively speaking this is a really solid high school story in its own right.
There’s certainly been talk of the production issues Just Because is said to be facing, but I’m sure not seeing much evidence of it yet. Not only was this episode pretty much blip-free, I though it looked really damn good. Not every anime has a distinctive look about it, and this one does. The backgrounds are quite realistic, the faces (including the pets) hilariously expressive, and Kobayashi Atsushi’s knack for framing shots in interesting ways is fully on display. Whatever issues he’s having trying to keep this production (and himself) from melting down, in terms of talent I think this Production I.G. graduate is stamping himself as a director to watch. For some reason Yamakan keeps popping into my mind, but we’ll see what direction his career takes.
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the things I like about Just Because is how lifelike it is, in the literal sense. It ambles along at life’s pace for long stretches, which for teenagers means boring passages in-between bouts of exhilaration and trauma. I know that’s rubbing some fans the wrong way, but it’s the downtimes between the relationship crises, where the characters are quietly dealing with family matters and thoughts of their futures, that give Just Because the texture and depth that make it the quality story it is.
It seems very much as if we’re looking at the obvious 4-way main narrative, with Komiya acting as the instigator – the irritant in the oyster that turns into the pearl. I still don’t enjoy her, but she’s certainly got the irritant part down pat. From a purely romantic standpoint this narrative seems pretty standard, which is why Just Because would be at risk of being rather mundane if the other elements weren’t so engaging. Haurto loves Hatsuki, Mio loves Haruto, Eita loves Mio, Hatsuki loves no one (not that way). Someone has got to shake this up, and maybe it’ll be Komiya – that is, unless (or who knows, maybe because) she slips up and develops feelings for Eita herself.
From a purely practical standpoint, Haruto and Hatsuki have seemed ill-fated from the beginning. On his part this is more like infatuation from afar than true love, and she’s simply not focused on romance – she has her family (I feel for the middle sister, who will inherit the mother role with no adult seemingly present to do so), and she’s about to leave for Hyogo (half a country away, near Kobe) for college. Eita and Mio seem to have something more solid between them, at least – even if their feelings have never aligned, they know each other very well (maybe too well).
New Year’s, the most important holiday in Japan, is the impetus to take this romantic tangle to the next level. The others effectively set up Haruto and Hatsuki on a date to make the first Shrine visit, clearing the decks for Haruto to confess. That ends up leaving Mio and Eita alone together for much of the evening too (though both Yoriko and Mio’s sister Mina – who I briefly thought Eita might have a crush on – make brief appearances). I love New Year’s Eve in Japan, so unlike how it is the West – the streets are quiet bar the clanging of temple bells, and the larger Shrines are islands of light and ritual music in the silent darkness. It’s a time when it feels like significant things should happen, and they certainly do here.
Nothing surprised me more than seeing Eita get “Good Luck” on his Omikuji (everything about the character screams the “Bad Luck” trope), but it didn’t seem to kick in right away. When Mio snaps at him for trying to push her into confessing to Haruto, he comes this close to confessing – he stops after “We’ve been friends all along” – but I think she gets the gist, and her reaction isn’t encouraging. Meanwhile Haruto does confess outright, and Hatsuki (as you’d expect of her) is forthright and honest in rejecting him. That has to hurt like hell, but in a sense he’s better off than Eita is – at least he can theoretically move on. Not that he will, of course – I don’t see a way forward for those two, but Just Because pretty much has to explore the possibility or we won’t have much of a story.
