Happy Thanksgiving to all of LiA’s American readers out there.  I’m off to start cooking the turkey soon enough, but wanted to try and sneak in some coverage before I do as my day is pretty much spoken for after that.  And it’s nice to do so with Just Because, which was much missed during its absence.   A missed episode deadline was anything but surprising given the reported behind-the-scenes chaos involved with this production – and maybe not the worst thing in the world.  It certainly didn’t do Tsuki ga Kirei any harm (I apologize for continually comparing these two shows, but sometimes it’s just unavoidable).

The caveat to that, of course, is that we’re looking at a theoretical scheduling shortfall with Just Because now – so the looming threat of the finale being disc-only or something is a concern.  Apart from that, though, it’s probably for the best that Pine Jam had a week to get their feet under themselves.  I admire their ambition with this series, even if they’ve taken on more than they can chew – I’d rather studios and directors try and do too much and fail than settle for self-imposed mediocrity.  And I’m not watching Just Because for fluid animation and slick visuals – though I must confess that I love the overall look and art design of this show.

I’ve used this word about Just Because before (as I did about Ts**i g* K**ei), but this series is most definitely naturalistic.  I’ve come to believe that when it comes to stories like this one – youthful romance and slice-of-life – the flowing river is a much better narrative model than waves crashing on the beach.  I always find myself caught up in the flow with this series – each episode takes a bit of time to grab me, but once it’s taken hold I lose myself in what’s happening on-screen.  I don’t love every character and everything that happens, but that’s pretty true to life as well, really.

Komiya is one of those characters I don’t exactly love, and this week’s ep certainly does nothing to change that.  But she has been an effective plot-driver (now she seems to want to be the plot, though).  I don’t feel sorry for her for what happened with the cops – if you’re going to go around violating people’s privacy, you should expect trouble.  And I wasn’t exactly thrilled that Eita rather stereotypically caved in to her self-pitying tears and gave her permission to use the illicit photo of him she snapped.  He’s a nice guy, for better or worse – a “god boy”, even – and Komiya’s world revolves completely around herself.  That’s a dangerous combination for the boy.

Eita’s affable nature is reflected in his relationship with Mio as well, as different as the dynamic is.  Even as she’s been the main character in his life story he’s never been more than a supporting player in hers.  It says something, I think, that Mio only really notices Eita when she sees Komiya hanging all over him.  I’m not saying there’s nothing potentially between them, but I would argue that’s not a terribly healthy place to start.  The snowy test day is another example of this, as we see Eita take it on himself to shepherd Mio to the exam site and even make sure her state of mind for the test is good, and she can barely squeeze out a tortured thank you at the end of all that.

All of this ties into the idea that Just Because – unlike that other series that shan’t be named (again) – isn’t a romance where the fated couples are necessarily destined to be together, because the point here isn’t true love but the bittersweet nature of the imperatives of youth.  It’s the act of feeling unrequited love (and more generally, the fragile nature of childhood emotions) that this story is about, not the romance itself.  That, and the little details of life (like the shopping district team showing up to play baseball in the snow and having a great time – that’s so totally spot-on).  That’s not to say there isn’t romantic drama here – and with Komiya and Mio both finally deciding Eita means more to them than they realized, it’s kicking up big-time – but in the larger context of Just Because, that’s just one of many bends in the river.