You’ll have to forgive me, as I’m dealing with some kind of nasty bug which has really knocked for on my ass. I’m grateful for anime episodes that distract me from the headaches, chills, and nausea but actually concentrating on writing about them is another matter. I’m going to give it my best shot but the quality of the post is not going to reflective of my feelings about this episode of Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu, which were overall very positive.
Given that Tsurune is based on a light novel (like most of Kyoto Animation’s recent works), I’ve been quite impressed by the relative restraint and patience it’s displayed in setting up its story. I quite like Minato as a protagonist – his problems feel very real, and so does the way he reacts to them. I think Takigawa-san is great – I’ve loved every scene with he and Minato together at the forest dojo. I’m less enamored with Seiya, who seems pretty generic, and the other members of the Kazemai archery club are definitely the most KyoAni in the cast (especially the guys).
That does cause me some concern going forward, as it seems inevitable that this story is going to be more about the travails of said club than it is about the really engaging mentor-student relationship that’s already formed between Takigawa and Minato. I confess, the show really had me going with that ghost misdirection – and had me quite unsure whether I liked it as a potential twist for what seemed a very grounded series. The way that balloon was punctured was pretty hilarious, but then we’re left with next week’s episode title of “Just as They’d Met” which seems an ominous portent for the future of that relationship (I’ll be pretty pissed if they go ahead and actually kill Takigawa off for real after all that).
I guess my thinking of this is that we’ve seen way, way more series about high school sports clubs than we have about lost young men finding mentors to help them find themselves – that, and I just like Minato and Takigawa better than any of the other characters so far. Takigawa is a fascinating chap – not a shrine priest apparently but just a guy who shoots arrows at night in the woods (why?). He’s in the midst of a 100 arrows for 100 days journey (that’s 10,000), meticulously journaled, after which he says he’ll set down his bow and move on. This upsets Minato, who appreciates the sheer artistry of what the older man does, but the bond between them goes deeper than that.
Takigawa-san is a clever fellow. Take, for example, the way he uses Who (his owl) as a means to prevent Minato from getting spooked and running off again. His approach to the boy is right in the way everyone at school’s is wrong – he listens, he chuckles, he relates, he neither berates nor condescends. Is it a little too convenient he’s suffered from target panic too? Sure, but it works a treat for the story. He doesn’t sugarcoat it either – he claims not to be over it even now, though his form when alone (or with Minato) is certainly no evidence of that. Target panic sounds like a real bitch – something like the yips in golf (and occasionally baseball), something that has destroyed very promising professional careers.
In the end, I think what we have here is two people who while at very different places in their lives, have a strong desire to see the other not quit kyuudou. That has the potential to be a strong basis for a series if it gets the chance to, and there are some other positive signs here too – Minato’s father enters the fray as an actual presence in his son’s life, and they seem to have a decent relationship. And of course the visuals. I haven’t harped on them much (of course they’re great), but I think that’s actually a good sign because one tends to clutch at that straw when the other elements of a KyoAni series lose their appeal. That’s nowhere close to happening with Tsurune, though there are still plenty of reasons compelling me to be cautious in predicting whether it can keep it up. What I can say for certain is that I sure hope it can.
leongsh
October 30, 2018 at 10:35 amKyoAni did a good job baiting a lot of people. There were enough clues left around to tell us otherwise but the direction and particularly what the old woman at the kyudo hall said became the piece that most of us latched on for that romantic view of having a ghost providing a brief but impactful mentorship to our main character. Confirmation bias, anyone? I was half convinced and waited to see it play out to see whether it was true.
This episode on the whole is positive for me. It builds on the first episode with a few more revelations provided in buidling up the background story and context. The rest are tradrmark KyoAni style and flourishes – beautiful art, animation, framing, little details and touches here and there. The soundtrack is good too. All that is left is the story and direction. The next couple of episodes will provide a good indication.
Yukie
October 30, 2018 at 8:47 pmHope you get well soon!
For a LN adaptation, I’m quite impressed with this episode. The pacing was excellent, packing a whole lot of details without it feeling rushed or unnatural. I was also duped, and it’s quite a nice feeling when a show manages to surprise you in a clever way.
And I just have to gush once more about how the animals are animated…such a nice balance between overwhelming cuteness and natural behavior (I loved the details, such as when Who’s pupils dilated for a second when surprised by Minato’s outburst).
One question I had in my mind was whether Minato’s dad was aware of Minato’s troubles (hence the conversation in front of the grave).
I have my fingers-crossed for the coming episodes.
sweejen
October 31, 2018 at 4:22 amI really like the tone of this so far. Like you wrote, the characters have relatable problems and act realistically. I’m especially impressed with how the loss of his mom is simply woven into Minato’s everyday life, rather than dominating it. Such a realistic portrayal of lingering grief.
Zaiden
November 1, 2018 at 7:19 amI happily disagree with your assertions towards Seiya, namely that he’s generic. At first, that might have been the case. But this episode turned that assumption upside down for me. I’m deeply intrigued to see where Seiya goes as a character, because his vicious candour with Minato shatters my prior image of him being the mundane, goody-two shoes model student. He goes on an unacceptable and monstrous outburst, unapologetically hurting Minato without seeming to care. Yet in more private moments, he makes vulnerable admissions that he feels responsible, perhaps guilty for the things that he’s done in the past. I get the impression that we as viewers are missing a whole layer of context that has yet to be revealed, which would explain why Seiya is behaving this way. As such, I hold a complex disdain towards his characters, which is a lot more than I can say for many of the characters I’ve seen so far this year.
Guardian Enzo
November 1, 2018 at 7:28 amI’m assuming until given reason to believe otherwise that he feels guilty because he didn’t do anything to support Minato when his breakdown was happening. But this show has proved itself capable of misdirection, so who knows.
Water Imp
November 1, 2018 at 8:57 amThis was a good ep. Minimal KyoAni shenanigans.
What’s interesting visually is the detail for the guys, and the lack of highlight for the girls, who appear muted. KyoAni being visually understated is a nice direction. The common glass orb, world into worlds eye design is kind of a lazy, tell-don’t-show shorthand, used by too many studios. It just seems expressive.
Had a few pleasant Chihayafuru flashbacks for some reason when they flipped back to the tournament where Minato developed his target panic. The travails of a sports club anime could be good, but I suspect the usual paint by the numbers sorta thing.