These are pretty heady times for anime fans with my particular set of tastes (well- me). 2018 was in many ways a trying and unsatisfying year for anime, but 2019 is off to a banger of a start. Not necessarily in terms of volume of good shows (this is a historically small season by recent standards), but potentially elite ones at the top. As I’ve noted in the past that’s the better option if you have to choose one or the other – it’s those top-shelf bottles you remember more than the 10-year old Eagle Rare or Glendronach 12 (tasty everyday pours as they are).
If it weren’t odd enough to have winter’s two best series airing on Mondays, the third supporting leg of this season’s tripod airs on Wednesday – a day which has historically been the absolute barren wasteland of anime. I’m not ready to put Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue. on a level with Dororo and Mob Psycho 100 II, but it’s a slow-builder that’s really coming into its own as an emotional sledgehammer. For a season that’s often the year’s weakest to have three series this potentially superb is a good sign for 2019 – but it’s way too early to celebrate yet (though if Mob jumps the shark I’ll eat my hat).
We’re always wont to compare new anime with past series of course (like Megalo Box with 91 Days), and the one Doukyonin puts me in mind of is Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari. If you know anything about me you know that’s high praise – I ranked Poco and Souta #3 (1 spot ahead of the first season of Mob Psycho 100, in fact) in a very strong 2016. There are clear thematic links here – trying to heal after the loss of parents, allowing others into your life, and most importantly unerring emotional honesty. Added to that after this episode would be magical realism, though it’s too early to say if it will be as prominent in Doukyonin wa Hiza as it was in Udon no Kuni.
Then there’s the whole cat thing, which I won’t deny I’m the target audience for. I’ll be interested to see how much the series goes into why all those cats are suddenly showing up in Subaru’s yard (I hope his parents had “the talk” with him before they passed away). The rest of it is a pure deja vu experience for me, really. They do sometimes freak out and chase things you can’t see, and that’s really creepy when it happens. And they do what Haru did after she accidentally knocked down that stack of album’s in Subaru’s parents’ bedroom – I speak from experience there.
I know the cat-haters (and cat-indifferenters) will laugh it off, but while I can’t offer any evidence beyond my own experience, they know. Once you’ve made the bond (which Subaru is starting to do now, at last) cats sense when their human partners are grieving or agitated, and they go into nurturer-mode (unless it manifests in anger, in which case they hide). I suspect they probably always know, but only act on it when they’re closely connected with the person in question. It’s more than the simple “cat therapy” of feeling better by petting your pet (though that can’t be overestimated) – it’s an active display of concern by the cat, one that’s unmistakable to someone who knows him or her well.
Of course, to make that connection you have to connect – this is something Subaru clearly didn’t know, and I suppose there’s no reason why he would. Kawase does, though Haru doesn’t know him well enough to give him the time of day. It all comes about sort of by accident, through Haru’s seeming clumsiness which is actually agitation – agitation over the apparitions she sees hovering near Subaru all the time. This is where the magical realism comes in, since it’s immediately obvious that these are the spirits of his lost parents. It’s when Haru follows Subaru into their bedroom when he’s searching for spare ink that it all comes to a head, courtesy of the photo albums she knocks over chasing ghosts.
The nuances of Subaru’s relationship with his parents are slowly being revealed like layers of an onion as it’s peeled. They were gregarious and loved to travel, he was a bit of a recluse and social outcast even when they were alive (which is important new information to be sure). What’s really gut-wrenching here is that Subaru obviously felt as if he was a disappointment to them in some way, resisting all their efforts to include him in the travels they enjoyed. For them it was just worry, that’s all – worry about a son who didn’t seem to embrace life or fit in at school. All of these invitations eventually become an irritant to Subaru, but that left him with the great regret (among others) of never having made the effort to share his parents’ lives – a regret primarily because he knows how happy that would have made them.
I thought the transition between the Subaru and Haru segments this week was especially elegant (adding a bit of Chopin certainly elevated the moment, too), and the way her perspective is being portrayed is very effective. It’s too much to suggest a cat is a panacea for someone with social anxiety, but in a real sense these two are a perfect fit for each other. A cat is an individual always, and a relationship with said cat must be built just as a relationship between humans must be. By connecting with Haru Subaru is learning to connect again, period – opening up a part of himself he’d apparently only ever opened for his mother and father, and closed and bolted tight when they died. Just as it was clear a few episodes in that Udon no Kuni had huge reserves of emotional depth to drawn on with its premise, so is the case with Doukyonin wa Hiza – a story with a chance to be as universal as only a deeply personal and intimate one can be.
Rita
January 25, 2019 at 2:56 amAn somewhat tangential thought but one that I felt was relevant that kept popping up as I was reading this is that, some people can get support animals if their doctors permit it (mostly those with mental health issues) and I have a few friends that have just that. I know dogs are also a common choice, but at least from my experience cats seem to be the most common choice.
Is this just a case of selection bias because I have an incredibly small pool of references? Maybe, but I do think it might also have some significance. I love dogs, but I can 100% say (because I have 2 of the little buggers) that they definitely require more active care than cats (well, most of them, except for maybe some of the ones specifically bred to be lap dogs). And for people who are struggling emotionally or mentally they might not want to do. But animals do provide companionship, and that’s a deceptively simple need that I think people overlook more often than not. And maybe that’s why I see so many cats as support animals (or maybe I just hang around a lot of cat lovers, who knows)
Guardian Enzo
January 25, 2019 at 7:34 amNo, it’s absolutely true that dogs require more care than cats. Both in practical terms (an animal that has to be walked frequently could be a problem for someone who’s terrified to leave the house, for example) and emotional hand-holding.
Another reason I suspect that cats are better fits for some people in Subaru’s situation is that the relationship with them is more akin to a relationship between humans, and thus it may be more beneficial.
Marty
January 25, 2019 at 4:53 amI believe I read in a comment while watching this episode that there’s a superstition that cats, among other animals, can see spirits. I think Haru being able to see Subaru’s parents is a nod to that rather than a step towards magical realism, but you never know.
Man, this episode fell like a sledgehammer to my soul. The finality of death and regrets that may come about from such a separation is a subject that hits me where I live, and Subaru realizing that his parents, though as different as night and day (at least his mom) personality-wise, went out of their way to connect with their son, a connection that is now impossible, finally convinced me this show is more than cute cat antics for the sake of cuteness.
I’ve spoken to a few people watching episode 1 of this show that left it disappointed because the cat didn’t magically transform into a girl by the end of episode 1. They do not know the nice gem they are missing.
Guardian Enzo
January 25, 2019 at 7:35 amThat’s what light novels have done to anime.
Rui Carvalho
January 25, 2019 at 7:16 amWith all the years of living with cats, I agree that they can see things we cannot. So if they’re suddenly agitated and look like they are chasing something, it could be a fly or something that can’t be seen. My first cat just passed on some weeks ago (at 15 years), but the behaviour of the other cats in the house was subtly different. They even started doing things the older cat did. They do have a connection with a realm we can’t percieve, but it’s often just treated as supersticion and not given much relevance, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that angle in this show.
Guardian Enzo
January 25, 2019 at 7:38 amMy condolences. That never gets easier.
It is a superstition, sure. Part of this is certainly that cats (like many animals) have much sharper senses than domesticated humans – there are literally things they realize are there that we don’t, and there’s nothing supernatural about them. But yes there have been times, when they’ve been really agitated and I’ve tried hard to figure out what they were seeing and couldn’t, where one can’t help but wonder.
Miyu Fan
January 26, 2019 at 1:30 amI was expecting a heartwarming episode, not another heartwrenching moment that almost made me cry. Can anime stop making me cry every time this January?
karma
January 26, 2019 at 1:05 pmAfter pretty good second episode, this one is definitely a miss for me. I feel that mangaka/author team (and after them – anime studio) instead of trying to organically build a katharsis is just pressing instant cry/sympathy “buttons”. Little about it later.
First half isn’t that bad, but I have 2 problems with it. Mr. Editor would be vexing not only for such acute introvert/misanthrope as Subaru, but even for a “normal” person. 2nd thing – I can acknowledge main character’s circumstances and pity him (which was exactly the point of killing his parents in this story), but he still comes as rather unsympathetic. What’s his big revelation after realizing that his parents were trying to plan their travels around his habits and interests? “I should have spent more time with them”? No, a misplaced guilt: “I should have stopped them.” If this is his change of heart, then I don’t want to know about his stance before seeing the photos.
And then we get Haru the Ghostbuster. I appreciate supernatural shows (not only cream of the crop like Natsume Yuujinchou, but even less polished animes like Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou), but I’m not a fan of using such elements as a one-off thing. Do we even need that? It could be as well Haru trying to show her prowess as a hunter by chasing a fly, but showing compassion in the deciding moment despite previous mischievous behaviour. It would even strengthen themes of this episode, because sometimes less is more.
Instead she’s chasing ghosts (it’s obvious that they are Subaru’s parents, so I don’t consider it as a twist), and then in a ham-fisted scene they appoint Haru as Subaru’s defender (it’s like we as the audience didn’t already know that she protects him during his most vulnerable moments). It’s possible that next episodes bring more other-wordly encounters, but so far it seems that author just wanted to kill main character’s family for the second time, and to move on.
tl;dr; Ghosts in this episode are artificial flavor.