Obviously not everyone is going to love Runway de Waratte as much as I do.  But no matter whether you do or not, I don’t think you can complain that nothing happens.  Every episode is packed with important plot events and character advancement, with some new cast members added to the mix.  For the first time this week, there was a palpable sense that things were perhaps moving a bit too fast – in real life of course, more weeks than not are boringly normal.  But whether this is simply a function of boringly normal weeks not making good television or the anime trying to fit as much manga as it can into one cour I’m not certain.

That’s really the first even mildly negative impression I’ve had about Runway in four episodes, but there was another small one this week.  I felt the whole sequence with Ikuto’s family was a bit overwrought.  That’s a potential problem especially because his struggle to pursue design (don’t forget, he pretty much has to go to a design college to have a shot long-term) while supporting his family is a hugely important element for his character arc.  But the whole thing with the mother in the hospital and the crying little sisters was very lowest common denominator stuff (see recent chapters of Kono Oto Tomare for an example of how to do this sort of material the right way).

What redeemed that subplot a bit for me was when Honoka scolded Ikuto to be more selfish, because it showed me that the mangaka gets it – Honoka was absolutely right.  17 year-olds should be selfish – the decisions they make will impact the rest of their lives and if there’s ever a time to be looking out for your own interests, this is it.  Fortunately Yanigada-san is at least paying Ikuto – I was worried a bit about that but I don’t think this is that sort of series.  Financial reality is always a governing factor where working-class kids are concerned and I hope this continues to be a major theme – just handled with a bit more restraint.

Back in fashion world, things are – as always with this show – moving at breakneck pace.  An important exhibition is coming up and one of the part-timers has quit, leaving Ikuto to act as host while Yanigada schmoozes the buyers.  All sorts of interesting people stop by, including the principal of Geika, Tokyo’s (and presumably Japan’s) biggest fashion college.  She’s heard from one of her students all about Ikuto’s heroics on the runway and seems quite interested in him from the start (one could guess why).  Yanigada’s design – a snazzy piece made of a cotton-poly blend – catches the eye of a department store buyer, who promises him a space in his store – a huge break for a new designer – but it means Yanigada Hazime delivering 400 pieces in two weeks.

This development is the catalyst for a couple of seemingly important fish diving into the pond, most obviously Ayano Toh (Kimura Ryouhei).  His designs are all over the halls of Geika, where Ikuto has gone to help out with the school fashion show in exchange for some Geika students helping Yanigada meet the deadline.  Toh is the grandson of one of Japan’s top designers and the principal describes him as the best “senior” Geika has ever produced (is there an implication that he sucked when he was a freshman?).  He has a keen eye, keener hands and a sharp tongue – but he spots the talent in Ikuto quickly enough to agree to be one of the helpers at Yanigada.  Is the rest, as they say, history?

We’ll see where that goes – it’s clear Toh is a major talent and that he’s got his eye on Ikuto as a potential part of his own future empire.  Also joining the team is Hasegawa Kokoro (Kayano Ai), who was a model during the runway event but actually aspires to be a designer herself.  She’s a freshman at Geika herself, seemingly quite shy but if she weren’t gifted, I doubt she’d be here at this point in the story. Toh uses the occasion of creating a piece as a template for the department store production process as a chance to test Ikuto’s ability level, and while the chef’s egg is clearly not ready Toh seems more than satisfied with what he sees.  And when Yanigada’s choice of material proves impossible to procure, Toh uses his grandmother’s connections to facilitate the process with silk as a substitute.

All of that stuff with the elasticity of the material is pretty inside poker stuff and probably of more interest if you’re a fashion buff yourself, but it’s still fascinating to watch Toh put Ikuto through his paces.  Obviously when you add talents the likes of Kimura and Kayano their impact is going to be felt on a series, and these two seem destined to play a big role going forward.  But the already-growing sense that Runway de Waratte is primarily a chronicle Ikuto’s journey (Chiyuki was only in one scene this week) continues to grow stronger.  And so far, it’s one of the more interesting journeys we’ve seen in anime for a long time.