Yes, I’m still here. I didn’t do a digest this week because I thought The Fable needed a post to itself. But I did watch Tonari no Youkai-san – I think it’s very likely I’ll watch it all the way through if nothing else – and as I did find it an improvement I wanted to check in with a short post on it. I was pretty close to committing after Episode 4, and not far from dropping it two weeks later. Now I’m right on the fence, which is an uncomfortable perch with the series more than half finished
The reason it worked better this week is because the episode focused (and 100%) on the matter of lifespans. Specifically the gap between youkai and human, and that’s consistently one of the most effective themes in series of this sub-genre. This was approached through several angles, starting with Buchio. He’s such a neurotic, this guy. He’s down because he realizes that as a nekomata he’s probably going to outlive his human family – a role-reversal from the dynamic between humans and pets.
Offering him some support is Wagen (his very existence still makes me laugh). He’s got his own heartache to deal with, as his human Kazuhiko is just not the same after the passing of his wife. That’s a sort of role-reversal, as she was youkai too but not a long-lived one – she was a descendant of a banana tree and when the original dies, so does she. Wagen takes Buchio on a road trip to celebrate getting their licenses, though in reality it’s just to try and cheer Buchio up. Wagen understands that for all that he cares about Kazuhiko, the latter has effectively given up on life already, and it’s only a matter of time.
Betobeto-san has emerged as a sort of big brother/father confessor type for the other youkai in town (and humans like Mu-chan too). He’s the guy who steps back and views things from a distance, offering big picture observations. And he’s been observing Jirou, who also seems out of sorts. The picture being painted here is that Jirou was in love with Mu-chan’s great grandmother (and it might have been mutual). Saying goodbye to her seems to have been hard, and there may be more to the story as well based on his apology to her. And complicating that still further is that Mu-chan is convinced she’s in love with Jirou even if she doesn’t understand what that means. She’s currently way too young for him of course, but she’ll still likely be gone long before he will.
This is safe ground for a series like Tonari no Youkai-san, but it works. The past couple of episodes have kind of drifted, but this constituted a needed course correction. With only five eps left I may just decide to stick it out to the end here, though Sundays being what they are that could mean delaying posts by a couple of days. All options are open at this point but better is always better, and this week was better.
catterbu
May 21, 2024 at 12:42 amIt seems like the anime is continuing with these little check-ins on the different characters each week. I had the exact same feeling as you: having a strong theme consistent across the various character interactions unified the episode in a way the not all of the recent ones have had.
Nadavu
May 22, 2024 at 2:30 amDefinitely better.
I find Buchio’s circle rather easy to square: His love and reason for reincarnating is not a single person but the entire family, and the family (probably. Hopefully) will outlive him, eventually. It might lead to some awkwardness down the line, like the one Jirou is now facing with Mu-chan, but still.
Guardian Enzo
May 22, 2024 at 6:33 amI don’t think the family will outlive him now, that’s the problem.
Nadavu
May 22, 2024 at 10:31 pmI know Japanese fertility rate is abysmal, but they can probably squeeze another generation or two
Guardian Enzo
May 22, 2024 at 10:35 pmAh, I thought you meant as in the literal family he was living with.
Nicc
May 23, 2024 at 7:38 amFor me, it was a good return to form after that sci-fi twist that seems to have been put into the backburner now. There was a good theme in this episode about the difference in lifespan between humans and youkai. For some, it’s not really an issue to think about. For Yuri and some others, their lifespan is about the same as a human’s and so outliving them isn’t much of a concern. Then there’s Kuzuhiko’s wife, whose life was tied with a banana tree. It doesn’t seem too different from the tengu and their trees.
It is ironic situation for Buchio as he was reborn into a nekomata so that he could be with his family, but will probably outlive them and their following generations. Wagen (Can something so complex like an automobile become a tsukumogami, indeed. Does he go to a doctor or a mechanic for his check up?) takes him on a road trip to help cheer him up. It does seem like Betobeto-san is the go-to buy for dispensing wisdom. That’s the impression I got from Jirou too and why he’s been reluctant to get close to Mu-chan. There does indeed seem to be more about the story between him and her great-grandma and it’s weighing him down. It does make me wonder if the stories of Buchio and Jirou may converge at some point.
Joshua
May 24, 2024 at 1:50 amHey, you actually took my advice to stick around at least just for this episode.
Anyways, reiterating what I said, I thought this episode was a fine examination on mortality that arguably made it more thematically stronger than the past couple of weeks.
Guardian Enzo
May 24, 2024 at 8:24 amROFL. Always happy to have your contributions but don’t sprain your shoulder patting yourself on the back, that was always the plan (as noted in my post on Episode 6).`