Kimi to Ame to – 02
With You and the Rain is a vibe, that’s for sure. And I’m definitely enjoying it. But the whole “dog” thing is vexing me a little. Why is it that everyone (with one exception) looks at “Kimi” and says “Oh, a dog”? Because look, it couldn’t be any more obvious that it’s a tanuki. Even if someone said “Oh, a raccoon” I could maybe sorta get it, as tanukis vaguely resemble them. But a dog? I mean, it’s even got a leaf on its head! I can think of two possible reasons that actually make sense. One, it’s Kimi exercising some sort of tanuki juju. Or, that’s the joke and I’m just not getting that it’s supposed to be.
That one exception – though whether that means anything or not – is Fuji-san’s dad. She tells him not to come over and tries to sneak out to the park along with the neighbor girl (who’s played by an actual 10 year-old) and her Akita. But that’s because she doesn’t want to worry him over how stressed she is (I’m guessing over writer’s block). Dad finds them at the park and his immediate reaction on seeing Kimi’s writing ability is “A bakemono! A youkai!”. which is repeated after Kimi retrieves his dropped wallet. And that’s the logical reaction, you know? What’s weird is that he’s the only one who has it.
After that it’s mostly kawaii stuff, which is fine as Kimi is certainly cute. Dad is a bit of a hoot, and it seems he’s overcompensating a bit to try and show Fuji he’s not worried about her, but that’s subtly played. One intriguing element is that every picture he takes of Kimi – but only Kimi – is blurry. So much so that Mom complains and comes over later to see the “dog” for herself. Tanuki must not like to have their photos taken, as Kimi is clearly avoiding it on purpose.
What I like here is that the dynamic between Fuji and her parents is played extremely low-key, leaving us to fill in the blanks ourselves. What’s going on with her that has them so worried – is it writer’s block or something else? I remember a tanuki manga adaptation which very prominently featured a tanuki intervening in a human’s life as a healing gesture, the wonderful Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari. Might that be happening here? You definitely get the idea that Kimi chose Fuji specifically, whatever its reasons for doing so were.
Fermat no Ryouri – 01
To be honest I hadn’t really planned to cover another episode of Fermat no Ryouri. But I found this ep significantly more interesting than the premiere. The execution is still kind of derpy to be honest, but the pedigree of the writer is good. And the premise, as someone who’s fascinated by cooking if limited in skill, intrigues me.
Part of the problem is that the chairman of Gaku’s school is just so cartoonishly villainous. So it really comes as no surprise when Kai’s plan to showcase Gaku trips him up. The Napolitan is a big hit (including with the guest who’s a Diet member, ROFL). And the theories behind why – exposited by Gaku in a kind of amateur savant way – definitely make sense. I see this as instinct as much as mathematics. Or at least, the mathematics is what allows Gaku to translate his instincts into culinary practice. What’s for sure is he’s reverse engineering these dishes, which is something chefs absolutely do when trying to figure out how to copy a recipe (which is something chefs absolutely do).
To be fair, Kai is certainly doing Gaku a favor here by getting his expulsion overturned. Eventually he invites Gaku to Tokyo to his restaurant, where’s he’s set up an entrance exam – can Gaku deconstruct the dish made by his sous chef Ranna? It’s a weird one – pork with a crab-based sauce – though I suspect that weirdness makes it easier for Gaku in a way. I liked the discourse here on the difference between “oishi” and “umai” – the former is a feeling, and the latter something that can be quantified (as umai is derived from “umami”, which I never knew). That sort of food geekery appeals to me, even if I have a lot of reservations about other elements of the series. I’ll stick around at least one more week and see how things tastes after the next episode.
