Kimi to Ame to – 03

So, someone finally acknowledged the tanuki in the room this week. What I’m left wondering after three episodes of Kimi to Ame to is whether there’s ever going to be an explanation for what’s happening here, or it’s just going to be a thing we accept. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be pretty okay either way. This is the sort of show where you sort of let it wash over you and take it for what it is. As I said last week Kimi to Ame to is a vibe, and that was never more true than this ep.

There was some moments in the A-part where I felt like things were getting a little too self-indulgent. That’s a risk with series like this and has always been a lingering concern. But I think overall the ship stayed upright and in fact, we got some of the best moments of the series in the B-part. The main focus here was Fuji-san’s friends – yes, she has some (two anyway). Mimi and Ren met Fuji in high school, and tried in vain to coax her fully out of her shell. But she did at least become part of their circle., which is great. What they probably don’t realize (that I and some others do) is that she would have been perfectly fine either way.

Fuji is certainly an introvert at the very least. Her seeming inability to pick up on social cues and grasp why people might be offended by it could be something more, or not – it doesn’t really matter. Mimi and Ren accept her as she is, even if Mimi does persist in poking the bear from time to time. They come over for a visit to meet the “dog”, and Kimi and Ren hit it off famously. But when Mimi says when I’ve been saying for three weeks – down to my “It’s even got  a leaf on its head!” – it gives her the cold shoulder. Kimi also bugs out when Fuji-san tries to get it to write on command, but rallies when Mimi makes it some cabbage gyoza so it isn’t left out of their gyoza party.

Along the way there are plenty of cute Kimi moments (I love the way it finishes words like “fun” and “delicious” with a C). Fuji perpetually refuses Mimi’s entreaties to go to the beach but when Kimi brings it up, she relents. And while the two of them have different ideas of what “fun” means (the leaf turning into an oyster was a first), they both get something out of the experience. And Fuji’s response when Mimi texts “why not go with us?” –  a succinct “not my thing” – reaches the level of simple profundity. We all find our bliss in our own way, and that’s something that should always be respected.

Fermat no Ryouri – 03

Fermat no Ryouri actually has more in common with Ao Ashi than it might appear at first glance. That’s not surprising, as they have the same author after all. And cooking is a subject that deeply interests me, as is soccer. Nevertheless I do find Fermat to be the less engaging of the two by a considerable degree. Part of it is a matter of execution – S1 of Ao Ashi was a polished gem from Production I.G., and Fermat is pretty cut-rate. But you also get the idea that from a character standpoint things are compressed and simplified by comparison. Part of that could be a pacing issue, but not having read the manga I can’t speak to that.

For all that, I do think Fermat’s Cuisine is pretty interesting – and certainly better than I expected after the premiere. I don’t find it as compelling as Ame to Kimi to on the whole and I’m not certain whether I’ll continue covering it, but the cooking side of the story is working for me. It’s not only Japan that’s obsessed with umami – it hit the culinary world like a tsunami over the past couple of decades. But I do think there’s something about the quantifiable nature of it that the Japanese especially find interesting (that, and that they “discovered” it). It’s also a very logical area of focus for a mathematically-inclined chef, for reasons the past couple of episodes have made very clear,

On the character side, something is clearly being set up between Gaku and Kagura, though I mostly find her irritating at this point so we’ll see. I quite like the very Ao Ashi dynamic between Gaku and his dad, which is the best character thread so far. Gaku rejecting Tokyo University – the most powerful university in Japan, though not the best – is a blow for Dad. But to his credit he’s willing to give up his bragging rights to let his son pursue his unlikely dream. If only all parents were as good as the ones in Kobayashi Yuugo’s world…