“No series too small” – perhaps that should be this site’s motto…

You never know what you’re going to find interesting until that thing interests you – that’s something I’ve certainly learned over the years.  While it would be wrong to say I found sumo uninteresting before this series, it was so inscrutable (even by Japanese standards) to me that I never felt much motivation to dig deeper.  But that’s not all that different than karuta, or kabuki, or rakugo – and manga, bless it, never seems to forget the existence of these old art forms.  The medium is so inclusive that there’s always room for passion about any subject, and sumo is certainly no exception.

As I said earlier in my Gurazeni post, a good sports series is always more about the people playing it than the sport itself – though that’s important, too.  So far the balance with Hinomaru Zumou is tipped a bit towards the sports side, perhaps because I knew so little about it going in, but that’s not to say that the characters aren’t a strong group on the whole.  This week gave us a chance to get to know two of the cast whose stories seemed to hold a lot of potential for interest, and the show benefited from that.

Tsuji Kirihito was the mystery man of Odaichi before this – clearly he knew a lot about sumo, and clearly he and Hinomaru had a real history, but why didn’t he compete himself?  He very much embraces the role of teacher here, taking the boys out on a kelp boat to help them improve their balance (I feel you, Kei – happens to me, too).  But when the pushback from the more strong-willed team members (Kunisaki and especially Yuuma) comes, it comes from where you’d expect it to – how can someone who isn’t a sumo wrestler order around a bunch of sumo wrestlers?

I loved the way Tsuji chose to illustrate his point – using little Mitsuhashi-kun as proof that he knows his stuff.  Not only was this effective in cutting Yuuma and Kunisaki down to size (Kei even defeats Ozeki with Kirihito’s help), but it gives Kei a confidence boost he desperately needs.  The entire team needs to understand how hopelessly unskilled and outmatched they are at the moment, but they also – especially Kei – need to have belief that they can climb the mountain.  This was excellent coaching instinct from Tsuji all around here, and it had the desired effect.

The headline moment, though, comes when Tsuji does enter the circle – because Hinomaru is so strong that the only way Kirihito can show him his area of opportunity is to do so himself.  It always seemed likely that there was some sort of medical reason behind Tsuji’s lack of participation in bouts, and the one settled on is certainly believable – he has breathing issues (perhaps severe asthma, and though it’s not specified his use of the word “drown” suggests to me that this is indeed the case) that limit him to about 20 seconds of intense activity.  And it’s a real shame, too, because he’s damn good – and he has the genius of a master tactician.

Perhaps Tsuji is living his own dream vicariously through coaching Ushio (here he shows him a new triple move) but I think that’s basically a good thing for all involved.  And Hinomaru’s own challenges are explored here too – to wit, that one must be 167 cm tall to become a pro.  He might still get there (he’s only 15 after all) but he does have another path – through winning the high school Yokozuna title and thus entering the All-Japan amateur tournament, whose winner is seeded into the pro ranks regardless of the height restriction.  Hinomaru’s past meeting with a real Yokozuna – who turns out to be Kuze’s father, Yamatokuni – only served to deepen his resolve.  And incidentally, I loved the fact that Yamatokuni’s reaction to what happened last week was not to lash out at his son, but to approve of his passion – and tell him that he was old enough to start living his life the way he wants.  Strong (and against the expected cliche) parenting right there, and it always gladdens my heart to see that in anime.