We’ve arrived at the climax that the past 21 episodes have been building up towards. For manga readers, there was never any question of where the anime would end its run (for now at least, but probably forever, sadly). For all its musical trappings structurally Kono Oto Tomare is, like Chihayafuru, a sports series. And for high school sports series, it generally comes down to the inter-high. Some, like Haikyuu and Yowapeda (and Chihayafuru), are lucky enough to be so popular they can bounce from one plateau to the next. For humbler shows like KoT, “seize the day” in the mantra. Make everything of this moment, because you probably won’t get another.
In emotional terms, Tomare gives no ground to any of those genre titans. There are subtler series out there, but from the moment I started the manga the directness of this series has always clicked for me. It cares about all its characters, even the minor ones, and because it’s built around a central pillar of interdependence the relationships are always center stage. The obvious ones, and the less obvious ones – and so it was this week on the eve of the climactic moment.
Fittingly for a setup episode, the arrival of the Kanagawa qualifier means a check-in with most of the major players, starting with the protagonists. Takezou is getting some support from (most of) his family for once. His status as a forgotten man in his own house has always grated on me, almost as much as his willingness to accept it. Hiro is waiting for him in the cold – ostensibly because she’s worried she’ll take the wrong train due to nerves – and he gallantly gives up his hand warmer for her. Chika gets a benediction from his nee-san (is it me or does she have a cougar crush on Tetsu?) and the power trio are battling a serious case of stage fright even though they’re nowhere near the stage yet.
Arrival at the venue means a reunion with old friends and rivals, and Hakuto – the surprise winner of the traditional music festival – has a new presence. He’s Yamamoto Taishin (Irinu Miyu), who looks young enough to be mistaken for a third-year but introduces himself to Tokise as the Hakuto advisor. Taishin is a smiling, genki presence who seems especially close with Mio (to the extent that anyone can). Takinami-sensei notes that Hakuto (who’s playing right before Tokise, who are second-to-last) is doing another original song by “Miyabe Tojo” – who Suzu-chan has never heard of, despite his deep ties to the music world.
Largely absent from the spotlight up to this point has been Satowa, but she’s been busy. She’s crafted personalized bridge charms (charmingly amateurish) for everyone in the club including Takinami-sensei, which is about as open a display of affection as you’ll see from her. The emotional highlight of the buildup, though, is Chika’s brief conversation with Granny when she drops off the kotos. Chika is as open as Satowa is guarded, and he makes it clear in no uncertain terms what this day – and she – means to him. The tear ducts almost got an early practice run there.
What of the Hozuki School? Akira continues to be on a roll. Drunk on the high of her confrontation with her grandmother, she takes on Satowa’s mom this time, challenging her on her decision not to attend the performance. We’ve seen an interesting shift with Hozuki-san – she’s still freezing her daughter out of her life, but the reasons have (correctly) turned a 180 – she now blames it on herself. While she’s right about who’s at fault, she’s misguided about what to do about it – because Satowa doesn’t give a flip about her mother’s “rights”. Akira literally drags her – and the hag, too – to the van, where she puts her newly-minted drivers license to good use and gives Chika’s sister a challenge as the scariest driver in the cast.
I know some new viewers especially have bemoaned the relative paucity of performance pieces, but this truly was a setup episode in every sense of the word – every sports anime has them before the big event. All of that buildup has been about giving the performances emotional meaning above and beyond the music itself, but the moment has now arrived for buildup to start being cashed in for payoff. And with Himesaka the third school out of the gate, the fireworks are not far off now.
