I think everything about my experience of watching Sono Bisque Doll has to be filtered through the lens of not being the target audience for it. Not by a long shot. And that applies to my commentary on it, too. Especially when an episode bores me (as this one did). I’m probably the worst judge of whether this was any good, because even if it achieved everything it set out to do it wouldn’t have made much impact on me. So I can’t really say how successful it was as an artistic enterprise.
I can say this – the fanservice aspect of this show continues to be frankly a little creepy. One can say what they will about Marin being showcased the way she is, but at the very least she’s in high school. Shinjuu is a middle schooler and thus what we see with her is more problematic on an absolute level. We often see female characters who look like lolis but are (improbably) much older used as a means to appeal to that demographic without crossing any invisible lines. Shinjuu is kind of a twist on that – a grossly underaged girl who’s portrayed as looking like an adult so it will feel less skeevy showing her off.
I’m finding everything with the Inui sisters to be fairly lackluster in terms of entertainment value, but Shinjuu is especially problematic not just because of the above but because of the seiyuu performance. Again – not the target audience, but that breathy-cutesy thing grates on me in a big way. There are some decent themes at work here, like cosplay giving people a chance to express their individuality and explore their fantasies at the same time. But as drama, the whole Shinjuu thing comes off pretty heavy-handed.
So, not caring that much about cosplay and not caring that much for the characters in focus, there’s not a lot for me to hang my hat on this week. Marin’s teasing of Gojou is getting old too (at least it was limited to the pre-open here). And again, we see Gojou reduced to the level of an accessory for enabling the female cast to live out their dreams. People keep telling me his passion for Hina dolls is treated respectfully by the writing but I guess that must come later, because at this point it – and he – just don’t seem very important.
That part is a real problem for another reason. To wit, Marin is shown to be madly in love with him, and that side of the series is probably the most endearing. But why? There’s some lip-service giving to his idealism about beauty, yada yada. But in truth, Sono Bisque Doll hasn’t done nearly enough to individualize Gojou to make a convincing case why a gorgeous and popular teen like Marin would fall for him. As a result it kind of seems like it’s either because he basically acts as her unpaid servant of because it’s a juvenile crush. If this series is going to have any real traction as a romance, I’m going to need to see a lot more about why Gojou even matters. But then – I’m not the target audience.
Nellie
March 6, 2022 at 5:50 pmThey’d upped the pacing this episode- covered 5 chapters as opposed to the usual three, and cut a few scenes from the manga. Props to the anime team, though- it didnt feel rushed, and I couldn’t even remember what they’d cut till I went back to check after hearing friends talk about it.
Guardian Enzo
March 6, 2022 at 6:05 pmI have no idea what they cut but it frankly couldn’t have been much less interesting to me than what we got.
sonicsenryaku
March 6, 2022 at 7:40 pmSo here’s the thing; I think people stating that Wakana’s ambitions are treated respectfully actually have a foundation to stand on; and I agree with them for the most part. Whenever Wakana’s ambitions become the focus, it is treated and executed with a pathos that highlights the themes of passion and inspiration the series is going for. These moments are depicted as cathartic milestones in Wakana’s growth as a person/artist while also shedding light on aspects of his character that still need nurturing. Overall, the series treats his ambitions as a necessary part of his character journey, not some throwaway plot point that isn’t relevant to who he is. Just because cosplaying tends to be the primary focus of the show doesn’t mean Wakana’s dream to design Hina dolls isn’t treated with respect; to say otherwise I feel is incorrectly conflating the two ideas. Wakana is learning to build self-confidence in himself as an artist; he’s beginning to understand the rewarding feeling his grandpa gets from making Hina dolls through the profound affect his clothing design prowess has on others. As this continues, we see Wakana apply these experiences to his perspective on Hina doll crafting and on his technique in general. I imagine that as the series continues, Wakana will start to develop a sense of pride in his work, and might even contemplate what his true calling is as an artist. Just because Wakana attention is in making cosplay outfits for others doesn’t mean the story isn’t about him. All of these events are being treated by the narrative as learning experiences that will shape who he will become: the cosplay designing, the hina dolls, the photography, the friendships. etc; they are all a part of the ensemble
At its core, Sono bisque is a biweekly serial manga whose largely surface-level conceit is to be educatainment about cosplaying, clothing design, the artistry of makeup, photography, and editing; of course we’re going to see more cosplaying stuff and the pursuit of it as opposed to exploring the art of Hina dolls, in the same way a series like Shokugeki no Soma is a weekly serial educatainment series about cooking and mostly features cooking-related situations. It has absolutely nothing to do with the ambitions of the females in the series being treated as more important than Wakana’s; it has everything to do with the series being locked in on cosplay and providing that to its audience as a serialized manga based on that subject.
Guardian Enzo
March 6, 2022 at 8:02 pmYeah, that’s the extremely charitable spin for sure. Based on what the anime has shown so far, IMO it’s not remotely justifiable. But then, I don’t have foreknowledge (and I’m not the target audience).
sonicsenryaku
March 6, 2022 at 8:54 pmI would argue there’s plenty of evidence in the series itself that makes everything I said extremely justifiable. There are a good bunch of eps in the batch of 9 we’ve seen so far that actively support and illustrate the very things I’ve said. If we were to deconstruct these first 9 eps and someone was assigned to find evidence supporting the argument that the show undermines Wakana as a character along with his ambitions, they would have a much more difficult time providing substantial evidence for that claim as opposed to the alternative. I just think quantitatively speaking, there’s far less in the show that supports your point of view as opposed to what the story is setting up for Wakana’s character journey. It seems so clear cut, I don’t know.
I’m not necessarily the target audience for this show and I don’t think you have to be to see the story threads and character work that are clearly taking root. I’m just taking in what the show gives me and so far i genuinely think it’s a wholesome, decently put together series that knows how to market itself to a bunch of audience groups, but also knows how to be a chill, feel-good story about interpersonal growth and healthy, inspiring, romantic connection. It’s not really deep about it, but it knows how touch upon these subjects in a meaningful enough way to resonate and emphasize those feel-good, healing, horny vibes. In short, I’m not as cynical about this series as you are because I think it does more right than it does wrong.
Guardian Enzo
March 6, 2022 at 9:45 pmIt does a lot right (especially on the production side – visually it’s one of the best shows in many a season). But I just don’t see it with Wakana. He’s basically the self-insert protagonist of a soft-core romance VN at this point. He always wears the same outfit. He always does whatever to make the routes happy. He’s not what the series is selling and it makes no bones about demonstrating that.
TBH I think the series you’re describing is Runway de Waratte, not Bisque Doll. All the things you’re ascribing to this show as far as the male lead goes Runway actually does, unlike Bisque Doll. It’s not without flaws by any means (the anime ending is a trainwreck, though that’s not the manga’s fault). But in terms of balancing the priorities of the two leads and depicting them as individuals, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of this series. Not even close.
sonicsenryaku
March 8, 2022 at 6:25 amEh, I don’t know man; I feel like I’m describing the right show as most of the character work with Wakana’s personal growth is pretty direct and on the nose. That being said Runway no Waratte’s narrative style and direction is a different beast from Sono Bisque. That series wasn’t trying to be a chill, slice of life story that uses its daily vignettes to flesh out the main cast of characters; runway no waratte at its heart, is a character drama. Chiyuki and Ikuto are presented as being two sides of the same coin whose aspirations and the partnership/rivalry they form through it along with the challenges brought forth by the industry they work in is purposely written in such a way so that the show can explore themes of adulthood, responsibility, professionalism, and the discipline it takes to commit to your artistry. Aside from the last one, Sono Bisque and Waratte operate on two different channels. Again, one of them is actually meant to be a character drama, and for the most part, i find that waratte does a decent at doing so. I think Warette definitely has better drama than Sono Bisque, but that’s neither here nor there; my argument is simply that there is enough going on in Sono Bisque to support the idea that Wakana growing self-confidence as an artist is a part of the story that is treated with importance, especially since the show often times than not, demonstrates how each cosplaying challenge Wakana faces imparts some lesson to him and inspires him to want to continue improving himself both as a hina doll maker and as a designer. I don’t see bisque doll emphasizing Wakana’s hard-working nature, his attention to detail, his anxiety and self-doubt, and compassion as it not doing anything at all for his character; oh well I guess.
You can argue that Wakana’s journey isn’t as compelling as it could be considering other shows that have tackled a similar theme (and to an extent I agree), but for what we’ve been given so far, I would say the show has utilized that bit of characterization to a good enough effect in order to both justify the story’s premise as well as allowing the interactions between Wakana and Marin and the life he’s fallen in to have meaning that extends beyond the infatuation the two mains have for each other. To say that it doesn’t treat his goals as important is what I flat out disagree with. While the series does pander to its audience here and there, unlike other series that lack any filter or gumption, this one seems to have the decency to know when to turn it down and let the more meaningful themes and developments of the story to take center stage.
sonicsenryaku
March 6, 2022 at 8:18 pmOn another interesting note, I would say the show has done a decent job individualizing Wakana as a person. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t find him to be highly interesting as a character or anything like that, but i definitely think the show has done its job in making him feel like his own person and distinguishing his meek personality. Wakana’s a demure introvert, but one with talent: he’s an extremely detail-oriented, disciplined, hyper-focused individual who is conscientious of others, shows genuine passion in not just his interest, but that of others, is perceptive, and is good with his hands; of course Marin would fall for him. There are actual innate character traits Wakana possesses that make him desirable; he isn’t fawned over simply because he’s nice like you would typically see in other boilerplate anime romcoms. I think you underestimate just how much of a female fanbase there is for this show, and how much of them watch it for Wakana because of the very things I mentioned,
Marin’s reason for liking Wakana doesn’t feel like it was solely couched in him calling her beautiful; all that did was push her into quickly realizing what was already there. Before all that even happened, the clues leading to her burgeoning feelings for him were put into place in prior eps, the two major ones being Wakana’s genuine interest in her interests and the sheering fucking willpower he displayed in making her Shizuku-tan costume. Marin clearly states in episode 3 how extremely happy it made her to see Wakana take a genuine interest in slippery girls 2 when she asked him to play it. Marin expresses how much of downer it is when she happily talks about her hobbies and offers someone to take an interest in it, only for them to be like “Looks fun, i’ll try it sometime” and then never actually commit. Wakana being the first person Marin interacted with who genuinely committed to her interests and would engage with her in enthralling conversation about them filled her with enough gratitude to come to terms with the fact that Wakana wasn’t like other friends she had gotten to know. Having someone respect and thoroughly engage in your interests is enough to absolutely send people; it’s no surprise that Marin started feeling closer to Wakana after that.
The other moment, the one were Wakana gets the costume completed for Marin in time for the cosplay event, displayed his tenacity and dedication to completing tasks for others in such a flattering fashion, that despite Marin feeling awful about the misunderstanding, she was able to recognize how sensitive, hardworking, and compassionate Wakana is. When Wakana gives her that relieved smile, she is clearly moved, and even notes how nice Wakana looks smiling; that’s love language right there, brotha. When a person starts telling you stuff like, “they never noticed how nice you look……,” more often than not, that’s love language for: “I’m paying closer attention to you but I’m not yet aware that it’s because I’m falling for you.” Wakana’s whole, “you’re beautiful thing” simply served to push Marin over the edge of a love cliff she was already looking down towards.The beautiful comment opened her eyes into seeing that in that moment, Wakana valued her with the same level of thoughtfulness and detail he does for things he’s passionate about. In that moment, Marin was overly flattered that a guy with that level of attention to the detail and strong principles would brazenly express such appreciation for her. It brought to Marin’s purview Wakana’s bountiful consideration, to which she’s already been getting a taste of as indicated by in those aforementioned interactions, and it put into perspective for her just how much Wakana respected her. It is the “beautiful” moment, in combination with everything else, that set the trip wires in her heart off and sparked her realization of the love she had grown for him; love based on traits innate to Wakana’s and not some flimsy, external action with no character weight.
Guardian Enzo
March 6, 2022 at 8:29 pmWell-stated, but ironically all that basically boils down to is “she likes him because he’s all about her”.
sonicsenryaku
March 6, 2022 at 9:13 pmWhat?? Noooooo; no it doesn’t. It boils down to: “I admire how thoughtful and hardworking this guy is and I’m infatuated with him because of that!” Wakana’s personality traits extend beyond Marin, so I would argue that it’s extremely reductive to boil it down to: “yeah, she just likes him because he’s all about her.” If it was any other person besides Marin, Wakana would do the same thing; these traits are tied to how he presents as a person and we know this because we’ve seen it.
Rasu
March 7, 2022 at 3:25 amSo, Juju paid fully while Marin and Lil’ Sis only paid for the materials and the rental fee for “the studio” (which I still think wasn’t a studio at all but just an abandoned hospital); obviously, nobody paid lil sis for the photos (why? Mary has unpaid servant, I mean crush, Gojo).
I still disagree with their outlook, as Gojo said is a hobby about investing, if Juju doesn’t care about others, aside of her idealism, why don’t just wear whats you want yo wear even when the character is too diferente from you? ( Chibi versions doesn’t exist or what? Curiosly the reversed case didn’t stop Marin, so it’s just an autofixation with that mindset, more like stubborness) you’re the one paying and enjoying it after all.
Finally, is always ok if female MC is sexually harrasing, I mean teasing (yeah, of course) the male MC “because she likes him”, but when switching places is disrepectful for one gender (but hey! “equalitarism”, isn’t It, Occidental world? such hypochresy at its best). My apologies if this last statement end up being troublesome, I know this is everyday stuff within the anime industry, but heck how this side of the world likes to make a fuss over almost everything (I still remember the call for witch hunting at Twitter just for stating how prone to be touchy-touchy Sasaki is, which not only was a stupid reason for spitting nosense about you, but as a someone who understands some people are like that and yet still hates being touched, his quirk is still highly gross and annoying)
Collectr
March 7, 2022 at 11:31 amYes, the fanservice, particularly around Shinjuu, is creepy. I don’t remember it as being this pronounced in the manga. Instead, the manga goes into a lot more detail about the technicalities of cosplaying. It’s not my hobby, but I like deep dives into nitty-gritty details. The anime throws this in occasionally, but it shovels the fanservice on with a trowel.
The whole Shinjuu sequence us clumsily written. It’s intended to showcase Gojou’s problem-solving ingenuity. How to deal with figure changes? Challenge Gojou with a full-figured girl (to put it mildly) who wants to cosplay as a boy. How to deal with budget issues? Challenge Gojou to create a costume, including makeup and wig, for a girl too young to hold a part-time job. The author could have used Marin instead, at a time when she was broke from indulging her passions. Instead, Marin’s been a side character for the past two episodes.
John
March 8, 2022 at 11:51 pmI mean, if you think about it, Gojo’s one of the few people who’s been accepting of her passion with anime, games and cosplaying, even if he was never into it initially (tho ofc we eventually have Marin getting Gojo into the anime/games she likes). Matter fact, he’s been the only one who’s even actually plaaayed Slippery Girls 2, as far as I remember (Marin saying everyone else just says “wow, that game’s cool” in response to her fangirling). With Gojo giving as much attention to the real Marin as he does, I dont think we can blame her for feeling the way she does. Not to mention the other strengths Gojo has displayed, and tbh, Gojo comes across to me as an idealized romantic partner for a woman (which is validated even more by the author being a woman and not a man).
“Gojo not nearly being individualized enough” is subjective/debatable, but I suppose thats the problem to begin with about a guy who’s only now just coming out of his shell (slowly but surely)