OP: “Sweet Memory” (スイートメモリー) by Eve
Summer kicks into high gear this weekend, with a number of the big titles on my list breaking ground. Shoushimin Series certainly falls into that category, and the main reason for that is simple – Yonezawa Honobu. He’s the novelist of the source material, and the creator of Hyouka, well in the running both as my favorite Kyoto Animation show and the most beautiful TV anime ever made. One’s mind naturally wanders to the question of why Hyouka never got a second season, and why KyoAni isn’t handling this adaptation.
I don’t know for certain, but a couple of obvious possibilities stand out. Nowadays KyoAni prefers to adapt stuff they own all the rights to. so they can dispense with the production committee and pocket all the profits. I’ve also heard buzz that Yonezawa is unhappy with them (not for production values, certainly). Whatever the reasons or reasons Shoushimin Series has landed with Lapin Track, who are no slouch – they killed it with Undead Girl Murder Farce. Neither are the director and writer, Kanbe Mamoru and Oono Toshiya. It’s a bit disappointing that the series is only getting the weird allotment of 10 episodes (maybe there’s something in the source material that dictates that) but overall it looks to be in good hands.
Firstly, no – this doesn’t look anywhere near as gorgeous as Hyouka. The OP and ED are pretty cool and the overall look is fine, with a few stylish touches by Kanbe. But anyone looking for Hyouka shouldn’t be, visually speaking anyway – no one but Kyoto Animation (and probably director Takemoto Yasuhiro, a tragic victim of the KyoAni arson attack) could ever have made that show. Narratively there are definitely elements of How to Become Ordinary that will feel very familiar. Yonezawa has a style that’s both particular and peculiar, and is hard to mistake for anyone else’s.
The two leads here are Kobata Jougarou (Umeda Shuuichirou, who’s becoming something of a seiyuu “it” boy) and Osanai Yuki (Yomiya Hina). The setting is Gifu City, a couple hours down the road from Hyouka’s Takayaama. Personality-wise they’re very different from Oreki and Chitanda. We pick them up just as they discover they’ve passed their high school entrance exam. He’s agreeable and humble, she’s somewhat meek and prone to hiding behind him. As in Hyouka the protagonist has a goal in life – in this case to be “perfectly ordinary”, a goal Osanai professes to share.
It’s probably a clue to Kobata’s nature that when he meets elementary school classmate Doujima Kengo (Furukawa Makoto) at their new school, Osanai-san immediately worries that he’ll “impose” on Kobata-san. And indeed his compulsive aversion to saying no (it would threaten to make the nail stick up) paints him as a bit of a pushover. And Doujima certainly is a pushy bastard, to the point of coming off as an asshole. Jougarou’s family runs a Japanese sweets shop and he dislikes sweets – Yuki loves sweets but prefers Western ones (which be be the main plot driver of the premiere).
The rest of the episode should seem very familiar to Hyouka veterans. A lot of talking, a seemingly trivial mystery, languid landscape shots with the main pair leisurely flowing through them. In this case we have Osanai on a quest to get limited edition strawberry tarts drafting Kobata to help as they’re one per customer, and his getting hijacked by Doujima to help find a girl’s missing pochette (like a small handbag). Do I really care about this lost handbag? No – and I’m not sure why Doujima is so invested that he bullies three guys into helping look for it. And of course Kobata-san is going to be the one to solve the puzzle – if he wasn’t a genius he wouldn’t be a Yonezawa protagonist.
I have to remind myself that my initial response to Hyouka was pretty lukewarm. Yonezawa tends to take a while to draw you in, but that’s another reason to be concerned that Shoushimin Series is only ten episodes long. Portraying the idyll of adolescence is the essence of his writing, and with Hyouka at least I eventually became caught up in the atmosphere and the characters. Nobody here made much of an impression on me but then, neither did anybody in Hyouka initially and by the end, all four leads were developed into really interesting kids. This premiere left me frankly pretty indifferent, but in the end oddly more curious about the story than I should be. And if anything exemplifies this author’s appeal, that would be it.
ED: “Itokenai” (意解けない) by ammo
Panino Manino
July 8, 2024 at 1:53 amIt was a bit of a struggle to watch this episode. At some point midway the thought “Kindergarden Haruki Murakami” came to mind.
I understand that the author has his ideias and he puts effort into his writing to convey them in a logical way, I get it, if I pay attention I can see a bit of it, I can get the “pay off” at the end, but still… I ended feeling a bit annoyed bit it all, it was a bit “cringe”.
For all the effort he puts into coming up with something “logical” his “writing” still could be much “better” than this, any good expectation I could have with this series was dropped during that restaurant scene. The way both characters commented on each other is not the smartest of the expositions, also, the information that they gave was a bit irrelevant IMO. Was it really essential to point that she likes sweets and he is the heir of a japanese sweets shop?
Aaaah, makes me tired thinking about he story and characters, I can’t stand their “philosophies” and “ideologies”, specially when it makes they so “chuunibyou”, after all, if you’re trying to be “ordinary” this just means you’re saying you think you aren’t. What so “extraordinary” about you boy?! Aaaaaah, but the direction maybe wasn’t much better.
It’s all pretty, but the way it tries to make it seem and feel “mundane” and “common” ends being just uncanny, at least to me.
Removing music doesn’t work that well if the sound design can’t step up, by the way, this being something that KyoAni excess as much as they do with their animation.
Guardian Enzo
July 8, 2024 at 6:42 amI think the whole ordinary thing is just an extension of the Japanese maxim “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down”.
Panino Manino
July 8, 2024 at 9:48 amEven if it’s the case this doesn’t make it any better.
Twig
July 8, 2024 at 8:24 amI liked this. The presentation is quite placid and the setting feels very relaxed. I have a strange appreciation for anime that use visual sterility as a stylistic choice, probably because so many shows now are maximalist even when the subject matter doesn’t really call for it.
The highlight of the episode for me was the voice work and vocal direction for the two leads. It sounds slightly stiff, but intentionally so in a manner that sells them as being socially awkward or a bit odd despite their obsession with normality.
I’m enjoying this for the “vibe” as opposed to any investment in the story currently, which could become an issue if it really doesn’t develop, especially with the shorter 10 episode length. But I’m optimistic that the plot will slow burn nicely. An interesting one, if nothing else.
Guardian Enzo
July 8, 2024 at 8:51 amWelcome to the discussion, first of all!
More than anything it’s that 10-episode thing that worries me. If Hyouka had only had that it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good as it wound up being.
Twig
July 8, 2024 at 9:06 amThanks so much!! I’ve been a long time reader of your reviews, just never found the time to comment before.
I’m right with you on the shorter length being the biggest cause for concern. Hopefully Lapin were prepared for the shorter runtime and have found a way to make the source material work within it. Time will tell.
Panino Manino
July 8, 2024 at 9:50 amIn my case I might give it a try specially because it’s 10 episodes.
This series has a better chance with me if I feel there’s some overall history or “theme”.
Nicc
July 9, 2024 at 6:25 amOnce again, Saturdays are busy and so it was time to roll the dice. The dice fell this way and on another show. One more slot is saved for “Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai” when it returns from its break. After that last episode, it’s allowed to take a break and to preen its feathers.
I wasn’t aware of its pedigree and went into this one blind. Our two leads in Kobata Jougarou and Osanai Yuki are introduced quickly as they learn that they’ve been accepted into the same high school. We learn that they’ve known each other since middle school. Right, he’s the nice guy while Osanai is the shy type who often hides behind him. We also quickly introduced to our first supporting character in Doujima Kengo, an imposing fella who comes across as harsh. He and Kobata know each other from elementary school. Speaking of imposing, Osanai does ineed worry that Doujima is that sort and we soon learn that he is.
At least in this episode, it’s not really clear what kind of relationship Kobata and Osanai have, though they probably look like a couple by outsiders. Going out together for strawberry tarts does seem like a couples thing, but not before Kobata is called in to help with a mystery. Doujima not only imposes on Kobata, but also two other lads. A girl’s purse has gone missing and it’s up to them to find out. The four of them becomes a trio as one bails immediately. After some sleuthing, Kobata figures out what happened. It was Takada, part of the investigating team, who took it because he wanted to put in a love letter. How old fashioned there. I’ve worked with people who seem to not know how snail mail works. I guess that just putting it into the shoe locker was too ordinary and so he wanted step up his game.
The mystery solved, it’s time for dessert. However, that case took quite a while and so they had to do some cheating, such as two people on a bicycle. Now, I can’t blame Osanai for insisting that they move quickly. I myself have been enjoying the local strawberries and we can only get them during the summer. They secure the last two, but then a tragedy happens. Kobata is inside a convenience store and overhearing some other teens talking. Then, one of them steals his bicycle while tossing the tarts. What a shame there. Go get revenge for the tarts, Kobata! So, it looks the two of them want to be “ordinary”, but ordinary people also aren’t amateur sleuths. I’ll stick around for at least one more episode.