So, the first episode was mainly a recap of all the important stuff happening in the first season, closing with Takemoto obtaining his driver’s license and the group all congratulating him. Honestly, if you have seen the first season there’d be practically no use for me posting screenshots of what you had already seen.
Remember, however, what Shin, the foreman of the construction company said back in ep23: if Takemoto’s willing to work with the temple construction men, he should at least get a driver’s license, so this perhaps forebodes Takemoto working with the nomadic temple construction group. With the images, also, Takemoto seems to have made himself at par with Morita: he can now tackle Morita and defend Mayama from Morita’s ‘advances.’ Indeed, he seems to have matured.
The more interesting part of the episode, however, was the preview, not the episode itself. Simply put, I just love the subtleties of this show. Even within the preview’s lack of voices talking, even with only its action one can deduce a few things.
Even within just the preview, notice how Rika acts more naturally with Mayama. And looky, she blushes when Mayama comes helping, and she beams when they talk. Of course, that would only probably be me spouting bullshit, but you can tell that their relationship’s progressing when Yamada can only watch from outside the door, holding back her tears as both of them talk with one another.
That simply made my day. Not that I hope Yamada’s going to end up killing herself, but that she can move on – she has just got no chance with the guy, and the guy said so himself. I like Mayama’s kindness, though. He doesn’t even say anything against Yamada and sincerely tries to let her end up happy, just not with him. When he discovers Nomiya getting a bit more serious about Yamada, he loosens up on his protectiveness, and he lets them go, but not before confirming that Nomiya has become more serious.
Things start spinning again, indeed.
The pictures of the preview will probably come later.
July 1, 2006 at 10:30 am
wasn’t it odd that they chopped off Morita x Yamada moments from the recap?
July 1, 2006 at 10:50 am
Well, they couldn’t cover everything… so I guess sacrifices had to be made, and I’d probably have cut off some of the stuff in the middle, myself. Still… it’s a start, and I do like how they seem to be working into Volumes 8 and 9, where there should be some progress in terms of the various relationships which are drifting about.
Although Mayama and Rika couldn’t be counted as a shota-relationship, could it, given she’s only got what… 10 years on him?
July 1, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Age does not hinder love. Besides, she *may* have 10 years on him, but she also looks 10 years younger. Unless someone asks for their ages, it isn’t even half-obvious that Rika’s older than Mayama. Miwako even looks older than her.
SPOILER ALERT (read no further unless one knows the manga):
I read somewhere that the anime may end with the manga, or that the manga will end a little before the anime – which probably means Umino Chica has already made up an ending for her Hachikurons. The pace as it is, it seems that Hagu doesn’t end up with either Takemoto or Morita, Rika ends up with Mayama, Shuuji has Hagu, and Yamada’s the one who can’t decide but has a lot of people waiting for her word.
I’m probably going to be happy with episode two, so much that I’m going to postpone blogging until I’ve seen Solar’s subs.
July 2, 2006 at 1:02 am
I’m a great fan of this series. I heard about a movie and a season II of the anime. I wonder if there are subs yet. Can’t wait! Lol
July 2, 2006 at 3:56 am
There aren’t any subs yet, but don’t you worry. There will be. 😉
July 5, 2006 at 10:00 am
The sub is finally out, and I think my anticipation for this series was really well-justified. I loved a recap episode for God’s sake.
And the new OP & ED aren’t bad either!
July 5, 2006 at 6:19 pm
Oh, you’re not alone with that. This is practically the only series I’m watching this summer. The others are either mediocre, or just some notches above good – those that have aired, anyway.
(I have still to see the Coyote Ragtime Show, so I may be speaking too early. ;))
July 5, 2006 at 8:19 pm
Hah I don’t think I actually want to keep up with anything else other than Honey & Clover. Perhaps Bokura ga Ita & Binbou Shimai might make a good slice-of-life series, but I’m waiting until I can get other people’s (mainly bloggers’ aha) opinions on it before I’ll start watching those two series.
Although I may change my tune once all 13 episodes have been released, so I might be speaking too early too 😛
July 5, 2006 at 8:58 pm
I certainly am watching out for Bokura ga Ita, because for what it’s worth (I don’t know much about anime-dom’s names) it’s directed by Akitaroh Daichi, the guy who also directed Fruits Basket and Now and Then, Here and There. Good directors for the most part stay good directors: case in point, Shinichiro Watanabe, the guy behind Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop. So I’m definitely waiting for it, but not really trying to kill myself like I do for H&C.
August 8, 2006 at 4:41 am
hey animeotaku, your post about Ergo Proxy on animesuki led me here, happily knowing that we share the same opinion on EP (that it was Unbelievably pretentious, given THE Dai Sato (Cowboy Bebop, Stand Alone Complex) wrote its screenplay), as well as the degree of fanaticism we hold for H&C 😀
however, the last special chapter (F) from H&C 1 served an ill omen for me on what the coming sequel would be, as there was a noticeable loss of control in the story, the humour was Oddly predictable, and its trademark sentimental acoustic override in an episode’s climax (in which a catchy insert song like Suga Shikao’s Hachigatsu no Serenade suddenly starts playing, the anime subtley transmutes into a music video) bastardized by premature timing.
All these faults i found manifested in H&C II. an instance at the top of my head would be Morita’s Abrupt eruption of hyper-emotionalism and hyperkinesis (the BEST of its kind (; ) in the first episode, when he sprung sommersaulting out of the closet, screaming senseless about Mayama: it was disappointingly Predictable. Morita has never failed me before. it seemed as if the director went off-beat in That special episode, and carried the rhythm over the sequel.
anyway, i’m still hoping i could Ride this “new” rhythm H&C II is moving to, nevertheless i’m not the least bit less excited to watch the 5th episode after writing this.
PS
i was searching reviews about Ergo Proxy since the hype seemed to flare up again, making me doubt my first impressions on it. thankfully, there are trusted anime blogs like this around: reassuring, critical, Wordy, and oozing with fandom (: