Asatte no Houkou ep.04

October 28, 2006 | 7 Comments

I'm slightly disappointed with this episode mostly because there is a slight downgrade in the quality of the artwork. There are some instances where the characters look poorly drawn and at times, unproportional. This is especially noticeable in long shots and indoor shots. Thankfully the background drawing reminds as good as ever and close up shots are also still high in quality. The storyline also remains interesting and it doesn't look as if the horrifying plot will rear its ugly head. At least so far that has not happened yet. As a side note, the full OP theme has been released this week and it's even better than the TV version, which is quite good already. CD Japan also reported that the first DVD for the series will come out on the 26th of January next year. It seems textless OP and ED are going to be included as some of the extras.

A flashback to Karada's past shows her and Hiro going together to a Natsu Matsuri (summer festival). Back then Karada told her brother that she could not see the fireworks from the area where they were standing but Hiro lifted her up onto his shoulder much to Karada's surprise. In the present time, Shouko is angry because Hiro won't believe the things that she has said to him about her becoming a kid and Karada becoming an adult. She admits that she didn't believe it either at first. However, this is the reality. After hearing Hiro doubting her identity, Karada becomes upset and returns to her room. Hiro makes an off-hand comment about how Karada seems to hate him and proceeds to leave the apartment and makes his way to the lift. Before the door is closed, however, Shouko catches up with Hiro and asks him if he understands how much his words hurt Karada. She thinks what Karada wants the most is for Hiro to believe in her.

Hiro, however, asks Shouko what is it that he should believe and tells Shouko that he does not believe that she is Shouko. As Hiro walks out of the lift, Shouko asks him to wait and when he does, she runs to him and kicks him on the shin before returning to the lift calling him an idiot. Shouko then returns to check on Karada, who is now upset and tells her that as she thought, Hiro won't believe in them. Shouko apologises to Karada for allowing Hiro to follow her. Karada, however, feels that it's all her mistake. If only she didn't make that wish this thing won't happen. Shouko tells Karada that she thinks Hiro understands but just a bit confused at the moment. True enough Hiro returns to the apartment and ends up staying for the night. The next morning Karada makes breakfast for Hiro the way she always does it. When Hiro checks the table, it contains everything he used to eat including rice, Tamagoyaki, Nori, and Miso soup.

Judging from his expression, the foods taste similar to the way Chibi Karada used to make them. Meanwhile inside the town, preparation for this year's summer festival is on the way. At the same time, Touko pays a visit to her brother's room but is told by someone (possibly her mother) not to disturb Tetsu, who is trying to study. Touko, however, quickly reveals that she knows Tetsu has just been starring at Karada's picture underneath his book. She then tells him that she's here to take her Yukata. She reveals that she's planning to go with people from the coffee shop to the summer festival. She then whispers something to Tetsu's ear but it's not clear what she said. Later on, as Touko leaves her house, her mother wonders if it's okay for her to go out with her customers to the festival. Touko ignores this and instead asks her mother not to disturb Tetsu since he wants to study. Unknown to the mother, Tetsu has left the room using the window.

Across the town, Hiro is working again at the pharmacy when his colleague asks him if something good happened since Hiro looks comparatively better today. Their conversation, however, comes to a halt when Shouko calls Hiro, asking him to go with her and Karada to the summer festival. Karada is unsure about this but Shouko asks her to sit down so she can tidy up her Yukata. She also explains how even though she bought this Yukata, she never wear it once. She thinks if it's left as it was, no one will ever get to wear the Yukata. She believes the situation is similar for Hiro and Karada. Unless they start talking to one another, they'll never be able to meet (understand) each other. Meanwhile, Tetsu is now inside the festival trying to find Karada amongst the many people who have arrived in the area. As Karada and Shouko makes their way to the festival, Karada hesitates again but before she can turn around, Shouko drags her to find Hiro.

They eventually meet Hiro, who's been waiting for them in front of the train station. As the three of them make their way into the festival, Shouko asks Karada what she and Hiro did last year during the festival since she knows they always go together to this event. Karada explains that last year they saw Hanabi (fireworks) and ate Takoyaki (fried octopus dumpling). Upon seeing Karada ordering Takoyaki, Shouko tells Hiro that surely he now believes that Karada is his sister. Once Karada bought the Takoyaki, Shouko takes it over from her so Hiro can talk to Karada without any distraction. As Karada follows Hiro around, she ends up bumping into other people and as a result, she apologises over and over again. Hiro remembers how even when Karada was a little kid, she often does not pay attention to what's in front of her. Once they get to the place where they always see fireworks together, Hiro asks her if she knows this place.

Hiro then goes on how he and his sister always went here to see fireworks. As the fireworks go off, Hiro asks Karada why she made the wish using the wish stone and why did she want to become an adult. Karada explains it's because she wants to help him. Karada then starts crying because she realises that despite her transformation, she's still a child inside. Hiro, however, smiles and address Karada using the 'san' suffix like he always do. When the festival is over, Karada and Hiro approach Shouko to tell her that they are okay. When Shouko about to leave, however, Hiro then pulls out a bag of Takoyaki and asks her if she'd like to have it with them. Shouko, however, claims that she hates Takoyaki even though she just finished a plate full of them. Before Shouko can leave, Karada stops her and asks her to go home together with them. Despite her initial reluctance, Shouko eventually agrees to go home with both Hiro and Karada.

Impression

The bulk of this episode deals with Hiro trying to believe what Shouko and Karada told him. I think he's always suspected it but he found it hard to believe until they told him about it. Other than that, there is nothing much to say about the plot since the rest of the story simply involves them going to a summer festival and Hiro asking Karada why she wanted to become an adult. I was surprised at how kind Shouko was in this episode. She was actually the one who scolds Hiro for saying cruel things to Karada. I thought that was quite strange considering she did the same thing not too long ago. But I suppose she has a point, harsh words from someone that you love is a lot harder to accept than one that comes from a complete stranger. I am mostly interested in how the three are going to live their life now that Hiro knows what happened. Moreover, I want to know how they are going to incorporate Tetsu and Touko into the storyline.

Anyway, this episode makes me want to eat Takoyaki for some reason even though I just had one for lunch yesterday. Actually, this entire episode makes me want to go to Japan. I really miss being there and having the opportunity to eat different types of Japanese food and visiting one of those summer festivals. When I went there this year, there was one that happened in Sugamo, Tokyo. I was told once that these kind of summer festivals/night stalls are usually run by Yakuza which explains the inflated food prices. Having said that, I could not resist visiting the festival almost every single day when it was on (it just happens that I always have to change train in this area so it was quite easy to get to). I think I always ended up spending around 1000-1500 Yen ($10 to $15) everytime I visit one of these places since the food price is so expensive. Having said that it's worth it just to soak in the atmosphere and enjoys the foods.

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