Shinigami no Ballad ep.3

March 17, 2006 | 6 Comments

This episode made me realise that despite its title, Shinigami no Ballad seems to focus more on love rather than death. The type of love in question differs from one episode to another. But in general, the death in this series is simply used to highlight the love that a character has for another character. And much to my surprise, this episode is also quite different from the first two, so I doubt that anyone will find this one repetitive in comparison to the other two. I also find the dialogue in this episode to be touching and easy to relate to. I especially like the fact that this episode didn't go into a melodramatic mode. While some of the scenes are touching and romantic, in general, the mood of the episode has this bittersweet feel attached to it. With only 3 more episodes to go, I hope that the writers will be able to maintain this quality right to the end.

The episode begins with Momo telling that Daniel that she feels that the meeting that a main character has with people are similar to a role playing game and wonders if they can participate in this game. Cut to a flashback where a boy called Ichihara Kantarou was helping his mother cleaning up his grandfather's house after the old guy passed away. His mother was surprised when they found a box full of video games but Kantarou pointed out that his grandfather liked RPG games. Kantarou then stumbled upon another box with his name written on it. The content turned out to be a high school uniform and a letter. In the letter, the grandfather told Kantarou that he believes his time is almost over. Having said that, he wonders if Kantarou is willing to play one last game with him. He basically wanted Kantarou to become the hero of a role playing game which requires Kantarou to go out on a treasure hunt. A few days later, Kantarou decides to catch a train out of the city.

Before he manages to do so, however, a small hand stops him. The hand belongs to Kantarou's childhood friend and class' Iinchou, Tomato. It appears that the day before Kantarou told her that he intends on skipping his supplementary lesson so he can go to his grandfather's village and play the game his grandfather mentioned in the letter. Tomato is annoyed that Kantarou intends on skipping the supplementary lesson just to play the game. She reminds him of the fact that he's a middle school's 3rd year student now. Kantarou, however, begs Tomato to let him go because he already made a promise to his grandfather. Tomato eventually agrees to allow Kantarou to ditch school but she lets him know that she'll be coming with him. Cut to a flashback when Kantarou has just finished playing a PS2 game with his grandfather. Back then his grandfather asked him what happened to Tomato and Kentarou told him that she has now become an Iinchou (class leader).

In the present time, Kantarou tries to make small talk with Tomato but all this only results in a rather awkward chat involving the weather and TV drama. He then notices that Tomato is not wearing her uniform despite the fact that she was going to school before. Tomato turns out to be a quick-witted girl and claims that their teacher said plain clothes is okay. Kantarou doesn't seem to believe this but he gets distracted by the sound of a bell. Tomato, however, can't hear the sound so Kantarou looks around and spots a little boy and little girl sitting not far from them. The train the suddenly stops and Tomato realises that they have to change train. Cut to another flashback where Kantarou asked his grandfather why he liked games so much. His grandpa told him because game is exciting.　　You can go whereever you want and meet anyone that you want. Back in the present day, Tomato offers Kantarou some foods much to the guy's surprise.

Because the train still doesn't move, Tomato asks Kantarou if they can go around and look at the ocean. Kantarou agrees but warns her that if they miss the train the next one will be 2 hours later. While gazing at the ocean, Tomato laments the fact that Summer is over and she didn't go to the ocean even though she bought a swimsuit. Upon hearing this Kantarou asks her if the swimsuit is explicit. Hentai, indeed. Kantarou, however, cleverly changes the conversation by pointing out at the seagulls. Tomato thinks that it must be nice to fly like a bird. Kantarou, however, points out that since humans can't fly, walking is okay too. Apparently he heard this from his grandpa who once said that if one doesn't have a wing, then walking is okay too. Their conversation, however, is interrupted when Kantarou hears the sound of a bell once again. He quickly realises that the two kids he saw on the train are now seen standing near the pier.

When the two arrive at their destination, the day has turned into night so the two decide to stay at a nearby Inn pretending to be brother and sister. However, when Tomato is taking a bath, Kantarou hears the sound of a bell again and finds the same boy and girl playing inside the Inn. On a glance, Kantarou realises that the young boy reminds him of his grandfather. Kantarou then remembers of the time when his grandfather was dying. Back then the old man told Kantarou that he hears the sound of a bell and sees an image of a beautiful Shinigami in a white dress. In the present day, Kantarou can't sleep so he tells Tomato about how his grandfather saw a Shinigami prior to his death. Tomato wonders if Kanta's grandpa was telling the truth. After all, Kantarou is kind of gullible. Tomato then drops the bombshell and tells Kantarou that she's going to move house. Kantarou thinks that Tomato is lying but she claims that she's telling the truth now.

Tomato thinks that she and family will probably go somewhere far away. Because of this, they may not be able to see each other again. Tomato then tells Kantarou that the truth is she's not as strong as everyone thinks she is. In fact, often she wants someone to help her but since there's no one she can talk to, she ends up doing things by herself. And then before she realises it, everyone starts to depend on her. But often she wants to act like a child and depend on others. Kantarou tells Tomato that if she wants, she can depend on him. Upon hearing this Tomato asks him if she can sleep next to him for the time being. Kantarou is shocked to hear this but then Tomato appears behind the split screen and tells him that she's just joking about that part. Kantarou is relieved to hear this and tells Tomato that when his grandfather was a child, there was a girl that his grandfather like.

According to his grandfather, the girl was had a red hair just like a sunset. Back then, the two made a promise to remain as friends even if they are apart. The next day, Kantarou and Tomato continues their journey to find the treasure. After a few hours of unsuccessful attempt, thanks to a map that looks more like children's scribble, Kantarou sees the two children run in front of him and realises that the boy is his grandpa when he was young. The two children lead Kantarou and Tomato into a tree that is similar to the one in the map. Kantarou then begins to dig around the area and finds a box containing a marble and a letter. The letter simply says that the next thing that Kantarou has to do is to find his own treasure. Because of this Kantarou decides to make a promise to Tomato that even if they are apart, they'll always see each other again. In the distance the two kids look from a distance and reveals that they are actually Momo and Daniel in disguise.

Impression:

The story turns out to be a lot more touching than I originally thought once I start paying attention to the actual conversation. I really like Tomato's characterisation and I can identify a lot with what she said in this episode. I know how it feels to not have anyone to rely on despite wishing for one. It was interesting and kind of romantic to see Kantarou and Tomato making a promise to always see each other even if they are far apart. It's basically a mirror of what his grandfather did with the red-haired girl. Having said that, I can't help but wonder if such thing will actually work. Maybe I'm just a pessimist but long-distance relationship is not the easiest thing to do. Keeping in touch with one another is quite difficult already but seeing each other is even more an impossibility. Anyway, I like how the marble is what the grandfather considered as a treasure because from the flashback, it seems he and the red-haired girl used to play marbles together.

It's also nice to see that the story this time around is more about life and love instead of death. Everything in this episode is focused on the small things that could make life enjoyable. This includes travelling with someone that you like, seeing the ocean and its simple beauty, and being able to tell your problem to someone. And in the long run, it's this journey that Kantarou and Tomato will remember even if they are apart. Moving on to other topic, the parallel that the story has to role playing game is sketchy at best but I supposed the journey that Kantarou and Tomato took feels a bit like an RPG during the non-battle part of the game. I also just realised that Momo actually didn't cry at all in this episode. In fact, she and Daniel had a minimal presence throughout the story. I don't really mind this because so far, some of the most interesting dialogues actually come from the characters of the week themselves and not from Momo or Daniel.

© memento 2003