Porfy no Nagai Tabi – 12

Oh my god! Oh my freaking god… it’s going to happen! In the next episode, it’s really going to happen!!! This episode was absolutely amazing, but first: a summary!

The episode starts with Mina, as she discovers that her tree has sprouted flowers. She rushes to Porfy to tell it to him, though Porfy is having troubles feeding Apollo (foreshadowing-sign #1). Instead of taking the food like he usually does, Apollo just flies away and squeaks angrily. This matter is quickly forgotten when the family comes together and happily watches the tree and how it has grown.

Then, a truck arrives, carrying the brand new gasoline pump for the station. Christopher and the driver lift it off the truck, and Porfy and Mina really admire it from every possible direction. Porfy obviously asks the delivery guy about how fast he can make it working, but the guy just delivers. Later, another guy will come and connect everything. Later that afternoon, Porfy is still gleeing over the new gasoline pump, making himself look like quite the idiot as he tries to mimic serving a customer.

Porfy then reminds Christopher about not forgetting his promise to buy a big car once and take them across Europe (foreshadowing-sign #2). Christopher reassures him that that day will come. Mina then notes how it would be lovely to visit Alecia, and Porfy immediately blushes and tries to change the subject. After this fails, he starts chasing Mina. The guy is clearly in love. ^^;

Next up, Aneke finds out that the water-pump is broken (foreshadowing-sign #3). She mentions it during lunch, and how she can’t make any coffee or do the laundry. Porfy then offers to go to Zaimis, to see whether his father knows anything about it. Mina joins him. On the way to Zaimis’, they run into Apollo again, and he’s still unfriendly. He even attacks Porfy (foreshadowing-sign #4). When they arrive at Zaimis’s, they realize that his own water-pump is broken too (foreshadowing-sign #5). Zaimis mentions how he’ll get his father to fix it later, but first he wants to show Porfy the angel he carved.

Zaimis’ parents then arrive, and the usual comments follow where Porfy wishes that it’d be a boy, and Mina hopes for the new baby to become a girl. Zaimis then returns with his “angel”, and it looks just very badly carved. But then again, it was his first time and he had Porfy as his teacher. 😛 Even his parens laugh about how bad it looks, and Zaimis’ mother jokes at how even her unborn baby is laughing, after which Zaimis again tries to scold his mother’s belly.

Porfy and Mina then return home, and say to Aneke that even at Zaimis’s place the water has stopped, so Porfy suggests to go to a little stream later, to get the water that Aneke needs. We then switch to Mina, reading her book, and Porfy, fixing Zaimis’ attempt at the angel. I must say, that the result looks pretty good. Porfy’s quite talented at wood-carving.

Porfy then goes back to his father, admires the gasoline pump once more, only to find his father, worried about a large crack that appeared in the concrete pit that was meant for the gasoline tank (foreshadowing-sign #6). He finds it strange, as there weren’t any signs of this on the day before. He does note that at this rate, the tank can’t come, and he’ll need to get one of the villagers to fix it with cement. Porfy goes to call him.

Before he can leave, Christopher first shows him the four handprints that have dried in the meantime. Porfy notes how his hands are nearly as big as his mother’s, though he’s no match for his father yet. Porfy then says how he wants to grow up soon, and become like his father who’s able to do anything, though Christopher notes how he should take his time, and slowly learn to be a car mechanic. Porfy asks him whether he’ll teach him about things as the engine and carburettor, and Christopher replies that he’ll do so, next time. At least, as long as Porfy continues to study well at school. That’s Porfy’s job at the moment. Christopher then says that it’s the job of him to protect his family (foreshadowing-sign #7). (On a side-note: I didn’t realize this the first time I watched this episode, but this MAY HAVE BEEN the last time that Porfy saw his father!)

Cue to Mina, as the goats are all freaking out (foreshadowing-sign #8). Aneke says that something bad might happen soon. Porfy notes how Aneke has been worried all morning, so Aneke apologizes, and says that she worries too much. Porfy says her how he’s about to head to Basil, the one who will fix the cement. He asks Mina whether she wants to join him, but she says that she’ll stay at home, since Aneke will be making cheese pie (Mina you idiot! You should have gone with him!). (On a side-note: here too, this was the last time that Porfy saw both his mother and his sister!)

As Porfy walks into the village, some of the locals see him and greet him. He tells how he’s going to Basil, to get the gasoline stand fixed, though the locals say that Basil is a bit busy at the moment (either that, or he’s a bit sick). The bartender then gives him four pieces of candy, to share with his family.

Porfy then passes by Corrina’s house, as she’s just returned from watching a movie. This of course is the newest movie out there, and not the one Porfy and Mina saw. He asks Corrinas father whether the car is running fine, and he answers that he’s happy with what his father has done, for now at least. Her mother thanks Porfy for the help that he and his father have given her husband. Porfy then says that he has to go again, and Corrina says to bring Zaimis to play next time. Notice how Corrina is really different to Porfy when Mina isn’t with him?

Then, it’s time for the final piece in the puzzle that gets Porfy travelling. He meets someone that can be best described as a very old version of himself. He’s an old guy who has been travelling Europe for ten years now. Porfy passes him on his way, and offers to carry the guy’s bag. He tells Porfy how he came from a very far country. Porfy guesses Atene, though it’s much further than that. The old man doesn’t want to say which country he came from, and merely says that he’s been in many different places, and he’s been travelling since the war ended.

He’s been all alone ever since. Porfy says how he doesn’t know much about the war (Christopher also rarely talks about it). The old man says how this area was relatively safe from all that went on back in Germany, France and the rest of the world. The old man also talks about one of his old friends, how he used to visit this area, though Porfy doesn’t know him, as it happened too long ago.

The old man then says how much fun travelling has been, and then Porfy says how his father promised to take him on a journey across Europe one day. He asks where they could go to. Again, the man doesn’t answer, and instead wants to sit down a bit to rest his legs. He sits down next to a strange shrine. Porfy says that it’s to carry the soul of someone who’s passed away. The man says that the spirits can now travel across the entire world, beyond Greece (if I understood things correctly).

Porfy says how nice it would be to see other countries. The man then says how happy his family must be… and then suddenly entirely changes the mood by suggesting that something like that may on one day suddenly disappear (foreshadowing-sign #9). He quickly changes the subject, and says how Porfy will probably see lots of things. They then arrive at the church, Porfy hands the man his bag, and the man hands Porfy a picture of Jesus on the cross. Porfy asks for the guy’s name, and it’s Damon. Porfy introduces himself as well, and he leaves, to do his own chores.

At Basil’s, Porfy has made sure to him to explain what happened, and asked the guy to fix the tank as soon as possible. Basil says how the gas pump will be convenient for him as well, so he’ll come the next morning. As Porfy heads back, he comes across the church again. He wonders whether Damon is still there, but he left already. Porfy enters the church, and prays. He leaves the church, and looks at the rope, used to ring the bell. And he thinks about the words Alecia said when she pulled it, about her mother. He then continues pulling the bell, as he doesn’t notice the earthquake happening.

This episode was so good. The building-up was just amazing. First off, there are the small signs that things are different from usual, like Apollo getting angry, or the water-pumps being broken, but that can also be attributed to the bird, having found a mate, protecting his nest, and some drought that might be about to happen. But when the goats started freaking out, you knew that it was about to happen. The question was just when this would be, and because of this the creators deliberately made Porfy’s journey to Basil extra long and detailed.

This just shows the world of difference between a series like Gundam 00 and Porfy’s Long Journey. Gundam 00 [SPOILER] kills of a quarter of its cast, and I’m a bit shaken, but here I am, already freaking out even though Christopher and Aneke haven’t died yet, and I have to wait one entire week to find out what’s happened.

Oh, and on a side-note, but the graphics team was on fire for this episode! Some of the backgrounds looked better than they ever had in this series, and that has to say something.