Before the actors arrived, I just couldn’t help but think that the entire movie thing was a scan. Then the actors arrived, and I’m not really sure what to think right now.
I mean, while I can buy a film crew making a movie in the inn (it does have a very authentic character, after all), I’m really not sure in what kind of mind the director was to promise important roles to the Kissuiso staff. Even weirder having the novelist assist with the writing… without an editor or even one meeting with the director about what he should write. Then there was that pool thing: why bet on something of which you have no idea how much mold it has accumulated over the past 20 years? (Also, please tell me that that isn’t going to be an excuse to have a pool episode in the near future…). It all seemed way too convenient, and more like this suspicious guy coming onto Ohana’s uncle with this shady deal that required 10% of the Inn’s income.
But no, the actors came, and it actually really looks like the director is just quirky. We’re going to have to wait for the next episode to really see the points it was trying to make, but the focus on Ohana’s uncle was really good. On top of that, this went further on the troubles of a small inn. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if the inn ended up going out of business for the climax of this series.
I do have a bit of criticism at this point though, especially when comparing this series to Ao no Exorcist. I know that it’s a bit weird to compare slice of life to shounen fighting and all, but I’m especially referring to the light-hearted scenes (again, this show knows how to do drama correctly): with Ao no Exorcist, I really noticed the light-hearted scenes get more interesting and enjoyable with every episode, as you can see the cast grow. With Hana-Saku Iroha though… this still is more of the same. Those kinds of scenes weren’t really interesting in the first half, and little has changed in the second half I’m afraid.
It’s not really the fact that nothing happens: I have really enjoyed far slower series in the past. But like that scene where Ohana was trying to fly on a broom, or when they were cleaning the pool… it just… didn’t feel right. Too forced, even.
What’s also jarring is that now that I think about it: the second half so far didn’t really have much character development for the main cast. The past arc developed Yuina and her fiance quite well, in Kissuiso (whenever things aren’t happening), things are changing too slowly. Perhaps the biggest change in the main cast is that Minko is less annoyed with Ohana. Compare that to Tiger & Bunny, taking a look to give a ton of new insight to vital characters, Ao no Exorcist who introduced a bunch of new characters to spice things up, Steins;Gate with its plot twists or Hyouge Mono, where [SPOILER]. There seems to be too little movement in this series, and the fact that this is slice of life shouldn’t have anything to do with that: it has enough drama to have made something interesting out of it.
Rating: * (Good)
Yeah huh, I loved the first eps of Hanasaku and I actually skipped the last 2 about that girl because I just dont see her relevance at all (aka she could die for all I care)
Random episodes were good at the start, but now? Are they gonna goof off until episode 23 and then throw in one of those rushed endings? Bleh
“Before the actors arrived, I just couldn’t help but think that the entire movie thing was a scan.”
I think you mean “scam” and that’s exactly what I thought as well. However looks like the phone ringing at the end is hinting that the movie is going to be filmed somewhere else or is cancelled.
I don’t think this series will end with the closing of the inn. They are giving a lot of hints about Ohana inheriting it. Either that or she will set up her own inn.
I think the scene where ohana was flying the broom was to pay homage to Harry Potter, which the 8th and final movie was released in theaters the same weekend. My take on it anyways. My childhood is slowly ending…
I felt like this was some kind of nostalgia episode for people from previous generations. Something that outsiders wouldn’t reasonably be able to catch.
I think the scene where ohana was flying the broom was to pay homage to Harry Potter
PLEASE, go watch Kiki’s Delivery Service. I actually got a shiver up my spine when I saw Ohana’s concentration scene. I wonder if the rest of the episode might have been like this for other people – a blast from the past. Is it some kind of tribute to a time from way back when when it was popular to due film on location in country inns or something?
That pool thing was…wow. I’m impressed they thought of cleaning it up themselves. The damage looked bad enough that I thought they might need to renovate it or something.
That last phone call in the end felt like some kind of bad omen – just when everyone was talking about Ohana’s mom. I wonder if something happened to her.