I’m still withholding my assessment of Fumetsu no Anata e’s forest makeover, as it feels like this chapter won’t reach its climax for a while yet. There was plenty of action this week, capped with the rescue of a young girl bound for death, but it all segued so smoothly into the next plot point that my emotional receptors never woke up. There’s no time for catharsis when everyone is immediately recaptured and carted off to Hayase’s village. (There’s also no need for it when March proves herself to be the mildest human sacrifice in the practice’s history.) Even the payoff to the previous episode’s “Arigatou” scene landed kind of sideways, since Fushi saved March due to instinct rather than gratitude. He’s an extraordinary character in what is quickly becoming an ordinary adventure series, and I feel a bit of a disconnect there. That said, it’s probably in my best interest to let go of the reins and just be a passenger in Fumetsu’s wagon, at least until its protagonist grows enough to start shaping the story (rather than be shaped by it).
One thing I do want to praise are the show’s animation designs. Fumetsu is one of the more kinetic productions of the spring season, but it doesn’t feel as though the storyboards are built to showcase its timing; both of Oniguma’s scenes this week contained noticeable gaps between his appearance and his attack on a major character. Nevertheless, he was threatening in both close-ups and medium shots due the variation in detail between the two. If I had to guess, I’d say the creature designer and this week’s animation director closely cooperated on their vision for the giant bear, focusing on his contorted facial expressions during intimate scenes, then ensuring proper musculature for wider cuts. Oniguma’s presence felt frightening as a result, even I wasn’t terribly concerned for the targets of his violence. Parona and Hayase’s designs are really good, too – their opposite haircuts and subtly different eye shapes effectively sell them as narrative foils, and their outfits move well during bursts of action.
I already harped on the directorial choices surrounding March’s character in the previous post, but I have to go back to that well for a second. People may disagree about the believability of a five year old’s stoicism in the face of death, but whether you buy the concept or not, the way this episode sold it was lame. White text on a black screen? It takes a special breed of anime to make use of that technique, and even then, it ought to emphasize thoughts that have already been ingrained in the audience. March was introduced to us surrounded by dolls, wanting nothing more than to grow up so that her pretend motherhood could become real, but now her inner thoughts read, “I won’t become a grown-up. I chose so, by myself.” Hell, she ran away from Hayase last week despite knowing what it would mean for her village, but when she was discovered in this episode, the show cut away from her recapture. Using onscreen text to plant uncharacteristic thoughts in March’s head, averting the camera from potential displays of her survival instinct – Fumetsu had better be headed somewhere special, because it’s sacrificing authenticity to get there.
What’s that? Let go of the reins and be a passenger in the show’s wagon? Eh… maybe next week.
