Runway de Waratte did it again, doing great with half the episode and falling apart in the 2nd. It’s a shame that a show can have such a compelling character in Chiyuki, and such a boring on in Itsuko. Still, no use whining without proof, lets dive in! And apologies for the wait, I was guesting on the r/anime awards livestream and that took up some time.
First up, the good, which is mostly Chiyuki. Seriously, Chiyuki is the best character in this show. Everything that is wrong with Itsuko is good with her and her story. We need only look at this episode for proof. Throughout the first half, Chiyuki actively faces challenges and discrimination. Runway doesn’t just tell us that short models have it tough, but actively shows us. With Hasegawa’s manager putting her down, the client putting her in the back, etc. We actively see her struggle to get work, passing out her card and doing her best to network. She brings multiple sized heels and sells herself based on the contents of the shot. All the while not being so proud as to whine about the work like the other models. None of this even really goes into her character, which is great.
Unlike Itsuko, Chiyuki actually has depth as a character. We see her get angry at being pitied, struggle with jealousy and actively encourage a rival because of it all. She takes pride in her work, but is actively trying to get better and we see her self-actualize with even the smallest of things in regards to modeling. She is a legitimately flawed character, one who gets emotional and is imperfect, but is actively trying to work past her imperfections. I love it, and the more Runway focuses on Chiyuki the better, because she is the best character of the entire show. Even when she isn’t on screen, the characters related to her like Hasegawa’s manager are made better by association. Drawing a parallel between her and Chiyuki in working in an industry they don’t have the “talent” for, explaining why she pushes Hasegawa. Love it.
Sadly, Itsuko and his whole arc continues to be terribly boring. We saw a little bit of it develop with Ayano and Chiyuki, as people question his commitment. Basically making sure he actually wants to be a designer rather than just making clothes, defining him abit. But ultimately Itsuko continues to have things handed to him. Meanwhile the best character on his side of the story is Yanagida the no nonsense designer. I like him, I enjoy his serious nature and how much he cares for his brand. I legitimately believe that he is staking his entire career on this because of how Runway portrays him. Yet here we are, with Itsuko convincing him to keep characters who screw up around him because he is the lead. I find it annoying that Itsuko actively brings down the interesting characters around him with his perfectness.
Finally, and I know this is a short post but Runway makes it hard, Runway screwed up big time. I can’t believe I am saying this, but Runway just skipped over an entire possible arc in maybe a minute. That’s right, Runway took what could have been Hasegawa’s defining arc where she has to work alone from Itsuko to pass the 2nd round and just… skipped it. It could have been fantastic for her as she has to finally work on her own to make a design, yet somehow she just makes it to the final round? Where is the build up? Where is the tension or the interesting character dilemma’s? Show me Hasegawa arguing with her manager, or making a dress and trying it on herself. Show me Hasegawa using her modeling to her advantage to find her own method of designing! Don’t just… skip it.
So yeah, all that said, the best way I can describe Runway this week is disappointing. There is a lot of potential in the series, but every episode its 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Chiyuki is a far more interesting lead yet gets less screen time. Meanwhile Itsuko is boring and Runway has absolutely no idea how to create tension or setup an arc. Instead deciding it is a smart idea to just skip an entire round of a tournament because our MC isn’t in it. Forgetting that because the MC isn’t in it, the tournament is allowed to have real stakes with no character being guaranteed a win. It’s one of the core appeals of a tournament arc and Runway just throws it away. Considering the final arc could have been the cour finale, its just… disappointing. And that’s how it will probably stay.
