Hello everyone and welcome to another week of Runway de Waratte! Apologies, but this one is going to be a short one. I just don’t have much to say about what was a pretty meh episode. So without further ado, let’s dive in!
Right off the bat, I have to say, this was a very non-episode episode. What I mean by that is that Runway didn’t really do anything new or different this week. There was no meaningful reveal or change from what is already a pretty standard shounen formula. And that isn’t to say a standard formula is necessarily bad. Kimetsu no Yaiba was one of the most standard Shounen’s of last year, but I loved it because it was competent. Runway’s problem is that it goes for a similar formula, yet it has none of the competence that Yaiba did. The stakes are either low or non-existent and there is never any real concern that Ikuto will lose. Meanwhile as a character Ikuto is very bog-standard in his actions. So when I say that Runway gave us more of the same, I mean that you could have predicted it last week.
The one interesting thing that Runway did manage at least, of course, involved Chiyuki. It really pains me that she has to play second fiddle to Ikuto, but when she gets her moments they are great. The big one this week of course being to stand up for Kokoro. What makes it work compared to Ikuto’s though is that Chiyuki backs up her words with actions. We have seen before where Ikuto tries to back Kokoro up to her manager. However he has really only ever spouted platitudes, never actually trying to change or take an active hand or risk in it. Meanwhile the moment Chiyuki sees what is going on she throws herself and her career headfirst into a competition. Even if it means not getting to work with the one person who respects her as a model. It’s legitimately good stuff.
At the same time as Chiyuki is doing her thing though, Ikuto continues to be dull. It’s not necessarily the arcs fault of course, Ikuto matching Toh’s theme is fine. Its expected even since Toh is being built up as the rival. But the whole thing of learning mens fashion, ripping up his designs because he knows them in his head, etc. It all fails to land because by this point Runway has failed to develop or invest me in its main character Ikuto. Ikuto is the lynchpin of this entire arc, and because of that it falls flat. Add on to that more tacked on family drama with his underdeveloped mother/sister and it’s all just… a disappointment. You can see these flashes of promise, but at the end of the day it’s just a sub-par non-battle-battle-series. AndI don’t expect that to change leading into the finale.
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Sorry about that, last time commenting did not work😅. If you remember my comment from before, I did end up reading the manga. I can say the pacing is much faster in the anime compared to the manga, but I’m not going to lie, I still liked it… maybe because after coming back from my studies I allow the story to manipulate me freely as my guard is down. I can’t say, I am no scholar of this, so I can’t back up my feelings well. And those feelings may be misplaced as well.
BTW, I say this not to make any sort of attack on you, since you have every right to justify what you are feeling for a show (and honestly, I made this comment because there aren’t many people I know I can talk to who enjoys watching shows like these around me). What my intentions are, after expressing what may have lead to your feelings of ‘meh’ in this episode, maybe try and pull back and look at it more objectively, since someone like me still found enjoyment. That may even lead to the show being better?
Hey friend, don’t worry. I’m not takin it as an attack. Criticism goes both ways, me on the show, you on me, its the circle of life. I just appreciate hearin other people’s voices.
As for findin more enjoyment, i’ll give it a shot. Best I can say at the moment though is that not everything clicks for every person. And its entirely possible that this being in the same season as one of my favorite My Hero Academia arcs, Eizouken and Haikyuu are just setting the bar really high and that Runway hasn’t been able to keep up with them.
Hopefully this 3 arc finale addresses some of my fears! We will see.