Once again: what a heart-warming episode. Finally it’s Kaoru’s turn to get an episode, and this may just have been the best of the character focused episodes so far. If anything, this episode stood out because of how well acted it was. Not just Kaoru (who was wonderfully portrayed, by the way), but the entire cast really shined in this episode. To me, this was the episode where the cast managed to reach a new level.
It’s not just that Kaoru’s development and place with the series as the one who isn’t sure what she wants to do has been grounded. It’s also how this reflected to the rest of the cast. Potte admitting that she sometimes doubts whether she really wants to continue with photography for the rest of her life. It’s small, but THAT was a terrific addition to her character. Or take Maon: she’s now miles away from the girl who only whistled at the beginning of the series. Norie’s puke story was also both hilarious and adorable, but also the way in which she said it was very natural, compared to how over the top she was when we first started out with her.
Ten episodes in, and I really have to say: the creators succeeded in creating an absolutely wonderful cast. I dislike the type of slice of life shows where just nothing interesting happens, but this show struck a terrific balance. It was a bit weak at the beginning with the one-sided characters and a bit too much crying, but all of these flaws pretty much went away as this show solidified.
At the start of this series, I kept hoping for this show to deliver that final “oomph” in the end. It’s tie to see whether this show can set itself apart even more. This isn’t a manga adaptation, so the creators can fully plan in an ending of theirs, rather than this show just ending on a random story.
Rating: ** (Excellent)