I feel like this is the point in the show where it's really starting to click together for me. I've liked the previous episodes so far but some of the pacing and structure was just aaaaaaaall over the place. The character drama elements are really starting to come together better now and the aestheticization is still awesome. Poor Makoto, this dude just cannot catch a break
glad to see someone beat me to the...punch (ba-dum crash) for creating an episode discussion this week
yet another solid episode in what is surely this seasons best show. its crazy how this season is tackling such hefty themes and the aesthetic is just a perfect match. chief's death is sad, but i think that he knew he was going to die and so he was able to die happily, and be reunited with his son. i also noticed that he was buried with white japanese anemones at his funeral, and the intertitles in the episode translate to "the white flower", so.....fun connection
"i'm afraid to fall asleep" :(((((
"The words of a friend may be one thing, but I can take every last word of a fellow Cub rider and internalize them with all sincerity."
nearly cried when they started playing liszt's liebestraum no. 3 at the end of the episode. the debussy needledrops in eps 1 & 2 were already extremely ethereal and gentle but taking the best piece from one of the best pianists ever and using it to curtain call this episode was the best creative decision they've made yet in this show.
everyone so far (including myself) has been talking about how good the show is with restraint and avoiding oversaturated emotion/melodrama but the thing that this episode really tuned in on (and the relevancy of my quote at the top) is how great this show is at depicting communal, societal aspects of biking (and really any hobby/interest/activity by extension). everything is better when you have friends and people to engage with--it's why i'm so absorbed in film and also recently anime, because my friends are also engrossed in those mediums and it allows for a really healthy avenue of discussion and engagement.
the relationship between these two biker girls (she was a biker girl, she said catch u later girl) is just so sincere and even though they're not connected at an intimate level of knowing much about each others lives or passions they're able to bond in an extremely transparent way. now gimme the third girl that appears in the OP :o
yeah for sure, I think the first show did a pretty good job of building up a meaningful conflict over time. there's still 10 episodes to go so I can't wait to see what'll be uncovered. also i could be misremembering but nanbu wasn't on death's door at the end of the first season, so we'll have to see how/why he died and why sachio thinks he's responsible.