Episode 8
Sorry for the wait!
Two weeks ago now we found out that Yajiro was with their father the day he died and left him at a bar, turns out Yajiro was a bit of a drunk before he became a frog at the bottom of a well.
Fast approaching the vote for the new Nice-emon, can Yaichiro overcome the Ebisugawa's?
***SPOILERS***
We start where we left off (good for me who didn't see the episode last week when episode 7 was still fresh in my mind!)
And I get the one thing I've wanted all along, to learn about brother frog!
Turns out he went to his father to tell him that he was in love with Yasaburo's finacée, he is the Tanuki renowned for having no motivation and wanted to leave Kyoto and his family but his father didn't want him to go. Turns out his father was afraid his sons would end up like him and his brother who hated each other. The brothers had to stay together to keep each other balanced.
I love their father!
In fact this anime is infested with adorable characters!
They waited outside their house until they got the news that their father had been eaten.
Yasaburo finally goes back to collect the Master from the baths. It turns out that Yajiro wasn't the last person to see their father it was the Professor. Well kind of.
Stupid fur balls have me in tears.
And yes this anime has just reduced me to blubbing like a baby.
What makes this anime so special?
First off the characters. You love each and every one of them. They are all unique and complicated people and you understand that so well. They are so real and can make you cry one second and giggle the next. Even characters you rarely meet like the deceased father.
Secondly is the music, it fits the mood perfectly. It is always soft and lingering in the background. The perfect way to set the mood of every scene is the music and the music in this is top class.
Thirdly is the way it is drawn. From the characters to the scenery. It is so beautiful to look at and gives it that extra little bit of realism that makes you even more likely to connect to each and every character.
This episode was a master class in all three.
Can I tell you a favorite character? Twist my arm and I might name four or five to the whole cast. From Daddy to youngest brother, Benton and the Prof. to the Friday Fellow who followed Yasaburo and Benton the other week. All of them have stories to tell each as interesting and sweet as the last.
You have the comedy characters of the Ebisugawa twins but most of the rest of the comedy comes from characters that are flawed, hurt and emotionally on edge. Just like real people.
This episode was perfect because there has been that lingering thread of what happened to make Yajiro turn into a frog but also just what kind of man is their father? We knew he was a good man, strong and kind, we've had glimpses of it. Seeing him with his children, trying to keep them together and acting like a father brought home just how much it hurt them to lose him and made the story of Yajiro even more heartbreaking.
The main thing is that the Tanuki are just so innocent, they waited outside for their father to return home, they wait for each other it seems every night.
Characters who make you laugh making you cry as you connect to them is something really special and this anime has it down to a tee.
It really is one of the greatest pieces of art I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
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