Animation desk for pc7/31/2023 Those differences haven’t changed, but they’ve challenged one another, and their differences and similarities continue to overlap in intriguing, constantly developing ways, from Mitsumi’s wandering attention to Shima’s want to pursue his passion. So often, the two have played roles meant to contrast one another, polar opposites in many ways that make it shocking to onlookers and themselves that they would have developed as strong a friendship as they have. But now, in their interactions, she can see his youthfulness, reminded that he’s only 16 years old. He’s envious of their assuredness in their pursuit of what they love.Īt the end of the episode, Mitsumi reflects on the Shima she first met and how she couldn’t believe a boy as stylish and popular could ever be friends with her. He looks at Mitsumi and Kanechika and realizes that his jumbled emotions about them boil down to envy. Mitsumi, who is doing something for herself by pursuing a career that would help her hometown, that he conflated with being for others. He thinks about the president of the drama club and what he found so off-putting about them at first, and the differences he perceived to draw a dividing line between him and Mitsumi. He has to start questioning that belief, though, wondering if it’s just become a default, easy approach to social interactions. He believes that everyone is happier when he gives them what they want. Shima has been defined as a people-pleaser since the start of the series, and he addresses this here. While giving his final performance, Shima begins to wonder why his feelings over acting are so complex, and the contradictions of wanting his mom to see him perform and his relief in her having left. The biggest moment is hinted at through the name of the episode itself, “Shining,” the first episode title of the series to be one word rather than two contrasting ones. It is used more as a catalyst for personal revelations and opportunities for characters like Mitsumi to reflect on her time in Tokyo. She might not see herself as someone who can stand among those like Ririka, but she’ll still stand in her way if it means helping a dear friend out.Īs in Episode 11, the school festival itself is secondary to the actual plot. He’s charmed by the image and touched, and it’s a further reminder of Mitsumi’s pure and inherent kindness. Mitsumi, in the act of courageous defiance, stands between Shima and Ririka, her arms raised, in a nonverbal attempt to protect him by making herself bigger - the same thing the anteaters do in the book Shima had been reading to his brother. This allows for a hint of a later instance following his mother’s departure due to Ririka’s words. Shima, meanwhile, is sitting with his younger brother in an adorable sequence where we get the sense of impending healing between the two. However, for how small her growth has seemed in comparison, this moment solidifies that she too has layers to her, and her hurt due to Shima and understanding of him makes more sense when we realize how entangled the two were in one another’s lives. Ririka continues to be a difficult character to stomach in contrast to the rest of the ensemble, abrasive and unrelenting, whereas others have softened over time. The school festival continues, and we pick up right where we left off with Ririka confronting Shima’s mother, delivering a blazing indictment, asking her if she’s “making Shima act for you again?” While we’ve seen Shima admit to having acted for others rather than himself as he spent much of season one putting his child acting career behind him in hopes of distancing himself, this is the first real confirmation from an outside force that the emotional needs of someone else largely defined his career. Animation director Yusuke Inoue delivers an emotionally stirring close of the first chapter, tapping into the melancholy that’s made up so much of the back half of the season while simultaneously making sure to depict the optimism and joy that come when a person can overcome personal hurdles, no matter how minor. In Skip and Loafer Episode 12, “Shining,” the season finale delivers a moving moment of closure while promising that the story will continue as Mitsumi and Shima move forward in their individual goals while finding greater strength and inspiration through the other. Wielding an abundance of charm, an evocative animation style, and further colored in with delightful and empathetic leads, Skip and Loafer has been one of the major triumphs of the spring anime season.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |