Hanasaku Iroha

[Ryllharu]

Well, that's a pity it turned out to be a scam. At least it was a fairly elaborate one, with even film staff, actors and actresses being duped into making it look more legitimate.

The Enishi and Takako relationship is a fun one. Both of them are kind of sad in a way (Enishi being a loser, and Takako generally being a failure despite how hard she tries), but I felt that it made their connection a bit more appealing. She keeps coming back to their inn to meddle and prove herself, and he relentlessly defends her. The both of them have grown more honest and mature as a result of this whole debacle.

It was interesting to see Yuina's grandmother and the other catty inn owners be so dismissive of Yuina. More interesting was her reaction to it. Yuina's eyes narrow and was certainly upset that so many adults have so little respect for her. She ran as fast as she could (which is amusingly still pretty slow) to check on Kissuisou.

I do wonder where Satsuki falls in this. She flatly states that it isn't her place to take over the inn, but her daughter was sent there and angrily returned to Tokyo to defend it, she's shown considerable interest in its well-being.

[Buffalobiian]

I do wonder where Satsuki falls in this. She flatly states that it isn't her place to take over the inn, but her daughter was sent there and angrily returned to Tokyo to defend it, she's shown considerable interest in its well-being.

My general impression of her visit was that she confirmed that the inn as just as bad as she remembered it to be, but also got to relive the positive aspects too which have been shaddowed by the passasage of time by the negative memories.

What I didn't quite get was the conversation between the Madam and Enishi towards the end. What did she mean by "couldn't figure out whether he was stubborn or clumsy"? To me, they don't really cross lines.

It seems to have something to do with him trying things (such as piano or swimming), yet not getting it right - thereby confusing her as to whether Enishi was clumsy at stuff, or whether he was stubbon at trying to do something he wasn't good at. But... why discriminate between the two?

His "siscon" issue wasn't really solved neither. They played it out like it was admiration of a non-sexual nature just because Enishi sucked at everything his sister was good at - but again, that little scene at the end with his mother left me wondering.

One theory is that despite Madam having a "bad" relationship with Satsuki, she still sees her as the more competent child - and arguably "likes" her more. Enishi receptive of this, and admired his sister for being so talented, and at the same time tried to be so so his mum would also set eyes on him. Up till that phonecall, Madam still secretly wished Satsuki to inherit the inn - until she reckoned Enishi has grown competent enough to at least keep it afloat.

The preview somehow tells me it will be Nako-focused =/

OH-YEAH.jpg

[Kraco]

The inn is doomed with Enishi in charge. Even if Madam clearly foresaw this could turn out bad and only to serve as a very expensive lesson for Enishi. I didn't get the feeling he would still do anything differently in the future, especially if it was Takako suggesting something. Although ironically enough this whole fiasco might have helped Takako get some real perspective instead of Enishi - and Madam doesn't even really care for Takako's methods (or perhaps even her whole existence) in general. But I suppose if those two do get together, it won't thus be a lesson entirely wasted.

[Buffalobiian]

Horriblesubs - Episode 18

[MFauli]

Lol, fan-service overload. Mermaid Nako, omg. And then this episode just kept delivering the Nako-goods.

[Buffalobiian]

Lol, fan-service overload. Mermaid Nako, omg. And then this episode just kept delivering the Nako-goods.

Hmm.. Nako's goods..

I liked how Nako pretty much blamed the "averageness" of Ohana on her lack of sexiness.

After all that fanservice (which I loved) though, I'm not sure what the overall message for Nako was. She figured out that "change" in and of itself wasn't necessarily a good though, and also saw some of the good points that she had when he's in her "land" mode.

What was really confusing too was that at tbe beginning, Mermaid-Nako states that she didn't want to go on land at all - whereas she actually wanted to adapt to the outside world. Then towards the end of the episode she says that it's alright to aim for the land - but the then she's not trying to force herself to change anymore, and seems instead to just be fine with how she acts on land.

[Ryllharu]

Most of what I could say about this episode would boil down to, "Ooo, Sexy Nako. Ohana makes funny faces."

After all that fanservice (which I loved) though, I'm not sure what the overall message for Nako was.

I think the message overall was that she didn't need to be one or the other. It's perfectly fine for her to act in two different ways. She's still Nako both times. The whole mermaid analogy doesn't really compare to that well though, other than her love of swimming, I'm not sure why they used it.

[Buffalobiian]

The whole mermaid analogy doesn't really compare to that well though, other than her love of swimming, I'm not sure why they used it.

And that the ero-prince ruined her perception of people for good. XD

[shinta|hikari]

I hope more people can be proud of their flatness. While I appreciate voluptuous beauty, I dislike it when slim girls are envious of those with "assets." Ohana looked great in those clothes as well.

[RyougaZell]

This reminded me of the episode focussed on the waitress leader back when the season started (forgot her name). Quite enjoyable to see more of Nako, but as much as I like the series, I don't know what to expect from the following episodes now that the Ko issue seems to have been forgotten and we haven't even seen more of Tohru's infatuation with Ohana.

[Buffalobiian]

This reminded me of the episode focussed on the waitress leader back when the season started (forgot her name). Quite enjoyable to see more of Nako, but as much as I like the series, I don't know what to expect from the following episodes now that the Ko issue seems to have been forgotten and we haven't even seen more of Tohru's infatuation with Ohana.

Indeed it's like Tomoe's ep with her having to call back for arranged dates and all. This one did fit in better since it came right after the Filming arc, which was kinda weird in its own right anyway. Tomoe's was slap bang in the middle of the earlier episodes which had a much more linear flow compared to recent weeks.

[Ryllharu]

[HorribleSubs] Hanasaku Iroha - 19 (720p)

HorribleSubs had some odd translation choices and Westernizations this time, so if that bothers you, wait for another version.
(Details: Turning the use of a name without honorifics into a cheesy nickname. Using "Cleopatra" for "Yamato Nadeshiko")


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It's nice to see that Nako has changed noticeably to the rest of the staff and it looks like we're finally getting some real Minko development and back story.

I'm kind of split on how she's acting though. On the one hand, I agree with her that cooking a bad omelet rice is reason not to include it in the menu, while on the other, Minko is so overly concerned about the food being perfect because she believes that Tohru will be eating it. Her accusations toward the other girl fall a little flat because Minko is doing the same under the pretext of having pride in her work...but only we (and probably Ohana) know that. I'm guessing that Tohru isn't really concerned with the food, but is interested in seeing Ohana in the frilly waitress uniform again. I'm glad they're bringing that triangle as well as hints of Ko back into the story.

The preview and Minko's initial deadpan reaction to the omelet rice hint that there might be more going on.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm split too, but even though Minko will "feel" hypocritical to us since we know Tohru's part of the reason, the fact is it's not interfering with her work, unlike choosing between bad omelette rice vs serving a dish your loved one likes (and everyone else will probably be disappointed at).

I guess we'll never know (or perhaps we will, if the events have a bit of a spin next episode) how Minko would have treated this job if Tohru wasn't coming.

[fireheart]

Personally I don't think it would have mattered if Tohru was coming or not, when it comes to her work she's pretty stubborn and probably takes quite a lot of pride in it. So chances are she would have taken the omelet rice off the menu regardlessly, I mean when the girls told her they can't have broiled fish because they don't have the equipment for it she seemed disappointed but accepted it without an argument compared to what the other girls did. The only thing imo that might have differed is how she would have explained it.

Let's say she didn't have any feelings for Tohru and he was coming then it'd still be pretty bad if they went with omelet rice if she knew they couldn't make a good one. What kind of apprentice cooks something they know can't be served at their workplace and even has the chef eat it? It'd reflect pretty bad on her and on all that time she spent working her ass off to improve her cooking and by extension the chance Tohru gave her and he might question his decision about taking her in as an apprentice. So the only thing that comes off as hypocritical to me was the work and relationships though I do believe she was being honest when she said she think of this as the same as with her work.

[Buffalobiian]

Ah, I forgot about the broiled fish. That makes Minko's reasoning all the better then.

[MFauli]

I don´t really see how there could have come up any drama between the cooking girls. If it´s true that they don´t have the equipment to make proper omelets, they can´t make them. Fullstop. They intend to sell their food, so selling shitty food should be out of the question for ALL the girls. I guess Minko did a bad job at explaining that, though. It sucks that she´s hypocrite, since she also wants to impress the person she loves, but as you guys said, it doesn´t interfere with work in her case.

However, I could imagine that her train of thought could backfire, like Tohru coming to get some food and then be disappointed, because he expected to get a more simple dish, wanting to be reminded of his own time in school. We´ll see.

[Ryllharu]

Personally I don't think it would have mattered if Tohru was coming or not, when it comes to her work she's pretty stubborn and probably takes quite a lot of pride in it. So chances are she would have taken the omelet rice off the menu regardlessly, I mean when the girls told her they can't have broiled fish because they don't have the equipment for it she seemed disappointed but accepted it without an argument compared to what the other girls did. The only thing imo that might have differed is how she would have explained it.

I think it does matter, and the broiled fish was a key part of it. Minko wasn't really happy about being put in charge of cooking initially. She wasn't really all that enthused about it until Tohru suggested that he might stop by. From that point forward, Minko got super excited about the task, and really focused on making it as perfect as possible. The broiled fish is the thing that she is always put in charge of at Kissuisou. While on the one hand that might be explained by it being the one thing she was particularly confident she could execute well, but at the same time, it's something Tohru frequently reprimands her on (when she spaces out). It is something that she would want to show she can execute flawlessly. She came to her senses pretty quickly once the equipment limitation was mentioned, but it was still something she wanted to include from the very start. I would say Minko's initial menu is open to a lot of interpretation.

I don´t really see how there could have come up any drama between the cooking girls. If it´s true that they don´t have the equipment to make proper omelets, they can´t make them. Fullstop. They intend to sell their food, so selling shitty food should be out of the question for ALL the girls. I guess Minko did a bad job at explaining that, though. It sucks that she´s hypocrite, since she also wants to impress the person she loves, but as you guys said, it doesn´t interfere with work in her case.

In the other girl's defense, they probably don't know how to cook that well. Certainly not as well as Minko does. They probably did think that a hotplate can properly cook an omelet. I agree that Minko went the wrong about explaining why it shouldn't be done. What she should have done is compromise. Have the one girl cook the omelet rice in the home-ec room, and then rush it back to deliver it to her crush. That way, Minko wouldn't have the menu be compromised, and the girl would have been able to give a "special menu" to her crush. Would have been win-win. Sadly, Minko is a bit insensitive to the feelings of others, she always has.

[animus]

I'm pretty sure the reason Minko didn't want to add the Omurice was due to the fact that it was simple and she couldn't show it off to Tohru. Not that it was hard to make, or hard to make it taste good on a hot plate.

Also, omelet rice is easy as all hell to make, even on a hot plate (electric too). I've done it before numerous times. It's also facetious that she's trying to cook Jibuni with Beef (not to mention Beef takes much longer to cook than eggs) and Miso Mackerel which is a much harder dish to make than a simple Omelet Rice.


edit: Although I could be wrong in the fact that Minko or the show's creators do in fact believe you can't make an Omelet Rice that tastes good on an electric hot plate.

[shinta|hikari]

If they prepare the rice beforehand, the omurice can indeed taste practically the same even on a hotplate.

[RyougaZell]

Heh, personally I'm siding with Minko on this one. While her own actions could be influenced by Tohru... she did had a good point towards a dish badly prepared is not good for a chef in training like her. In her own mind every dish must be perfect... and dishes she wanted herself couldn't be done due to the limitations.

Heh... I used to dislike Minko at the start of the series. Now? She probably is my favorite after Ohana.