Super Cub

[neflight86]

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"* Based on a slice of life light novel series written by Tone Kouken and illustrated by Hiro.

Koguma is a high school girl in Yamanashi. She has no parents, friends, or hobbies, and her daily life is empty. One day, Koguma gets a used Honda Super Cub motorcycle. This is her first time going to school on a motorcycle. Running out of gas and hitting detours become a small source of adventure in Koguma's life. She is satisfied with this strange transformation, but her classmate Reiko ends up talking to her about how she also goes to school by motorcycle. One Super Cub begins to open up a lonely girl's world, introducing her to a new everyday life and friendship.

Source: ANN"

Genre(s): Slice of life, hobby

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1-2

Wow. This is easily the biggest surprise for me this season. Some shows win me over by aesthetic alone, like Boogiepop from a couple years back, and this did just that. It's like someone lost most of the script and decided to go with mostly simple travel shots, open domain music, and run it all through Megalo Box's VHS filter, and I love it.

But wait, there's more. So, most of these 'cute girls do blah' shows start with a shy girl getting cajoled into a niche hobby by random aquaintances that just hapopen to be into that and gradually develop a repect for its nuance. Not here. Koguma straight up gets annoyed at peddling her bike up a hill to school every morning, and happens to find a used (in a fatality-related accident) scooter at an agreeable price. The elderly store clerk gives her the bare minimum to get started, and she pursues both her license and purchase of her own volition- no other cute girls in sight for the entire first episode. When she decides that riding is fun, and gets into a tough spot (ran out of gas; a rookie mistake), she remembers the manual and finds a solution on her own. We then see her beginning to appreciate the freedom of a motor vehicle. It feels very organic.

Another positive note is that she isn't a blank character, or some audience surrogate. She has visible expectations and thoughts conveyed largely without dialogue. It is fantastic to see her react to her new bike silently and read her emotions as she decides whether to ditch the other girl on the stairs. Being a loner doesn't make you necessarily socially autistic, and she can interact just fine. The audience isn't beat over the head (via monologue) with how awesome riding a scooter is or how spending time with her friends is just what she needs. We simply ride along with her and experience the sights and sounds she does, and can easily appreciate those same things.

Highly recommended.

Side thought, I could only think of three anime series off the top of my head with scenes at gas stations (not to be confused with convenience stores): This, High School of the Dead, and Cowboy Bebop. Maybe there was one in Eden of the East? Was there a fill up scene in Bakuon?

[David75]

Initial D for gas stations...

[neflight86]

Whoops. Shoulda known that.

[neflight86]

4

This actually felt like a mini-movie. It was almost pure atmosphere. The job, the trip, the rain, the oil changes... It was cathartic in a way I don't normally find anime. Good thing, because 3 was a bit weak in comparison.

[neflight86]

6

...She was specifically told not to ride her bike for the remainder of the trip! How shameless! Her motorbike frontier spirit is corrupting her morals...

Another cute episode that focuses on an impromptu roadtrip on her now souped up bike to catch up with her class. Road trips can be a lot of fun if anxiety isn't a passenger, and this captures that trepidation and the wonder of discovery well. I wish there were more to talk about, but Super Cub is really more of an experience than a narrative, as the primary mode of engagement. There's much less dialogue and more focus on scenery and ambience (OST still strong). Her satisfied smile is still cute.

Seeing Koguma navigate with a paper map, I thought this might be set in the modern past, but then the reference to 2012, and I think they have smartphones, so it is probably contemporary. Turn on that GPS, girl!