Forum - View topicKakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits- (TV).
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2841 |
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#24
The landscape painting the trio find themselves in really is something straight out of the classic scenery paintings from Chinese and Japanese art. The addition of animals with colour is a surreal touch though. As expected, the fog Byakuya warned them about did manifest phantasms for at least two of the visitors. Although the episode makes it look like the brothers have reconciled, I don't think it's a sure hold since Ranmaru will only change if he's successful in pulling off the ceremony with the help of the others this time round. Not all of the water is under the bridge, especially as viewers now discover it was Ginji who was set up to fail for the previous unsuccessful attempt at the ceremony. I'm not sure if viewers will ever get a definitive answer behind Tsubaki Aoi's vision of the Master next to the tree. Come to think of it, he hasn't been around for a while and there's never been a time when he and Raiji appear at the same time. Don't know if that's going to be relevant, but there's not much air time remaining and I'm still wondering what the promise was between the Master and Ginji which was touched on at the start of this half. The twins have effectively thrown in the towel and asked Tsubaki Aoi for help, but can she pull it off with no sense of taste? Iso-hime would not have tasked her to do the job with no sense of taste, especially as she has the power of foresight. Perhaps there's another twist in the tale to be had in the few remaining episodes. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2841 |
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#25
Penultimate episode by the looks of things. Tsubaki Aoi gets to cook the food for the guest after all, but Raiju's last attempt at meddling with the ceremony brings reinforcements from Tenjin Inn to even out the odds. I'm not sure if the Master is telling the truth or is putting on an act. If it's the latter, it's no surprise since he'd bring trouble on a lot of people if it was known he was messing around on the Orio Inn's turf. If he IS telling the truth and wasn't involved with Tsubaki Aoi over the second half of the season, someone (most likely Ginji) impersonated him and helped her out in his guise. Leave it to Aoi to give a menu for the guest to choose. Usually for formal banquets the guests have no say in what to eat since everything is prepared in advance. Although giving Umibouzu (the character design and dimensions are effectively the classical image of this youkai) the choice effectively eliminates the possibility he will get bored of the food like in previous festivals, it puts the chefs on very short notice and limits the repertoire available because of time constraints. Since everything was prepared with all the eventualities in mind, it's down to division of labour to get the food out tasty and with wait time to a minimum, just like the eatery Aoi runs at Tenjin-ya. Who'd have thought the cucumber-addicted mascot character would be the potential cause for the ceremony's failure? One would think mascot characters didn't deliberately screw up the protagonist's endeavours in other series. With that cliffhanger ending, will viewers get to see the rest of the banquet to be prepared and the conclusion to this series? It would be very anti-climatic if the useless kappa ended up ruining everything, although I doubt that's the case since mascots tend to have plot armour. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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God damn it Chibi! Although, I am going to guess he was kind of appreciating the company of Chibi, and probably actually end up helping in realising something else. Actually wonder if Chibi may have even met him among the youkai in the ocean.
They said it was a legend to not look at him, so chances that Umi Bozu is possibly shy, but company might even help, and no curse. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2841 |
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#26
After the cliffhanger end, it turns out the true nature of the Umibouzu is more in keeping with the general tone set by this series. The kappa's greed for cucumbers ends up being the trigger allowing Tsubaki Aoi and by extension the rest of the ensemble to learn what really happens when the gate is opened once a century. Along the way, the animators use their final chance to bring out all of the food dishes they can muster. So the truth behind the mysterious benefactor is largely revealed in this episode. Ginji and one other Ayakashi took turns preparing and feeding the young Tsubaki Aoi before her grandfather showed up to take her in. There's a lot left unsaid, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to guess that the grandfather only showed up after the Master told him about his granddaughter's plight. The debt contract is definitely real, but the Master's intentions behind it remain as inscrutable as ever. In the end viewers can only guess what kind of agreement he and Ginji had which allowed Ginji to temporarily take a furlough in the Southern Land for the duration of the ceremony. Ougon Douji didn't object to Ginji returning to Tenjin-ya, so she must have tacitly agreed to the arrangement for the sake of the ceremony. Bar the remaining unsolved questions, the series is wrapped up nicely. It shares many characteristics of other Shoujo works, but the food angle and the largely pleasant ambience are its main selling points. It's been light entertainment and it's been a pleasure watching it through to the end. The remaining unsolved questions might give grounds for a sequel, assuming the source material has room for expansion and the adaptation sells well enough to warrant a sequel. |
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Mugen1style
Posts: 281 Location: North of the wall |
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This has been one of the shows I have looked forward to watching every week I am going to miss it. I guess I figured out quite some time ago that the Ogre king was the true savior of Aoi and also I kind of figured it out that Ginji was sent to carry out his wishes. I really am not a food person but I still found it very interesting. The art and the dialog with just the right amount of suspense that did not detract from the calming quality this show exuded. I believe this will go down as one of the best shows of this year. In the company of the Ancient Magus Bride and possibly (probably just me on this one) Hakumei to Mikochi for feel good shows
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Ahoshi
Posts: 4 |
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I just finished watching one my favorite anime TV shows to date. I was very much invested in finding out about Aoi, the master, and their journey. One reason I throughly enjoyed this show is because....Aoi is a grown woman. Can I say it again. A grown woman. It didn't revolve around gratuitous panty shots and over abundant boobs. It was heartwarming to see the light flirtation between Aoi and the Master. Especially since Aoi was hellbent on being independent which shows her to be a great role model for girls and young women. Be yourself, and if a guy is smart he'll love you all the more for it anyway. Now having said that, I am not happy how it ended. Its too tidy...I want more.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11348 |
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Well, they wrung the right amount of tears out of me for Umibouzu's plight. At least living in the ayakashi realm will probably extend her life long enough to see his next appearance. I also enjoyed Ōdanna threatening Raiju, and they tied up most of the loose ends, so that was a pretty good ending.
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Merida
 Posts: 1945 |
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So Chibi actually did kind of save the day at the end by making people aware of Umi-bouzu's real nature?
 But yeah, i felt so bad for the little guy, what a cruel fate. 
Since i've got a soft spot for shows about youkai and/or food, i was bound to like this one and i enjoyed it quite a bit. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I am happily surprised in where they took the Umi-bozu thing, bringing it full circle into Aoi's own past in being lonely and hungry. That even cranky Ranmaru without resentment joined in with the dinner party, because the little guy needs some company, personal also to him and Ginji's past. Really solidified the series theming of being good to others, the power of a good meal, and looking at things from another's perspective. Of course some can be so poisoned that there is pretty much no helping, like Raiju, but even bitter enemies can reconcile, such as it was for the two inns. Almost wonder if the blonde girl planned it all, that Aoi could heal the grudges, and help people.
A show with cooking as a centre piece can be hit and miss, like the trouble of feeling like there is enough to propel the story forward without it just being a slideshow of food critiquing. I think that this show really managed to hit the nail on the head in what food can play a part in emotions, being comforting and a way to connect with others. I can't think of where, but I remember hearing that few things can effect people as a good meal in the company of others. And the show had plenty of situations where it really washed away the preconceptions of characters, and open up to others after sharing some time together. Transitioning onto characters, Aoi is great. I would be repeating some things I have been going on about Ton in Phantom in the Twilight, that has been going for the second half of the show, but Aoi is a strong independent woman that can stand up for who she is, as well as able to work with others. In ways against what I said there, Aoi is not an action fighter, but the one making tea, or really meals, but I think actually goes to being all the stronger. Arguably just being strong was support in this series, while the care that allowed Aoi to break down barriers and open up to others, was the real driving force. Being someone's hero really can be in just being there for them, helping them not be so lonely, and filling up their body and soul. It is fine and dandy to have that as some catchphrase of why an open atmosphere can be as great as a posh one, but care was put in this series to reach there. I really like many of the other characters to, including how I might dislike them, but they could really improve later, without it feeling like their characterization was inconsistent. Oryo and Nene, the two hostesses especially come to mind as alternative female characters trying to make a name for themselves, and could come across as hostile, this being a female targeted show, it can be simply easy to just fill it with cute guys. But all the guys also all had their stuff that was not just reliant on being something as base as love interests. Plus plenty of other cute characters like the precious crane twins. Wrapping up, I have to give a rating, and I will go with Very good (8/10), but a high one in that regard, in that I really think that it should not be missed, and a fine example of how many anime can do better. |
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poltroon
Posts: 104 |
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This has been my favorite new anime this season. It's not the best of all time, and it's full of inconsistencies and loose ends, but I enjoy the characters and the art and I hope there will be another season in the future. Certainly there are many more stories to be told in this universe.
I enjoyed the food and while I cringed at how often Aoi was kidnapped, I also enjoyed that her character was built to show strength and personal power even as she was objectively the weakest character in the room, and that she handled herself as an adult. The echoes of "lonely and hungry" that went through so many characters, culminating in Umi-bozu, worked well to tie the series together. And I enjoyed watching the Master woo her as the fish peddler, and giving her the respect to handle her situation at Orio herself. |
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