Celestial Method

Episodes 1 - 3

There is a fine line between taking it slowly and drawing things out to the point where it is no longer worth sticking around. With its first three episodes, Celestial Method is balancing along that line, now dropping a foot on this side, now on the other. At this point there are still enough answers coming while information is withheld to keep us watching, but it is going to have to start moving just a little faster within the next one or two episodes if it wants to maintain its precarious balance.

The story follows Nonoha, a young teen who seven years ago moved to Tokyo with her parents, presumably to get better medical care for her now-deceased mother. Now she's back, but her memories of the town are oddly patchy – she remembers living there, she remembers leaving, but she doesn't seem to recall any of the friends she once had or why there is a large, sky-colored flying saucer hovering above the town. Interestingly none of her friends appear to remember her either, except a little girl with blue hair. Calling herself Noel, she claims to have been waiting all this time for Nonoha to come back, and with this statement some of Nonoha's memories do appear to come back. Many, however, remain suspiciously missing.

Over the course of the second episode we meet all of the other protagonists, kids Nonoha used to be close friends with: estranged twins Souta and Yuzuki, quiet Koharu, and strangely antagonistic Shione. Yuzuki gets the most development, as she ropes Nonoha into her quest to banish the saucer from town. She seems to be the only one who wants it gone, however, as most of the town has simply accepted it as a tourist attraction. We find out the reason behind Yuzuki's venom in episode three, which reveals to us that Nonoka somehow convinced the other kids to summon the saucer seven years ago just before leaving, and all of them resent her for it, even if Shione is the only one who actually has connected Saucer Girl with Nonoha. (Hence her hostility.) It's actually fairly easy to guess why Nonoha would have wanted to call a flying saucer in the first place: her mother is ill, she knows she's going to have to leave the only town she's ever lived in, and she's generally scared and feeling at a loss. Summoning a saucer would give her some measure of control over her world and possibly give her proof that she is not just a victim of adults' whims. Why she wouldn't remember it – and why it causes such angst amongst her former friends – is something that remains a mystery.

That's technically fine. Really, we wouldn't want the show to reveal everything right off the bat. The issue is more with some of the attitudes and relationships. The weird memory loss is definitely something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, as is the reason why the other kids are so mad at Nonoha. Did their parents not explain that leaving was not only beyond her control, but also because of her mother's health? Maybe they couldn't understand that at age six or seven, but by thirteen or fourteen, they should really be able to comprehend that Nonoha didn't leave by choice and get over it. Shione seems to have deeper reasons for her dislike – we see that she keeps a photo of her face down on her cork board – but again, this seems over the top for her current age. Meanwhile the schism between twins Souta and Yuzuki is totally unexplained, as is the apparently close relationship between Souta and Koharu. I suspect they're going out, but by episode three, I feel like we ought to be sure.

Those irritants aside, Celestial Method is still somehow fascinating. Partially why the pace is a problem is because there is a good story that feels like it is lurking just beneath the surface. Some of the imagery indicates that the group was once very close (a closed circle of linked hands) and that they have drifted apart but will start to come back together (broken but repairing circle) if they can recapture some of what happened seven years ago. Noel's insistence on waiting for Nonoha also bears thinking on, as well as how connected all of this is to Nonoha's feelings about her mother's death, something which we see in episode one is still clearly an open wound. The loss of innocence that Shione and Yuzuki seem to exhibit (and if I was really into over-analysis, could be represented by the ruined kindergarten in episode three) contrasts with Nonoha's and Noel's lighter attitudes to make us wonder if a return to their former friendship is even possible. There is a real tear-jerking potential here, like something utterly depressing is waiting just around the corner.

While all of the characters have a sameness to their faces, the backgrounds of Celestial Method, as well as the intricate saucer patterns, are really lovely. The real standout moments, however, occur during the ending theme, when we see everyone walking with a different gait and looking remarkably natural. (Souta walking down the steps is a major highlight.) Basically the ending theme shows the same potential in animation that the rest of the show exhibits in plot: something really good and interesting feels like it could show up and wow us. It's just taking its sweet time in doing so.

Rating: C+

Celestial Method is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman teaches writing and literature and writes ANN's manga review column Right Turn Only.