A twintails is fine too
This episode kicked all sorts of ass, FINALLY giving us viewers (or maybe it’s just me) some sense of direction with the plot. It’s not the most original of developments, but it’s certainly better than nothing, at the very least taking Sola out of the “generic harem” classification.
Episode Rating: 9.5/10
The episode starts off with yet another flashback/dream, in which Matsuri, Aono and Yorito are in much the same dilemma they face in the present, but in a noticeably different era.
Back in the present, Kyoshiro Zwei goes to see the doctor about his arm, on strict orders from loli in a garbage can. His arm is diagnosed as showing signs of necrosis (basically, cellular decay), which he insists is no big deal, as its happened before. Loli in a garbage can knows that it has something to do with when he went out to hunt Matsuri, but with Kyoshiro unwilling to tell her anything, there’s little she can do.
Meanwhile, Yorito decides that he’s going to tell Aono about Matsuri. He thinks of introducing her as just a friend, but Mana is convinced that Aono won’t accept that, and decides that they will pretend to be a couple.
When Matsuri finds out about the plan, she doesn’t seem adverse. In fact, she begins to tease Yorito, asking him if there’s anyone he likes, and when he says no, suggests that they kiss, only to back away at the last second pretending it was a joke, even though saying otherwise. However, when she hears that Yorito’s sister is named Aono, a serious look takes over her face.
When they go to visit the hospital the next day, they are unable to introduce Matsuri in the end, as Aono pretends to be sleeping through the visiting hours. Just as they’re about to get on the streetcar home, Matsuri notices Aono out of the corner of her eye and tells everyone that she’ll walk home. She chases down Aono and we find out that Aono is also a yaka, like Matsuri. The two talk about how they each ended up in their current situations before heading back home.
In the middle of a trivial argument over dinner, Matsuri shows up, surprisingly, with Aono in tow. Aono says she’s feeling much better, has gotten permission to leave the hospital and will be staying at home for a while.
Later that night, Yorito takes Matsuri to his school. They wander around a bit as Yorito shows Matsuri his classroom, where he hangs out at lunch time and where he likes to take pictures of the sky. Suddenly, Matsuri starts to ramble about the reason why people sleep, and ends up kissing Yorito, playfully telling him that she wasn’t joking about it earlier. As she walks off and Yorito turns around to confront her, he’s surprised to find that she’s disappeared.
Thoughts
FINALLY, some plot developments that I can theorize about. If you haven’t noticed by now, I come up with a lot of insane theories. Not so much that I like doing so, more like it’s a natural process for my mind.
Most strikingly is the flashback/dream sequences that Matsuri has, in which we see Matsuri, Aono and Yorito. Since Matsuri and Aono are yakas, the ones we see in the flashback are almost certainly the same ones we see in the present, just much earlier in their lives. However, since the Yorito in the flashback is obviously human, it can’t be the same Dorito-kun from the present time line.
So, in one of the most cliche and overused literary devices in existence, the unfolding events are actually a recurrence of what has already happened in the past. Matsuri and Aono are living the harsh lives of yakas, when suddenly they meet Yorito, who in both cases not only didn’t fear them, but swore to bring them under the sunlit sky. In Aono’s case, his kindness has such a profound impact that when he died, she tried to kill herself, only to be saved by Matsuri. And even now, when she finds another human with the same characteristics, personality and physical wise, she latches on.
Does this reduce my hate for Aono? Not really. But I do accept that she plays a crucial role in the plot and so I can’t exactly ignore her existence anymore. On that note, I’m pleased that my guess that she was a yaka like Matsuri was correct (though, it really was obvious). I didn’t see the whole seppuku thing coming though.
As for what happens from here, the scene at the end can be taken in a lot of different ways. Matsuri disappearing might suggest that she thinks it’s time to move on and leave Dorito-kun behind, either in fear that she’ll become too attached to him, or that she shouldn’t get in Aono’s way. But given that there’s no immediate danger of another attack from Kyoshiro Zwei, and that Matsuri seems to have fallen for Dorito-kun, that won’t be the case and she’ll turn up at home as always.
Matsuri love ++. Noto Mamiko is probably the only seiyuu that could pull this role off. The half naive, half playful tone is a perfect fit for Matsuri’s character, while able to bring out her melancholic side when appropriate. Being a sucker for harems, no matter how generic they are, scenes like the futon scene make me all warm and fuzzy inside, it’s my guilty pleasure =( And Matsuri’s abilities to confuse the hell out of the typical harem lead greatly exceed average, making it all the more fun to watch.
And so the only character that remains completely untouched is loli in a garbage can. We have no clue as to her origins or relationship with Kyoshiro Zwei. I’ve got no guesses either, only a hope that it’s nothing absurd like she’s a yaka as well, that would be idiotic.
Animation wise, things are still looking great. The animators even gave Matsuri yet another hairstyle and set of clothes, a trend which I hope we’ll keep seeing. The backgrounds are showing slight drops in quality, but not noticeable enough for me to bring up any real complaints.
And so Sola has redeemed itself, characters and plot are finally moving forward at a decent pace, leaving enough information to speculate, but not enough to give anything away.
~ Shirukii ~
12 Responses to “Sola 06”
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>>So, in one of the most cliche and overused plot devices in the history of film
Come on, not just film. In the history of… jeez, history, even. Recurrence is not just a plot device.
>>And so Sola has redeemed itself,
I dunno man. You trashed on it a bit for a few episodes, but it never really did anything needing redemption. It’s full of promise, and while it’s true that aside from the few seconds of fight scenes, this is the first episode to hint at the show becoming *good*, it was never close to *bad*.
Anyway, <3
>> Come on, not just film. In the history of… jeez, history, even. Recurrence is not just a plot device.
Fix’d. True enough, it isn’t exactly a plot device. I’ll classify it as a literary device though, since it’s extensively used in literature and that’s the connotation I’m giving it in this case.
>> I dunno man. You trashed on it a bit for a few episodes, but it never really did anything needing redemption. It’s full of promise, and while it’s true that aside from the few seconds of fight scenes, this is the first episode to hint at the show becoming *good*, it was never close to *bad*.
Yea, I did bash it for a couple episodes, and although it wasn’t really justified, I thought it was wasting way too much time getting to the point. If there’s one thing I can’t stand while watching a show, it’s indecision, in the sense that the show builds up many potential paths to go down, but ends up taking a random “WTFUX deus ex machina” approach in the end (prime example being YoakeNa). It ends up leaving a lot of plot holes and, in retrospect, wasted episodes.
By redemption, I meant that Sola is finally showing signs of a linear, continuous plot instead of the ambiguity of the previous episodes. Certainly, generic drama is not *bad*, but Sola can do much better, and as you said, this is the first episode hinting that the show may become *good*.
Insightful comments as always, lolikit-kun <3
>>Insightful comments as always, lolikit-kun
>>Matsuri and Aono are living the harsh lives of yakas, when suddenly they meet Yorito,
The problem with saying this is that after the crimson necklace, Aono lay in the sun for a few minutes. She didn’t get baked until Matsuri picked her up. So she wasn’t yaka prior to that.
I had the opposite assumptions as you: I figured goth-loli for yaka immediately, but considered Aono being one as too cheap. At this rate, half the girls will turn out not to be human. Watch out for that megane chick voiced by Shizumi Ai.
btw, The clothes Matsuri wore on the second date are the same ones she had on the first time they met. So no new outfits, I’m afraid. Except for Mana.
@ lolikit: I’m going to go ahead and assume the angle bracket ate your comment. =P
@ Telliamed: Good call on Aono, makes me wonder how yaka are born. I’m still trying to piece together a decent theory on loli in a garbage can, but can’t really come up with anything due to lack of info.
Nice catch on the clothes, I didn’t notice =( Though, change in hairstyle is always welcome.
>>@ lolikit: I’m going to go ahead and assume the angle bracket ate your comment. =P
Shit, I wrote something in with a < entity, but I forgot about yours in the text I was quoting. Whatever, my comment was something about how Sola was never good but always radiated promise and is finally looking to explode. Or something like that.
Now, this may be off-topic, but this is the only place Owen isn’t stalking me. I think. I’m scared.
I think I can derive what happened with this. I think that in the past, Yorito and Aono are lovers or something close to that. Then, something happened and Yorito died. Aono commits seppuku, gets revived by Matsuri and is turned into a yoka in the process. Then she uses her “Reanimation” powers or something to bring Yorito back to life, or something close to that. Of course, this does leave a few open ends, like how does Kyoshiro and the Suiseiseki lookalike comes into the story, but judging from what’s revealed, that’s the best anyone can come up with.
P.S.: Is it just me or is it that whenever a girl sneaks into a school at night with a boy, the girl always ends up dissapearing by the end.
@ lolikit: You’re always free to seek sanctuary here =3
@ Alias: That sounds about right, though I dunno about Aono and Yorito being lovers, maybe siblings? Since that’s the role Aono adopted in the present time frame.
It does seem that a lot of those sneaking in at night situations results in the girl disappearing, though the only other case I can think of at the moment is Da Capo, when the nekomimi meido disappears.
>>It does seem that a lot of those sneaking in at night situations results in the girl disappearing, though the only other case I can think of at the moment is Da Capo, when the nekomimi meido disappears.
There’s SaiKano… which has a ridiculously sick and twisted take on the device.
Now things are really starting to get interesting! What does Aono mean when Matsuri asked her whether Yorito is really her brother? Aono says that it’s true. Wonder what does that mean? It was at the ending part of the episode.
I’d like to mention that I don’t think Aono was a Yoka before Matsuri saved her. I believe that whatever process she took to save Aono turned her into one.
Cool I love Anime Sola and School Days it is my the best favorits