Wednesday
Sep172008
Haruka's Secret 9 - Memento
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 10:52PM
This story get simpler and simpler, to the point that just about anyone can plot out the, er, plot points that are going to crop up. So when you see the following scene, where Haruka comes to visit Yuuto at school where he was setting up for the festival with Shiina, you know what is on the other side of that door.
But how did we get here? Let's deconstruct this episode by taking the plot points backwards to the source. Get ready for another magic journey into experimental blogging that can't be missed!
We first need to explore motivation. Why was Haruka in this situation to begin with? Mika provides the answer the evening prior.
Homemade cookies. A staple of the Japanese schoolgirl crush opening move. These two have been dancing around the friends/couple issue for awhile now, something must have tipped the balance. Rolling back the clock, we find them in a familiar place making an unfamiliar confession.
That's kind of sudden. Of course, it's not what you think.
Or maybe it is. This heartfelt request takes place admidst the background of Akihabra, suggesting a shopping trip. But who's fault is it?
Lots of blame to go around. Which means they are probably covering for each other. And there is only one person that can induce this amount of fearful confession.
Dad's appearance is always fraught with confusion and confrontation, at least until mom comes on the scene to explain what's up.
Haruka disobeying her parents just for a shopping trip? This doesn't sound like the school idol we have come to know. Did Yuuto really coerce her into this act of teenage rebellion? The answer may lie in the purpose of this trip, which we can discern from their activities just hours earlier.
Cosplay? We become a juvenile delinquent for cosplay? Admittedly, it's a pretty good reason when you consider the following.
OK, she fills that out nicely. So beside showing off for Yuuto, was this little trip worth the trouble she caused?
Well, as long as you're happy. But they say ignorance is bliss. Could the confrontation with her family be a simple misunderstanding? Earlier evidence suggest this is not the case.
Clearly, she knew tripping the light fantastic with her boy toy (wow, I'm not even sure where that came from) would create conflict and strife. What desperate request could Yuuto make to draw her away from her obligations?
Got to admit, that seems pretty innocuous. Before we continue to explore motivation and method, why the hell would Yuuto need a cosplay shop? It must involve his responsibilities as the festival chairman and their chosen activity.
How does this idea get past these paranoid otaku haters?
Another win for Nobunaga, the otaku's otaku, bringing his own unique brand of persuasion to Yuuto's class, since his class already shot down his idea. But back to Haruka. For motivation, we can point to the fact that Yuuto has to spend so much time working on the festival as her overt motivation, and the fact that he's working with Shiina as a subconscious motivation.
A noble motivation, but one that could cause the golden child of the family to go against daddy? I suspect she had a little help.
With the help of two maids and a little sister, things are going to get over Haruka's head pretty quickly.
You can just see the gears grinding, can't you? So a desire to be helpful to her Yuuto during these trying times seems to be her motivation for this whole sorted affair. But ultimatly, what did this innoccent, some would say vacuous, mind think would be the outcome of this?
Ah, the sweet promise of hot, sweaty, dirty folk dancing...wait, what? Does folk dancing have a different conotation in Japan than I'm use to? I guess it must, as the simple though of ritualistic movements set to music cause Haruka to abandon her family for a shopping trip, and to bake cookies to take to her man with poise and confidence. And the end results of all this effort is to be confronted with this.
The classic anime trip and fall position, from the leg positions to the proximity of the faces. The misplaced right hand is also a nice touch. If Haruka gets hot and bothered over folk dancing, you can only imagine what is going on in her mind after this. But we'll have to wait for next week, when we'll take a more standard chronology exploring the fine art of apologizing over and over and over again, I suspect.
But how did we get here? Let's deconstruct this episode by taking the plot points backwards to the source. Get ready for another magic journey into experimental blogging that can't be missed!
We first need to explore motivation. Why was Haruka in this situation to begin with? Mika provides the answer the evening prior.
Homemade cookies. A staple of the Japanese schoolgirl crush opening move. These two have been dancing around the friends/couple issue for awhile now, something must have tipped the balance. Rolling back the clock, we find them in a familiar place making an unfamiliar confession.
That's kind of sudden. Of course, it's not what you think.
Or maybe it is. This heartfelt request takes place admidst the background of Akihabra, suggesting a shopping trip. But who's fault is it?
Lots of blame to go around. Which means they are probably covering for each other. And there is only one person that can induce this amount of fearful confession.
Dad's appearance is always fraught with confusion and confrontation, at least until mom comes on the scene to explain what's up.
Haruka disobeying her parents just for a shopping trip? This doesn't sound like the school idol we have come to know. Did Yuuto really coerce her into this act of teenage rebellion? The answer may lie in the purpose of this trip, which we can discern from their activities just hours earlier.
Cosplay? We become a juvenile delinquent for cosplay? Admittedly, it's a pretty good reason when you consider the following.
OK, she fills that out nicely. So beside showing off for Yuuto, was this little trip worth the trouble she caused?
Well, as long as you're happy. But they say ignorance is bliss. Could the confrontation with her family be a simple misunderstanding? Earlier evidence suggest this is not the case.
Clearly, she knew tripping the light fantastic with her boy toy (wow, I'm not even sure where that came from) would create conflict and strife. What desperate request could Yuuto make to draw her away from her obligations?
Got to admit, that seems pretty innocuous. Before we continue to explore motivation and method, why the hell would Yuuto need a cosplay shop? It must involve his responsibilities as the festival chairman and their chosen activity.
How does this idea get past these paranoid otaku haters?
Another win for Nobunaga, the otaku's otaku, bringing his own unique brand of persuasion to Yuuto's class, since his class already shot down his idea. But back to Haruka. For motivation, we can point to the fact that Yuuto has to spend so much time working on the festival as her overt motivation, and the fact that he's working with Shiina as a subconscious motivation.
A noble motivation, but one that could cause the golden child of the family to go against daddy? I suspect she had a little help.
With the help of two maids and a little sister, things are going to get over Haruka's head pretty quickly.
You can just see the gears grinding, can't you? So a desire to be helpful to her Yuuto during these trying times seems to be her motivation for this whole sorted affair. But ultimatly, what did this innoccent, some would say vacuous, mind think would be the outcome of this?
Ah, the sweet promise of hot, sweaty, dirty folk dancing...wait, what? Does folk dancing have a different conotation in Japan than I'm use to? I guess it must, as the simple though of ritualistic movements set to music cause Haruka to abandon her family for a shopping trip, and to bake cookies to take to her man with poise and confidence. And the end results of all this effort is to be confronted with this.
The classic anime trip and fall position, from the leg positions to the proximity of the faces. The misplaced right hand is also a nice touch. If Haruka gets hot and bothered over folk dancing, you can only imagine what is going on in her mind after this. But we'll have to wait for next week, when we'll take a more standard chronology exploring the fine art of apologizing over and over and over again, I suspect.
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