First episode was solid, excited for more. Without further ado,

Episode 2

0:14 – IT TALKED 

1:48 – I keep waiting  for HanaKana to go all snake delinquent . Monogatari has ruined HanaKana for me

3:34 – She may be blobby, but she’s not totally without agency.  Considering this is 2-cour, I’m looking forward to pretty significant character growth for her

5:06 – Yeah, somewhat blobby 

5:55 – Maybe because you’re both as transparent as humanly possible 

7:34 – Apply this show’s mega-eyes to adults can create some really weird results 

8:38 – I find the weird societal disconnect here pretty great.  The surface world has basically lost interest in this ritual of respect for the sea even as a meaningless tradition, the teacher attempts to turn it into a class project for the wholly indifferent younger generation, and so it’s somewhat accidentally foisted off to the living representatives of that sea, who themselves are only accepting this situation due to unrelated adolescent emotional reasons. It nicely muddles all the personal, generational, and cultural ideas the show is poking at – so far the show is very good about couching these issues of identity and society in relatable, personal terms, which is both more realistic (the kids may care about their cultural heritage, but they probably care more about whether the girl they like likes them back) and more relatable for the audience

9:40 – More than its share of striking images 

10:12 – He himself is a particularly interesting example  of the disconnect between the youth of these characters and the weight of these issues. The surface boy is pretty much designed to challenge his fragile nationalism, but his adolescent possessiveness of his childhood friend has just as much sway over his opinions. But that’s really how people work – views held with passion might not be changed by reasoned debate, but a single personal example can shake your very identity. See: politicians swerving from a lifetime of bigotry when it turns out their own kid is gay

10:54 – These backgrounds are so lovely 

11:17 – Yeah, this show’s not backing down . Our protagonists might be too young to take the initiative, but the show wants to discuss this shit, goddamnit

12:10 – Well that’s not very progressive of them 

12:55 – Again they tie his revelations to hers to complicate his development.  Immediately after learning his village isn’t really the place he thought it was, Manaka further off-balances him by casting acceptance of the surface as the loss of her, forcing him to try and counter with the attitudes he’s always known

14:14 – Another pretty one 

16:35 – The surface is nice too, though 

And Done

Nice. I really like how quickly this show is progressing its conflicts – the fundamental romantic issues are already completely established, and it’s pushing the issues of cultural identity forward as well. I’m used to seeing shows like this get bogged down by bad comedy or cyclical drama, so hopefully this continues to power forward. Really enjoying it so far.