Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’d like to check back in on the boys of Tsurune, and see if Minato’s team can drag themselves out of their current funk. Having failed to compete as a true unit in their recent tournament, Masaki ordered all of them to figure out what they’re lacking, and that’s precisely what they’ve been doing. After most of an episode of morosely practicing off the range, Minato seems to have realized he’s lost sight of his team – and what’s more, that he doesn’t actually know what his own preferred style might be.
With the bold examples of Nikaidou’s team proving the variable nature of “correct form,” Minato isn’t alone in this uncertainty. Ryouhei is beginning to doubt the value and nature of “beautiful archery,” while Kaito is realizing for the first time how his own play inherently builds off the performance and mentality of his teammates. Their strategic concerns serve as natural echoes for the process of identity reassessment all adolescents experience; social pressure instigates a process of self-analysis that causes us to doubt our unconsidered modes of behavior, and perhaps consciously assign ourselves new patterns and perspectives. Given this, it’s little surprise that the already self-critical Seiya and highly emotionally intelligent Nanao are weathering this challenge with grace; after all, self-assessment is second nature to both of them. But our other boys will likely need a little help, so let’s see how they’re fairing in a fresh episode of Tsurune!
Episode 5
A late afternoon sun and pillowy towers of clouds lead us back into the day. A calm near-twilight atmosphere, evoking the sense of something peacefully ending
Two racing figures reveal themselves as young Nanao and Kaito, already competing years ago. The storyboarding continues to grant a larger-than-life sense of import and loss to this sequence, appropriate for a treasured memory of a time long past. Love this cut of their shadows racing up and off the screen
Kaito falls, and Nanao runs back for him, something Kaito later chastises him for. “You gotta win when you get the chance” – that same narrow perspective that he now has to grow out of, and realize personal victory is not the only or most important metric of success
“Sorry, did that hurt?” And even back then, Nanao was highly attuned to the feelings of others. They’ve maintained this comfortable balance in their relationship for years, but at this point it’s limiting Kaito’s potential
“No one’s gonna lay a hand on you with me around.” Yep, Kaito actually takes pride in being Nanao’s protector; it is his harshness that allows Nanao the space to be kind
“Guess I’ll have to cover for you again. No one ever really stays too mad when I’m also there apologizing.” And Nanao in turn has always been the one to smooth things over afterwards. This lopsided bond has allowed both of them to avoid the things that make them uncomfortable, but it can’t last forever – kyudo has just turned out to be the vehicle through which it’s been stressed to the breaking point, with Kaito no longer able to assert his position through bluster alone
Kaito apparently has a whole bunch of sisters. His mother mentions that “I wouldn’t have made so much if I knew we’d be down two,” emphasizing how Nanao is essentially considered a member of their family
Ooh, love this shot of Minato just staring and assessing the range. With this show’s lighting design and the gorgeous reflective wood of the range, this really does feel some kind of holy site at which Minato is praying for guidance
Minato is quietly surprised to see Kaito arrive alone. Their arrival order matches their personalities well; Minato is the only one to beat Kaito here, while Ryouhei arrives last with a carefree hello
Excellent expression work as Nanao exchanges a glance with Kaito, essentially daring him to break the silence with one upturned, expectant eye
Minato’s attitude towards grip training has changed for the better. He’s no longer seeing this as a chore or punishment he must endure in order to get back to the actually useful practice of shooting – he’s now accepting that his base form is off, and that he must reconstruct his form through this practice before shooting will be of any use
Once a source of strength, Nanao’s presence is now distracting Kaito, while Nanao himself seems unperturbed. Nanao’s sociable nature, his “end of the deal,” means growing beyond his dependency on Kaito was far easier than the reverse. Nanao doesn’t need anyone to fight his battles anymore, but Kaito’s not really sure who he is beyond that identity
Ryohei makes a gallant effort to mediate between the two, which only prompts Nanao to mock Kaito nearly to the point of blows. Nanao is attempting to help Kaito, but he’s also legitimately frustrated with his behavior, and knows precisely what buttons to push
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Yeah, the era of Kaito only expressing himself through force is over, but he’s not willing to accept it
Still, he recognizes the problem. Reflecting back on how his violence first destroyed the school’s kyudo club, he admits that “I’m such a loser”
The next day Nanao misses practice, and Ryohei of course thinks it’s his own fault. Dude, you’re fine, you’re like the most mentally healthy member of the team
Nanao instead spends the afternoon enjoying a fashionable adolescence, checking out new clothes and grabbing coffee. His eyes linger on a set of frog accessories, echoing his frog shirt from the initial flashback – a line of connection back to Kaito
Lovely animation as we flash back to another time Kaito came to Nanao’s rescue. Apparently it was Kaito’s enthusiasm that drew both of them into kyudo – Nanao following after, seemingly in order to support Kaito’s happiness
“Looks so easy and all, figured I’d try it too.” When it comes to Kaito, Nanao also isn’t willing to express his actual feelings – the isolation he felt watching Kaito grow away from him, how much he actually values their connection
God, the use of body language across these cuts is something else. Love how Kaito’s “it’s not as easy as you’d expect” line is cut short by Nanao’s confident shot, the two moments in sequence offering an affirmation of both Nanao’s suitability for this sport and the restoration of their bond. And then Kaito angrily pulling the target loose as he attempts to retrieve an arrow, echoing his inability to resolve this emotional conflict through the clumsy aggression of his hands
Love the girls casually offering commentary on this big fight
Nanao runs into Kaito’s old clubmates on the train. Though he apologizes for Kaito’s behavior, they actually say they’re grateful, because it was Kaito’s passion that kept them committed to the sport. And in spite of his current frustration, Nanao receives this information with a smile – after all, Kaito’s insistent personality has had a similar positive impact on his own life
Minato apologizes to Nanao for the trouble he’s caused. Minato was the catalyst, but he’s not actually the true reason for this fight – and I appreciate Tsurune articulating this mismatch of expectations, emphasizing how we often center our own emotional experiences in situations that aren’t actually about us
“I thought I’d better look after him. And I can’t do that unless I stay ahead of him, you know?”
“I guess there’s only so far you can push yourself through something you don’t really like.” “What are you talking about? You love kyudo. You don’t get hands like that from half-assing it.” Nanao has his own way of bottling things up, by using indifference as a defense mechanism. His flaky playboy routine is a way of avoiding earnest, potentially painful commitment
Seiya has a very Seiya way of breaking through to Kaito: “you say it’s between you two, but hit rates were down across the group because of it.” Not one to mince words or disregard data, that Seiya
Kaito’s issues are obvious to everyone but him, prompting him to suspect Seiya was actually conspiring with Nanao
Having already been through this struggle last season, Seiya is well-placed to guide Kaito. “I let Minato know everything I’d been holding back. That was probably the day I grew up”
And of course, Kaito chooses to fight things out with Nanao in a duel
The two engage in a “sudden death” challenge, where the first to make a shot the other misses succeeds. Of course, this process only ends up revealing how entirely in rhythm their play is
After twenty or so shots each, their dignified exchanges have been reduced to constant bickering matches. Honesty, at last!
“I watched out for you!” “No, I watched out for YOU!”
And the bout ends on an ambiguous error, allowing them to maintain the rivalry and urge to triumph that partially drives their friendship. “This competition’s gonna last us a lifetime”
And Done
And so our boys resolve their miscommunication, and essentially get archery married. The clarity of conflict in this episode really let both the base emotive power of the storyboarding and the precision of character acting shine; scene by scene, it was always easy to follow the tides of Kaito and Nanao’s emotions, as they weighed the things they can no longer carry against the things they refuse to leave behind. In spite of outgrowing many of the ways they used to relate to and care for each other, their mutual concern remains, and kyudo proved itself a vehicle through which both Kaito’s fierce determination and Nanao’s perceptive reflection could shine. Like the diverse styles of Nikaidou’s teammates, Kaito and Nanao could not be more different, but combine into a perfectly balanced whole.
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