Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m feeling a need for some solid stress-relieving shenanigans, and thus feel it’s a perfect time to check back in on Kamiina Botan. Having at this point settled into the peculiarities of dorm life, Kamiina has already forged friendships with her RA Ibuki and post-grad senpai Gujo, drawing together the standoffish inhabitants of her cozy home. Of course, this is Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, so that process has necessarily involved a fair amount of whiskey, red wine, and sake, alongside some decidedly unsubtle advances from our dear Kamiina.

Director Takashi Sukuma’s team have so far done an excellent job of bringing Kamiina’s world to life, offering inviting watercolor backdrops and plenty of dynamic character acting. The show has thus been a pleasant watch on the whole, though I’m still hungry for a bit more of a hook, be it through the show’s interrogation of different liquors or perhaps the progression of its central relationships. Drinking as a concept just doesn’t offer as much of an aesthetic payoff as music or dance or exploring the countryside; nonetheless, given the show’s generally exceptional execution, I imagine it’s still got plenty of visual pleasures in store. Let’s not waste any more time then, and get straight to lounging!

Episode 2

We begin with the immediate followup to last episode’s final question, as Gujo offers a bottle of the sake she shared with Kamiina to Ibuki. It’s a little strange to hit these “group activities bring us together” slice of life beats in the context of a show about alcohol, which is itself already sorta defined as a social icebreaker. Most activity-centric slice of life shows have to take a minute to demonstrate why their particular activity builds common bonds, but I don’t think anybody’s really disputing that liquor greases a lot of social wheels

This show’s character art really shines in these mid-distance shots, with no shading and lots of character-rich posing in spite of the lack of detail

More great character acting and expression work as Gujo fails to make that second leap into “let’s enjoy it together.” Particularly like this composition of her defeated expression reflected in the sake bottle

Gujo drowns her sorrows in beer and cigarettes

I think one point of disconnect I have with this show is that it presents the idea of drinking or smoking cigarettes as “novel” or “uniquely mature,” a framing that itself demonstrates a just-past-adolescence naivete. The characters are playing at being adults in a way I’m not sure is supposed to be so recognizable; the boarding draws special attention to each drink and cigarette, as if these symbols are supposed to be inherently meaningful or exotic

It could also be that I’m looking for too much precise meaning in moments that are supposed to be savored in aggregate; slice of life productions are about marinating in a specific tone, and that’s something that’s better analyzed from a broader perspective than scene-by-scene

More of those great, simplified yet character-rich outlines as we return to Kamiina and Gujo searching for a liquor store

Even the interior backgrounds have a great sense of painted texture to them. A big improvement over sterile digital backdrops

And yeah, the character art continues to impress with this simplified yet exceedingly character-rich style. No shading, but the precise ways they hold themselves, and even how their clothes either hang off or cling to their bodies, offers a great sense of personality and style

Again we see their forms reflected in the glass, a natural application of this visual style. Perhaps a recurring motif – the ways alcohol can reflect or distort our sense of self

The liquors they’re inspecting reference both Taxi Driver and One Hundred Years of Solitude. It seems our mangaka Hey has good taste in more than just liquor

The liquor store apparently allows for taste-testing your purchases on the spot

This show’s humor is more just sorta mild and pleasant than laugh-out-loud funny, but I certainly prefer mild flourishes of humor to outright abrasive ones. And the fluid character art naturally lends itself to solid reaction faces

God, I love this show’s wobbling character lineart. Feels like as some directors lean more heavily into post-production embellishments, others are embracing a pleasing simplicity of form, like Shiboyugi’s economic yet evocative lineless art

The gang then share an evening meal together, one of those quintessential not-quite-adult college activities that resonate even without words

The next day we witness an argument between two of our other dormmates, Yaeka and Akane. Apparently Akane called Yaeka an airhead

A slice of life staple, but I still appreciate that our cast actually have fashion senses rather than costumes. Akane favors cozy, warm, and somewhat more androgynous outfits, while Yaeka trends towards dresses that accentuate her generally youthful features. Their preferences emphasize their sort of “prince and princess” visual dynamic, echoing the contrast of characters like Sound! Euphonium’s Natsuki and Yuuko

We learn that Akane and Yaeka are third-years and generally inseparable, as the gang heads off to scenic Nagatoro

Nice pink-hued color palette for Nagatoro station, seemingly building off the station roof. I appreciate how each location is given its own distinct color palette identity, like the cozy browns of the liquor store earlier

I assume these backgrounds are based on photographs that were then painted over? They look too uneven to be outright altered photography

Their journey revels in the simple pleasures: walking the streets of a new town, admiring distinct feats of architecture or advertising, chatting idly about whatever comes to mind. The good stuff – the lived substance of life, the things slice of life productions are uniquely well-positioned to celebrate relative to more narrative-driven (and thus almost necessarily more unrealistic) fiction

“Hard to believe this still counts as greater Tokyo.” Tokyo really is a wonder. I’d love to just ride the trains through the contours of its endless sub-cities

The group settle in for some beers on the banks of a lazy river. More of those quintessential young adult moments, with the idea of a group outing lent a thrilling new allure through your hard-won freedom

Ibuki once again refrains from drinking with others

Yaeka reveals that she used to go on solo excursions, and was delighted to find a kindred spirit in Akane. However, having recently acquired her motorcycle license, she feels betrayed that Akane refuses to ride behind her

Kamiina helpfully points out that you’re not actually allowed to ride double until a year after getting your license. That seems like a very sensible policy!

“I’d rather it just be the two of us.” Kamiina continues to be a preposterously horny drunk

More tremendously fluid character animation as Kamiina bounces around Ibuki. It’s all quite technically impressive stuff, though I wish it was in service of something more significant. This show might just be too mild for my tastes

Ibuki then takes Kamiina to a boutique where you can drink while you shop. As Ibuki says, quite a crafty way to get customers to be more liberal with their purchases

“Be careful not to spill any on those clothes.” That does seem like the fatal flaw of such an establishment

And Done

Well, that was certainly a peaceful and pleasant excursion, but I’m still uncertain this one has enough going on to grab me. I quite like the aesthetic in general – softly brushed and neatly color-coordinated backgrounds, distinct yet uncluttered character art, and lots of impressive character acting flourishes. But nothing about Kamiina or her companions has really gripped me in terms of characterization, and liquor continues to be an awkward substitute for the more compelling slice of life fascinations, offering little but a chance for Kamiina to get all up in Ibuki’s business. A gentle and well-executed production, but I feel it’ll either need to expand on its topics of interest or dig deeper into its characters to keep me invested.

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