You know, here's a funny story for you. I meant to start Boku no Hero Academia. I really meant to. Sincerely I had the page open on my computer and everything. But somehow one thing led to another (Netflix had the second season of 3-gatsu online) and then I ended up here. And along the way I reached nirvana. Just kidding! I just had an epiphany about how much I love these shows that are a blend of slice of life and a little bit of competitive spirit. It's like how I love Chihayafuru so much because of the romance aspect mixed in with everyone trying to become better at karuta. Same thing here, except because of Rei's origin story in terms of why he's so committed to shogi it lends itself more towards the exploration of what it truly means to be youthful and explores themes of family and security.
{Spoilers}
When I first started the second season, I'll be honest with you and say that it was mostly so I could just say that I finished the second season because I'm a completionist. And then when I started the season, I wasn't too thrilled. The pacing seemed a little bit off to me. It was kind of slow, and it didn't really engage me as I recall the first season having done to me. But somewhere along the line, I became so drawn into what was happening it was actually insane. I could feel my body tense as the show went on and I can't really tell you why. That was just my immediate reaction to the plot I guess?
Well I think first of all we should do a quick overview of the season. So, we start off with pretty much everyone from the cast of the first season. We've got our main boy Kiriyama Rei and his home away from home with the three Kawamoto sisters Akari, Hina, and Momo. Unfortunately this season didn't have as much of Momo much to my chagrin.
This season really explored themes of friendship and a more sensitive topic of bulying surrounding Hina. It was kind of an unexpected twist because when you look at Hina you see this really sweet and cheerful girl that wants everyone to get along. But because of her extremely steady moral compass, she ends up bullied for standing up for her friend Chiho. And it's a really humanizing arc that shows how bullying not only affects the victim. It affects the bully, the classroom, the families of those affected, and the teachers. The way that Rei's teacher heard Rei out and tried to explain why it was so hard to address the issue and how he got enraged at how Hina's homeroom teacher wasn't effectively addressing the problem really reflected how I felt inside about the issue. But at the same time it was a realistic portrayal of not really having the silver bullet solution to the problem. It was also really startling to see Hina's homeroom teacher becoming overwhelmed with anxiety to the point of collapse. I think we see teachers as somewhat of a teaching vessel and sometimes nothing more than a wealth of knowledge when in fact they're most definitely human too and affected by the situation just the same as wea re. And that was definitely a good reminder to treat people how you wish to be treated and to think about how consequential bullying really is. It broke my heart to see Hina visiting Chiho and to see how much she still struggled with making friends after what had happened to her.
The whole concept of showcasing bullying and how it truly affects everyone that's involved on a deeper level was really moving and powerful. I mean just seeing Akari's breakdown and how her heart broke for Hina and how she kept asking herself why Hina did what she did when she could've just kept silent and even wanting her to have kept silent really showed how her feelings were in turmoil. You can't help but root for Hina because her heart is so steadfast and she's not afraid to stand up for her beliefs, but seeing the aftermath and how shattered she felt at certain points like when they went on the class trip really makes your morals waver. This isn't to say that Hina didn't do the right thing, this is just to say that the mangaka did a truly brilliant job with this part.
A short aside for the episode with Rei and Souya. There was something satisfying about watching this episode. Maybe it was just because I like the rainy aesthetic. Maybe because a lot of it was just silence between the two. And it might have been because some of the mystery behind Souya was finally brought to light. But seeing the two on the train back home and ending up having to find shelter from the storm together was kind of heartwarming in a weird way. I dunno, watch the episode and tell me what you thought. Maybe I'm just crazy.
And an arc that doesn't really speak to my experience would be the epic match between our two favorite oldies. There's Shimada who we've already become familiar with as Rei's kind of mentor and our resident sickly boy who's got big dreams from the countryside still. And then we've got Yanagihara who's the oldest active Class A member that honestly came off as a joke when we first met him. We didn't know a whole lot about him until now. And now that we do know a little bit more about him, wow this guy's carrying a heavy burden. The imagery in this arc was so striking. To see this old man who's got to take so many medications and put on all of those pain-relief patches to play a match is a sobering thought. Maybe this is because usually in professional matches you think of a physical sport maybe where after a certain age you have to retire. Since this isn't the case with shogi, I guess you just don't think about the physical toll as much. But Yanagihara is honestly a real inspiration. All of the sashes that weigh him down as all of his friends stopped playing shogi, for him to continue playing not just for himself but also for all these friends as well, I can't even imagine the toll. And for him to come to the realization that although all of these sashes are somewhat burdens, that they're also something to have pride in and to embrace the heavy weight on his shoulders is really admirable. To love your friends that much and to carry on this legacy is something I can't yet relate to, but is definitely something to look forward to in the future I guess?
A real left fielder though was in the last episode where Rei visits his adoptive mother's house and they have this awkward relationship. It's not quite resentment, but I'm not convinced it's fondness either. It's kind of this weird limbo that was both awkward but heartwarming at the same time. The dream she had when he left and her perspective of how he grew up in their house was different from what we've seen from Kyouko, Ayumu or Rei's perspective and it was refreshing. But also sad don't get me wrong.
Overall, I felt like this season was definitely worth the watch. I wasn't disappointed by how things have turned out and progressed. If they make a third season I'll be looking for Hina and Rei's doki doki high school life together. There was so much depth and thought into the season and we've explored some exciting things throughout the show. You definitely don't have to know anything about shogi in order to fully enjoy the show. Yeah, so please if you have some time, try it out. It might seem a little slow, but it's a definite one for the soul and kokoro.
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