#yorukano

Sorry GBC, but this has regained the number 1 spot after this Kiui masterclass. This episode was directed by Fujita Shounei who’s worked with SHAFT for over 15 years and it definitely had a distinctive SHAFT vibe, especially during Kiui’s “coming out” scene. A ton of good stuff in this episode before that as well.

For starters, love that Mei continues being there for Kano not just as a stan, but a genuine friend. Helping her focus on who and what she wants to write music for. There’s a nice dichotomy in this episode with Mei and Kano and Yoru and Kiui, both pairs have known each other longer than Kano and Yoru, so it allows them to connect in a different way.

Now in my opinion, Yoru did redeem herself today by the end of the episode in terms of the Kano situation by helping Kiui and also putting in a word for JELEE to perform with the sundolls next week. But at the start of the episode when Yukine was cooking her art and just being an asshole I didn’t feel bad. Never should’ve been working with her in the first place.

The last 10 minutes or so are just some of the best seasonal anime stuff you’ll see and Fujita’s handprints are all over it. Kiui going back to Omiya to confront her past and finally move forward took a lot of courage.

This is a girl who’s had to change her whole identity, stop going to school, move away from home.. then she makes a new identity and it’s doxxed, mocked and almost taken from her.. that pain would’ve been too much for a lot of people

And here go these lame ass losers who’ve never accomplished anything in life, making fun of someone pursuing their dream. So glad Mahiru was there to take a stand for her best friend and I love the scene going back and forth between the video game screen with the character fighting off a bunch of enemies.

Kiui’s impassioned “Normal people like you have no idea what it’s like to get mocked for the things you love” is something that everyone should be able to empathise with and feel. It’s also exactly what Mahiru needed to hear and gave her to courage to be herself and finally attach her real name to a piece of artwork. So happy for both of them. One episode seems like such a short period to wrap this all up.. I really hope DG can give us a great ending ❤️

I usually despise the "we can't just communicate so now we have problems" thing but this was an interesting one. Mahiru is trying to do what Kano inspired her to: improve her art, love her art, and go far with it. Kano is hurt that her mother "chose" Mahiru over her. Rather than see the value in Kano's personal project, she looked at Mahiru and said "I'll take that one." Kano loves her mom and thinks that she's a good person. We, the viewer, know better. Kano's mom is a manipulative person who will go to any lengths to achieve her goals. She does not care about Mahiru. She cares about getting back at Kano and breaking apart her little group. She lied to Kano about her music reaching her father. She probably instigated the entire Idiot channel.

There is no way that Kano could express all of that. In fact, the way she argues that Mahiru should stay showcases her mother's manipulative language. She can only gaslight gatekeep girlboss her way through things.

Mahiru in the meantime should probably have known that getting a big job from your gf's abusive mom who kicked her out of her own band is probably a big no no! Kinda fucked up, honestly. But she's young and naïve and wants to take this big chance. it seems worth it!

It ain't, girl. It just ain't.

So yeah, this is one of those times where expressing the truth was not easy, and so this kind of "if you'd just told me!" conflict isn't the cheap divide we often see in media. It's a legitimate conflict with nuanced causes and plenty of teenage hormones. Another reason I love this show.