I finished Hanasaku Iroha

…and it was good.

I clearly remember stopping at episode 8 (Sui gets hospitalized) while the show was still airing, because I had to cut back down on the anime I had to watch. When I picked it up again last weekend, I asked myself why I ever dallied on this show. It spoke to me in many levels, and moved me numerous times. Of course it’s not perfect. But despite that, it’s a beautiful coming-of-age tale. Thanks to its main character, it had a sentimentality that was done very well.

The most prevalent thing I would read off on other anime blogs about HanaIro is how J-drama-ish it is, to the point that it resembles a J-drama in anime form. This is a boon for me, because I can’t stand J-dramas (I tried watching two episodes of the Honey & Clover drama and I couldn’t remember anything right after finishing the second one), but I do want to have a taste of them.

You may ask why or how this show moved me. I was talking to a friend, who also put this show on hold, about how Filipino-friendly it was. I believe that the family dynamics in HanaIro will strike a chord with many of my countrymen (just as it did with me), what with our traditional family setups. Not to mention Sui Shujima is simply the best old character in all of anime. I’ll try pitching this show to my friends and coworkers and see how they think about it!

But aside from that, I got a kick out of Ohana’s seesaw relationship with Ko. Numerous times in my life, I was Ohana, I was Ko, I was both of them at once, and to see these teens struggle with their relationship was cathartic to watch. I felt like a tool (albeit an awesome one), and it felt damn good.

PS: Drunk post. So yeah.

PPS: Delicious Minko tears are delicious!

PPPS: And balut is tasty, make no mistake.