Aquatope of White Sand (08)

Episode Synopsis:

Karin with the tourism association secures permission for Gama-Gama to host a traveling aquarium exhibit at the pediatric wing of the nearby hospital, so the gang packs up a truckful of critters and heads over. We learn a little more about Karin and Umi-yan, and a rogue crab threatens Gama-Gama’s reputation.

Episode Review:

It’s always interesting to me how much English bleeds into Japanese culture – in this case, I am intrigued that the head nurse uses an abbreviation for the word “kani” (crab) that involves the English/romaji letter k/kei rather than ka, the first kana in the word’s Japanese spelling. Perhaps nowhere is this sort of bleed less surprising, however, than in Okinawa, where the United States maintains a substantial military presence.

Following in the previous episode’s footsteps, this one seems to serve largely as a vehicle for another two of our supporting cast. I am impressed that, once again, the insights into their characters are reasonably balanced and emerge organically out of a plot that keeps the leads occupied. Plus, the crab antics are pretty amusing.

The more the Aquatope ups the emotional stakes for each of the characters, the more I can’t shake the feeling that we’re probably going to see Gama-Gama survive – the show seems too chill to pull the rug out at this point. Having said that, there may still be a non-zero chance that they twist the ending somehow. Either way, performance so far suggests that it’ll be a good watch.

Summary:

A solid entry in the show’s slow but steady drama.

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