Flower and Asura – Episode 03

Episode Synopsis:

Mizuki introduces the gang to their snarky but sincere advisor, Kichijoji, who quickly breaks down everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and introduces them to some of the technical points of proper Japanese recitation. After his critique, Hana begins questioning her own commitment to the craft. Seeing her new friend stressing out, Mizuki invites Hana to her place so she can talk her through those frustrations and perhaps be more kind to herself.

Review:

With our premise strongly established in episode 1 and episode 2 given over to introducing our supporting cast, episode 3 focuses on Hana’s insecurity and self-doubt. The drama is strong here, but first we have one more person to introduce: the club’s grinning, fox-faced advisor, Hiromi Kichijoji.

Just… just LOOK at that guy. It’s like he was engineered in a lab with the sole purpose of pushing someone’s buttons. You get everything you need to know about him from one glance. Fantastic character design, right there.

Kichijoji gives each member of the club a harsh but fair critique, calling out their strong points and weaknesses concisely. He may be snide, but he’s honest in his feedback and never talks down to the kids. He’s charming as hell, and definitely the kind of guide some of these youths are going to need if they want their voice work to be more than just a high school hobby (lookin’ at you, Natsue).

When he comes to Hana, he gives her the same treatment as everyone else; her performance is carried by the strength of her voice, but her technique is unrefined. Talent alone will only get you so far, and it takes hard work and dedication if you’re going to commit to an artistic pursuit like this.

While the others mostly take the critiques in stride, it really weighs on Hana, who’s already wavering on her commitment to the club and the pursuit of recitations. When Mizuki invites her home, she tries to get Hana to open up a bit, looking for ways to put her at ease, but mostly managing to fluster the poor girl.

Eventually, Hana does express her doubts; her voice and recitation has been the only thing people praised her for, and despite the joy they bring her, she’s now questioning if she’s good enough to deserve that praise. Is recitation the only thing she’s good for? Is the quality of her voice all that people care for? Does she have the fortitude and desire to make this more than a hobby, and how much of her self-worth is she putting on the line by competing with others? Holy crap, this is every artistic kid’s experience in microcosm, isn’t it?!

Anyone who grew up being acknowledged for their creative talents knows the shock that happens when you turn your interests towards competition. You learn fast just how good others can be, and it’s hard to overcome that initial pain of comparing yourself to others. Hana is deep in the midst of that first big existential crisis, but luckily, Mizuki is there to lift her up and help pull her out of the spiral.

As I said earlier, the drama is the meat and potatoes of this episode, and we’re eating good. However, there are tons of little details that emphasize the care and deliberate framing the show puts into each scene, like when we see two pairs of socks and can immediately tell who they belong to.

Or all of the knockoff movie posters scattered around Mizuki’s room. Though I could’ve done without the “old movies” bit that makes my bones crumble into the dust of ages.

I also have to highlight the chemistry between Hana and Mizuki in this episode. They’ve played off each other well in the first two episodes, and this one pushes their newfound relationship even further. Mizuki’s gregariousness contrasts perfectly with how reserved Hana is, and helps pull her friend out of her funk. They’re a great extrovert/introvert pair, but the framing of several shots makes me wonder if there’s more there than just a strong, young friendship.

It’s entirely possible that Mizuki is just testing Hana’s comfort zone to see what she needs from a friend, but it’s very easy to read this as outright flirting. I’m not very familiar with the creator’s other work, but I have read that there were some similar relationships in Sound! Euphonium that never amounted to anything romantic, so I’m trying to take a wait-and-see approach here. Mizuki is making that REALLY difficult, though!

Summary:

Flower and Asura episode 3 continues its strong upward trajectory and gives us plenty of teenage drama and artistic passion. It looks and sounds great, and the character dynamics are fabulous. The subject matter may not excite everyone, but I’m enjoying it greatly and excited to see where it takes us next.

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