Flower and Asura – Episode 05

Episode Synopsis:

Kichijouji lets the Broadcast Team know they need to choose a piece for competition by the end of the month. With the pressure on, Hana is torn between choosing something she likes and choosing something her voice is suited for (a.k.a something more likely to win). An tells her she should choose a passage from Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” because it suits the timbre and rhythm of her voice. She states that the choice of passage/manuscript should always be made with the best chance of winning in mind because nothing else matters. This collides with a discussion she had with Ryouko who gushed about her love of classic Japanese literature, and always writes her manuscript based on what she likes. After a novel called “Counting the Blue Spring” captivates her, Hana decides to go with her heart and choose it. An rejects her as a person, prompting Hana to make a bid for her friendship through the acknowledgement of Hana’s skill in speaking.

Review:

As outlined in the description, this episode is a battle between the concepts of “what you love” vs “what will help you win”. We established in Episode 3 that Hana likely has a secret competitive streak when it comes to the idea of competition in Recitation. With Kichijouji’s declaration that time is of the essence, Hana has to make a choice.

I loved the ideas presented here. I feel like a huge struggle in the Arts is trying to stick to what motivates and is meaningful to you, but still is able to attract an audience (because you know…you gotta eat…). How many times have we all heard the story of an artist who had to create work they didn’t resonate with just because it sold better or allowed them to win something? This is a very real, very relevant dilemma.

Coming back to the overall premise of the show; I was curious how Flower and Asura would suck me into a topic that I’ve never experienced, nor have an ear for due to the language barrier. I’m glad to say it has done a bang-on job thus far. It’s easy enough to grasp the topics of the two areas of competition: Recitation vs Announcement (though that is an odd category name; I feel like “Essay” or “Manuscript” is the better term). After understanding the topic, the next hurdle is the mechanics. I think irrespective of the language we can all agree that there are ways to project or alter your voice that allow for more clarity, emotion, or both.

Basically, I get the sense that this is a test of one’s enunciation, ability to evoke emotion, and interpretation (aka storytelling skills). I gathered the last one from Ryouko’s wild ramblings last episode about how choosing The Classics allows for a myriad of interpretation because they have no idea of the actual intonation or intention of the piece. The final determining factors seem to be timbre and rhythm. Japanese is a very rhythmic language, as well as one that has tonality. I can intuitively understand that for something like recitation, value is placed on the the cadence one uses. I’m also having fond memories of Chihayafuru. Team member Kanade had an ambition to be a reader (the Yomite) for competitive play, which not only requires a person to be a Shodan (first) rank at karuta, but years of vocal training in hundreds of matches. Highly skilled readers have clear pronunciation, proper emphasis on the right syllables, and well controlled cadence in reciting the poem. It is considered a high art to have such skills.

But I’m getting carried away here. Suffice to say, I am very interested in this and I’m eager to jump into more of the technical details of the Broadcasting Club’s activities. In addition to trying to choose her competition piece, Hana decides she wants to bond with An. I’m honestly surprised given Hana’s soft-spoken nature that she pursues this quest as dogmatically as she does. The episode plays out as you’d expect from a drama. An is initially cold and dismissive and Hana works through a montage to enhance her recitation skills in an effort to win her over. Near the end of the episode there’s a dramatic encounter where Hana shows off the fruits of her labor to with An’s respect. An eventually allowing Hana in her space even a little is a nice reward for all that work and since I like these characters I’ll accept it, even if this conflict could have used a little more time to breathe.

Some last items in the episode I loved and want to touch on:

1.) I love the short sequence where Hana records her voice with the intention of playing it back and noting areas that need improvement. Her aversion to the sound of her recorded voice made me nostalgic for our early podcasts when I had to edit my voice for hours going, “Ugh…do I really sound like this?”. It’s certainly something that takes getting used to.

2.) I adored the fact that Hana accidently draws a crowd in her over the top declaration of friendship. Usually these moments happen in a “magic time bubble” or a section of town/school/whatever place where somehow nobody is present. It was hilarious to come back into focus and have everyone staring at them in awe.

3.) While I like that An owns her motivation for switching from Recitation to Announcement, her reasoning feels a touch odd. I think it’s ultimately that she wants to prove hard work can overcome luck or a naturally captivating voice. This is undercut a bit by the fact that she’s fine tuning everything towards just…winning. I expected there to be a more emotional connection to speaking for her, but it’s just like “I will only accept myself if I win. The end”. I guess it ties into Akiyama’s statement about how he’s only in Broadcast Club because someone said he’d be good at it, and he’s all about having an easy life. Each member has their own unique motivation. It takes all kinds, and I guess I need accept that no one person’s style of competing is more valid than another’s.

Summary:

I’m glad Hana went with her gut instinct and wants to speak something that speaks to her (see what I did there?). Her quest for friendship with An is very quick but the dramatic execution of it made me smile. I asked for drama and the show is serving it up in spades. I am very much bought in with the show’s premise at this point, so I’m excited to see some competition! Also something is up with Akiyama…

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