Enishi has always been trying to boost Kissuiso’s business, and he really thinks inviting a film production to the inn will do the trick, but why stop there? Get with the times, I say, and take advantage of fanatics with disposable income: otakus.

Haven’t you heard? Otakus will flock to any area that happens to resemble their favorite anime:

“A shrine gate and a Japanese style teahouse — this is a scenery of a quiet town, Kuki, in Saitama Prefecture. The local people had never known that the spot would become a sacred place for anime fans because a popular anime series Lucky Star takes place in the town.

…

The businesses in the town took advantage of the trend, and they started selling Lucky Star goods to the visitors.” (source)

Imagine that.

Is Lucky Star, however, merely an outlier? It doesn’t seem so:

“The town of Chichibu was used as a model for the town depicted in AnoHana, which finished airing last month. The shrine has now become a pilgrimage spot for fans of the series.” (source)

You might say that both Lucky Star and Ano Hana are popular anime series. As a result, of course anime fans would zerg rush the real life locations the two anime are based upon. They, however, wouldn’t do the same for just any ol’ anime… right? Wrong:

“The owners of Minshuku Jinzaemon, the inn in Gifu prefecture that inspired the locale in the Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi – A Bridge to the Starry Skies anime, have asked fans of the franchise to not visit the inn, in part because of its adult game origins.” (source)

HoshiKaka attracts business despite the fact that it’s a terrible anime. And look at that — HoshiKaka features an inn just like Hanasaku Iroha.

Hanasaku Iroha isn’t quite at Lucky Star’s level of popularity, but it has to trump HoshiKaka. So here’s what Enishi should do… he already has Jiromaru, a writer who specializes in ero-fiction so it’s like a match made in heaven: make an adult visual novel based on Kissuiso! Ohana is so dedicated to the inn, she might even help with the voice acting. Imagine the business Enishi would get!

Hell, Hanasaku Iroha is already half way to smutville so why not go all the way?

Stray Observations

• I have no damn clue what the two girls are doing in this scene:

Makes you wonder if they really are 16.

• I’m not getting any good vibes from Enishi’s constant flashbacks.

He’s sitting in a pool calling to his mother when his sister emerges from the water in slow motion? Yeah…

• Hanasaku Iroha is typically very well animated for a TV series, but when it drops the ball, it really drops the ball:

Good lord, it looks like an anime cave painting.

• So who wants to make guesses as to why Sui relented so easily to her son’s latest harebrained scheme? Has she given up on the idea that her daughter will ever return and assume control of the inn?

• If the answer is yes, then it sure is convenient for Enishi to suddenly admit that he has an inferiority complex to his sister.

• It’s just so strange to see Takako around all the time. I can’t imagine Sui agreeing to putting her on the payroll; the matriarch has never accepted the lady.

So what’s the deal — is Enishi paying Takako out of his own pockets (unlikely) or Takako doing all of this as a favor to her old college friend (somehow, even more unlikely)?

• Seems like Enishi might be a little too arrogant in turning the other inns away. Like they said, “…Kissuiso will be responsible for whatever happens,” and word gets around in a small town.