Sometimes, “Hanasaku Iroha” can really pull a rabbit out of the hat and say everything in a single shot. Look at the way the window bisects the producer in two, i.e. he has two sides to him. His hat remains on Enishi’s half of the scene, representing the false identity the producer can assume at any moment to fool the young master. Plus, we see the producer through the glass on Enishi’s side, suggesting that the young master isn’t getting as clear a picture of the producer as, say, Takako. Oh sure, Takako didn’t exactly sniff out the producer’s scam, but she did at least warned Enishi not to act hastily (“Don’t rush the payment and only pay them once you’ve confirmed that it’s safe.”). This is why the window bisects Takako and Enishi — the two are not on the same page.
Enishi can’t do anything right, can he? Not only that, he fails his mother’s test. For a moment, the family drama briefly returns. A concerned daughter calls Sui to warn her mother about the suspicious movie production — apparently, the producer owes a lot of money and is out to scam gullible folks like Enishi. But at the back of her mind, Sui knows that she won’t be around forever. Someone in the family will eventually have to take the reins from her. The most poignant moment in the anime is when Sui admits to her daughter that it’s foolish to hand Kissuiso down to her dim-witted son, but what else can the aging matriarch do?
Unfortunately, Satsuki is a free bird; she’s like those jets soaring in the sky. Meanwhile, Enishi is the dork floating in a life preserver and calling out to his mommy. The best candidate to take over Kissuiso is honestly Ohana. After all, she actually loves the place and she works hard. Ohana, however, is just too young. Enishi, on the other hand, just failed his trial by fire. In the end, Sui has to take his lumps for him like a man like a mother. It’s equally endearing and sad when Sui commends her son for having grown up enough to defend Takako. Enishi’s life is almost half over and that’s all he can do.
Another pivotal scene comes when Takako is about to ditch Enishi. He trips while chasing her and is about to fall into Kissuiso’s pool. Takako manages to catch him, but only for now; if he really wants to avoid the fall, he’ll have to pull himself back. Even at this very moment, Enishi couldn’t make a decision so Takako exclaims that she’s too tired for this and lets him go. Then when she goes to help him, he inadvertently pulls her down with him. Isn’t this scene just a microcosm for Enishi’s sad sack of a life.
Stray Observations
• So did we really needed a shot of Takako’s chest heaving beneath her wet shirt?
If “Hanasaku Iroha” wants to go there, just go there. Have the characters make out passionately or something. To serve the female characters up as meat then do nothing is kind of pathetic.
• It’s neat to see Satsuki keeping tabs on her family and looking out for them, but how did she hear about the movie production? Who told her?
• Oh, if only….
Kissuiso beset by zombies? That’s the perfect idea for an OVA! 
I was under the impression that Sui was saying that it was foolish of her to have asked Satsuki once again whether she would like to inherit the inn. Rather than affirming Sui’s dissatisfaction with her son, the scene actually signifies her final acceptance of him.
You could interpret it either way. She accepts him, but he’s still a fuck-up.
I stumbled upon “Hanasaku Iroha” a few days ago and then stumbled upon this blog today.
I have enjoyed, as I think you have, Hanusaku’s mix of silly comedy with a portrait of a family of strong, independent, female personalities (like episode 13).
I have also noticed that these reviews always seem to include a nude and/or wet female screencap from each episode, all the while complaining that the show would include such things.
Have you heard the old story about the two monks and the girl by the stream? I think it is like that.
I myself live near a beach, and when I was younger, I was angry that other people would go to the beach in skimpy bathing-suits. Of course, they hadn’t done anything to me, but I did not like it. Now I am older and when I see people I am happy that the people at the beach are enjoying being at the beach. When the show moved back and forth between a hot spring inn and a beach resort setting it didn’t bother me…but your observations have made stop and think.
If anything, the moral of several early episodes was that people without talent or good ideas will use sex instead (the “great novelist” can’t write a good novel, so he writes erotica; the management consultant can’t manage, so she pushes sexy costumes) …and even by using sex they are STILL unsuccessful (a commentary on much of the anime industry today, no?).
But a series like this is a group project. It seems possible that different people on board may have different views on this issue, hence we get what you call the half-hearted adherence to certain *ahem* “industry standards” which are antithetical to many of the worthier themes we see expressed in the show otherwise.
Actually, the silly comedy isn’t my cup of tea. Mostly, I find the adult characters far more fascinating and interesting to observe than the teenagers on the show. When the anime focuses on Ohana or her friends, I am usually rather negative with the anime.
What are you saying? That I should stop harping on the fanservice? Or am I being hypocritical in providing examples?
I don’t see how your personal anecdote applies to me. I don’t care if women dress skimpily on the beach. I do care when anime employs the male gaze to fetishize teenagers. It also bothers me how the anime is simultaneously enamored with the female body and yet afraid of sex at the same time. There’s no end to the fanservice, but no one ever consummates. People can barely embrace each other.
Is it? If you could take a cross section of “Hanasaku Iroha” fans, you’ll notice a lot of them tweeting about the fanservice and how great it is. You’ll notice that a lot of these shows all feature young female protagonists and, at some point, they will always be in some stage of undress. Would people watch these anime if the protagonists are instead male? What happens when a male undresses (see: “No.6”).
Thanks for reading.
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