Sora no Woto 02: It’s still got it, but can it keep this pace for long?

This episode displayed three things:

  • Kanata’s personality is not shallow

In a nutshell, we learn that although Kanata is enthusiastic (typical genki-ish girl), her enthusiasm doesn’t spill over into stupidity.

She isn’t scared of the ghost, yet she’s scared of the owl.  In other words, we can clearly see that she’s not some bumbling fool who doesn’t afraid of anything.  She gets scared.  But not of ghosts.  Significant?  Maybe.  Hmmn.

The typical genki girl is overly enthusiastic.  Kanata is reserved at times and is excited at times.  It’s clear that she isn’t just a person who goes insane over everything – she truly loves music and she truly wants to read that book, not to mention she truly isn’t scared of ghosts.  When enthusiasm is used in excess, it loses its significance, and I’m glad Sora no Woto doesn’t go there.

  • This is a true music show

…which is evident in the BGM.  When Kanata and Kureha walk into the schoolroom for the first time, a score starts up.  And boy, is it good.

Few shows can match the BGM of this episode, and only one comes to mind right now (Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei).  It’s so fitting, yet isn’t stereotypical.  Usually, “test of courage” episodes (or variants on that theme) feature some eerie music to make everything seem scary.  But that just seems stupid to me.

The BGM here gives off a feel similar to the broken tables and leaking roof of the classroom – it feels like Kanata has stumbled across an ancient relic or something.  The violin gives that scene a more… grand, more epic feel, emphasizing the importance of the classroom/book.  (half-speculation here)

  • This isn’t going to be strictly slice-of-life

Perhaps the most important point of all.  I touched on this in the previous two points, but… that classroom, the ghost (was there really a ghost?), Kanata’s background (ghost festival?, that prologue thing from last episode), Kureha’s deep-seeded desire to prove herself (that age handicap…), that crazy OP, and the events of the first episode add up to a huge variety of paths that this anime can take, all of which aren’t completely slice-of-life.

  • And even if it will be…

Even if Sora no Woto were to veer onto slice-of-life (Strike Witches-style, especially since it feels like a character per episode), this episode has convinced me that it would still be good.  Most slice-of-life shows focus too much on that “life” part and too little on the characters.  With these characters’ backgrounds and the subtle humor (staring at the phone, waiting for it to ring…!), I’m confident that Sora no Woto would excel even as a mainly slice-of-life show.

Yet there were some bad parts…

  • Breast comparison scene

Anime Rule #1: Every anime with more than one girl in it must have a breast comparison scene.

And Sora no Woto places it in the middle of breakfast.  It’s an easy way to get over the scene fast… but do you REALLY have to follow that rule?  What’s next?  A beach episode?  A festival episode?  A test of coura-

Oh.

But really, is it necessary to have girls compare breast sizes?  Do girls do that in real life?  I’m a guy, and I’m pretty sure I don’t compare penis sizes with other guys.

I’d probably lose anyway, since I’m Asian

Going back to the test of courage thing, though… Sora no Woto pulled off that standard chunk of plot damn well.  Most test of courage episodes end up with lots of screaming (K-ON!) or lots of destruction (GA) or Gintama, but Sora no Woto manages to stuff in some actual meaning, opting for plot/character development (or at least more insight) instead of comedy.

In conclusion, (at the title) YES.  I’m sure Sora no Woto is going to turn out great, no matter what form it takes.

P.S.: Yes, Gintama has its own “test of courage” category because that episode was great.


13 Comments on “Sora no Woto 02: It’s still got it, but can it keep this pace for long?”

  1. kadian1364 says:

    The non-Kanata characters are a little too archetypal for me to love this series yet, but its got a solid base on everything else: music, mood, art. I enjoy Kanata’s wide-eyed wonder and optimism.

  2. mefloraine says:

    Indeed, Kanata’s personality is turning out to be pretty nice. And her fear was pretty realistic. Someone can easily have little to no fear of something they don’t think it real, but be frightened easily when a large animal rushes out at their face.

    I’m excited to learn about the other characters more in depth. Because, we still don’t know a lot about them, and chances are relatively high that they will turn out to be quite different than expected, just like Kanata.

    • fangzhao says:

      I think Kanata doesn’t believe that ghosts don’t exist, but that ghosts aren’t harmful (and anyway, you saw Scamp’s post – the ghost actually exists!).

      Kureha’s character turned out pretty interesting – nothing close to Kanata, but a big improvement from something like K-ON!.

  3. 7 says:

    Surrealism also plays a part (a good one) in Sora no Woto. Hasn’t anyone noticed how it’s a bit weird for them to suit up as it they were going to a World War campaign just to investigate a measly ghost when they’re otherwise very very casually dressed and unfit by military standards (i.e. overcoat opened wide enough for breasts to be compared)?

    • fangzhao says:

      Haha, that’s true. But you could attribute that to their platoon’s lack of activity – they don’t really do anything, so it’s not like they have that military mindset.

      Plus they’re children. Why are they even in the army at that age?

  4. bloo says:

    Another great episode. I too am confident they can keep it up throughout the series, and I can’t wait to see what kind of direction they take it in from here as there are still many possibilities.

    BTW, if you pause the video during the two lightning flashes in the scene with the piano (right after Kanata has her music class fantasy), you’ll have your answer as to whether or not there was really a ghost.

  5. Razleplasm says:

    I’ll start watching this then, looks pretty interesting.


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