HAIPA IKUZE. YO YO YO.
What They Say:
“PAGE.5”
At the end of her first year of high school, the main heroine, Futaba suddenly has a chance encounter with her first love, Tanaka Kou. Three years ago, he transferred schools before she was able to say how she felt about him. After meeting each other again, Futaba realizes that he has gone through many changes. He acts more cool and even had his last name changed to Mabuchi. Gradually the two rekindle their love while piecing together what had happened in the time that they were apart.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This was the perfect episode for this time in the series. Episode one set up Futaba, episode two expanded on Futaba and further introduced Kou, episodes three and four set up Makita, Murao, and Kominato. Now that we have the gang from the opening and ending song together, we have to see how they work together.
It’s beautiful. Futaba is level-headed, but pushed around a little too easily. Kou never says what he means up front, or he at least has to put up a face first. Makita is easily scared, but she says the correct thing to do at the correct time. Murao never says much, but when she does, it’s wise. And Kominato goes with the flow and kind of ruins everything.
Kominato is what made this episode work. Imagine if it was a group without him. It would be boring because everyone else is mostly reacting to Kominato’s ridiculous things he does. When Futaba urges to use the map, he pushes ahead. And when they could finally use the map, they have no idea where they are. These kids are not meant to be leaders yet, but they could turn out to be great ones.
What most impresses me about the series is its pacing. I just laid out the plotlines for the episodes and that is perfect for what the series is trying to accomplish. This is a show about people going through change and we see our main character almost exclusively in the first episode with her fake friends and fake persona. It’s genius.
Added in is Kou, who has already gone through his change; Kominato, who probably won’t be making any major changes; Makita, who’s finally realizing what it’s like to have friends and thus herself; and Murao, who has to grow up a little, but is otherwise wise. This group dynamic, I finally realize, works so well together because they’re all so different.
In Summary:
I can’t believe just how well Blue Spring Ride is working within the confines of its own story. Its theme is something that everyone goes through several times in their life and it’s universal enough that the high school setting will be relatable to anyone willing to get past that. Futaba’s adolescent love aside, there’s something about the way the characters have grown and relate that’s really charming and I can’t help but love the series for it. When someone like Murao is not mysterious, but so introverted, I want to know more about her. When a conflict like what happened at the end of the episode happens, I want to find out how it resolves. The show now has me so ingrained in these characters that I can’t help but go along for the ride.
Grade: A
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: PS3, 24 in. Vizio 1080p HDTV
