What They Say:
At Serika’s request, Sharon returns to the hospital to see a neurologist. Meanwhile, Mutta’s concern for Sharon distracts him from his upcoming, written flight exam.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With Serika having her own personal history influence what she sees going on with Sharon, things got pretty tense at the end of the previous episode. Sharon has been one of those solid foundational characters that doesn’t get a lot of screen time, but her influence on the main characters is undisputed. And not in some magical or over done way, but simply she was someone that was into what they were and offered what they need to be both realistic and excited about what they could potentially do some day. Both Hibito and Mutta have a really good relationship with her that has survived the test of time but is now facing something more complicated as she’s older and there are health issues that arise.
And those concerns are definitely impacting the boys in different ways, especially as Mutta is trying to go through his own test phase and is becoming very distracted by what they’ve learned. The initial doctor with the visit is once again telling and the impact on our younger cast members is significant even if understated. With Mutta unsure of the depth of what’s going on, having Serika make it clearer to him and with a bit of a big personal approach at that because of the loss of her father, it’s a difficult situation for him. But one that works out well in a way because he doesn’t get all excited or nervous or comical just in being with her as he usually does. Here, he gets the gravity of the situation and stays well within it. And that works well since it leads into Sharon getting the reveal about what her problem is and the ramifications of it.
Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom and we even get some very welcome time with a younger Sharon when Mutta was with her as a child and the kinds of lessons she tried to impart on him in her own way. It’s small but effective in making clear the impact she had and the way she’s so resilient herself, even if it is hugely frustrating because of her condition. It’s a debilitating disease, but seeing how she handles it and does her best in these early and difficult states to retain her dignity and strength of character is well done. The somber notes that come from this as it progresses are welcome, particularly since they’re not overdone or anything, but resonate right while starting to try and move past it because life does go on, especially since Sharon does return to Japan and Mutta has to carry on with his training.
In Summary:
While I can certainly understand how the arc involving Sharon can be a bit boring for some, it’s an excellent piece of drama for the show that works to add some new motivation, reminders of past promises and the exploration of how people handle such illnesses, both the person with the disease and the others out there. It also works to show some of the motivations in a new light, from Mutta’s own intentions as a boy to a clearer reminder of why Serika is going through the program and what she’s trying to achieve overall. With her own past, we get a good connection to it in the present through Sharon and Serika starts to get just a bit more realized as a character. She’s had some good quirks and bits of character throughout, but she’s also been an object of pursuit for Mutta which has reduced her role just a touch since it’s largely been through his eyes. This helps to redirect it a bit and makes me want to see her path all the more.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
