Summer break is over, and Hachiken returns to find that Pork Bowl has grown.
What They Say:
“Hachiken Hesitates Over Pork Bowl”
Content: (please note that the content portion of a review may contain spoilers)
It’s the first day back at Ezonoo after summer vacation, and Hachiken’s first stop is to check in on Pork Bowl. He’s shocked to see that the little piglet has exploded in size over the past month, but learns that because he’s too submissive with the other pigs about food, his meat is likely to be given an off-grade — meaning that when Pork Bowl is butchered, he’ll barely be worth anything. This sets Hachiken on a mission to up Pork Bowl’s weight, something that seems a bit morbid considering he’s so desperate to take care of a pig who will soon be butchered. And even though Hachiken hopes that spending this time with Pork Bowl will help him reach a decision, he admits that he is only getting more conflicted about his feelings about Pork Bowl getting turned into meat.
While I admit I’m rather invested in Hachiken’s inner turmoil about the pig, part of what makes this episode so interesting (just like with much of the rest of the show) is his classmates. As Hachiken struggles with spending extra time taking care of Pork Bowl and sorting out his feelings, the others start to remember when they were kids, and they’d name the animals and cry when they were butchered. They’ve become, while not desensitized, at least acceptant of the facts now, but they begin to wonder when, exactly, they changed their minds about the situation. The importance of their revelations are blunted a little when one of the teachers outright explains it, instead of letting viewers recognize this for themselves, but it still an example of the show seriously examining the differences in cultures and what feels right for each individual.
I make this episode sound all seriousness, and while a lot of time is spend taking the thoughtful, sensitive approach, there’s still plenty cases of slapstick and over the top jokes. First there are the changing looks of some classmates as they return from break — the summer heat caused Tamako to lose a bunch of weight, so now she’s slim and mind-blowingly hot. And Tokiwa went way overboard with his style, adding so many accessories and dying his hair such an obscene shade of red that the classmates are shocked — and the teachers assign him forced labor. And when there’s an end of summer festival we see Hachiken’s brother again, and we get another bad-at-cooking joke as he “defeats” the ravenous Ezonoo students with his horrendous yakitori.
In Summary
Despite the episode’s focus on it, nothing is actually resolved about Pork Bowl which is definitely frustrating for people who want Hachiken to just decide something (including some of the characters). Still, whether or not Hachiken reaches a conclusion is not really the point of this episode; it’s figuring out the difference between pet and food, and how a person who’s become attached to a food animal can do that. This is still probably a bit of a reach for viewers who’ve never taken part in farm life, but Hachiken’s venture does cause you to think, at least a little, about where food comes from and how knowing the animal does make it different. Silver Spoon is getting a little heavy handed with the ideas it’s trying to get across, but I’m still interested in seeing what conclusion Hachiken finally makes, and hopeful it’s not too preachy, or condemning of one side over another.
Grade: B+
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment: 13″ Apple Macbook set to 720p
