Wow. For the first time since episode 1, there has been an episode of Osomatsu-san which didn’t fill me rage, hurt my brain with stupidity, or bore me out of my mind. I know, amazing right? It’s almost as if, for a shining moment, these people remembered how to write an episode. Well…at least half of one. But the first half didn’t make me question humanity. Which is good. So what happened in this episode to make me change my mind even a little bit? Let’s find out.
So the first of the two parts isn’t exactly the best one. However…it doesn’t make me angry. So there’s that.
Karamatsu sits down at the guy’s food stand that we saw a few episodes ago and begins to talk to the shopkeep. The shopkeep asks him if he’s found a job yet but he tells him no he hasn’t. He then proceeds to inquire about what he would like to have in a job and through those answers he comes to the conclusion that he wants to be a oden seller just like him.
He then proceeds to get… a little more excited about this prospect than he should and proceeds to show Karamatsu his method for making the oden which…well…is insane.
After a few minutes of this, Karamatsu gets freaked out and runs away. And…that’s the end of part 1.
Like I said…it’s not…TERRIBLE but there’s not much to part 1. It’s just kind of….there. There’s no real character arc or story to be told. This guy just really REALLY gets into making oden. That’s all there really is to say about it. But as I said I wasn’t offended. So there’s that at least.
However that’s not the part that made me raise my eyebrow in surprise. That belongs to part 2.
That starts off with Jyuushimatsu (aka the crazy one) going about his daily business being incredibly hyper and freaking everybody out with his usual hyperness.
However, one day he starts acting completely normal. This freaks out the brothers as they’re not used to seeing him this way. Because of this they come up with all sorts of theories as to why he’s acting so normal but they end up deciding to follow him. They see him sitting down and then a girl shows up and starts to chat with him and they soon realize that he must be on a date.
Jyuushimatsu then proceeds to act crazy around her and causes her to laugh uncontrollably to the shock of the other brothers who never would have thought a girl would find that appealing.
That night the brothers are told by him that he’s going to tell the girl how he feels the next day. He does so on a rainy day at a bridge in what’s actually a very touching scene, but is turned down because her parents are moving and she has to go with them. (they’re obviously in their 20’s but whatever)
Jyuushimatsu is devastated and goes with his brothers to get some food. He’s quiet at first and the brothers argue, but then in a relatively well done scene he breaks down and starts to cry. For the first time we see Jyuushimatsu with an emotion other than Crack infused joy and…it’s pretty striking actually.
Osomatsu then asks him how they met. It turns out that the girl actually tried to kill herself, but by acting goofy Jyuushimatsu convinced her not to and ever since then they’ve hung out and she actually told him that she loved him as well but she had to go.
Osomatsu tells Jyuushimatsu that it’s not too late for him to run to the train station to say goodbye. He runs after her and manages to catch her trying to make her laugh one more time. She ends up crying realizing all the great times she had with him and how sad she is that she has to leave, but Jyuushimatsu smiles knowing that he got to say goodbye properly.
I am more than a little shocked that not only was this a bunch of stupid gags, they managed to keep it bittersweet, and didn’t ruin it with any bad jokes. I actually found myself caring for the characters in this episode and felt really bad these two couldn’t be together. I only saw them for a few minutes but already liked them as a couple.
I think…I think this is why this was so bittersweet. It shows you what this show COULD be if they really tried. If the entire series were like this second half of the episode it would be amazing and it would actually be one my favorite series. The problem is they go with mean spirited shit most of the time and it’s not funny or interesting, it’s just dark and unpleasant. This is one of the few times I could say that I almost felt BAD when watching this because it just goes to show what they COULD do if they really put their mind to it and if they didn’t want to just put out unfunny shlock.
That being said, I wish this had had a happier resolution, but for what it was for such a short time, it was very very well done. I enjoyed this second half immensely and am only sorry that I know for a fact next week won’t be as good. (sigh) oh well. At least I got a week reprieve.
I wish I could grab the writers of this show by the shoulders and shake them screaming “DO MORE EPISODES LIKE THIS!” It shows a side of the brothers that they actually care for each other. There’s a family bond as well as humor. It’s a nice balance. It is because of this half I will give this show another chance. Show me how you can do this again next week Osomatsu-san. You earned yourself a second chance.
Part 1: 5/10
Part 2: 9/10
-Hideki
This episode broke me. Well, the second half did. Jyushimatsu was always my favorite of the brothers because he’s 100% pure and innocent and sweet and he doesn’t really do any of the crappy things his other brothers do. He just wants to play baseball. >:|
I think Girl-chan’s parents were still in their home and she was just going back to them, not that they were moving. The reason why she turned down Jyushimatsu was for a certain scene you forgot to mention, which was Osomatsu going into the adult section of the video store and obviously seeing Jyushimatu’s girl on one of the DVDs. I think it was that Girl-chan (which is what everyone is calling her since we never got her name) moved out of her parent’s home and tried starting her own life in the city. But things weren’t going well and having no choice, she unfortunately had to resort to going into the porn industry because it’s easy money. She regretted it so much that she tried killing herself. If you noticed in the scene where she was going to jump the cliff, she had bandages on her left wrist, and she even gripped her wrist before jumping. It looked like she tried slitting her wrists but that didn’t work, so she tried killing herself again before and was about to do it that time before Jyushimatsu showed up. And they saved each other. She probably went back to her parents because she didn’t want Jyushimatsu finding out about her past, which is why she said they couldn’t be together.
I was shocked that this type of show, with its vibrant colors, cute art style, and dumb humor would tackle such serious and real topics. AND WITH THE MOST INNOCENT MATSU BROTHER. You also have to hand it to Osomatsu for not telling Jyushimatsu or any of the other brothers what he saw. I was afraid he would but he didn’t, probably because he knows how innocent Jyushimatsu is, so good thinking on his part.
OKAY OKAY THAT’S IT I’M SORRY. I just really loved that segment of the episode and it was SO well-executed. I’ll shut up now, this isn’t my review. ><
Actually something that I like was that Karamatsu admitted he wanted to better himself in the first part. You see characters can change slowly and be better without being a huge dick like Todo. Plus since this show does have continuity with Iyami still being poor it looks like Kara really does enjoy Chibita’s Oden despite learning the “Special Ingredient”.
I like how Ichi ties himself up so Jyushi can swing him around. Also all that energy comes from him being the only brother who is still physically active.