Amaama to Inazuma Episode 10: Summer Vacation

I’m starting to run out of things to say about this show. This show follows the same formula religiously, and there have only been one or maybe two times where the show has done something that didn’t totally involve cooking at Kotori’s place. But this episode really confused me because I felt like there was a conflict…but at the same time there wasn’t, and they spent almost the entire episode cooking fish.

Tsumugi confused me. She was bummed out about something, but we never got anything out of her. Kouhei took her to the beach, but she refused to get out of the car and had her father carry her the entire time. She didn’t go into the water to swim. She was quiet and looked depressed the whole time, which is odd for an energetic girl like Tsumugi. But Tsumugi played it all off as saying that she was a kitty and that kitties can’t do certain things. And we were just left with that as later Tsumugi became amazed with the cooking and became happy again. I don’t know what was going on with her. I don’t think it was the summer heat bothering her. I don’t know if it had to do with her mother again. Maybe she realizes something isn’t right? I actually thought it would have something to do with the beach itself, like her mother promising Tsumugi she would take her to the beach and being upset about that not happening. I was actually really disappointed with this. Before the cooking segment, we always get a bit of a “conflict” and this time, we didn’t exactly get anything. Sensei just brought the fish over and they cooked. I’m disappointed they didn’t do anything more with Tsumugi, as it was really odd that she was so down. I hope that’s explained next episode.

As for the episode, Kouhei got some fish from some neighbors he saw fishing and brought it over to Kotori’s place because Tsumugi wanted him to. Shinobu was also there with Kotori because they were doing their summer homework together. Sensei had asked Kotori if she knew how to fillet a fish, but none of them do, but Shinobu has a great idea of looking up how-to videos on the internet, and that’s how they handle the fish and create some scrumptious dishes.

Yagi joins the party later, but only for the food. Tsumugi is all happy now, as she found the whole process of filleting the fish, cooking it, and eating the finished product was all so amazing to her, and it really is. Filleting a fish is pretty hard to do, so the fact Kouhei did it so perfectly was amazing, and also pretty unbelievable. But maybe he just has a knack for that stuff.

They cooked for almost all this episode this time, so I really don’t have much to say anymore. With only two episodes left, I hope they bring up the mother again, or at least deviate from the regular formula to make the ending to this series strong, because I found this episode to be the weakest. I don’t want this to be another Ore Monogatari for me, where I was in love with the concept of a show, only to be sad and disappointed in the end by how bland it was.