Shadow’s Impression
I have SO MANY QUESTIONS. But I guess that’s the hook to keep watching to slowly find out the answers. So the series starts with a girl named Hitomi Tsukishiro who seems to have grown unable to see the color since she was a child for unknown reasons. The setting is a little weird and hard to grasp since it seems futuristic in the technology they use, but otherwise, everything else looks kind of normal. Though I do appreciate this series seems to be showing us the world instead of telling us about the world. So far, I can only assume that magic plays a decent part in society from the looks of it. But I have to wonder if only a select few can use magic.
Anyways, Hitomi’s grandmother meets up with her and drops the ball on her saying that she’s sending her to the past. My immediate response was “wut?”. She didn’t even prep her or anything or tell her anything in advance except that “she’ll find out when she gets there.” I honestly really like the pace of this entire episode. It flows so smoothly and also sprinkles intrigue here and there. Like when she was being teleported to the past, we see a memory float by of a woman leaving with a suitcase. Did her mom leave her? Is that the reason why she doesn’t like fireworks anymore or why she’s apathetic towards almost everything. Speaking of which, it seems that before sending her off, Hitomi’s grandmother expressed great concern in her current state since she didn’t seem to care about making any friends and mentioned that this little adventure she was sending her on would help her.
After a bus ride through time and space (and paying her fair with pocky lol) Hitomi finds herself thrown into a stranger’s room, which understandably sent her into a panic. I mean, how else would you react to suddenly appearing into someone you don’t know’s room? You don’t know where you are. You don’t know who lives here. You would probably get into a lot of trouble if someone found you there. So panicking is probably the first thing you’d do as Hitomi proceeds to do. Especially when she hears footsteps.
I don’t know why it made me laugh so hard, but when she seemingly tried to swipe the door open without touching it… I lost it. It’s honestly how someone would react if they went back in time to a period where everything wasn’t so high tech. It was hilarious. And her fumbling with the lock. Gold.
The person who apparently lives there walks in while Hitomi hides herself underneath the bed, waiting for them to leave. After fumbling with the lock for a few more seconds, she finally gets herself out of the house. This next scene had me yelling “NOOOOO” when it seems that a couple classmates of the guy who lived in the house happen to spot Hitomi escaping from his room window. One of them even took a freaking video.
I honestly really love how it switches from what everyone sees to Hitomi’s perspective of grayscale. It’s as if everything is so dull and lifeless around her. It kind of reminds me a little of how Kousei viewed everything in Your Lie in April initially. I guess it also goes along with her personality as well.
As Hitomi helplessly tries to find her way to the magic shop that her grandmother lived in the past, the two girls who had seen her (along with a guy friend) offer her help. I know I shouldn’t laugh every time it happens, but when Hitomi doesn’t even recognize bandages, I died. I don’t know what it is with this girl from the future not recognizing things of the past that tickles my funny bone. I’ll probably be laughing over her future actions of naivete towards past things.
I really appreciate Hitomi’s reactions towards others, showing how conflicted she is of accepting their help or even getting close to them. Her body language showed she was uncomfortable and awkward. Though I have a feeling a part of her did want to get closer to them or at least get to know them better. But she stayed adamant about not wanting any friends. I’m sure these feelings will change in time though~
Unfortunately, it seems that her grandmother was studying overseas for a few months and Hitomi has no choice but to wait until she returns. I am glad that her grandmother’s grandmother realized her situation and allowed her to stay at the shop. Thankfully this girl didn’t have to go homeless. Since I doubt she’d be able to make it if her swiping at the window was any indication. I also think it’s a great opportunity for Hitomi to be surrounded by family since in her present time, I can only assume it was just her and her grandmother… Or maybe she lived alone? UGH, EVEN MORE QUESTIONS.
However, Hitomi seems to have lost the earring she had and her grandmother’s grandmother (I think) gave her a potion to help her find where she had dropped it. Unfortunately, she finds out it’s back at that random guy’s place. The guy, Aoi walks out of the house with the earring, so Hitomi ends up tailing him. I honestly don’t know how she could possibly get it back without raising suspicions. It’s not like he’d believe her if she told him she suddenly got transported to his room.
The last scene of this episode was GORGEOUS. I absolutely loved as she walked up to him, as soon as she saw his drawings, it was colored and suddenly sprung to life around her. It was probably her first time in years that she was able to see color. Not to mention, the music was beautiful during this scene.
So much happened this episode but it felt so nicely paced. It didn’t feel rushed and it didn’t feel too slow. It felt as if it was easing us into this new story without rushing through or slowing down the pace with unnecessary details. PA works did a great job crafting this first episode with the artwork, the animation, the music (oh man the sountrack was just beautiful), the show not tell, the pacing, the symbolism and the scene direction. Everything felt like it came together in such a great way and I am definitely eager to see where this series will go. Not sure if I’ll be covering it since there are some other titles I want to look at as well. But this was one of the titles I was most excited for. So we’ll see. XD
Possibility of watching: High
Possibility of blogging: Tentative
Berry’s Impression
As expected of PA Works, this show was incredibly stunning. Every single background, every single shots of the characters were gorgeous. I thought my favorite scene would be the time travel bus ride but the very scene in the end was beautiful. The whole concept of this show is beauty, but ironically for the main character there is no beauty in her world.
I really liked seeing the switch from color and black and white in Hitomi’s point of view. It was actually very sad that she can only see in black and white because she’s missing out on all the beauty around her, and the wonderful art just makes that feeling even worse. I am very curious how and why Hitomi lost the sense of color. At first when I had read the synopsis, I wasn’t sure if it was metaphorical but it turns out it’s very literal. With the presence of magic in this universe, it made it possible. But we just don’t know how or why this has happened to her, and if this also affected her personality. Though when you think about it, if you could only see the world in black and white, I think I would also be unemotional and depressed.
I didn’t think Hitomi’s grandmother would send her back in time so quickly, and without any explanation. We don’t know what the letter said, so we don’t really know what Hitomi’s grandmother intended for her but at least her family is understanding. I’m mostly interested in magic. It looks like in 2018 there’s some magic but in Hitomi’s time, technology and magic seem to be even more advanced. What kind of future does she live in where she doesn’t know what band-aids are, or how to unlock a window?
And why did Aoi’s drawing brings colors into her world for that small instant? There’s so many questions and it has me very invested in knowing. I can’t say too much about Hitomi but I of course want to learn more about her. This show has a very interesting premise and had a beautiful first episode. I’m really liking this so far, but again, I’m not sure whether I’ll take on this show or Yagate Kimi ni Naru, along with Jojo. Or maybe all of them? I have no idea, so I’m really going to have to think about this.
Also, PA Works can be a hit or miss, so I’m just worried that this might go downhill at some point. Glasslip has officially made me skeptical of PA Works forever. *shiver*
Possibility of watching: Guaranteed
Possibility of blogging: Tentative (High)
Have you heard of the concept of wabi-sabi? It’s a concept centered around the beauty of things through imperfection and transience and the acceptance of such flaws that make it beautiful. I know you guys have strong feelings about Glasslip, and I don’t imagine that this will change your mind about the show, but I hope that you will give this article a chance.
From your review, this looks worthwhile to watch. PA Works has always captivated me with their art, so I’ll look forward to this on Crunchyroll.
I’ve noticed a common theme in recent PA Works anime is coming-of-age; the personal growth and maturing of the MC’s outlook from their initial stage to move forward in life. I expect Irozuku will be no different.
In fact, PA tends to make it the focus of their stories regardless of genre. For example, Kuromukuro was scifi action on the surface, but the main core was on character interactions as they learned to grow up and decide on their life goals (amidst an alien invasion).