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| Oh Asa, she doesn't adapt well with change but luckily, she has Makio. For Makio, she seems to always find herself helping her in any circumstance. This anime pairs the two up when possible so it just naturally happened. Congrats to Asa on her graduating though. |
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| That’s it, I’m done waiting, this is going in my faves list. I’ve seen enough to call this one of the best stories I’ve ever seen. Just constantly having my breath taken away here by the dialogue and direction. Another amazing episode. Asa’s starting high school and that presents a unique set of challenges for any parent, nonetheless someone like Makio who’s been thrust into this role. It’s hard enough to raise a teenager, gets even harder when you consider the issues Asa has. I really like how the author did such a great job expressing Asa’s depression and underlying loneliness. On the surface, Asa has a best friend anyone would kill to have, she instantly connected with people at school, her best friend’s mom offers to help out, she’s got Makio and Makio’s friends…but none of that can take away the underlying loneliness and emptiness she feels after her parents died. Tbh, she probably had that even before then. We see even when Asa is surrounded by her new friends at school, it still feels like she’s in a desert by herself. Depression is just like any other disease, it needs treatment and isn’t the patient’s fault. It’s not just something you can hug away either no matter how kind Emiri and Makio are. That said, it is extremely important to have people who understand what you’re going through and who are committed to being there for and understanding you. “She accepted my loneliness, but couldn’t understand it.” That’s how it has to be you can’t take that pain away but you can try to understand and support people. Don’t talk over them or even talk at all if they don’t ask for your direct input. Just be there. Makio is learning all of this for the first time and being honest with Asa was an important first step. So glad they didn’t let things snowball and addressed how Asa was feeling before this episode ended. Especially after Makio said that shit about her mom, that would make anyone feel a little unwanted. |
Marinate1016Jan 25, 7:55 PM
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| The ending of the episode always hits hard.Both Makio and Asa are really likeable main duo. |
| This felt noticeably more matter-of-fact than in the manga. On the one hand they omitted or couldn't quite land the comedic moments, and on the other they toned down (from what I recall) the fallout from Emiri's visit. |
| The ending song is so magical, it gives a nice touch to the anime. For some reason every time I hear it it reminds me of Kaze Wo Atsumete from Happy End. |
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| Asa gets plenty of sleep, but at her age still falls asleep midday. It kinda bothers me she was not refered for a health check by now |
| WHYYYY, why does this feel soo realll, why does this make me cry, why are they soo relatable. I love this. This is peak |
| man this show is beautiful but painful. that loneliness fades only with time im afraid. i cant say whether what the aunt is doing or saying is a better path than those i had around me, but in some ways i can respect it. She is treating her not as a child to be mollycoddled but a rational being going through tremendous grief and trauma. She isnt saying what she wants to hear, but what she should hear. |
| Opening up with such sensible topic is akin to a cry for help. Accepting others despite not being able to relate to their struggle is such an important quality to have when it comes to being there for your close ones. After entering adulthood I started to become a bit more like Makio where I really need time to spend alone for myself. But unlike her I can more so understand what Asa is going through. Unfortunately it's often the children who didn't feel loved by their with a stronger need for attention. We got a good idea as to why Makio hated her sister. I still can't wait to get more in depth with that and also why she and Kasamachi broke up. Another really captivating episode. In terms of atmosphere this series is easily my favorite this season. Although, the ending is very controverse, you ought to at least check out Natsuyuki Rendezvous if you want to watch something with a similarly melancholic vibe https://xss.now.cc/anime/13585/Natsuyuki_Rendezvous?q=Natsuyuki%20ren&cat=anime |
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
| I can't express how much Makio's character resonates with me. She likes being alone and gets suffocated when too much happens around her, except for the places she feels comfortable at, for example drinking with her close friends. In the spur of the moment after her sister's death she felt the right thing to do was to take Asa to live with her and she made it clear that she wouldn't force herself to love her, but rather she wants Asa to get a proper life. Just as Kasamachi said, raising a kid is not the same as loving them. But life is not so easy. After taking that decision to help Asa, things aren't going to work out perfectly for both of them. Makio's personality can't change from one day to the next and she will get annoyed by her everyday life getting disrupted. She can't understand Asa because they are two different people and even more so with two very different personalities. She can't understand her loneliness because she likes being alone, Asa can't understand Makio liking being alone because the fifteen year old girl never has been her entire life. Even though it was clear from the start, I think this episode cemented the idea to me that this story is as much about Asa as it is about Makio. Both of them want the best for the other, but also for themselves. Makio doesn't love Asa but wants to be there for her and she probably realizes that loving Asa would make things much easier and she's trying to make the effort to understand. |
| Once again an amazing episode. Top tier writing when it comes to human interactions. Author did a wonderful job. Characters feel very real and relatable. Haven't read the source and don't know if this adaptation will cover all of it, but if at the end Makio ends up crying for her sister, I'll probably bawl my eyes. Siblings hating each other to such extent is one part I can't relate to. I mean, I try to imagine it, but I can't fully do it. I just can't imagine hating my siblings to such extent I'd refuse to shed a tear for them in god-forbid tragic scenario like in this anime. For now it seems like Makio got badly hurt by her sister who I assume made fun of her lifestyle and career choice. At least that's the impression on surface level. I can't relate to such hate because, even though I had countless fights with siblings, (few of which were unpleasant to say the least), the anger was always temporary (maybe grumpy for a week), but I just can't imagine hating forever. It doesn't look like her sister was physically abusing or bullying her. They may as well had a huge disagreement about 1 particular topic and that's it. I just don't want to believe that you should hold grudges to the ends of Earth. She's part of your family. You've grown up together. You know each other from when you were little. I can't believe there wasn't any good memories worth remembering. Was there nothing positive about her? From the first episode I believe that Makio is lying to herself. Previous episode already hints she had false assumptions about her sister. I'm inclined to believe she's stubbornly refusing to think about all the good memories. Things that would make her forgive her sister and cry for her untimely demise. We're yet to know the full story and why Makio hates her with passion, but I don't believe for a second that anything happened that makes it impossible to forgive her and shed a tear for her now that she's dead. |
| another emotional episode not easy to share or understand the feelings of each other... |
| Life's too short for mid anime/manga. Don't like it? Drop it. 📸 68,1k on IG (Main Hub): https://www.instagram.com/otakuweek?igsh=em5kY3Q4NTVtNXlh 🚀 Discord (News & Tracker): https://discord.gg/vbZrk64uH7 |
| I could empathize a lot with Asa during her 'debut' there. I remember when joining my master's program in a whole new place after struggling for years with mental health and depression issues, to front load that in my introduction during orientation and it was met with a hint of awkwardness and only made things around me a little more difficult at the start before adjusting. Ultimately, everyone are different and not everyone will feel sympathetic from a genuine space right from the getgo, and trauma dumping from very early in the 'getting to know them' phase can easily backfire too. By wanting to feel 'comfortable' and have presence there like others with their traits, it opened up another wound there. But besides that, the episode was just great. I love that Makio's not someone to instantly just get Asa and solve her emotional problems and loneliness easily, but despite her own troubles, she's still trying to find a way to just awkwardly offer support and even consult with others about this issue too. Overall, this was another very solid episode of the series here. |
| 5/5, It did hurt a lot, I did even cry. Best josei in a long long time. |
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| Ep focused on the loneliness Asa feels. Makio’s daily life is becoming more and more disrupted by the little girl, but I hope she’ll come to embrace the responsibility of raising her, and maybe even adopt her. |
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| OMG, EPISODE OF THE WEEK AGAIN. I'll just give Ikoku Nikki the anime of the season award. 10/10. I mean, I cried the whole time. This anime really hits home. I can relate everything about this anime to my life. The dialogue is so natural, not exaggerated at all. Not to mention the music by my favorite composer, Kensuke Ushio. This episode brings up an important theme for Asa and Makio: loneliness and being a loner. The two are very different things. Asa, who has always been confused about her feelings, is different this time. After some time has passed, Asa finally realizes that she is truly alone. We can see that Makio feels disturbed by Emiri's arrival at her house. Of all the characters in Journal with Witch, Makio is the character I can relate to the most. Makio feels that a "stranger" like him has no right to suddenly get involved in Asa's feelings. In fact, you are the only one who can get involved with Asa's feelings right now. "Just like you can't understand the suffocation I feel, I can't understand your loneliness. Because you and I are two different people." 4/12 cried.  |
| This anime has such a great sensitivity. The characters feel natural and have a very beautiful connection and interaction. Amazing direction too. |
| Actual contender for anime of the season |
| Holy shit i love this show... just such a painfully good, heart-wrenching and heart-warming story thats slowly forming. |
| The ED blended with vibe of the episode so well! |
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| Another great episode. The part that really gets me is Makio's conversation with her friends in the first half. 10 years is a long time, but as I'm typing this, it all felt so short. Just yesterday, I was with the gang doing our homework due tomorrow and when I woke up from my sleep, 10 years have passed. Obviously I'm exaggerating, but when I stop and look back for a moment, it doesn't feel real to me.  |
"Nobody could laugh at someone who's trying their hardest" -Machio- |
| An extrovert and introvert trying to coexist. |
“There are only two types of people in the world--those who became otaku and those who didn't--and the latter just can't understand what the former is so excited about."--Ono Norihiro  |
| Living as an introvert sucks. We don't hate to be around people, but at the same time it drains our energy away and we need to be alone to heal up and recharge. We don't do it out of hate, we do it because it's how we survive. |
| REJECT ANIMU - EMBRACE TOKU |
| @spear121 absolutely insane take |
| Sukuna is pretty awesome for giving Asa a business card. Most people Makio's age are much more formal and "mom"-like, but I like how she is. Even if she's different from everybody else. |
"Like rowing a boat, we enter the future backwards. All we see are scenes of the past, and no one can control the views of tomorrow" - Wit Studio  |
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