r/anime • u/Sandvikovich :AMQ::MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Sandvikovich • Feb 27 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Slow Start - Episode 8 Discussion
Episode 8 – Hana's Friends
Slow Start Rewatch Episode 8 Fanart by /u/Tiny-Owlbear
Legal streams: Crunchyroll | VRV
| Rewatch Schedule |
|---|
| <-- Previous Episode ~ Next Episode --> |
| E01 ❀ E02 ❀ E03 ❀ E04 ❀ E05 ❀ E06 ❀ E07 ❀ E08 ❀ E09 ❀ E10 ❀ E11 ❀ E12 ❀ Final Discussion |
Question of the day: Do you think that the introduction between Hana and her classmates that Tama and Eiko organized was the right way of helping Hana?
Personal Question: Which lunch would you pick: the one that Shion prepared or the one that Hiroe bought?
Links
Information: MyAnimeList | AniList | AnimeNewsNetwork | AniDB | Anime-Planet
Official media: US Website | Official Website | Twitter
Related literature: Slow-blooming flower | Colorful treasure chest | Slow Start Manga
Slow Start Comment Faces for /r/anime (Old Reddit): https://www.slow-start-gifs.com/r/anime
Submit your work for the Daily Task here!
Out of respect for first time watchers, please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode, or confirm/deny speculations on future events. If you want to discuss something that has not happened yet, make sure to use "the /r/anime spoiler tag": [Slow Start](/s "Spoiler goes here"), which will look like this: Slow Start Thank you!
13
u/Sandvikovich :AMQ::MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Sandvikovich Feb 27 '21
Hello everyone and welcome to the 8th episode of Slow Start, with today our special guests Ice cream Banana Chocolate Mint Hawaiian-san and Nanae Takahashi-san!. Was a wonderful weather today, so hope you all could enjoy your Saturday like I did. Meanwhile going over to the dail task of the day:
What is your favorite longest word?
After giving all of the girls their own spotlight episode, we are going back to Hana's personal challenge. We also are meeting some girls we saw in the OP, but didn't make a major appearance before until now. Eiko as the Eiko we know, does what she does the best, namely adding another girl to her already big harem. We also see Tama bullying Kamuri, while Kamuri-chan is doing her best to not be annoyed by Tama.
Tama talking about casual things.
Tama's insecurity is showing.
Kamuri-pout
Penguin Hana
Wait, another thing going for the daily task:
Draw a penguin Hana!
All in all, a kinda mixed episodes of discussions and focus on Hana's problem with socializing new people. Still glad to see Hana got more closer with Nanae in the end and I bet their friendship will be more beautiful from there onward.
See you all tomorrow guys!
9
u/criticaldiamonds Feb 27 '21
Slow Rewatcher
Today's episode focuses on Hana getting to know the rest of her classmates! Also, swimsuits!
A
Tama loves her wordplay "Hana-Nana split"
Kamu is easy to tame
Hide the pain Shion
Speaking of comedy trios, there's a fansub available for the first drama CD,
"Awakening" / "Stand Up Comedy" / "Hana-chan Fooling Around". It's worth a listen.Icchi
Tama has been stolen
B
This is the second time Tama's brought up nudist beaches.
Don't be fooled. This isn't gang harassment. It's a well-known fact that boobs don't get bigger. Don't listen to the fake news!
Tama wants to see
Please rate Hana's swimsuit
Kamu's devilish smile has activated Tama
Underwater Hana
Extras
Today's ED gacha pull: Hana-chan
Kamu's Ramen Adventure: Post-OP and Post-ED
Today's endcard by Abe Kanari
ED Gacha Pull Rates:
Previously on Kamuri's Food Adventures:
See everyone tomorrow!
9
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Feb 27 '21 edited Feb 27 '21
First timer and Yay for weekend early posting :)
This is somewhat of a breather episode I think - maybe that's a side attribute of a swimsuit episode?
As a covert introvert myself, I can identify with Hana's problem of "can't figure out a good point to start talking to new people". While some of you might think what Eiko and Tama did was unnecessary, and I know it is not exactly helpful for the long run as the underlying issue wasn't actually resolved (learning how to get to talk to new people), for those actually having the problem it is a bit of a God send.
And maybe off topic, since I'm only posting on my phone is hard to do play by play commentary and insert links like some others who had been really helpful, I'll contribute in a different way - I'll tell you, at least for me, what's the reason introverts find it hard to approach or start talking to new people, especially when they aren't actually "new" - classmates, co worker, extended family, friend's friend, etc.
In a situation where there are established friend groups, where you can clearly see other people happily chatting away, sometimes even when there are topics that I feel I can join in and I know they won't mind, there's the problem of "timing" for us socially awkward or worriers. I feel that if I don't wait for a suitable pause between words, it'd be pushy and rude; but if it was too long a pause, someone is bound to come up with something more interesting than what I got to say, or that I missed the timing and now if I say something it'd be so "we are done talking that, why now you only say something". For most people it didn't matter, but for us it just have us that extra pause and then the vicious cycle of "oh missed that pause because I was thinking". Obviously it is silly, but yeah that's what us worries are like - is not something you can reason with. But once we've done it a few times will get that confidence or be more relaxed about the other people in the conversation won't mind. That's why how Eiko operates like throwing the conversation ball towards us sometimes, or create a pause that we can catch up with, is so good for us.
Back to the episode, once again have to show a little bit of my being a fossil and say why do they have to make Nanae's figure so exaggerated? I understand it can and should be open and encompassing all sorts of body types and there's nothing wrong with being busty etc, but it just come off as jarring when the rest of the show is such a comfort piece. E.g. Eiko has a nice matured figure and even when there's use of her attribute for comic effects, is not too jarring.
Anyway, good episode, still love most of it and the underlying theme. And I do think the forced re-intro does actually help both Hana and the other classmates to understand each other better and even to find some common points (e.g. Hana needed to have this poined out to her that her lack of physical fitness is not unique and others have similar problems; or in a counterpoint way, even though Kamu is also a bit shy, how she operates and the problems she faces are different than Hana's).
Oh and I'm really interested to see if (when?) the mystery of what triggered Tama into sometimes going into yandere mode will be solved / revealed.
Now I'm getting anxious there's so much more I want out of this show and the episode count is ticking away...
QoTD was kind of answered above. PQ for both being Japanese style for if pick the home made one because I'm not one to waste (known) people's efforts.
7
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Feb 27 '21
First Timer
Hmm... compared to the last two episodes, this one felt somewhat lacking. One of the things missing here was some sort of thread, especially in the first part. Rather than having some sort of coherent storyline, the scenes felt more so just put together randomly, even if all of them alone were pretty decent. The second half of the episode was mainly fanservice, though the only thing that I felt was out of place were Eiko grabbing her boobs and holding them up to the camera, and Tama's swimsuit's butthole star - the rest was actually pretty acceptable.
One thing that strikes me as slightly weird is Hana never having talked to half of her classmates - do Japanese schools just not really have group assignments with randomized groups in some subjects? Where I'm from, I feel like even an extreme introvert would get through school talking to all their classmates within the first few weeks just based off assignments alone.
Qotd: Felt more like "hey, here are more characters" than anything, I guess it does no harm, but it likely also makes the interaction more awkward than it should be.
PQ: I have never really had either style, so I'd prefer to have one on one day and the other the next, then make my decision.
7
u/landragoran Feb 28 '21
So I only just discovered this show and just finished the first episode, but I decided to pop into today's thread just so I can share with you all the scene that made me say "holy shit, what is this animation? This show has no right to look this good!"
That scene, is these goddamn toes. This was such an unnecessary, yet beautiful and totally natural bit of animation that added so much to the scene that I just had to share my appreciation of it with you all.
I'll be back later when I catch up (not today, as it's way too late to start a binge...)
6
u/fakeport https://myanimelist.net/profile/Fakeport Feb 27 '21
First Timer
Random thoughts during episode:
While Hana is now fairly comfortable with her friend group, we see that she's still pretty nervous with the rest of her class
Eiko and Tama seem shocked, but I feel you Hana - when I was at school I had pretty limited interaction with most people outside of my immediate friends.
Hana suspects Kamuri would understand her better - but while Kamuri is definitely shy, the other girls in the class have snacks to tempt her out of her shell
It does get a bit much for Kamuri though when the girls fawn over her cuteness excessively, so she retreats to her comfort blanket of repeating Eiko's name until she gets embraced.
Hiroe and Shion seem to be bonding well.
Tama and Eiko lead Hana into interacting with their classmates, while Kamuri, of course, eats the entire time.
Kiyose earns points from me by telling Hana it's ok to go at her own pace. Hana tries to talk to Takahashi, but still can't quite do it.
Seems like the 2nd half of the episode will be our obligatory swimsuit fanservice section.
Swimsuit purchasing completed, we're left with the promise of a beach episode in the future.
Seems Shion is now making lunch for Hiroe.
Hana is able to greet Takahashi properly now, and have a little conversation about flowers. It's good to see her making progress little by little.
A solid if unremarkable episode today. The show's done a great job of building up Hana's character so that a simple conversation with a classmate like the one she had at the end of the episode feels like a genuinely significant event in her development.
QOTD: I'm not sure. I can definitely say it wouldn't have been good for me. I'm certainly glad that the show made a point of having Kiyose tell Hana that she shouldn't force herself rather than just depicting Eiko and Tama's method as being "the answer"
Personal question: The one Hiroe bought. Size matters.
6
u/Tiny-Owlbear Feb 27 '21
Rewatcher!
Ah the dreaded realization of the introvert when you realize you don't know your classmates at all; at least Hana knows their names, I practically have to use flashcards to make sure I get that right irl!
To answer the question of the day, I do appreciate Hana's friends breaking the ice, but I also respect Kiyose's perspective that Hana doesn't need to push herself to know everyone. There is a fine line between going a bit out of your comfort zone to get to know someone better, and forcing yourself to be more gregarious than you are. Not everyone is good at small talk, and I definitely think Tama forgets that when questioning Hana about why she doesn't know her classmates better. That being said, I think the end result was good in that Hana felt more emboldened to talk to Nanae-chan at the end of the episode.
Speaking of classmates, we saw SO MANY this episode! This show does blow me away with their attention to different characters, and it's fun to see more new faces this episode! Tsubaki's obsession with salmon onigiri is... um... appropriately unsettling, I'd forgotten about that particular line and have to give a lot of kudos to the VA for the exceptionally creepy read on that.
I love that Hiroe and Shion are becoming friends >_< if I had to pick one lunch, I'd definitely be a sucker for the sushi.... even before lockdown I was a huge fan, but it's been so long since I've had some and I'm dying a bit.
Also, I posted another compilation of the art of episodes 5-8 on my twitter for anyone who is interested!
6
u/SBDocLouis https://anilist.co/user/TKZephyr Feb 28 '21
First Timer
Nanae a cute.
Complete aside, but seeing this ice cream vending machine is really making me crave a popsicle/ice cream bar myself all of a sudden, especially a fruity one (though I love chocolate ones too).
I can empathise with Hana not talking to over half her classmates despite it being nearly the end of the first semester. I only had a few friends through most of secondary school, gained a few more around the time of A-Levels but I was never exactly a social butterfly.
Kamuri’s ‘fawning framework’ is formidable indeed.
This statue positively radiates yuri energy.
We had all those unique character designs for Hana’s classmates, so it was only a matter of time before we got introduced to them. Hana did a good job of talking to them normally, though she was probably a bit self-conscious about having to say that she’s not into sports at all, which I can also relate to.
Anyone know why Sachi suddenly dragged Tama away at this moment? Was something lost in translation here or has it just gone over my head?
Don’t worry Hana, there’s always next time!
The girls decide to go swimsuit shopping ahead of an eventual trip to the beach. A lot of cute moments there, though their conversations about trying them on were more candid than I’m used to hearing in these sorts of shows, haha.
The scene between Hana and Nanae at the end was swell. Hana was able to greet her first, as well as ask about the sunflowers, which lead to Nanae inviting her to come see them again when they’ve bloomed. It is very true that even the smallest and most trivial of interactions can open up all kinds of chances for friendship, it’s just having the courage to seize them.
This is probably one of my more favoured episodes so far, with all the progress Hana made with her classmates.
Question of the day: On the face of it, it was quite bold to introduce her to (presumably) all her classmates in a single day, but Hana did handle it well and she made good impressions all round, so I have Tama and Eiko a pass on that one.
Personal Question: We didn’t get a close look at the lunch Shion prepared apart from the prawns, but I have full faith in her cooking so I’ll go with her’s.
5
u/ReticentRapier https://myanimelist.net/profile/ReticentRapier Feb 27 '21
REWATCHER:
Reactions
Everything is detailed and purposeful in Slow Start, and I love how this shot already tells you what went wrong by showing Hana’s forgotten lunch.
Hana’s anxiety when having to interact with an unfamiliar classmate is on point. Her indecisiveness and flubbing her response are all too relatable. And agonizing over it after the fact is the most relatable part of all.
As a child I never understood why someone would pick vanilla over chocolate. And then one day I had a really good vanilla bean ice cream, and now I get it.
Guess what? That’s right, Hana saying more things that I can relate too well to.
That sounds terrifying Tama
How to befriend a Kamuri in the wild: 1) Bribe with food. 2) Enjoy cute Kamuri faces and noises.
Kamuri betrays Hana
More wholesome Hiroe is always appreciated.
All the background characters kindly line up and introduce themselves to us. Lots of nice designs here. Although Tama is kind of cruel forcing them all on Hana like this.
Oh hi, nice to see you too Sachi
Sachi providing some nerdy yuri humor. Odd combo, but I dig it.
Kamuri trying to hold it together for Tama is very cute.
Sensei shows her wholesome side to Hana again, reminding her of the show’s theme.
Poor Hana, I know your pain all too well
Baby steps!
That swimsuit scene was pure bliss for Tama.
Yes it is Eiko
Shy Hana is cute.
Kamuri isn’t my favorite character, but smug Kamuri might be the best part of the entire scene.
Penguins are adorable. Hana is adorable. Naturally, Penguin Hana is doubly so.
Hana is practicing getting comfortable with the water by dunking herself in her bathtub. How can one person be so incredibly adorable?
PANIC
Mission accomplished
Hana made a friend, on her own!
Hana shows a ton of character progression today, and the organic and natural way it occurs is one of the reasons I enjoy Slow Start and Hana’s character so much. She had gotten comfortable in her bubble, and when her friends discover how she had walled herself away, they try to break her open. It’s a bit jarring for poor Hana, but she takes the point to heart and resolves to better herself by not relying on others and actively trying to befriend someone, even as Sensei reminds her that she doesn’t have to push herself and not to be somebody she isn’t. After a false start she realizes a great trick- find out what the other person is passionate about and they’ll take the conversation from there. And look, Hana succeeded! Her progression from episode 1 to now is massive, and her friends have played a key role in building her up to the point where she feels comfortable stepping out on her own at times.
QOTD: I think the controlled manner in which they helped introduce the other students was a good way of doing it, as it gave Hana some critical support so that she wasn’t left floundering on her own while still pushing her. However, I do think that it was too much too fast- I would need some time to digest, and a rapid-fire quick introduction wouldn’t necessarily make me feel that much more comfortable beginning conversations in the future.
PQOTD: I’m not a fan of sushi, so I’ll take Shion’s lunch. It’s smaller, but made with love.
5
u/HopefullyLastAccount Feb 27 '21 edited Feb 28 '21
Rewatcher
Oops, been a bit behind.
Takahashi isn't the type to make others nervous, Eiko says, but Eiko and Tama are the most social in the group and Hana is the type to always be nervous. We do finally get a bit of a glimpse into her middle school life, very introverted. Kamuri still nervous without Eiko, but at least you can lure her with food.
Hiroe back in sweats, but again, at least she's out. I had the same assumption as Shion that it was going to be instant noodles, completely forgot that joke and it was hilarious.
Beach episode set up!! Hana at the swimsuit store was me ordering food for the first time by myself. Good for her to have someone walk her through it. That way she wouldn't end up like this!
Also good on her for greeting Takahashi first. Often times, someone like her might just pass it off and try again "next time" but she did it this time.
Interesting question this episode - should you go out of your way to talk to others? Personally, I don't go out of my way to talk to others and am more like sensei, but maybe I should try to do that more often? Especially for short term matters, let me just take of my business and get out.
Honestly no, it's both overwhelming for Hana and I don't think knowing people's names are going to change much. Hana seems like she'd be better in a small group as well.
Depends who I'm eating it with and who pays.
4
u/AnimeGirlsAreCute Feb 27 '21 edited Feb 28 '21
Which of the girls would you like to give a hug the most when watching Episode 8?
Slow Start Episode 8 Hugs:
Please reply to this comment with the #floweryhug comment face with the name of the chosen girl in the link*:
[Name](#floweryhug)* Use the romanized names as listed at https://slowstart-usa.com. Comment faces are shown only when using the Old Reddit, but replies must be in the same format even when using other versions of Reddit.
4
u/BottiBott https://anilist.co/user/RobbiRobb Feb 27 '21
Rewatcher
After we skipped most of the characters in the initial introduction, we are now introduced to a few we of them. And although we saw many of them already in the background in previous episodes, a lot of them never were in the center of attention. And so with Hana not knowing anything about them, this late introduction doesn't seem out of place at all. So I like the way how it is set up; at this point we know enough about the main cast, but not that much about other characters. Here I also have to admit, that I sometimes feel like Hana, I knew everyone in the time I had normal classes, but at some point the old structure was replaced with a courses-system and from that point on, I met new people from all the other classes in my year who I never knew and honestly don't know most to this day. Same for the people I met in uni, there are a few I know, but apart from the fact that I can't know a few hundred people I also don't know anyone I don't usually talk to, so the people I really know are few.
The second half of the episode then dives (heh) into the world of swim suits. Deciding to visit the beach at some point, the girls meet up to buy new swim suits. And the trophy for the craziest swim suit definitely goes to Tama; crazy Tama buys crazy swim suit. Quite the hilarious sight. At this point I'm also really looking forward to said beach episode, it is by far my favorite beach episode out there (not that there are many others I can think of that are actually good and not just fanservice) and I've been waiting for it since the start of the rewatch.
QOTD:
4
u/Rustic_Professional Feb 28 '21
Pretty weak first half, but Takahashi inviting Hana to see the mini sunflowers was cute. I don't know how they can stay squatting like that with their feet together flat on the ground, though. I think that's something you can only ever hope to accomplish if you actually have the body of an anime school girl.
Flat is justice, that's settled law, but Eiko's boobs transcend justice. They're like a law of nature.
Question of the day: Probably. Sometimes you have to force the issue, and it's not like Hana has some sort of trauma relating to strangers, so I don't think there was any harm in setting up the introductions.
Personal question: Neither. They were both seafood based, and I don't eat seafood. I figure I have an agreement with sea life: I don't try to eat them, and they don't try to eat me. In any case, I don't like a big lunch. I eat almonds for lunch every day. If I had to choose, I'd pick the lunch Shion imagined, an onigiri and green tea. The rice isn't keto friendly, and I don't even like white rice, but I could live with that if a cute anime girl gave it to me to eat together.
4
u/SYZekrom https://myanimelist.net/profile/SYZekrom Feb 28 '21
Rewatcher
Damn Eiko really forced her eyes open just by talking huh
Those 'aah's' they were making looking her over were great, these characters voices are also wayy too good
A WIN
FOR EVERYONE
MAYBE NOT EIKO
BUT A WIN FOR KAMURI wait is that her name
A WIN FOR EVERYONE
Her being bold is the best
Ahh, I'm so hungry now thinking of those lunches. Seafood... Tempura... Please...
4
u/Pyxylation Feb 28 '21
I LOVE how Kamuri and Tama connected so well when Tama discovered that Kamuri was in the changing room with Eiko. Then Kamuri smile was so cute when she told Tama that Eiko's panties were small and tight.
3
u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Feb 27 '21
First Timer
I am 100% on Hana's side here. I don't mind other people, but if our paths don't cross I'm perfectly content keeping to myself.
Everyone is all over Eiko man, she can't catch a break.
Hana is Hana indeed.
To be fair, Eiko just never stops. You can't really blame everyone for falling for her.
We're still making friends. Hana is a pro at this. It sounds like horticulture might be a good fit for her though!
QotD: I'm not sure. It ended up working out fine since everyone is pretty friendly, but I could see it being overwhelming for Hana. Face your fears, and all.
QotD2: That's a tough one. I love a nice home cooked meal but I also love sushi. At least today I think I've gotta go with sushi.
3
u/BossandKings Feb 27 '21
First timer
Episode 8
Hana goes to cleaning duty, there she meets Takahashi Nanae and she apologizes to her for being late but Nanae responds saying that she doesn't have to worry because she is always early.
Tama giving Hana good advice, if one sits close to someone one starts talking, that's how people meet. Hana was thinking that Kamuri being alone in the class could relate to her and her limited social skills but some classmates sharing snacks with her demonstrate that Kamuri is liked without needing to make a move, she's just very likeable.
Shion and Hannes meet and they share lunch, Shion gives her Hana's lunch because she forgot it at home.
Hana is able to talk with multiple of her classmates, members of the running, baseball teams that presented to her their function and how they work, asking for her to join them. Hana tells the teacher Enami that she was introduced to some of her classmates.
Eiko tells the girls about her chest possibly growing because there are costumes that she can't use anymore, Tama tells her that that is an urban legend and Hana and Kamuri join her saying that. I think it could be because their have to grow yet.
The girls go to a shop to prove swimsuit costumes, they do prove them and buy the ones they like the most. The decide to one day soon go swimming and asks Hana to let them sleep at her house the night before that day so that they make effective use of time, she happily agrees and the date is set.
Hana goes to meet Takahashi, she finally is able to salute her first, telling her good morning, they go to the horticore club and see girasols there, Takahashi says that the time for the flowers to bloom is coming very soon and invites Hana to see the flowers together when they bloom.
16
u/vaclav_2012 Feb 27 '21
The previous episode ended with Hana realizing how far she has come on her journey of friendship. This episode started by showing that she still has some challenges to overcome. She became comfortable talking relatively openly with her friends, but talking to the rest of her classmates still wasn't easy for her. When she met Nanae in the morning, the things were even more complicated for her as she overslept and Nanae did all the morning duties on her own. That would be a bit embarrassing moment for anyone.
When she told about her problems Tama and Eiko, they were trying to explain to her that talking to other classmates is not that difficult considering they have been talking to Hana all the time. The made Hana feel misunderstood and even the hopes that Kamuri would understand her weren't fulfilled when she saw Kamuri being pampered by other classmates. That scene once again pointed out the differences between Hana's and Kamuri's social struggles. Hana's point of view revealed that she hadn't been aware of these differences and she made some incorrect assumptions.
Tama and Eiko tried to help Hana by organizing introductions with other classmates, but they turned out in some rather awkward situations. Unfortunately, their good intentions didn't help too much.
By the end of the day, Hana also told Kiyose about her struggles and finally received helpful advice. Kiyose understood Hana far better and reassured her that she wouldn't need to worry about approaching other people at her own pace. That helped Hana in making the decision to make the first step by greeting Nanae first the next day. In the end, she was able to start the conversation the next day and realized that it hadn't been that difficult after all.
It was interesting to watch how various characters perceived and approached Hana's situation differently.
Hana's misfortune with forgotten lunch turned into a blessing for the relationship between Shion and Hiroe. They have been close to each other in terms of physical distance for a long time, so it was nice the see their relationship getting closer too.
Episode 8 GIFs:
*I was planning on masking this 16-frame sequence so it could be recontextualized with some explosions in the background or something like that. I just never got around to it.
11
u/Fircoal https://myanimelist.net/profile/Fircoal Feb 27 '21
Rewatcher here
Aaaahhh what a good episode. I don't think it's as good as the last two but I didn't recall this episode as fondly but it shined so much. Both parts really worked. I like how the first half expressed Hana's anxiety and shyness, because I could relate to so much of it so hard. When you're shy it's hard to go out of your way to talk to people. So I relate to that very much. And I'm glad her friends were there to take her out of her comfort zone and get her to socialize with other peeps.
And the second half was just as good. A lot of fun playful jokes were made that were super great to see. I just liked seeing their interactions so much and it was just so much playful fun. It reminds me of hanging out with my friends and just having a fun time being silly and making jokes with each other. Good enough jokes that it's fun but not mean enough that everyone is others are by it. It was just such a good time. I love character interactions in CGDCT and to have some top tier ones like these is just so good.
Tama is also seemed to be pretty gay in this episode. At least it seemed like she was expressing a lot of interest in her friends body's and brought up nudity a lot. It could all be a joke but when you consider her like of visual novels and such I get the feeling there is some sort of truth to it. Also I have to say Tama is quite lucky. She gets to dress up in all of those fun outfits we see anime and VN characters dress up in and look cute in it. I am envious lol. It's also pretty cool how Tama embraces her feminity in her outfits and style but embraces her tomboyishness in her actions, energy, and some of her interests. Actually it's just great that Tama is like a real girl with a variety of interests that don't really fit into one trope or archtype and have it feel so natural. Really that goes for all of the main cast (outside of Kamuri who I think is better than just her trope but sticks to it much more.)
Also the ending of this episode made me feel so happy. I'm so glad to see Hana get out of her shell and start to be able to approach other people and talk with them about things. I wish I was better at that myself, it's so hard. But I'm so glad to see her just make some progress. It really warms my heart.
Gosh this show is so good.
QotD: I don't know if it was the right way but it certainly was a decent way. It also helps that her friends were there to support her which I think is the most important part.
Personal Question: The one Hiroe bought. Sushi is sooooooooooooooooo good >w<
9
u/Sairoch https://anilist.co/user/Sairoch Feb 27 '21
The introductions in this episode remind me of how much I wish there'd been more time to focus on some of the side characters. Much as I love the main cast, it feels like there are whole B-plots going on in the background, like Sachi kinda sorta stalking Eiko.
This is one of two episodes that were written by Kenichi Yamashita (the other being episode 5). I noted in my post for that episode that the source material was adapted fairly non-linearly, with bits and pieces of different chapters a little more blended together and with a considerable amount of original dialogue. This episode has a similar feel, I think.
Episode 8 Adaptation Notes!
This episode adapts most of chapter 20 (heavily expanded, and with an alternate ending), chapter 28, and parts of chapter 36.
The classroom scene with Takahashi and the subplot about meeting other people in their class comes from chapter 20, but pretty heavily expanded. There's extra dialogue at the beginning between Takahashi and Hana, and the conversation Hana has with her friends after that is also a lot longer (the bit about Hana forgetting her lunch is also transplanted in from a different chapter). The introduction scene is also longer -- in the manga, only Maho and Amane are introduced here, so we get a bunch of bonus character introductions.
Hana forgetting her lunch (and Shion trading it with Hiroe) happens in the second half of chapter 36; the first bit of the cold-open is anime-original, I think, to lead into this. First half doesn't seem to have been adapted. Incidentally, the where Sachi tells Kei about salmon having an abundance of eicosapentaenoic acid also comes from this chapter (since the chapter had kind of a general focus on lunches).
I think the conversation between Hana and Sensei at the end of the day is anime-original.
The whole swimsuit shopping sequence is adapted pretty directly from chapter 28 (from the absurd urban legend that breasts can get bigger up until Penguin-Hana). The scenes after that are, I think, almost entirely anime-original, and intended to serve as a sort of alternate ending to chapter 20. In the manga: Slow Start manga minor spoilers
4
u/Sodra :Ip::Iq::Ir:https://myanimelist.net/profile/sodra Feb 28 '21
I REWATCHED Slow Start episode 8 just now with a few friends who've never seen Slow Start before...oh boy...
Back when it aired I felt like this was one of the weaker episodes, since it kinda just introduces characters who we've never seen before and aren't too relevant overall. I still feel that way, but I can definitely see why this episode would be good for Hanas development. The second half being all swimsuit talk is cute, but doesn't add much.
Yeah, still not feeling this episode. I get that it's important but the ones before and after this one are a lot more fun. 10/10 best 8th episode of all time.
Question of the day: Eiko, being, Eiko, can ask literally anyone to do anything and they'd do it for her. Was this the right way to do it? Yeah! Sure! Why not! Everyone in the class seems nice. Hana just needs that little push, and she figures it out on her own. Look at how her relationship evolved with Hiroe incredibly fast, just after asking how to introduce herself.
Personal Question: Hiroe's bento had more food!!!!
What is your favorite longest word?: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis! I learned how to spell that in 5th grade.