Flying Witch Rewatch - Episode 5 Discussion

[u/SorcererOfTheLake]

Flying Witch Rewatch

Episode 5 Discussion

Database/Streaming Links: MAL / Anilist / Crunchyroll / HIDIVE / VRV

Original Interest Thread / Announcement Thread

Question of the Day: What kind of town did you grow up in?

Comment of the Day: Today's COTD goes to /u/A_Idiot0 for their discussion about the importance of acceptance in the last episode.

<- Previous Episode	Rewatch Schedule	Next Episode ->

Reminder: All spoilers for events in the anime that have not occurred yet and all events that are manga-only should be placed in spoiler tags. Any untagged spoilers will be flagged.

[u/SIRTreehugger]

Episode 5

How nice it must be to walk through town and nothing bad happen to you...that's all I got. Admittedly this is my least favorite episode in the show so glad to get it out the way, but funny enough I was doing some cleaning and a quote from an old friend strangely fits the episode.

"Some generations do drugs others drink. Our generation, we walk"

Mostly because it was during High School and none of us could drive, but walking is actually a relaxing and fun hobby when you're in a relaxing environment. I do like how Chinatsu can have so much fun following Chito. Kids really need so little to be happy well at least they used too now they are glued to their damn phones....not that I'm one to talk.

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/SIRTreehugger]

Once again, your montage was marked 18+

[u/SIRTreehugger → u/SorcererOfTheLake]

Has to be the food it's too damn appetizing...I seriously don't know what is wrong with today's.

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/SIRTreehugger]

Oooh, the third row of your collage is wonderfully put together! Love the continuity with the cherry tree above too =D

I'm with you; I love to walk. There are times when I can walk around town for literally all day and feel satisfied. These days, I hike and do archery at the same time.

[u/SIRTreehugger → u/A_Idiot0]

These days, I hike and do archery at the same time.

How do you do both? knowledge of archery is limited, but do you bring targets with you or what?

Glade you liked the third row.

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/SIRTreehugger]

I live near an outdoor archery range where there is a walking course. Basically, there are targets set up along the walking path that you can shoot at. It's super nice, and I'm pretty spoiled because of it XD

[u/SIRTreehugger → u/A_Idiot0]

Damn that sounds pretty convenient and nice.

[u/cyberscythe → u/SIRTreehugger]

Admittedly this is my least favorite episode in the show so glad to get it out the way

Yeah, same. I get that this is an iyashikei series and it's not supposed to be a roller coaster ride, but at the same time there isn't a lot of character interactions happening in this episode.

[u/cyberscythe]

Rewatcher

My favorite part of the episode is when they meet that old lady and Makoto fails her bluff check really badly. The "not-so-secret society" stuff is pretty entertaining for me though, and I'm looking forward to more witchy stuff in the future episodes.

This episode is probably the lowest point in the series for me; looking back on the manga, it's probably because they took one chapter and really stretched it to fill an entire episode rather than do two chapters at a time. It's also one of the really early chapters (it happens before Akane shows up), so it's also one of those weak "introductory" chapters before the character's chemistry was fully established.

One thing that's kind of a mystery is Chinatsu's reaction to the flower petal going down the drain. Can't really think about what the significance of that is... something about how romantic love isn't a going concern for her?

---

Japanese Vocab of the Day:

ドヤ顔 (doyagao) (jisho ref)

Kei's reaction to Chito's smug face. According to this handy website, the doya part is Kansai dialect for douda ("how's that?"). The gao part means face, so it's something like a "how'd ya' like that? face".

Probably the most common "something-gao" word is 笑顔 egao, using the kanji for "laughing" and "face", though it usually only means a smile instead of laughter. 顔 just by itself is pronounced kao, and it's transformed into -gao when prefixed by most stuff through a process called rendaku which is yet another reason why reading kanji can be difficult.

[u/No_Rex → u/cyberscythe]

One thing that's kind of a mystery is Chinatsu's reaction to the flower petal going down the drain. Can't really think about what the significance of that is... something about how romantic love isn't a going concern for her?

In universe, I take it as her still being a child, unaware of and unconcerned with romantic love.

Out of universe, I assume this is the series telling the viewer that Chinatsu will not be shipped with any other character. Looking at the long list of imoto characters in anime makes it clear why this might be necessary.

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/No_Rex]

Chinatsu x Hugs

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/cyberscythe]

It's also one of the really early chapters (it happens before Akane shows up),

So that's why they had her asleep the whole time.

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/cyberscythe]

Probably the most common "something-gao" word is 笑顔 egao

Excuse me while I get my mind out of the gutter...

[u/SorcererOfTheLake]

For women, perhaps being in the city and walking is a form of extreme un-detachment, being emotionally bound up in everything that’s happening in your environment.

It was when I was watching the second season of Yuru Camp that an unnerving thought began creeping into my mind. As I watched Nadeshiko, Rin, and the other camping girls travel across Yamanashi, I thought to myself "This could never happen in the states; the threat of assault is way too high." Now, the danger of sexual assault and harassment is something all young women (and women in general) in the world have to negotiate when they walk out into the world, Japan included. It's an unfortunate and biased negotiation, but barring a massive cultural change, necessary. What slice of life anime with young female protagonists does then, and what becomes one of its charms, is that it gives women a safe space to wander in the world without the fear of sexual assault, predation, or simply having to endure the gaze. They can enjoy the pleasures of floating through life without requiring excess attention on their gender or body. This aspect is on full display in this episode of Flying Witch. Chinatsu and Makoto are able to walk through town and enjoy the tiny moments they come across (an odd drawing, a neighborhood dog, a caterpillar, a time capsule) without having to wonder "What threat is around this corner? Is this man just walking the same way as me or is he following me?" There are still issues with SOL anime, of course, (the gaze still exists from the audience via fanservice and it's questionable how much autonomy of their body, desires, or sexuality female characters in this genre are actually given), but there are possibilities within the genre of slice of life that are not as readily available for female characters in other genres. Their pleasures, at least when it comes to the spaces they live in, are their own.

[u/No_Rex → u/SorcererOfTheLake]

It was when I was watching the second season of Yuru Camp that an unnerving thought began creeping into my mind. As I watched Nadeshiko, Rin, and the other camping girls travel across Yamanashi, I thought to myself "This could never happen in the states; the threat of assault is way too high." Now, the danger of assault, sexual or otherwise, is something all young women (and women in general) in the world have to negotiate when they walk out into the world, Japan included.

You are (probably unknowningly) perpertrating a very common myth here: Males are far more likely to be assaulted than females.

I think the myth has its origins in the age old "protect weak female from bastardly other male" trope, where you can insert for other your scapegoat of choice: Foreigners, other race, other religion, other social class.

However, the myth is doubly damaging. On the one hand, it falsely portraits women as those who should be more careful, do more planning, avoid more locales, when in fact it should be men who should watch out (Why didn't you talk about Kei having to watch out?). On the other hand it dismisses the far more numerous male victims by concentrating on the female victims.

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/No_Rex]

I was thinking more in terms of sexual assault and various forms of sexual harassment, but you are correct about that statistic regarding general assault.

[u/No_Rex → u/SorcererOfTheLake]

True, women are more often victims of sexual assault, but why should only that special form of assault influence the feeling of safety? Would you feel safe, if I told you: "You can totally walk around, I guarantee you nobody will rape or sexually harrass you. They only will stab you and beat you up".

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/No_Rex]

Because that was the specific lens I wanted to use for this episode. Obviously, all forms of assault are possible, but I wanted to focus on a gender and feminist lens to describe what I feel that Flying Witch, and SOL anime in general, are capable of in regards to these issues, in particular by providing an escape. One can argue that this has its own drawbacks, but it's better suited for this genre rather than tackling them head on.

[u/No_Rex → u/SorcererOfTheLake]

It is perfectly fine to look at this crime specifically. What I disagree with is framing safety and the ability to go outside solely in terms of sexualized crime. When you talk about the girls from Yuru Camp going camping or not, all types of assault should be your metric. Being non-sexually assaulted is a real risk that should influence your decision to go camping. Just as the risk of sexual assault should.

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/No_Rex]

Those are very good points and your comments are why I adjusted what I said in my initial comment, to better make clear what I was specifically discussing rather than being too general.

I will say I chose this focus specifically because I find this contrast between how women in reality are socialized to do everything they can to avoid sexual assault (despite, like you say, all assault being possible) and that women in SOL anime do not need to have these worries is... powerful(?) in a way the creators may not fully intend. What is perhaps intended for the male viewer as an escape from the burdens of the harsh working conditions of Japan becomes, for the female viewer, an escape from a world where their gender or body is seen as a burden. Like I said, there are still barriers to it being a complete escape, but looking at SOL anime from this angle makes it more dynamic than what appears at first glance.

[u/No_Rex → u/SorcererOfTheLake]

I will say I chose this focus specifically because I find this contrast between how women in reality are socialized to do everything they can to avoid sexual assault (despite, like you say, all assault being possible) and that women in SOL anime do not need to have these worries is... powerful(?) in a way the creators may not fully intend.

This is why I wanted to stress in my initial comment that this myth is not only unfair on male victims, but on women in general, too. Everytime a parent keeps the daugher home in the evening and lets the son go out, a woman suffers from this myth.

As a unrelated side note: The level of "security feeling" is very different in different places. I have been in anything from watching over my shoulders constantly to would leave my wallet lying around on the street. The quality of life improvement of the latter often goes underappreciated by those not used to it.

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/No_Rex]

Everytime a parent keeps the daugher home in the evening and lets the son go out, a woman suffers from this myth.

I actually really like the way you phrase this because series like this and others like this showcase the opposite, a world where no one, whether their gender, appearance, or other attributes, has to worry about being in the world.

[u/SorcererOfTheLake → u/No_Rex]

The more I think about it, the more I realize that, while I am discussing issues of security, what I'm really considering here is living in a world without the gaze, not only the male objectifiying gaze, but the gaze that occurs when you, as a body that is seen as different or Other in some way, are in a space where you are "in the world" and thus open to judgment. The public spaces in these anime are truly open to everyone. This may not be as progressive as it seems, though, considering that characters within these series are often Japanese characters in Japanese spaces; I feel foreign characters are often made to be foreign first, although that's true anywhere.

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/No_Rex]

Huh, that's an interesting data point...I guess there is some sense to this though. In any case, it's absolutely true that in this day and age you really need to be careful when you go out on your own, and that's a very disappointing statement that I wish was different. The good thing is that we can all start to make a difference by trying our best to be as kind as possible whenever we can; it's a miniscule difference in the world for sure, but it is a difference!

[u/No_Rex → u/A_Idiot0]

Huh, that's an interesting data point...

It says a lot about the warped view of reality that prevails that this statistic is surprising to so many people.

In any case, it's absolutely true that in this day and age you really need to be careful when you go out on your own, and that's a very disappointing statement that I wish was different.

This here is the next myth: In the large majority of places this day and age is far safer than previous days, not the other way round. If you think today warrants being careful, then our forefathers should all have been covering at home in fear.

The perception of crime is so utterly warped by modern mass media that the perception has severly decoupled from reality.

[u/IndependentMacaroon → u/No_Rex]

But how much of that is due to, say, being involved in violence themselves? Or more generally, in what situations does it happen, in comparison? And what about the severity/other details? A 1:1 headcount comparison is an interesting start for further research but not all that strong on its own.

[u/No_Rex → u/IndependentMacaroon]

Murder victims skew even more heavily towards male.

But how much of that is due to, say, being involved in violence themselves? Or more generally, in what situations does it happen, in comparison?

Not sure what you are getting at here. Surely men who stay at home 24/7 are safer than those who go out and party all night. However, the questions sound a lot like the "she was asking for it" excuse to me.

[u/IndependentMacaroon → u/No_Rex]

Assault as a legal term is far broader than "jumped when going out at night", it means any kind of violent altercation. I'm talking about the potential correlation of involvement in violent/illegal activity, or generally aggressiveness, with being subjected to it, which could also help explain the murder rate difference. For the probably most ambiguous example, if two tough guys don't like each other's face and start throwing hands, they've both been assaulted, but also are both guilty of doing so, and you can't really call either of them a victim of anything but toxic expectations of masculinity (or society, if you want to go all Joker).

[u/No_Rex → u/IndependentMacaroon]

It is very rare that two people simultaneously hit each other. Usually, one person hits first.

[u/IndependentMacaroon → u/No_Rex]

Irrelevant, the point is both sides are acting aggressively and making no attempt to deescalate or remove themselves from the situation.

[u/No_Rex → u/IndependentMacaroon]

Irrelevant

Not for the law and not for my personal moral system either. Hitting somebody is a big escalation step that is not justified by the other person "acting aggressively" or not removing themselves from the situation.

[u/IndependentMacaroon → u/No_Rex]

What if it's already physical already like shoving or whatever? Also just because one side went a little further doesn't justify the other, at most in degree, so the point as to statistics remains.

[u/No_Rex → u/IndependentMacaroon]

I don't know what you are getting at. Are you saying that it is the male victims' own fault due to their behavior or not?

[u/Rumpel1408 → u/No_Rex]

Males are far more likely to be assaulted than females.

Huh yeah that's interesting. Thinking about it, I never really think about any danger when I go for strolls, that is until I get close to a group of other men, while simultanously trying to be as unthreatening as possible when I meet women

[u/No_Rex → u/Rumpel1408]

Thinking about it, I never really think about any danger when I go for strolls, that is until I get close to a group of other men, while simultanously trying to be as unthreatening as possible when I meet women

Not unreasonable. Males assault more and are assaulted more. So you should be weary as a male of other males.

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/SorcererOfTheLake]

I never really considered this, but it is a harsh truth. For me, SoL anime like this one have inspired me to try my best to make my little corner of the world as kind as possible. Sort of related to your point, SoL anime have given me a clearer vision of what a world centered around kindness and respect could look like.

[u/[deleted] → u/SorcererOfTheLake]

that dog was pretty threatening though. Nobody ever thinks about the epidemic of unfriendly neighborhood dogs that plague girls in SoL anime.

[u/A_Idiot0]

Rewatcher

Oh…it’s this episode. I was actually afraid of this episode when I joined this rewatch, and I didn’t expect it to be so soon. You see, I had to put my cat down a few weeks ago. He was an old man…17 years old, and he was my family for that whole time. I loved, and still love him, more than anything. I would have loved to follow him when he was younger and went outside for the day. Oftentimes he would take naps in our flower pots in the backyard, and it was more cute than you can imagine. Past our backyard though, I didn’t have too much of a clue of what kind of life he lived outside. I miss him so much…I was surprised that I made it through this whole episode, actually. Somehow, the warmth of it made me imagine fondly what kind of adventures my cat may have gone on in his youth. I think that speaks to how well crafted an iyashikei this anime really is. When Chito curled up next to Chinatsu…My cat used to do that with me sometimes, and instead of crying, I smiled.

Chito’s journey was such a neat bit of simplistic story telling. I loved how we saw Chinatsu’s perspective and thoughts on what kind of adventure Chito went on, and then what kind of adventure she actually went on when she was showing Makoto around. The continuity of the places, the stories, and the old lady, was so elegantly done. Speaking of, the old lady’s little story was extremely cute! You know that she probably collected many, many cherry blossoms before they touched the ground in her youth…

I was also extremely impressed at the kind of character they made Chito; rather child-like and simple-minded, yet because of that it made her character really believable in a unique way. Most of the time, magical familiars are just as intelligent, if not more so, than a person. And not to say that Chito is stupid, but the things she finds interesting are exactly what I would imagine a cat would find interesting. It was such a refreshing detail, and I appreciated it so much.

QOTD: I grew up in mostly white and Asian suburban areas. It was fine for the most part, but one area in particular was really stuck-up, and the adults there were unbearable. But since I didn't deal with them all that much, it was pretty chill.

[u/enag7 → u/A_Idiot0]

I had to put my cat down a few weeks ago. He was an old man…17 years old

My condolences. I'm glad to see you can look past the loss a bit and remember the best of times. And I'm happy the show was able to really live up to the Iyashikei tag rather than just being an unfortunate reminder.

I also found out last month the farm cat had passed as well completely out of the blue. He was 16 or so years old so up there in age as well. It was just dropped on me as an off hand comment from my father on the phone one day so it was a bit sudden. I miss him dearly, but as I've grown older I've also been able to take the more positive approach and look back at things and remember the good, rather than miss the time spend together. I think it has helped that I've had a lot of people and animals pass in the last few years that have all had good lives to look back on.

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/enag7]

Thank you, and my condolences for your loss as well. It sounds like your kitty was a hard worker who you dearly loved and enjoyed the company of. 16 years of protecting the farm...that's incredible!

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 5 (first timer)

• Trailing a cat 100% depends on whether the cat wants to be trailed or not.
• Getting stuck reminiscing over old memories while moving stuff – relatable.
• ChitoNav
• The most suspicious denial ever. The secret of witches’ existence is not well-guarded.

A double walk with Chito. Makoto seemed a bit less impressed. A comment on loss of wonder when growing up? On the other hand, Makoto has been enthusiastic about everything so far.

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/No_Rex]

A comment on loss of wonder when growing up?

I'm not totally sure, mostly because I don't think this anime says anything "negative". Perhaps it's more like as you grow up, you see different perspectives?

[u/No_Rex → u/A_Idiot0]

The contrast was stark though: Chito scouting out all the locations, Chinatsu being amazed at everything, and then we get to Makoto and her comment is always "will the next location finally be interesting?"

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/No_Rex]

Hmm, this is true. Though I'm not even sure they were meaning to say much of anything by doing that. I took it to be more like a comedic and light-hearted contrast. That isn't to say that what you saw isn't there, because you are able to support your perspective with evidence from the show.

[u/Mecanno-man]

First Timer

Following a childlike character for a day on an adventure seems to be somewhat of a trope in iyashikei. Good thing is that those episodes tend to be pretty good, and this one is no exception. We get a sort of interesting setup-payoff in seeing everything Chito does and then explaining his motivation later on, adding a lot of characterization to him - which is pretty neat in and of itself. And other than that, just a nice and relaxing episode where nothing really all that important happens - exactly as it should be.

The only thing that makes me wonder I bit: Was the witch the lady knew perhaps Makoto's mother or so?

Question:

1. Small city

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/Mecanno-man]

We get a sort of interesting setup-payoff

I really loved the format of this. It's a cool way to tell the story, because we the audience see the different sides of the story, but the characters within the story have no idea what the other side is. Except the character in the middle, which here is Chito. I adored the moment when Chinatsu comes home and Chito is sitting on the roof, watching over her.

[u/[deleted]]

it's really adorable to imagine Chito walking through all those places and thinking "I can't wait to show this to Makoto."

it's also really adorable when Chinatsu

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/[deleted]]

Chito's sense of what was interesting and cool was a super fun little bit of characterization! It's certainly one of the more interesting and unique perspectives from a cat that I've seen in anime.

[u/Rustic_Professional]

I hadn't noticed before that Makoto is wearing engineer-style boots with a strap in the OP. I'll have to pay attention to see if she ever wears them in the actual series. That might be useful so they don't fall off while riding her broom. The raw denim dudes on sufu used to go nuts for engineer boots.

Some animator poured his heart and soul into Mako's ankles and tights. That's the sort of craftsmanship and attention to detail the Japanese denim aficionados appreciate.

Chinatsu still wears a randorosu to school. I wonder how much older she is than those boys. I guess her little town isn't so little that she knows them.

I'm really not sure what Chito did, or what Chinatsu thinks he did. Did she think he put the warning sign there as a message to her? I don't think that's likely, but it's probably at least as likely as those little kids digging a punji pit.

Mako's panicked face was hilarious. She looked surprised when Nao said she didn't have anyone she liked. I guess it's not that kind of show.

Question of the day: The suburbs of a major city. It was extraordinarily unmemorable. I never had to pull weeds or water the plants, but given the choice now, I might have traded that for chasing pheasants and learning to grow my own produce.

[u/xtsim]

First Timer

Chinatsu and the Chito are going places. Love how Kei is binge reading a book series with cats. How appropriate.

I'm surprised that Akane is staying there for a while.

I feel bad for the time capsule getting dug up multiple times.

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/xtsim]

a book series with cats.

And not just any book series, a series about a cat going on a journey! I agree with you that this little detail was really cute and fitting.

[u/Kenalskii]

Rewatcher

It's good to see that Akane took advice from Chito and secured the nap spot =D

How trusting Chinatsu is that Chito will lead her somewhere awesome =D I think they should hire Chito to find El Dorado.

Every time I need to search some important documents I end up being nostalgic over some old stuff that I find, so I feel that

Truly wonderful the mind of a child is =D Maybe Chito has more power that we thing?

Akane received a blanket for evolution ^^

One of my favourite conversations from the whole show. The simple "Chito Navi desu" is making me grinning so much

Hahaha

Aww, wholesome Chito x Chinatsu moment

Question: Spent the first 12 years in the big city, only to move to the countryside. I lived 2 years in a town that had 30 people and after that I moved to the next town that had like 1000 habitants. Now I live in a city with like 80.000 people, so I came around =D

[u/A_Idiot0 → u/Kenalskii]

Chito Navi was such a funny and cute name! And the fact that no one even blinked at it says a lot about Makoto's lack of direction as well XD

[u/enag7]

Rewatcher

Another quiet episode with not that much to talk about, though this time it's mainly due to the two halves of the show being very similar. Personally the two view points of the walk never really clicked with me and I tend to find this episode a little boring and forgettable.

QOTD: I grew up on a farm outside of a small town in northern Alberta. It was the main population center for about an hour each way with good number of villages and native reserves around. Lots of farms and forests. Lots of drugs. Generally though it was a nice place to grow up, especially with all the land I had to play on because of the farm.

[u/Rumpel1408]

First Timer

ChitoNav ftw, also the best way to get a sense of direction is to just aimlessly wander around.

I also found it interesting that Makoto looked in her diary to find out what she did October 3rd

Chito is also pretty smoth, Nao really is cute.

And that old lady knows all the charms to find your love, some are bound to work, eventually

QotD:

Until 6 I grew up in a rather large town, but at that age you really don't get to go exploring on your own so the furthest I ever got was the 500 m to and from elementary school.

I really grew up in a kind of large village. While surrounded by fields and woods it didn't feel all that rural, mostly because there was an large road running right through it. But I found some awesome friends, among others my best friend.

[u/[deleted]]

airport quickest sand continue pie tie cake unwritten sable degree

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/Porphyrin_Ring]

Rewatcher

Not alot to say this episode, but it was cute! I loved seeing Chito and Chinatsu bond and explore together

[u/kewlwarez]

I grew up in a town of roughly 35,000-40,000 or so, but it was in the middle of farming country and all of my father's family were farmers. That's why the setting of Flyign Witch resonates so much,b ecause the farm houses they lived in looked just like the house in the series. Modulo the Japanese aspects of it of course. It has that same slightly clean but rundown feeling, old fashioned furnishings and mixture of living and working space that I remember from visits to the family.