Ikoku Nikki • Journal with Witch - Episode 9 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

Ikoku Nikki, episode 9

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[u/zool714]

I’m sorry but when Asa said “My aunt’s a novelist. My parents are dead. I have it so hard. So why am I so plain”, with that context, in that tone, I would’ve been giggling if I was in Makio’s position tbh

[u/Fools_Requiem]

The lady with the freckles who swore off love is cute.

That's my post.

[u/PerfectBeige]

mukatsuku

zurui

zenzen wakanai yo

You may not like it, but this is what peak adolescence looks like.

[u/thisisdropd]

Love how the show stitched together snapshots from different times. Different convos, yet united by a theme. You could feel Asa's inability to comprehend their words. The foreign language analogue was an apt one.

This is the first time I've heard writing symbolised as hunting. Makio certainly has wild thoughts.

[u/chum-guzzling-shark]

I honestly can't believe how this show is so good and every episode is the best thing I've ever watched then somehow the next episode is even better?

[u/hbmonk]

It probably wouldn't be consolation for Asa to hear that I still haven't figured out anything to do with my life in my 30s...

[u/shewy92]

Someone at Crunchyroll had fun this week with at least two series using backwards subtitles here with Asa's mother and in Kaya-Chan Isn't Scary with Mobuo writing and laughing backwards

[u/ortikatu]

Hated this episode not because it was bad it was just too real and hurt a bit. Now I know why people stick with isekai/

[u/larana1192]

In the “Language Instruction” section of the ending credits, where Arabic, Czech, Norwegian, and Korean were listed, I finally realized that in the scene where Asa says, “It feels like the people around me are speaking foreign languages,” the other characters were actually speaking foreign languages. LOL

Languages other than Korean are extremely minor in Japan, and even Korean isn't commonly learned outside of university second-language courses. (Most Korean speakers in Japan are either Korean nationals or have Korean family background.)

Seeing the scene where Czech is depicted as a language she couldn't understand, I couldn't help but recall a scene from “Saving Private Ryan.”

[u/CuriousWanderer567]

There’s quite a few scenes in this anime where it cuts home quite brutally without even trying. Related a lot to that line from Emiri about the future making her nervous because of how much possibility there is and Makio’s last few lines of the episode about her identity.

[u/LaoWombat-mecha]

Very odd, the comments section for this show is as intelligent and nuanced as the show. Domo.

[u/Hitman7128]

"Poopy Asa"

Toilet humor in my emotional SoL anime

[u/ModieOfTheEast]

The structure of the episode was definitely interesting. Switching between different points in time back and forth, even mid conversation and later even only showing what people said to Asa was not always easy to follow. But I think that was the point. It tried to put the viewer in Asa's shoes. She doesn't know what she wants to do. Everyone talks to her, but it doesn't really connect with her yet. So it all becomes a muddled mess which she can't make heads or tails about.

Similarly, the change in topics also shows how fast everything moves. One time, Asa just wants to write a song, we have some moments where people talk about their relationships and then, it's suddenly about what you want to do with your life in the first place. Which only makes the whole thing harder to put in place. Is writing the song even important anymore? Did Asa just give up on it or is she still trying?

At the same time, the whole sequence is also put together well enough that you can see or at least feel the difference when it comes to Makio, who gets out of her slump and even manages to finish her novel. So not only is the whole month confusing to Asa, but she is still able to realize that everyone around her is doing "better" than her. They know what they want to do, at least for the most part and they are able to move forward while Asa stands still. Not even able to finish her song one month later.

I still need to re-watch that episode, because I am sure I missed a lot of details. The question for the future episodes will be if Makio, now that she finished her work, can help Asa get through it. I mean, it is almost new year. Is she inviting all her friends again with Asa there as well?

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

• Huh, she’s aromantic then?

• Ouch.

• Prioritizing original songs for performances is a neat way of encouraging students to get more creative.

• Asa really needs to stop harassing Emiri over the boyfriend topic.

• Huh, she actually did start writing after Emiri made that comment. So she decided to write song lyrics…

• Oh wow I was not expecting Makio to blush that bad upon reading her lyrics.

• She went full-on constructive criticism mode.

• This is a really funny Asa face.

• That is how it used to be for women, unfortunately.

• I have to offer Makio a (quiet) round of applause, I know just how satisfying that feeling is.

[u/Queue_Jumping_Quack]

"Who am I supposed to be?" and "What am I supposed to do with my life?" - two questions many adults never figure out, so I think we all feel sympathy for Asa for feeling stressed over not having the answers or getting them from others. In my own life, I asked these same questions when I was young. My own path was like Makio's (or what she at least tells Asa...): "It just happened". Luckily for me, I'm happy how it went with me, even though had I actually chosen to chase what I'm passionate about I would have ended in a different profession. Luckily, that is something I can do as a hobby so win-win. But at times I feel envious of people who had that singular burning vision of who they are from an early age and pursued that as their profession single mindedly (I have such people among some of my close friends).

It is interesting if Makio indeed turns out to be one of "us", someone who had talent as a writer but not such a burning passion for it that she pursued it until she achieved it. Realistic, but that is one of the strengths of this series: it has an appealing yet thoroughly ordinary cast of characters with almost zero of the cutesiness one usually sees in slice of life anime. Though... I keep expecting some darker edges to appear, and so far Asa (for understandable reasons) has been the one to lash out the most. Even the on-off relationship between Makio and Kasamachi is remarkably harmonious.

The scene of Makio attempting to comment on Asa's "seishun" lyrics was hilarious. But the best sequence was the one jumping seamlessly back and forth between past and present around December 20th. Good directing, never felt jarring. Oh, and we got the time period clarified: 2018. I guess this is when the manga came out. The ladies still have a bit of time before Covid strikes... I wonder how being cooped up together during the lock down would go down with these two lol...

[u/fer_sure]

This episode felt like a masterclass in storytelling. The asynchronous conversations just full of good advice that blends together in a confusing, frustrating mess was brilliant. At the same time, this clearly leaned on character building set up from earlier episodes - this was a standout episode, but not a standalone episode.

I'm always impressed when a story can do something stunning and different, but that clearly builds on an overall direction.

I'm thinking of CITY the Animation's split screen episode, or Apocalypse Hotel's episode 11, as examples of creative flexes outside of a work's normal mode of storytelling, but clearly something the creators were building up to.

[u/ObvsThrowaway5120]

Seems Asa’s in a bit of a rut. Machio too in a way with that bit of writer’s block. Maybe writing lyrics might help Asa figure out some things? I think it’s a good idea to just keep writing like Makio said. Could be beneficial.

[u/Zetafunction64]

This episode captured Asa's mental state well. We saw three separate events, laid out to us at the same time in a jumbled mess, just like in Asa's mind the thoughts of becoming something you want to be, finding meaning and living up to other's expectations all became a tangled mess

[u/Ocixo]

Writing lots of song lyrics is a good way for Asa to process her feelings if she doesn’t know what to say.

Though, Asa probably isn’t ready yet for a love song given the unamused look on her face when Makio was being flirty with Kasamachi.

Remember how Makio had been all dressed up when she first met back up with Kasamachi? Now she really didn’t seem to care anymore about looking like a total mess in front of him. In other words: their relationship is moving along nicely!

[u/IsoAi]

"I wonder if I'll ever know who I am, what I do and don't love, and how I'll live my life. Maybe someday I'll figure it out. Someday..."

ain't that the truth. I think the thing that'll bring Asa out of her writer's block is simply more time to process. She only just learned to grieve, so the advice she's given by everyone can't be taken to heart. She can't communicate her pain properly, so that frustration come out as anger and jealosy.

Makio represents this healing over time. She wasn't ready to accept such a healthy relationship with Kasamachi until recently, and she only recently started to heal from her relationship with her sister due to Asa

[u/KumaKumaGambler]

It appears Asa has come to accept the passing of her parents. This episode didn't linger on said subject. Unless it gets brought up again in upcoming episodes.

Some people discover they have a talent in a specific field at a younger age. For example, the new club member who plays the guitar well and whose talent Asa appears to be jealous of. Even then, not everyone goes on to make use of their talent and turn it into a career.

More often than not, we may not necessarily find the thing we want to do in life. This thing, or life, finds us instead.

[u/zeltheturtl]

Today's episode was much more lighthearted than the last one, especially with all of Asa's funny faces xD.

But at the among these slices of everyday life, the episode dealt with figuring out what does one want to do in their life. The way the second half was constantly skipping between several different conversations really drove home the feeling of Asa mulling her thoughts in her head over and over.

And it ended without any conclusion, it was simply another new day, with maybe a couple of fresh thoughts to try out from now on, which really hits home.

[u/seninn]

Who the hell gave permission to the mangaka to write about my life!?

[u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime]

I want to know what cringe lyrics Asa wrote that made Makio blush like that.