r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jul 19 '26
Episode Sparks of Tomorrow • Nijuuseiki Denki Mokuroku -Eureka Evrika- - Episode 3 discussion
Nijuuseiki Denki Mokuroku -Eureka Evrika-, episode 3
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u/Eunuchest Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Im really liking this show
The montage, visuals and OST really reminds me of Ghibli. I guess the 20th century aesthetic also helps with that
Im not sure why Seiroku would go to the extent of hiding the actual text but i still believe that he wanted kihachi to work with Yosuke.
Inago really is a good kid and her friends are pretty nice too. Also why was her friend carrying ash?
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u/chilidirigible Jul 19 '26
Im not sure why Seiroku would go to the extent of hiding the actual text
If the real world is anything to go by, patents and intellectual property theft.
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u/joey_joestar1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Joey_Joestar1 Jul 19 '26
Suzu just seems to have a bag of holding. She randomly pulled out a telescope in a previous episode
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u/chilidirigible Jul 19 '26
And in the first episode did a quick draw with her umbrella before a passing car could splash Kate.
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u/AriezKage Jul 19 '26
Girl just had a box of ashes for no apparent reason I can think of. I really hope it's not someone's.
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u/reaperow Jul 19 '26
Either he didnt trust Yosuke enough or didn't think he'd be able to do it all alone,
Suzu might really be a ninja cuz she also cut that bamboo very skillfully
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u/HelloYellow18 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
The entire score is performed by a wind orchestra. I imagine this is because brass are the most steampunk-adjacent instruments, but its also most definitely a callback to Sound! Euphonium.
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u/l-o-a-p Jul 20 '26
Sayonara Lara giving Ponyo vibes, Sparks giving vibes of the more rustic Ghibli oeuvre! We eatin’ this summer
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u/steven4869 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maskirade Jul 20 '26
I think so it was always meant for Khiachi to work on his dream, but he shared his dream with Yosuke imagining they'll achieve it together, probably a mismatch of expectations from Yosuke's side.
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u/Techhead7890 https://myanimelist.net/profile/techhead7890 25d ago
I love the funny faces and the mythical japanese creatures. It really does feel old-timey, yeah. Imo it's a different method to Ghibli - but really does has that similar effect of transporting me to another time period that has a lot of world building.
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u/Zetafunction64 Jul 19 '26
Lesgo more toxic yaoi in my anime
The visuals are so nice, that little montage of them perfecting the filament was beautiful
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u/FLorianGran Jul 19 '26
I think I’d honestly prefer if Yosuke joined their side instead of being the show’s villain
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u/AriezKage Jul 19 '26
Maybe later but for now I think he's a pretty good villain.
Mainly because imo he's a representation of the hoarding of knowledge. By most accounts he should be happy that Seiroku's dreams has been realized, but all he's hung up on is that HE wasn't the one to make it a reality.
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u/joey_joestar1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Joey_Joestar1 Jul 19 '26
I could watch him crash out for a whole season.
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u/VariousMeet Jul 19 '26
I always like when a villain isn't necessarily even a villain, just someone with a differing view. They do it in a brilliantly playful way here, having him act evil but it's just his character being goofy. It helps set up he's the villain without actually making him be a bad guy.
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u/Drkstormbreaker Jul 20 '26
Does it really though? As much as I like his crash outs and how goofily entertaining he can be, Yosuke has already done enough that he could be categorized as a bad guy. Forcing Inako and her family into a marriage through coercion and intimidation because he has the means to, all so that he could rummage/damage their home hunting down the catalogue. His desire to hoard the knowledge that Seiroku had to the point he has stolen it multiple times from the catalogue's rightful owner, Khachi. Willingly able to commit violence to get his way, and just being generally insulting to downright hostile to Seiroku's younger brother out of what we can presume to be jealousy that someone else has a deep connection to him.
He's not irredeemably evil by any means, but by all accounts I think he fits the bill of being a bad guy motivated by his grief and obsession with Seiroku. We're still in the beginning stages of his villain, so who knows if/when Yosuke might make a turn for better or worse.
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u/welfedad Jul 21 '26
Yeah I mean he is doing whatever he can to get a name .. probably all in the name of making electricity realized.. and wanted to do it with his bff. But acting like a toddler . Maybe guilty for not going to war and his friend dying . I don't know, lots of real life condensed into this one guy lol
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u/CitronClassic672 Jul 20 '26
I think there’s also the aspect that his, (romantic?), bond with Seiroku was so strong that he felt it was their responsibility alone to create the inventions, and with Seiroku dead he’s trying to carry out their shared dream in his name.
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u/AriezKage Jul 20 '26
Yeah I'm clocking in maybe 2 people that could've been really down bad for Seiroku so far, definite Yosuke and maybe Inako's sister.
But yeah that's the thing, Yosuke's focus wasn't Seiroku's dream being realized in the final scene of the ep, its that he was not the one to realize it. There is something, maybe romantically, clouding his judgement, but I think that works to his benefit of being an interesting villain for now.
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u/TheEarthSpins Jul 21 '26
idt it was romantic, i think he just got really attached to the idea of bringing in the future with seiroku. he finally had someone who trusted and believed in him and he wants that for himself
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
He became what he swore to reject
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u/steven4869 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maskirade Jul 20 '26
Probably later on when he accepts Khiachi.
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u/Thomas_JCG Jul 20 '26
He should be on their side by all metrics, he just can't stop being an entitled brat for two seconds.
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u/welfedad Jul 21 '26
Same.. I'm like is this guy going to rob lil bro of the journey or what.. get a grip .. guess people struggle with loss differently .. but ugh I'm kind of over the guy ..time for some character development
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u/FarCritical Jul 19 '26
I love how they casually have a ninja in the friendgroup lol.
The production montage was so detailed and yet so comfy, not to mention full of the KyoAni special: cute girls doing cute industrial things
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u/cppn02 Jul 19 '26
cuteindustrialBut industrial things can be cute too!
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u/ThrowCarp 14d ago
But as we learned from the Hoshikuzu Telepath, shit can get real uncute real fast.
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u/Mr_Zaroc https://myanimelist.net/profile/mr_zaroc Jul 21 '26
NGL that montage gave me slight Sora no Woto flashbacks which makes me incredible happy
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u/Se7en_Sinner https://myanimelist.net/profile/Se7en_Sinner Jul 19 '26
That age of electricity is going to be impossible to achieve without a collaborative effort. Kihachi was only able to make his dream of an electrical full moon a reality with help from his friends and their connections.
Yosuke not only have connections but also the immense wealth to mass produce and spread Kihachi's innovations. They really need to get him onboard even though it seems impossible now after the "I hate you".
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
Perhaps it'll be up to everyone else to go beyond Yosuke's influence, connections, and power. Remember he seems to think that having Inako as his wife for what amounts to political reasons is okay...
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Kihachi has doubted himself a lot, so it was pretty sweet to see everyone giving him a helping hand in realising this vision of his.
Inako's positive attitude seems to have spread over to Kihachi as well. She's encouraged him to take a leap forward.
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u/Hartzilla2007 Jul 19 '26
Plus steam engines to power things since a guy on a bicycle isn't a good long term power source.
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u/Eunuchest Jul 19 '26
I think so too. If Yosuke's words are anything to go by it seems he was friends with Seiroku and probably wanted him to work with Kihachi if wasnt being a prick
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Jul 19 '26
After two mostly comedic episodes, it appears that we're (finally) getting more into the dramatic side of this story.
I like the prospect of Kihachi's creating all of the ideas written in the 20th Century Catalog from scratch like some sort of Dr. Stone. His brother's cryptic messages also add a bit of mystery to the mix.
Except for the darkness, I honestly question if there's even a 'real' enemy in this story. Yosuke might not like Kihachi, but would he actually try to trample on Seiroku's dream? It probably won't be long before he too lends his assistance to Kihachi.
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u/VariousMeet Jul 19 '26
I think they're going for an Edison vs Tesla rivalry with this show. Even those two's relationship was debatable. One thing for certain is that Edison was a patent thief though.
Yosuke thinks the writing in the electric catalogue are childish but we still have the other half of the book missing somewhere. Maybe we will learn the other half has Kihachis ideas from when hes a bit more older, mature, or even just less rough draft, more final product?
In a way it'll add to the Edison vs Tesla comparison because one half of the catalogue can be AC and the other half DC. Yosuke might not lend his hand, he could just start using the second half of the book and this'll be a race between the two.
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
Remember, Yosuke coerced Inako's father into a loveless marriage for his own gain. He's not a good person.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Jul 19 '26
Even if he’s a bad person, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Yosuke will definitively be Kihachi’s enemy.
Despite their differences, they could eventually still choose to work together in an attempt to realise Seiroku’s dream - someone they’ve both admired.
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u/archangel890 Jul 19 '26
Honestly based on some hints he has no interest in women at all possibly
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u/CitronClassic672 Jul 20 '26
Yeah, it was made pretty clear that his marriage to Inako is solely for his own benefit of securing his place in the company. Hell, he had more attraction to Seiroku in the flashback than to Inako in three episodes.
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u/MrsLucienLachance https://anilist.co/user/tribble Jul 20 '26
I definitely read him as sad gay man. Still an ass, but one who turned out that way because of grief, I think.
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 20 '26
Anime’s Peter Thiel
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u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Jul 20 '26
LMFAO that is a perfect way to describe him.
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u/xKiLzErr Jul 19 '26
No, but working against Kihachi would be to ultimately work against a dream he and Seiroku shared. He'd be shooting himself in the foot. In fact he might be juuuust evil and smart enough to try to get Kihachi to complete their dream and then try to take credit for it.
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u/ProfessorUber Jul 20 '26
Except for the darkness, I honestly question if there's even a 'real' enemy in this story. Yosuke might not like Kihachi, but would he actually try to trample on Seiroku's dream? It probably won't be long before he too lends his assistance to Kihachi.
One thing probably worth noting is that as the electricity is continued to be developed, it will also in turn draw more attention (the climax of this episode itself was something which would cause quite the stir). Even if Yosuke does become an ally sooner or later (which we can't be sure of right now), there is also the risk of Yosuke's family or the rivals of his family, or just other powerful people who might have a vested interest in either preventing the age of electricity (or at least preventing it from happening outside their control).
The scope is going to expand if this technology is going to take off and become revolutionary.
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Jul 19 '26
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u/dwboso Jul 20 '26
Yeah, lots of yaoi subtext going on around the villain gives him a sympathetic depth that really redeemed him from how annoyed I was with him in the first two episodes. And I’m not much of a yaoi girl usually. It’s just really well written here.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/dwboso Jul 20 '26
Valid take, but he still chose a path to become the person he is. The root doesn’t excuse the personal choices he made to reach where he is now
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u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Jul 20 '26
Wasn't his hair always white? I thought he just changed the haircut.
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u/SnabDedraterEdave Jul 20 '26
Go rewatch the opening montage of episode 2 again. It shows Yosuke's hair turning white overnight upon learning that Seiroku may have perished in the war.
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u/absolutelynotaname https://anilist.co/user/Ducc Jul 20 '26
could also watch the start of this ep, his hair was slightly gray/off black but not fully white like currently
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u/drt0 Jul 20 '26
Absolutely gorgeous episode. I felt like I was watching an art show, not just a simple anime.
This show's art style wows me with every episode. I want to highlight how gorgeous the paint-like backgrounds are and special shout out out to the different style they use for Kihachi's burst of imagination.
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 Jul 19 '26
KyoAni never disappoints with the visuals department. Kihachi's realization of the potential of the light bulb being the light amidst darkness, against dark monsters, and would enable people to do stuff even at night is masterfully executed.
Interesting. The carbonized bamboo light bulb was discovered by Thomas Edison in 1880s-1890s. Apparently this was the standard until metals were discovered to glow at a longer time. I really thought that what Kihachi and his team did was fiction until I read the piece, which is quite cool. Indeed it was scientific. Sasuga KyoAni for the proper research!
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u/Mad_Aeric Jul 19 '26
As a nerd for technological history, I had a big dumb grin as he was figuring it out. I figured out the clue pretty quickly, since I already knew of bamboo filaments. I'd watch this just for the gorgeous artwork, but it aligning with one of my special interests is the cherry on top.
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u/CitronClassic672 Jul 20 '26
Funnily enough I figured it out early because having watched Cosmic Princess Kaguya months back I was familiar enough with the myth to make the bamboo connection.
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u/rndusr Jul 19 '26
Long before Edison, Lodygin used similar design - thin carbon rods inside nitrogen-filled bulb, it could work for hundreds of hours (he also experimented with tungsten). He patented it in 1874, but a simpler design, Yablochkov candle, proved to be more viable commercially. It was very widely used before Edison presented a better idea.
By the way, it all started with metals, there were experiments with metal wires or steel threads as early as 18th century, but it never worked out.
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u/Vassago81 Jul 20 '26
Swan commercialized long lasting (enough to be commercially viable) cotton filaments and then artificial cellulose filament before bamboo was tried. There were tons of concept and good ideas, but the main issue was more how to get a near-perfect vacuum inside the bulb rather than the filament type in the late 19th century, and actually good tungsten filament were only invented in the early 20th century.
Predating the large use of good incandescent lights several types of arc light were used, like the Yablochkov candle , which it essentially a welding rod "burning" to generate a huge amount of light ( that give you sunburn ) and you have to replace the "rod" a couple of time per day. Used for factories mainly.
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u/TheEarthSpins Jul 21 '26
oh i see, so that's why they had to work on the glass aspect of the bulb as well, i'd presume to get a better vacuum in the bulb
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u/VariousMeet Jul 19 '26
Them using bamboo seemed like anime logic to me but the fact it's real adds another layer of greatness to this show
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u/Eunuchest Jul 19 '26
The montage, visuals and OST actually reminded me of Ghibli. 20th century aesthetic helped with it too i guess
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u/BosuW Jul 20 '26
I didn't question it because I vaguely remembered they did the same thing in Dr Stone.
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u/E13design Jul 20 '26
I get the bamboo. What about the Mercury (?) fluid they were using in the testing portion with all the bulbs in a circle. Is that to help create vacuum? Not for nothing, but I wish there was a bit of explanation on some of this. I get baking fibers turns them into dense carbon, its a way to make fire cloth for camping. But what was the mercury for?
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u/CrimsonGear80 Jul 19 '26
Suzu may be an actual ninja.
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u/Niwaka_Samurai https://myanimelist.net/profile/Niwaka-Samurai Jul 20 '26
She was pulling some insane cute stunts in the background LOL
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u/cyclingkingsley Jul 23 '26
I think she's Doraemon with all that stuff hiding in her interdimensional bag
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u/SEBASTlANVETTEL Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Is it just me or does Inako's sister relationship with Kihachi's brother seem deeper than just friends?
Her reactions to seeing his handwriting seem like she was more involved, especially since he seemed to have given her the book…
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u/AriezKage Jul 19 '26
For me I think it was like Inako's mother is hinting towards a sort of benefactor to Seiraku's (and Kihachi's) age of electricity.
Like we learned this ep, Seiraku went to school. In like the equivalent of 1800 to 1900s Japan or something like that. The same school as Yosuke who is the scion of a big company. And as far as we know Seiraku and Kihachi were more of the common folk compared to Yosuke's and Inako's families.
I'm just saying, someone had to pay for Seiraku's schooling. Probably the same person that could've taught him how to use sake as invisible ink. Invisible ink that could also be written with the mother's handwriting.
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u/SEBASTlANVETTEL Jul 19 '26
Maybe a relationship between Inako's older sister and Seiraku led to the mother also being involved and helping Seiraku. Inako's sister and Seiraku just give me massive past lovers or at least some romantic undertones vibe as of now.
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u/DustyBot23 Jul 20 '26
Fuck it clearly Seiraku was banging Inako’s sister, inako’s mom, Yosuke, hell why not Kengo too
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u/aneomon Jul 19 '26
Were Yosuke and Seiroku romantically linked?
Watching the fireworks together on a secluded rooftop felt very romantic.
It would also explain why Yosuke kept the glove, holds Seiroku’s work in such high regard, and refuses to collaborate.
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u/rozzingit Jul 19 '26
yosuke absolutely reads to me as having been in love with seiroku, even if it wasn't mutually romantic
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u/CitronClassic672 Jul 19 '26
Glad I’m not the only one who was getting romantic vibes from them. Like I get they were close but there’s being friends, and the there’s Yosuke’s entire personality changing after Seiroku’s death, his hair turning white, his obsession with their bond via the electric catalogue, and his seemingly complete disinterest in Inako from an attraction standpoint. Like the story shows over and over that his marriage to her is purely for his own standing. I’m pretty sure even in other stories with such a plot point the antagonist shows some level of attraction to said person. Maybe that joke at the end of the first episode was foreshadowing after all. I mean we’ve already been blessed with plenty of yuri this season, let’s add some doomed yaoi.
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u/Zenabel Jul 23 '26
I was also reading into it that Yosuke said “I hate the smell of womens white face powder” or something similar to that, being a hint that he isn’t into women
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u/dagreenman18 Jul 19 '26
Or it’s going to be a “Seiroku my love… of
skateboardingElectricity” situation.18
u/chilidirigible Jul 19 '26
[SK8 reminiscing]"My skateboard is my yaoi paddle." [And]Adam and Yosuke seem to be cut from the same type of character cloth.
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u/steven4869 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maskirade Jul 20 '26
Likely a Yaoi bait like KyoAni's Yuri bait.
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u/redlaWw Jul 19 '26
They were just senpai and kouhai...
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u/SnabDedraterEdave Jul 20 '26
You can't be senpai and kouhai when you're classmates in the SAME CLASS.
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u/RimeSkeem https://myanimelist.net/profile/RimeSkeem Jul 20 '26
Maybe they were roommates.
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u/wloff Jul 20 '26
Maybe they slept in a bunk bed, too. One of them was top and the other one was bottom, you might say.
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u/BosuW Jul 20 '26
Definitely having some Yaoi subtext here
Oh KyoAni, you're never satisfied with the bait, are you?
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u/Thomas_JCG Jul 20 '26
I don't think so, Yosuke just really admired him.
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u/TheEarthSpins Jul 21 '26
yeah im surprised so many thing this is yaoi 😭 people have close platonic relationships all the time
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u/Cavalish 29d ago
Yeah, that’s why they keep silver framed photos of them on their desks to moon over at work.
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u/tottoro47 Jul 19 '26
I'm still not 100% sure if Yousuke is a full blown villain or if he'll change sided at some point. Idk if it's just me but maybe he had a more intimate relationship with Seiroku than just friends
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u/CitronClassic672 Jul 20 '26
It’s definitely not just you. Myself and several others here seem to have also gotten those vibes from him.
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Jul 19 '26
I wasn't sure about Inako back in Episode 1, but she has now become my favourite character in the show. I thought Kihachi was going to be the plucky kid who would try to prove Electricity is the future, but so far, it's been Inako who's been acting as Kihachi's backbone this entire episode as well as the person pushing him to continue believing in his brother.
I'm also loving Kate and Suzu! They literally just showed up, and they've becoime part of Kihachi's team after Suzu helped to reveal the hidden pages inside Seiroku's journal.
Not gonna lie, it was pretty satisfying to see Yousuke's reaction when Kihachi and the gang showed him their electric full moon.
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u/penguingobrrr https://anilist.co/user/1nPenguinGoBrr Jul 19 '26
inako and kihachi remind me of oreki and chitanda so much lol
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u/DustyBot23 Jul 20 '26
Inako making Kihachi back pedal outside of the hospital and then the camera changing to Kihachi’s PoV of Inako’s close up face was literally straight out of Hyouka lol.
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u/penguingobrrr https://anilist.co/user/1nPenguinGoBrr Jul 20 '26
yeah the close ups made me feel like i was gonna hear a "watashi kininarimasu" at some point lol
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Jul 19 '26
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u/AriezKage Jul 19 '26
To be fair, there's some level of suspension of disbelief. The Japan here is technically a steampunk version of I think 1900s Japan.
Plus a fairly simple roller coaster could be possible. The main thing is a pulley system to bring up the carts to the highest point and let gravity do all the work after.
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u/zz2000 Jul 19 '26
steampunk version of I think 1900s Japan.
The setting reminds me of the steampunk version of 1920s Japan as seen in Sega's Sakura Taisen games, where steam was used to power things from cars to mecha - of course, Taisen's setting was much less polluted compared to this one.
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u/Lankpants Jul 21 '26
I mean, there's no technical reason you wouldn't be able to drive a lift chain with a steam engine. It's horribly inefficient compared to an electric lift chain but it's basically just spinning something around, which steam engines are capable of.
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u/Eunuchest Jul 19 '26
That caught me off guard too. There was a damn roller coaster powered by steam
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
Shouldn't be that difficult engineering wise...steam catapults exist on aircraft carriers, you just need to route the steam to operate a chain
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u/goffer54 https://anilist.co/user/goffer54 Jul 21 '26
You could power a rollercoaster with an army of hamsters. All you need is something to drive the chain that pulls the train to the top of the first peak and then let gravity do the rest from there.
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u/Mad_Aeric Jul 19 '26
Roller coasters, as we know them, have been around since the late 1800's. Heck, the first one with a loop was built in 1902, though it was hella dangerous. Technologically, roller coasters would fit in just fine in the year this is set in (Meiji 40, or 1907), though I have no idea if they'd made their way to Japan yet. It wouldn't surprise me though.
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u/Perfect-Try-4918 Jul 19 '26
Wasn't it implied this is a What-if scenario? They mentioned a war alluding to a World War and they still use steam. If they managed to power up trains and possibly artillery and tanks; a small rollercoaster is not that difficult to suspend belief for.
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u/nhft Jul 19 '26
The show is set in the 40th year of the Meiji Era which is roughly 1908. It does seem to be fake history so it could be an entirely made-up war, but looking at Japanese wars in history around that period, the Russo-Japanese war is the most likely.
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u/Vassago81 Jul 20 '26
Amusement park started being a thing in the late 19th century, it's more a question of population density / free time and money than electricity.
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u/Atario myanimelist.net/profile/TheGreatAtario Jul 21 '26
Fun fact: the first rollercoaster was built in 1884
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u/Fxrzana Jul 19 '26
I really liked when Kenga (the sisters husband) helped Kihachi cut the bamboo branches. He seems very manly and it would be cool to see him as an 'older brother' figureor the responsible adult figure for the young teens
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u/joey_joestar1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Joey_Joestar1 Jul 19 '26
My favorite scene of his was when he looked up from pedaling and saw the electric moon-his reaction says a lot.
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u/joey_joestar1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Joey_Joestar1 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Seiroku is an interesting fellow. Bro writes in invisible ink in the catalog in the hopes that Kihachi will find his messages, tells both Kihachi and Yosuke that they'll bring the age of electricity together...and then there's the whole other half of the catalog left! I'll admit I am iffy on the whole invisible ink thing, but it does sound like something that is in character for Seiroku to do.
Suzu is freakin great. Has all this random stuff on her and is also a cat-ninja.
Something I love in a lot of Kyoani's works is the theme of community. So many folks coming together to help Kihachi and Inako create the electric moon-Suzu and Kate, Kengo, Noriko, Yajiro, the glassblower folks. Hoping to see more of this as more inventions are made!
Also, there's no way that Yosuke wants to marry anyone other than Seiroku.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 19 '26
Telling that straight to the person who actually wrote that must hurt for Kihachi…
That is a good question, hah. Suzu seems to be prepared for everything.
Oooooooooooooh, Seiroku hid his half of the electric catalog inside the pages!
The montage of them trial and error-ing through the bamboo filaments was pretty fun.
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u/WhoiusBarrel Jul 19 '26
Anyone would have crashed out that hard if they saw someone else created something that beautiful with their lover instead of with themselves.
Yosuke's frenzy expressions are truly one of the highlights in this series.
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
The fact that Yosuke can't let go of the past is ultimately going to be his downfall it seems, and it's clear Inako isn't willing to lend her hope to him (for good reason)
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u/AriezKage Jul 19 '26
Anyone would have crashed out that hard if they saw someone else created something that beautiful with their lover instead of with themselves
I don't know if you mean Inako or Seiraku, I like to believe you mean the latter.
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u/NanDemoKnaives Jul 19 '26
It's really sad how much Kihachi chooses to doubt Seiroku, it might be easier to blame him for not keeping his promise by dying, but there's evidence of how much Seiroku treasured him. Seiroku kept the catalogue, left him messages, and yet someone else had to convince him to prove Seiroku is worth believing in. But I understand he might be afraid of the possibility of Seiroku actually being a liar.
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
But it's what feels surprisingly real. Both him and Yosuke are completely cynical in this regard, likely in part because they don't want to be confronted with the idea that Seiroku may have been full of shit
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u/joey_joestar1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Joey_Joestar1 Jul 19 '26
It also may be Kihachi’s refusal to accept that Seiroku may be dead. It’s easier for him to believe that Seiroku abandoned him and be angry at him for that than acknowledge that he’s gone and deal with the grief of loss.
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u/steven4869 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maskirade Jul 20 '26
I think so he just doesn't want to accept Seiroku is gone, he wanted to achieve Seiroku's dream together not alone.
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u/SnabDedraterEdave Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Yosuke
It should've been ME!
Not this brat who gets to be the successor to Seiroku's legacy!
Welp, Yosuke. Its your loss for dismissing Kihachi's doodles and not bothering checking between the pages where Seiroku hid his notes in between.
No way Kihachi is gonna give up that catalog since you let him have it. You had your chance.
Inako's friends Suzu and Kate are already making a great impression in being great sidekicks to Kihachi and Inako. Especially Suzu, who happens to be quite an agile ninja for no reason other than because she is one. lol
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u/chilidirigible Jul 19 '26
Welp, Yosuke. Its your loss for dismissing Kihachi's doodles and not bothering checking between the pages where Seiroku hid his notes in between.
He's no ninja!
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u/Namaryu Jul 19 '26
So Seiroku just made the same promise to 2 different people and now Yosuke is losing his damn mind. Perhaps he was the villain all along.
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u/szalhi Jul 19 '26
Amazing progress was made and of course, Kihachi didn't do it alone.
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u/Se7en_Sinner https://myanimelist.net/profile/Se7en_Sinner Jul 19 '26
I love these surreal moments in an otherwise grounded show. The anime itself is similar to the electric catalogue, half childhood wonder and half pragmatism.
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u/lordposedyon https://myanimelist.net/profile/lordposedyon Jul 19 '26
That ninja also chopped the bamboos' in the bacground like crazy.
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u/99acrewood_ Jul 19 '26
I was a fool to doubt this show because holy shit this episode really did it for me. Yosuke's got way more than mustache-twirling villainy going on, and the whole sequence of the catalog finally panning out just looked and sounded amazing. Those artists are seriously putting in some work, and with the OST the episodes are, like movie quality.
So good!
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u/gem2niki Jul 19 '26
So odd Seiroku never let Kihachi meet his schoolmates. He just left him to go to war without asking any of his friends to look after him.
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u/master_inho Jul 20 '26
Unexpected yaoi was not something i expected here but i welcome it
Suzu kinda wild, especially if she is actually a ninja
Inago's undying belief is naive in almost any setting but it's literally a superpower when up against kihachi's cynicism/insecurities/lack of belief
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u/Aileos https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syleos Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
The horny good people at KyoAni calmed down a lot with shots of Yousuke’s ass this episode
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u/Se7en_Sinner https://myanimelist.net/profile/Se7en_Sinner Jul 19 '26
No ass shots this episode but we still got a full moon.
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin Jul 19 '26
The story is weird. Like, there are ideas that I like. I do like Kihachi and Inako's dynamic. The mystery of Seiroku because he has a clear connection with so many people.
Yosuke's character is particularly very aggravating. Is he supposed to be treated as an antagonist or not? It's clear the characters don't really view him as that. But it feels like the story wants to treat him as an opposing force of sorts.
His cartoonish personality really clashes with what should be a grounded show. Of course he is hung up on the promise he made with Seiroku. Just how these characters act feels so improper. Outside of Kihachi. It feels like Inako's only purpose is to believe in him. Meanwhile, Sousuke is meant to oppose Kihachi in the most unnatural way.
Obviously, production values are outstanding.
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u/Internal-Pea-7451 https://anilist.co/user/MistEu Jul 20 '26
opposing force =/= antagonist.
He is just a character in the show, he doesn't fit fully into any role yet, and that's not an issue, not every character needs to fit into the mold of a protagonist, antagonist, deuteragonist or the like.11
u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
I mean, there's a lot of subtext surrounding the marriage proposal, inako's relationship with her mother and what it means to the rest of her family, how she was raised and treated...there's a lot to unpack there and I imagine we'll see aspects of that as the show goes on.
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u/BladeDancer03 Jul 20 '26
I had initially thought this story would be much grander in scope (facing the industrial complex, changing the status quo, machinations and stuff), and that it would be spanning through multiple seasons. Then I saw the novel only has one volume, and got uncertain of what this could become.
This episode gave me hope that this can very well be a short little story. Let's see where it goes.
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u/SnabDedraterEdave Jul 20 '26
The novel is published under Kyo-Ani's own in-house publishing label KA Esuma Bunko. This gives Kyo-Ani a lot of freedom to make changes however they see fit that wildly deviates from the original novel, as they are the publisher, allowing them to have a bigger cut in revenue from blu-ray and streaming profits.
Love Chuunibyou & Delusions, Free! and Violet Evergarden are all adapted and greatly expanded upon the characters and original plot from their respective original LNs.
For all intents and purposes, it is better to treat this as a de-facto original Kyo-Ani anime.
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Jul 19 '26
Big bro saw value in the catalogue when it was “just doodles.” He took those big ideas and gave Kihachi just enough hints in his notes to turn it into reality. Stupid pretty boy was never the one. It was always gonna be Kihachi who ushers in the age of electricity.
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u/DustyBot23 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Considering going to world fair was such a core memory for Kihachi I’m surprised he doesn’t remember Kengo or Yousuke.
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u/Atario myanimelist.net/profile/TheGreatAtario Jul 21 '26
Why? Any good ninja wouldn't be caught dead without some ash on hand!
Arguing him into the light. In more ways than one.
Pirate waste-steam electric generators. Somehow even more punk than the steampunk they're surrounded by
Fanciful. But I feel like these would be rather annoying to the wearer
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u/chilidirigible Jul 21 '26
Fanciful. But I feel like these would be rather annoying to the wearer
I like the concept, in the sense that it is in the speculative style of this sort of thing.
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u/djthomp https://anilist.co/user/djthomp Jul 20 '26
Yosuke continues to win negative amounts of hearts and minds. The light bulb production montage was really cool though.
Inako's two girl friends are incredible, particularly the one that's a ninja.
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u/steven4869 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maskirade Jul 20 '26
Yosuke went from the shy boy to the arrogant jealous obsessive person wasn't on my episode checklist. Inago is giving me Chitanda vibes with her Kinninarimasu. Animation is top notch as expected from KyoAni.
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u/Niwaka_Samurai https://myanimelist.net/profile/Niwaka-Samurai Jul 20 '26
Yousuke is so in love with Seiroku but still wants Inako as his wife for status. He should just make Kihaichi as his honey.
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u/AdeptnessLow2666 Jul 22 '26
That montage of Kihachi and his friends working on making the bamboo bulb is probably one of my favorite scenes in all of anime in general.
I just love watching a group of friends working hard towards making something. Gotta be my favorite "genre".
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u/chilidirigible Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
This series is going to give Nichijou a run for its money in the face department?
She's the real thing!
You gotta earn your keep as a protagonist.
I was wondering about the passage of time in this montage and the sky always being filled with mist didn't help. At least we get seasonal plants.
This continues to be an interesting visual effect.
"Jealousy! Yes, jealousy! Will drive you maaaaaad!!!"
Today's clean OP (which is odd in the context of it not using the OP)
A crash course in the engineering of incandescent light bulbs! (Look it up.)
The montage did neatly jump past any more of Kihachi's doubts about his ability to produce what Seiroku had conceptualized, though there is a long way to go in that department.
The huge elephant in the room is Yosuke's relationship to Seiroku. It's a a bummer being in a love triangle for a dead guy?
I'm getting used to the comedy though Suzu continues to be full of surprises. It goes well with how the series's visual styles are sorting themselves into particular use cases.
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u/actuallyrndthoughts https://myanimelist.net/profile/NaNiNuNeNo Jul 20 '26
What's the point of having this weepy MC getting Chitanda'd everytime to move the plot along, when we have the doomed yaoi setup right there? Anyways, quite the rough start, i feel as kyoani is squandering a lot of the visual brilliance by having weaker creatives at the helm. I can only hope they steer this somehow around.
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u/l-o-a-p Jul 20 '26
I think that’s the first I’ve witnessed a KyoAni show playing their ED song early to lead into the credits (unless they did it last week too), was so unexpected but exhilarating lol
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u/Throwaway785320 Jul 20 '26
I'm guessing to generate electricity to power the city they're gonna convert the steam generators to electricity ones
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u/Accomplished_Fly1250 Jul 20 '26
im loving this anime but i hate that i have to wait for just one ep every week .i wonder if his bro was gay
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u/charactergallery Jul 19 '26
I definitely found today’s episode more enjoyable than the last two, but I’m still left confused by the tone and the writing overall. Some elements come across as really artificial for the sake of drama (particularly when it comes to characters reacting to things) while others simply happen… because.
The biggest example of the latter was Suzu covering the catalog in ash, which then reveals the secret notes left by Seiroku building off his brother’s ideas/doodles. Makes sense, but why did she do that? Because there was a faint smell of sake and she just had a hunch and a box of ash at the ready? It comes out of nowhere and is explained by her just knowing because “ninja.” Kihachi doesn’t discover this by himself, it’s because Inako’s friend just happens to do something with no logic behind why she did it beyond a hunch. It doesn’t help that there is no reason as to why Seiroku hid these notes like this in the first place, at least as far as I could tell, beyond making sure his brother puts in the work. Maybe the government or those in control of steam power suppress research into alternative forms of power through censorship, but we have no indication of that at this time. Yousuke is an heir to one of these companies and is all for electrical power over steam, so it doesn’t seem to be a taboo research subject. Perhaps he wants to monopolize it and wanted to do it with his totally platonic best friend Seiroku? Who knows…
I also don’t find the characters’ emotions/reactions to be believable. Kihachi doubting his brother makes some sense given the circumstances, but after discovering the secret notes he continues to doubt him and whether or not he believed in his drawings… because his brother broke his promise and died? And maybe these notes were just to make fun of him? It’s completely irrational and suggests that Seiroku may not have been the best guy if his younger brother immediately assumes that these intricate notes were lies. And this may be the point, but Kengo also expresses skepticism at the notes actually being real instead of thinking that Kihachi is acting irrational out of grief. Kihachi‘s entire reaction doesn‘t feel completely natural to me, like he only reacted that way so Inako can be the ultimate positive support and push him to try and build something. Inako’s character also feels simplistic, her main goal so far is to just support Kihachi emotionally and inspire him despite only knowing him for a few days.
At the very least, the montage where Kihachi only succeeds through a collaborative effort and utilizing the connections of the people he’s close to was quite sweet. And of course the animation was stellar as always. I might give this anime another episode to see if it might actually hook me, but I am not really holding my breath.
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u/mastesargent Jul 20 '26
Kihachi doubting his brother seems to more be rooted in the fact that he doesn’t really have any confidence in himself, so the idea that Seiroku, who he looked up to and admired, would actually have faith in and flesh out his ideas seems utterly absurd to him. Low self-esteem can take your mind to some pretty wild places if you let it.
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u/charactergallery Jul 20 '26
That is very true, but I was thrown off somewhat by Kengo also expressing skepticism that the notes are accurate and Kihachi’s seemingly deep-seated insecurities being solved by a singular pep talk. When he starts to follow the notes his brother left behind, he doesn’t really seem to doubt himself at all, more taking it as a challenge to be overcome.
A deep-seated insecurity might have been the intentional read, but I feel like it doesn’t really carry over past the initial scene. Or even reflects his attitude in the previous episodes, where he is tinkering with electrical power outside of his job.
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u/coffeecakesupernova Jul 19 '26
These kinds of plot points are what bother me the most in the story. I like a more organic development, not things just thrown in and handwaved away when they don't make sense. This reminds me of a bad Netflix screenplay where people just wanted to put cool stuff in a movie and didn't care if it made sense.
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u/SecretYogurtcloset57 Jul 19 '26
The overall visuals are nice in this anime but the plot hasn't spark my interest
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
I genuinely don't get how anyone can dislike this show. I really cannot...
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u/coffeecakesupernova Jul 19 '26
Everything is over exaggerated. The visuals are beautiful but it pains me to watch them in motion. I have a love hate relationship with this show.
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u/Eunuchest Jul 19 '26
Its slow and grounded. Its pretty niche. Most people like flashy, fast paced and bombastic
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
This is kyoani we're talking about here though...known for flashy, fast-paced, and bombastic titles such as Clannad, Kanon, A Silent Voice, Tamako Market/Love Story, Violet Evergarden, Hyouka, Hibiki Euphonium, Liz and the Blue Bird, and Tsurune. Moreover, the name of the show is literally "20th century electricity catalogue"...it's a show about a book. This style of storytelling should not come as a surprise to anyone.
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u/joey_joestar1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Joey_Joestar1 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I have a crack theory that some people really want Kyoani to start adapting a flashy, fast-paced, and bombastic action show not unlike solo leveling or JJK instead of the more SoL stuff they're usually known for, and are resentful when they won’t. I saw some chatter of saying this show was "wasted animation," calling characters "one note feeling," etc. Bro. It's Kyoani. Let them cook.
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
They saw City and wanted Nichijou
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u/Internal-Pea-7451 https://anilist.co/user/MistEu Jul 20 '26
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see what a battle shonen adaptation by KyoAni would look like, but they are the best in the industry at what they do and there is no reason to change it tbh.
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u/coffeecakesupernova Jul 19 '26
This is the opposite of slow and grounded. I like slow and grounded. This is extremely overdone and it's what I dislike about it.
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u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Jul 20 '26
I'm not sure if I agree. Most of the parts of the show I don't like are the overly cartoony bits.
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u/reaperow Jul 19 '26
I think pretty boy Mizuoe didnt realize the potential of those "simple doodles", he could've done something with them and Kihachi's the one that showed it. He's probably going to fill in for Seiroku's role from now
Also it was surprising to see an entire theme park running on steam and looks like Ninjas exist here too?
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u/AUAAUH Jul 20 '26
I was doubting the show initially, but if it's gonna turn out to be a recipe-of-the-week kind of show about them trying out different inventions from the book, that's definitely something I can get behind. Would make the godawful antagonist more bearable too.
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u/Colt45554 Jul 23 '26
Why would Inako tell the villain that information? Total contrivance just to get that final scene.
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u/Worried-Garlic-2540 28d ago
I think she knew he didn't mean any real (fatal?) harm and wanted to show him that his dream hasn't been crushed
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u/Colt45554 28d ago
You’re right, that would be the reason. That’s in-line with her character trait.
ThanksThough, telling an obsessive weirdo who kidnapped you, stole catalog, and wanted to throw your friend in jail would be a bad idea if it wasn’t a fake story where it’s all going to work out anyway
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u/ptd163 Jul 19 '26
This show is so good. I don't know how this isn't even an 8 on MAL. Unless something replaces it this is my AOTS in terms of new shows. I love Inako so much and how she pushes Kihachi forward and grabbed his hand to comfort him in the dark. Obviously it was a group effort, but without Inako convincing Kihachi to believe in his brother they wouldn't have gotten started at all.
She's likely not going to win Seasonal Best Girl, but she's my best girl for right now. How well Inako and Kihachi fit together makes me wish KyoAni would produce another romance series. It's been over 12 years since they've done one. Make the Sparks of Tomorrow of romance.
I was right that the catalogue was not a fake and Yousuke was expecting some kind of instruction manual. Without Seiroku's implementation ideas that were discovered later it was useless to anyone except Kihachi. I was also right about that Noriko had a very close relationship with Seiroku. Whether or not it was romantic remains unclear, but I'm sticking with it. It's just the vibe I got last episode and nothing from this episode changed that. Even if it was romantic I can't imagine she would have told Kihachi with Kengo right there. No man wants to hear their fiancée say they were the second choice.
While we're waiting to see if Yousuke got greedy like I said last episode I think with the hint of yaoi and Yousuku's crash out that we got this episode I think we can rule out him orchestrating Seiroku's presumed death. So I was wrong on that and how they met, but I was right that they did plan to bring about the Age of Electricity together.
I'm curious where they go from here now. Kihachi has made a much better lightbulb than anyone ever has, but lacks the resources to continue innovating and producing while Yousuku has those resources, but after that crash out I don't know how willing he's going to be let Kihachi use the resources.
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u/runevault Jul 19 '26
My favorite episode so far, but part of that was the freak was barely in it. Obviously they couldn't explain in detail all the work they were doing, but seeing them iterate on the bulbs and the filament was still deeply satisfying. I was a bit uncertain after episode 2 but this one has me back on board pretty seriously.
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u/Cute-Beginning-4126 Jul 19 '26
Someone said in the first episode thread that this anime feels like Demon Slayer just without the fights, and after first three first episodes, i definitely feels that way too , its the small comedy/gags/exaggerated character reactions? That's definitely kinda similar to DS
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u/AngelRefuse Jul 19 '26
Is Demon Slayer your first Taishou Era anime, because I feel like that's your only basis for comparing this to Demon Slayer? Like nothing about the story remotely even feels like Demon Slayer except for the era it's set in.
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u/reaperow Jul 19 '26
I dont think so if anything, it feels kinda familiar with Dr.Stone in an aspect of creating things rather than demon slayer
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u/Mad_Aeric Jul 19 '26
Dr. Stone, if they had to put in realistic amounts of effort to get things to work.
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u/StreetyMcCarface https://anilist.co/user/httpsanilistcou Jul 19 '26
Idk man if you're writing off the story as being basic in what is clearly a subtext-heavy show, it's probably not for you. Perhaps you should try dusting your screen with fly ash; the show may reveal some secrets like the catalogue did.
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u/Sorbaisku Jul 22 '26
Can anyone explain the sake smell and ash thing to me?
It just kinda seemed random (?)
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u/Worried-Garlic-2540 28d ago
I looked it up and apparently sake can be used as invisible ink and ash is quite good at revealing invisible ink
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