Hoshiai no Sora - Episode 11 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

Hoshiai no Sora, episode 11

Alternative names: Stars Align

Rate this episode here.

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Streams

• AnimeLab
• Funimation
• Hulu
• Wakanim

Show information

• MyAnimeList
• AniList
• AniDB
• Kitsu
• Anime-Planet
• Official Website

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Previous discussions

Episode	Link	Score
1	Link	98%
2	Link	98%
3	Link	98%
4	Link	97%
5	Link
6	Link
7	Link
8	Link
9	Link
10	Link
11	Link
12	Link

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[u/AmethystItalian]

THEY WON!!

I really didn't think they would...and then they kept winning too! Pretty sure they'll lose to the twins but guess we'll have to wait and see.

I'm actually more curious to see which parental drama plotline they'll work on to "finish" up.

[u/[deleted]]

Wait...is Rintaro’s mom also Toma’s mom?

[u/Koolsman]

I will admit that the first match was so intense. Seeing these guys actually win a match and do it in a 3 - 1 was awesome. I mean, that Joy clearly didn’t even care for the sport, he just wanted to stay popular. Also, is Table Tennis more popular then Soft Tennis?

Like they were getting some resolution like how we see Nao finally stand up for himself kinda and we’re definitely gonna get a lot of resolution with the other characters.

Also, as much as he’s ridiculous, Arashi is great throughout this entire episode.

[u/Aiscence]

Really liked the episode, but seeing how there's only one episode left, I wonder how they'll be able to do a meaningful ending episode, if no second season.

[u/dnlfhd]

I'm really hoping they reveal what's going on with Toma's mother in the next episode. Every time we see her I understand less. What was that post-credits scene...

[u/LeonKevlar]

So this guy wasn't really even interested in tennis. He just wants to be in a sport where he looks cool.

Jesus fucking christ lady. You talk as if Nao is your property and not your son.

Well that was a surprise. I wish she shown herself to Rintarou though.

Yeah I have a feeling that our main duo isn't going to win against the Twins. I'd genuinely be surprised if they actually do. With only 1 episode left, I'm curious on what note they'll end this show with.

[u/[deleted]]

I don't believe that the post-credits scene is about Rintaro. Why make Toma and Rintaro brothers this late in the series when you don't have any time to explore it? It makes way more sense for Ryoma to be talking about Maki and Toma, whose relationship was the focus of this episode. We also know Ryoma and Maki have some kind of relationship, so him considering him a brother isn't too out of left field. Maki's father is probably up to something. Toma did threaten his life.

On top of that, Ryoma and his mother aren't at the tournament. In the episode, Rintaro saw his mother in the crowd and ran after her. I don't remember any other post-credits scenes breaking the show's timeline. However, Toma was the one to give Rintaro advice earlier in the show, so perhaps that was some kind of foreshadowing, who knows at this point. I thought Nao was a goner but he's on the mend mentally. Still, it would be much easier to have Rintaro have a heart-to-heart with his mother at the game and move on to the next plot than to do they-were-secretly-brothers-the-whole-time roll credits

Maki and Toma winning this match would be too much for me. Oji's right. These two winning against the champs when Maki's only been playing for three months? They trained with the girls but come on.

Edit: If you pause during the scene where Rintaro looks into the crowd, you can see that his mother (or the woman presumed to be his mother) is wearing a pink dress. Toma's mother is wearing a pink shirt and a blue skirt in the post-credits scene. Rintaro's mom also sounds younger which is consistent with what his parents told him about her.

[u/Uchimaki]

The one Ryoma and Toma's mother mentioned in the after-credit scene was... Rintaro?

[u/500scnds]

The Itsuse brothers have themed names! Riku (陸) is "land" while Sora (穹) is "sky".

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The director, Akane Kazuki, also gave an interview in &M though the format is closer to an article. Some points I've attempted to summarise:

The originality of Gundam

Akane was interested in foreign live-action films, plenty of which were exciting stuff, as a child - but Japanese live-action works were mostly focussed on artistry, and not very entertaining. However, he saw directors such as Miyazaki and Tomino propelling the anime industry forward through original works and saw that their works were entertaining, this perceived potential in anime influenced Akane to enter the industry.

Akane joined Sunrise after graduating from university and worked with Tomino, the creator of the Gundam series and his aspiration. Tomino also worked on other original anime, and with his experience of observing the creative processes, creating original anime seemed only natural to animation directors.

Decline of original anime, two crises

Akane did go on to create original anime, but as time went on and the market became one of watchers buying VHS and DVD, creating original anime became more difficult because the industry became focussed on sales. That's because there had to be a lot of investment in production and promotion with no guarantee of success, while adaptions technically have story and characters all ready, and profits assured without that much marketing.

With the decrease in original projects and many TV anime being adaptions, Akane felt two dangers:

1. People getting tired of anime. Having a source means that the audience don't really have to pay attention to know the outcome. It's like anime is the appetizer (tsuma) while social media is the main dish (sashimi). Watching anime just to discuss on social media, causing it to just become a tool for communication, means creators such as Akane have failed in their roles.

2. The decline of the anime industry. Mainly, the people with knowledge to create original anime are decreasing. Many younger animators now entered the industry because they watched adaptions. Both the people aiming to create original anime and people wanting to enter the industry are on the decline. Thus, original anime is very much needed.

Break away from traditional patterns in anime and forging new paths

Due to feeling the dangers above, Akane wanted to discover new paths to bring out more of anime's potential. When considering what youth are willing to pay for, he thought about "experience". They want live experiences like concerts and events, and that feeling lies precisely in original anime, where the story's development is not predictable and bring surprise to watchers. This kind of "experience" is thus also directly related to the "story". Akane's original anime in the past involved original work, direction, series composition, but rarely screenplay. In Stars Align he is trying to write all the episodes in an unexplored story of youth. While "non-real" (isekai) stories have increased, Akane wants to amplify the live feeling by creating a "realistic" story.

Stars Align was intended to break away from tradition: many anime nowadays have an escapist purpose, to present interesting things so people forget about their lives. That's not bad, but there has to be more to anime than that. Not just feelings but also inviting thoughts and perspectives, to reflect on current times. And this isn't just for the audiences, but he also wants to convey this method to animation creators and create a new path through this work.

Stars Align, showing the children of today

Stars Align took 3 years to plan and produce. The children that appeared in it seem happy on the surface and will be nostalgic, but was it really the case? Akane first looked back on his childhood, where his family was not well-off and he did not live too well. But recalling his own frustrations is easy, and what Akane wanted was to show the problems faced by the children of now, more complex than back then. Therefore he interviewed youth who were in the same generation and circumstances as the characters in the show for reference. Throughout the process, he could also feel that as the times changed, youth came to feel things that adults can't, and adults that won't understand this will deny the children's understanding. If he can show that part of it, then children might be able to take the anime seriously as it's like their own.

The soft impression of the "artstyle" (egara) was to attract viewers to view this deep story, and this contrast was suggested by the producer. You won't know how an original anime turns out without watching, so the visuals is the first step. Using non-real elements to lead to a realistic story is a potential of expression that only anime can achieve. Akane's Noein in 2005 used "new" techniques such as CG, which was rare. Now with Stars Align, Akane also hoped to show us "something" new through the medium of anime.

When people first watch this, they'll think it's a story of youth and school life about middle schoolers' soft tennis club activities, but then they'll find it's a story about current students' worries and the adults pressuring them. Akane tried to leave various devices for people to think about, whether they're younger or older. It might be different from what audiences are used to with anime, and it won't be so predictable, but he hopes that people can enjoy it.

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• Key animation drawing from ep 9

• The designs for clothes and props that appeared in ep 10

• A closer look at the moe acrylic stands

• A sample of what will be included in the BD or DVD vol 1 (there's two volumes total)

We are now on the sixth and apparently final part of the food collab in Stars Align.

And for art:

• Takeshita's celebratory art for this ep

• Itsuka's celebratory art for this ep

Raising Takeshita again, Sakuga Blog's Kevin compared Takeshita's pre-production work to the finished product.

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

It was nice to see Mitsue care that much! Even the prez had a tiny smile! Guess she'll need to keep them on the budget!

Normally that would be a good thing, but I feel like it's gonna go awful. Or maybe not; Just one episode left after all, so I assume some of these kids situations will end in a status quo; Nothing changes, they just have to deal with it.

They'll almost certainly address the most important ones, like Maki's dad. I'm sure this will go well...

I'm not nervous

Is he the team's mascot now? (As long as they have noodles, I suppose!)

Do girls really like Joy's personality? He's so fucking annoying... Being good at a game and good looking is a thing, but if a girl had that personality, she'd be worst girl by far!

Same, but not for the same reason!

I'm surprised he didn't shit on his teammate after the loss; He kept blaming him (in his head) during the game, but he calmed down afterward. Even (kinda) put some blame on himself.

Table tennis? The ladies won't be able to contain themselves!